I enjoyed Warner's poems more than I'd expected to. I bought this collection recognising his name as the editor of some books of myths and folklore I'd enjoyed as a child, and feeling curious as to what sort of a poet he might be.

Well, Warner was apparently a keen bird-watcher judging by the number of poems he wrote about them, of which my favourite was Chough, about the slow decline of the Cornish chough, which actually did go extinct in the few years after Warner wrote his poem, though, according to the RSPB (and they'd know), it naturally returned from other breeding areas in 2001. Yay!

Overall, there are some poems that feel dated or rather fusty (which had been my initial expectation), but then there are others where he seems to forget formalism (though not structure) and his voice comes through more naturally. The sonnets in the second half of the book were fine, particularly the first few about conception, birth and childhood.

A pleasant surprise, and an interesting volume with its creamy wartime economy paper, cut page edges and clear typeface. ( )