I Look And Look, / As Though

I'm Filled With Admiration, Delight, And Gratitude At Discovering James Lasdun's Poems In A Jump Start. He Has Wit, Speed, Intelligence, A Keen Eye, Precision, And Imagination Of A High Order.

Merely To Have Survived Is Not An Index Of Excellence.

Children Know From A Remarkably Early Age That Things Are Being Kept From Them, That Grown-ups Participate In A World Of Mysteries.

Poetry Operates By Hints And Dark Suggestions. It Is Full Of Secrets And Hidden Formulae, Like A Witch's Brew.

A Lot Of The Fun Lies In Trying To Penetrate The Mystery; And This Is Best Done By Saying Over The Lines To Yourself Again And Again, Till They Pass Through The Stage Of Sounding Like Nonsense, And Finally Return To A Full Sense That Had At First Escaped Notice.