The author is Charles Taylor (yes, Charles Taylor) and the subtitle is Poems in the Depression. This book is an excellent introduction to romanticism, and the poetry of romanticism, noting that its level of departure may depend on how much knowledge you already have. I especially liked the chapters on Rilke and Mallarme, here is one excerpt:
It follows that for Rilke, our full potential for praise can only be realized if we consider the perspective of the dead. The medium of Prussia is something Gesang [song]. therefore the voice that carries this song fully must be that of the golden Orpheus, who walks in both realms, that of the living and that of the dead.
And the sonnet is the speaker. As its name suggests, it is the kind of poem that begs to be heard, not just read from the page. These two modes of reception are important in all poems, but in the sonnet the musical dimension becomes the most important mode of the message.
So it is a song of praise from both sides, for the dead, and for the living. They invoke Orpheus, the musician god who travels between these two realms. So i Sonnets to Orpheus.
I am very glad to see that Taylor is still working, and 640 pp. in that. Furthermore, this book is (unintentionally?) a good way to think about how much linguistic division has taken place.
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