Poetry Books - Page 4

Wild Ways: Zen Poems of Ikkyu (Companions for the Journey)

Ikkyu

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

a work of art 5 out of 5 stars.
20 of 21 people found this review helpful.

This is my favorite Ikkyu translation and collection. John Stevens captures Ikkyu's wry wit and his earthy sensibilities, his concurrent plunges into deep despair, and his profound spirituality. The presentation of the book is delightful as well. This is a tiny book. You can carry it in your pocket. It has lovely artwork intermingled with the poetry. I read this in one sitting, and then over and over.

Editorial Review:

Ikkyu, who lived from 13941481, was known as one of Japan's most irreverent and iconoclastic Zen masters. He spent much of his life as a vagrant monk, wandering here and there, and mingling with people both high- and low-born. On occasion, Ikkyu played Robin Hood, taking money given by the rich and spending it on the homeless. Interspersing his travels with retreats deep in the mountains, he eventually became head abbot at the most important Zen temple in Japan. Much of his verse rants against the pervasive hypocrisy of the Buddhist establishment and the corruption of the imperial court, but his writing is at its finest when centering around what he loved most: the unfettered Zen life and the joys of sexual intimacy.

The First Gift of Christmas

Richard Paul Evans

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

The first gift of Christmas 3 out of 5 stars.
11 of 12 people found this review helpful.

This is a really enjoyable book, written by an author that really knows how to pull your heart into a story and hold you there. I can see this quaint book as a staple reading materal every Christmas. I real tradition starter.

The First Gift of Christmas Is, Was, and Always Will Be Love 3 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

This is Richard Paul Evans' invitation to readers to rise above the glittery trappings and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. He relates the story of how he discovered Christmas in his heart while spending the holiday in Taiwan, a country which does not celebrate Christmas at all.

He compiles his thoughts and introspections on Christmas and divides them into four seasons: Advent, where Christmas asks if we are ready to make room for it in our hearts and give it access to our lives; the Eve, which is a tribute to the love and the sacrifices parents make as excited children lie in bed in anticipation of what is to come; the Morning when tattered paper and empty boxes symbolize a completion of the journey, a journey that is always more important than the destination; and the Night when a parent reflects and asks "Is it enough?" hoping that he has given his child enough magic to inspire, enough celebration to show the importance of family and community, and enough gifts to show the greatest gifts are received in the giving.

This book is quite an eye-opener for parents who hope to share with their children the true meaning of The First Christmas and shows clearly why the First Gift of Christmas...a parent's love...is still the most important aspect of Christmas. The book is very brief, easily read in a mere fifteen minutes, but its message will ideally last a lifetime.

Editorial Review:

In four seasons of Christmas- The Advent, The Morning, The Night- Evans presents a stirring introspection of love,faith and parenthood. The First Gift of Christmas is a gift in itself - from one heart to another.

Paradise Lost (Modern Library Classics)

John Milton

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Editorial Review:

“Meticulously edited, full of tactful annotations that set the stage for his work and his times, this edition brings Milton, as a poet and a thinker, vividly alive before us.”
–Robert Hass, winner of the National Book Award

John Milton’s Paradise Lost, an epic poem on the clash between God and his fallen angel, Satan, is a profound meditation on fate, free will, and divinity, and one of the most beautiful works in world literature. Extracted from the Modern Library’s highly acclaimed The Complete Poetry and Essential Prose of John Milton, this edition reflects up-to-date scholarship and includes a substantial Introduction, fresh commentary, and other features–annotations on Milton’s classical allusions, a chronology of the writer’s life, clean page layouts, and an index–that make it the definitive twenty-first-century presentation of John Milton’s timeless signature work.

Praise for The Complete Poetry and Essential Prose of John Milton

“In this landmark edition, teachers will discover a powerful ally in bringing the excitement of Milton’s poetry and prose to new generations of students.”
–William C. Dowling, Rutgers University

“This magnificent edition gives us everything we need to read Milton intelligently and with fresh perception.”
–William H. Pritchard, Amherst College

Piers Plowman

William Langland

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

The most inspirational book besides the Bible 5 out of 5 stars.
24 of 25 people found this review helpful.

This poem is one of the most beautiful things I have ever read. I am not a specialist in Middle English, so I cannot say what was lost in the translation into Modern English. I have a copy of the B-Text version which is in Middle English, and if you are like me and have no background therein, this is definitely the version to possess.

It was written circa 1380 and gives an excellent account of life in Plantagenent England and the behavior of the people. The money economy was relatively new, and he saw the negative effects that it had upon both the secular authorities and the Church. The poem is written as an allegory in which the author tries to reconcile the needs of human society with satisfying our Lord our God. Similar to Pilgrim's Progress, the author has a vision, in which he is encounters different aspects of humanity (Covetousness, Sloth, Soul, Knowledge, etc.) on his attempt to find Truth (or God). It is definitely not light reading, and there is so much deep thought that one has to spend a lot of time reading it slowly, as I am sure it was done in the 'Middle Ages'.

The author thought that End Times were near after the Black Death and the utter corruption amongst secular and clerical authorities at the time. The fact that something so penetrating and inspirational was written and found such an appreciative audience that it has survived till now shows that the society then was not so bad. Highly recommended.

Editorial Review:

A translation of the 14th century poem, which offers a picture of society in the late Middle Ages on the threshold of the early modern world. The translator of this work was a founding editor of "The Norton Anthology of English Literature".

Solomon among the Postmoderns

Peter J., Leithart

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Corrected my misunderstandings 4 out of 5 stars.
10 of 11 people found this review helpful.

This book was a helpful summary of and response to the phenomenon known as "postmodernism." In short, postmodernity is that phenomenon that follows the arrogance of modernity and posits limitations to human knowledge and politics.

However, postmodernity has suffered from naive supporters and savage critics. I had my own misunderstandings. I thought postmodernists were those people with dark eye-liner, low-brow culture, readers of Nietzsche and those who sit around all day watching *Fight Club.* Leithart convinced me I was wrong.

The strengths of the book:
Leithart, following Kevin Vanhoozer, sympathetically interacts and appreciates some of the good things that postmodernity has to offer. Postmodernity can celebrate the death of modernity (but so can conservative foundationalists) but postmodernity doesn't share the same modern presuppositions that many of modernity's critics share.

Leithart gave a good critique of democracy. Democracy celebrates religious freedom to the degree that a religion supports the statist status quo. Whenever that religion begins to proclaim another king, one Jesus, then they will be marginalized and persecuted.

Leithart gave a good critique of postmodernism's non-eschatology. Postmodernism can't even claim the honor of being a noble tragedy. A tragedy implies a climactic ending. Postmodernism denies precisely that. It forces its adherents to hope for eternal anti-climax (Foucalt's thoughts on the matter).

Leithart correctly translates the Hebrew word *hebel* as vapor, not vanity.

Weaknesses:
This is not Leithart's best piece of writing, stylistically. I gave him 4 stars because he is capable of outstanding, breathtaking writing. This book was quite good, but not his best.

That being said, I definitely recommend it and would encourage the reader on to Leithart's other work *Deep Comedy,* particularly the chapter "Supplement at Origin."

Editorial Review:

In Ecclesiastes, Solomon states that "all is vapor" and describes humans as trying to "shepherd the wind." In Solomon among the Postmoderns, author Peter J. Leithart uses these claims, as well as the entire book of Ecclesiastes, to show how Solomon resonated with postmodernism. Exploring the strengths and weaknesses of postmodernism, Leithart shows how the theory reflects an important biblical theme: the elusiveness and instability of the world. But he goes on to show that biblical faith takes us beyond cynicism and despair. Solomon among the Postmoderns will appeal to academics and laypeople alike seeking a biblical view of postmodernism.

Run, Shepherds, Run: Poems For Advent And Christmas

L. William Countryman

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Editorial Review:

The Advent season is filled with rich themes that have fascinated poets. This book presents a poem a day for devotional reading during Advent and the twelve days of Christmas. Readers will find classic poets they know and love, including George Herbert, John Donne, Christina Rossetti, Emily Dickinson, and Alfred Lord Tennyson, as well as contemporary poets known and unknown. Run, Shepherds, Run includes helpful hints for reading poetry, for those who have less experience reading it than others, as well as useful annotations to help readers with older language that may not have easily apparent meanings for today's readers.

Psalms of Lament

Ann Weems

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

of great benefit to grieving parents 5 out of 5 stars.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.

all i can tell you of this book is my mother credits a large percentage of her still being on this planet after the death of her 16 year old daughter in a car accident to the insights in this book of poetry--it is a series of poems about the loss of her son, mostly written as appeals to god, and it certainly brings the reader face to face with their anger and sadness, so they can move on and face the future with a little less hopelessness.

Psalm of lament 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 12 people found this review helpful.

This book is terrific for anyone stuggling with the tragides of life, espechally sudden death or serious or chronic illness. It is plea to God for help, understanding and solice for those burdened by the unfairness that is life. It has been a source of comfort to read these each night. Sad as they, are they are cathartic

Psalms of Lament 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

When my son was killed in an auto/pedestrian accident two years ago, I read books that were given to me, books that were recommended by therapists, and books that I randomly bought in search of any source of solace. Ann Weem's "Psalms of Lament" spoke the words my heart has been crying. Especially Lament Psalm Forty-Nine. Like Ann and Rachel, I will never be comforted; until God wipes the tears from my eyes.

Patricia Chavez

The 1979 Book of Common Prayer, Personal Size Edition

Episcopal Church

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Total reviews: 31 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

With all my heart, and mind, and strength... 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 5 people found this review helpful.

The Book of Common Prayer (1979) is the latest, complete BCP used by the American branch of the Anglicans, the Episcopal church. There have been many books that have had the title 'Book of Common Prayer' since the first one appeared in 1549; it has been used continuously in one edition or another in the Anglican tradition since 1559; the 'main' edition remains the 1662 edition. The American church modified the Book of Common Prayer for its own use beginning shortly after the Revolutionary War -- this book is the successor of a long and worthy tradition.

A bishop in the Episcopal church once said to me, 'We don't have a theology that we have to believe -- what we have is the prayerbook.' Please forgive the absence of context for this phrase -- while he would say that this statement in isolation is an exaggeration, and I would agree, nonetheless his statement serves to highlight both the importance of and the strength of the Book of Common Prayer.

To be an Anglican (in the United States, read Episcopalian for the same in the context of this article), one does not have to subscribe to any particular systematic theological framework. One does not have to practice a particular brand of liturgical style. One does not have to have an approved politico-theological viewpoint. One can be a conservative, liberal or moderate; one can be high church, low church, or broad; one can be charismatic, evangelical, or mainline traditional -- one can be any number of things in a rich diversity of choices, and the Book of Common Prayer can still be the book upon which spirituality and worship is centred.

The Book of Common Prayer is not, in fact, a book that changed my life. It is a book that changes my life. Even though it is not the primary book of my own church, it continues to provide for spiritual insight and development; it continues to guide my worship and my theology. It continues to help me grow. The words are part of a liturgy now shared by Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian and other liturgical churches, in different combination and priority.

Gerry Janzen, an Anglican professor at my seminary, said to me recently as we were lunching and having a fascinating and wide-ranging conversation (in a unique way that only Gerry Janzen is capable of doing) that he strives for that kind of memory and understanding that is so complete that one forgets what one has learned. He recounted to me his experience of working with his book on Job -- he had done a lot of research, development of ideas, writing, and organisation, and then set it aside for a time. When he picked up the topic later, he decided to begin by writing, and then go back to the research, other notes and writings he had done earlier. He was surprised to see, in comparing the work, that he had in fact duplicated much of the material -- he had internalised the information, incorporated it so well into his thinking and being, that it came forward without effort. It is this kind of relationship I feel I have developed with the Book of Common Prayer.

To be sure, there are pages of information that I don't know. I haven't memorised the historical documents; I still consult the calendars; I haven't learned all of the collects by heart. But it has become a part of me. When was asked to put together a liturgy for a houseblessing for Episcopalian friends, there were rooms that called for collects that had not been written -- I wrote new collects and inserted them into the liturgy.

'Can you do that?' the householder asked, worried about the flow and the approval of the priest doing the blessing.

'I trust Kurt to write collects -- his probably belong in the BCP,' the priest said in response, and I appreciated her vote of confidence. That was perhaps the first confirmation to me of this sense of incorporation of the book into my life.

From his first edition, Cranmer distinguished in his terminology the words minister and priest, and the two should not be viewed as interchangeable. A priest is a minister, but a minister need not be a priest. This become part of the early development of the idea of all people being ministers to each other, which is also a concept that has varying acceptance and fulfillment in actual practice over the history of Anglicanism.

One of my favourite prayers derives from this book, part of the English prayer book from the very first one in 1549:

Almighty God, who hast given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication unto thee, and hast promised through thy well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his name, thou wilt be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, the desires and petitions of thy servants, as may be best for us, granting us in this world knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come, life everlasting. Amen.

This prayer, like many things in the BCP, has moved to a new location from the first edition, but nonetheless the spirit of the BCP shows a circuitous but continuous development from this first English Prayer Book to the current varieties. Likewise, other denominations have gleaned insights, prayers and structures from this and other versions of the BCP.

The current Book of Common Prayer is not copyrighted material. The purpose for leaving the BCP out of copyright is to permit free and easy duplication and incorporation into worship materials; however, it also serves the purpose (deliberately intended) of permitting people, Anglicans or not, to use portions of the BCP as inspiration and material for their own worship. The Book of Common Prayer is an Anglican gift to the world.

Editorial Review:

Our most popular prayer book style, this edition makes an excellent pew book or economical gift. Includes a Family Record section with certificates for the rites of Baptism, Confirmation, and Marriage. Black hardcover, gold cross, gold page edges, 2 ribbon markers.

Mortal Beauty, God's Grace: Major Poems and Spiritual Writings of Gerard Manley Hopkins

Gerard Manley Hopkins

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Editorial Review:

Gerard Manley Hopkins is one of English poetry's most brilliant stylistic innovators, and one of the most distinguished poets of any age. However, during his lifetime he was known not as a poet but as a Jesuit priest, and his faith was essential to his work. His writings combine an intense feeling for nature with an ecstatic awareness of its divine origins, most remarkably expressed in his magnificent and highly original 'sprung rhythm.'

This collection contains not only all of Hopkins’ significant poetry, but also selections from his journals, sermons, and letters, all chosen for their spiritual guidance and insight. Hopkins didn't allow the publication of most of his poems during his lifetime, so his genius was not appreciated until after his death. Now, more than a hundred years later, his words are still a source of inspiration and sheer infectious joy in the radiance of God's creation.

Further Still: A Collection of Poetry and Vignettes (Moore, Beth)

Beth Moore

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Beth Moore delivers brilliance once again 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful.

You can't go past Beth Moore for her candid writing which is so refreshing. She doesn't tell us what to do from a lofty ground above us, but shares her struggles and insights, inviting us to learn from that.

I am on a quest to purchase all her books as she has never failed me yet.

She inspires, encourages, entertains, reminds and gently reprimands through her excellent writing.

Entertaining & Inspiring! 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This book is a wonderful continuation of Things Pondered. Beth Moore never fails to make me laugh and cry all at the same time. This book would make a terrific gift.

Editorial Review:

Things Pondered was a different kind of Beth Moore book. It was a window into Beth’s tender and creative soul that before could only be viewed at her speaking engagements where she often shares her poems and short stories. The perennial success of Things Pondered proves that many continue to be moved by Beth’s reflections.

Broadman & Holman is pleased to offer a second collection of Beth’s creative writings. Further Still once again proves Beth Moore a gifted, sensitive writer and poet.