Delusions, Etc.

Mr. Berryman's posthumous book of poems, Delusions, Etc., had been completed and was in proof before his death on January 7, 1972. The opening section, "e;Opus Dei,"e; is a sequence of eight poems based on the offices of the day from Lauds to Compline-the lines above being quoted from Nones. Part two consists of five poems whose subject are George Washington ("e;Rectitude, and the terrible upstanding member"e;), Beethoven, Emily Dickinson, Georg Trakl, and Dylan Thomas. The thirteen poems in the third part include "e;Gislebertus' Eve,"e; "e;Scholars at the Orchid Pavilion,"e; "e;Ecce Homo,"e; Tampa Stomp,"e; and "e;Hello."e; The fourth part is arranged as a scherzo. It starts with "e;Navajo Setting the Record Straight"e; and ends with "e;Damn You, Jim D., You Woke Me Up."e; The concluding section is reflective and meditative in tone, with "e;The Prayer of the Middle-Aged Man,"e; "e;Somber Prayer,"e; "e;Minnesota Thanksgiving,"e; and "e;A Usual Prayer,"e; and a coda that rises to the high spirits of "e;King David Dances."e; Delusions, Etc. is an impressive collection of verse by one of the most original poets of our time, whose death at the height of his powers is a tragic loss to letters.