The Sorrow Psalms: a Book of Twentieth-century Elegy, Lynn Strongin, Ed. Iowa City, IA: University of Iowa Press, 2006. $24.95. 0-87745-986-X

Berryman, Bishop, Clifton, Cummings, Levertov, Rich, Sandburg, Sexton, these are just a handful of the 66 poets included in this impressive collection, which includes poems from some of the greatest poets who ever lived, and died, and suffered, and wrote about it. Strongin charts the history of the elegy, from the pastoral, idealized portrait of the dead, to the more modern “warts and all” incarnation. In the introduction, Strongin writes, “the poet of the elegy writes songs essentially of love and of praise.” By writing about the death of a child, the poet recreates the memory of that child, the poem “exalts even as one grieves.”

The book is divided into five section: the first deals with the impact of death and its aftermath. The second deals with the loss of family, lovers, and friends. The third section contains poems for the loss of a child. The fourth deals with violent death: war, terrorism, and, in Strongin’s words, “the almost banal violence that disrupts contemporary daily life.” The fifth section deals with mortality.

This collection is a refreshing respite from the homogenization of suffering that occurs when we distance ourselves too much from the realities of death and dying, from our humanity, of which this is an inevitable and inseparable part. No matter how big our cars become, even if we make all the Hummers in the world hybrids, we’re still going to die and suffer and witness the death and suffering of others. (I will avoid making any correlations). Pain happens, and ignoring it robs us of opportunities for understanding and awareness. Many may shy away from a book with a title like “Sorrow Psalms” but don’t be fooled: there is joy between the pages. These poems exalt life just as they acknowledge its fragility.

-CL Bledsoe