This American poet takes writings from Christian mystics throughout the centuries and reworks portions of their writing with fresh working. Some of these grabbed my attention, others seemed difficult to grasp (perhaps due to the original material), but overall a worthy read, especially when taken in small doses.
The range of mystics is very wide, from the well known such as Saint Francis of Assisi, Meister Eckhart and Julian of Norwich, to the lesser known such as Evagrios of Pontus, Saint Dorotheos of Gaza and Saint Nil Sorsky. I only wished I had known some of this material in its original form so that I could compare with the reworking done by Scott Cairns. The readings did seem fresh, at least in terms of language, and yet I believe Scott held true to the original tone and intention of the mystics.
Here is one example that I particularly liked from the book, one of the places where the poet uses the phrase that becomes the book's title:
The Death of Death
Put fear aside. Now
that He has entered
into death on our behalf,
all who live
no longer die
as men once died.
That ephemeral occasion
has met its utter end.
As seeds cast to the earth, we
will not perish,
but like those seeds
shall rise again - the shroud
of death itself having been
burst to tatters
by love's immensity.
The original writing was from Saint Athanasios (c. 298-373).
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