Farewell . . . and if Forever

In these delightful pages, Johann Moser reaches deep into the poetic traditions of many times and various cultures to create for us an abundance of verse in different forms and on an astounding variety of themes. Here are tender love poems and lovely evocations of natural landscapes and of the creatures that dwell in them. There's also a fantasy piece inspired by modern masters such as Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. One sequence features a number of venerable medieval genres, including Arthurian motifs, a troubadour love song, a Crusader hymn, and a satirical "confession" of the notorious folklore scoundrel Reynard the Fox. Other poems resound with the energy and color of great images culled from a multitude of sources, including, among others, the Rosenkavalier's marvelous entrance bearing the Silver Rose of betrothal, the prayer of Odysseus to the white sea-goddess Leucothea, the great philosopher Abelard's touching lament over a dying rabbit, and the stampede of a herd of wild bulls down from the biblically famed mountains of Bashan. Here is a rich gallery of dynamic poems to delight the intellect and illuminate the soul of our time.