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A confident, hearty stew of an anthology.

Arranging the poems alphabetically by first line results in some lovely serendipities - strange and refreshing pairings which might have been missed if they’d gone for a thematic or chronological structure.

The title is drawn from a slightly eerie poem about (perhaps?) interrupted ecstasy - not quite sure of the significance of this. As a whole the scope needs tightening - this could be an excellent anthology of poems originally written in English; instead they’ve included a sprinkle of marvellous (razor-sharp and salty) poems in translation - Serbian, Chinese, Navajo. They’re amazing - but either incorporate these fully and give them equal weight, or not at all?

There’s also a heavy emphasis on nature - no surprise when Heaney and Hughes are involved - though far too much cloying William Blake and tepid Robert Frost for my taste (and unfair on the other poets who don’t get such preferential treatment).

Overall a varied, admirable selection.