The Spirit Watches by Ruth Pitter (1939)

The accent here is on contemplation of the gentle and the natural, and on personal reflections which arise from that. Some of these poems are a little low in impact, but many of them are truly inspiring, and more than a little heartbreaking, or perhaps, more accurately, heartstretching. The standout which brought tears to my eyes is The Stockdove, a typically Pitterian examination of a creature seen as a victim of human brutality and greedy thoughtlessness. The gentle rubbed out by the gross. Almost equally as affecting, but very different modally, is The Fishers, about two boys, gently described in their landscape and different personalities. Pitter's reflection includes the realisation of its own limitations - if these two had 'had a kill' her dream of them would have been destroyed - she revels in the peace and silence of their idyll and yet recognizes the pain in her wish for it to remain so. There are poems here about all manner of animals and plants, but they are in what might be called her serious manner. The contrast between these and the more skittish and humorous pieces on these subjects in other volumes is an expansive one. This volume is seemingly in the centre of Pitter's heyday, and I love her soft, sad spirit.