Oh Fathers, forgive me, for I have sinned! I've wanted to indulge and drink in the shining baroque myths of Hart Crane for so long. I've only done so now, after watching the James Franco film a while back. So I've been picking at it for a while since then.

This is a broad mythical poem, somewhere between Walt Whitman and Ezra Pound. Modern. Starts from the Brooklyn Bridge, and makes a circuit through a historical foundation story of the United States, through Pocahontas, the frontier, the oceans, and to a dream-like vision of an ideal Atlantis before walking once again through Brooklyn.

The language is fluid, mythical, making historical, religious, mythical references. Symbols and myths and meanings. A fantastic use of metaphor, although it's almost incomprehensible at first glance. You have to go over it several times and the it hits you.

Fantastic. I'll have to revisit this again. ( )

Crane’s poetry is as enigmatic as it is delightful. As a precursor to the so-called Symbolists, he displays a skill unmatched in his time. This short volume takes the reader on a journey—a journey that changes with each reading. Recommended for anyone trying to get away from the simpler poets. ( )