The Cardinal Heart

R. T. Smith writes with a singular beauty of phrase and admits the heart's chaos without sacrificing accuracy, for his allegiance is to time and place, his references to nature and history. If such boundaries would limit many, Smith flies, and, in poem after poem, arrives at the rare, difficult ending with that momentary ease, which seems both lucky and right and is the signature of the most exacting craft. The Cardinal Heart is a wonderful book.