*Divergent Shades. Introduction by Dr. Ravi

Nandan Sinha, 1995, Writers= Forum, Ranchi, India.

Although the emotional dynamic of Stephen Gill=s poems can be apprehended rather than explained, what is obvious even to a casual reader of his poetry is that he is primarily a poet of love and compassion. One is tempted to quote the poet himself:

'Love is that eternal flame which knows no occupation, faith or complexion and which cannot be imprisoned within human bonds, and which has engulfed millions, whose names can be traced in every age and land. This flame is known to engulf mortals even today, melting two unknown metals into one'. (Stephen Gill in his The Flowers of Thirst). His poetry came to me rather late; much after he had carved a name for himself among the poets of the world. His poems have convinced me that his transactions with reality go beyond national or racial boundaries. He is not merely a compassionate and intelligent ' writer (John B. Lee) but a skillful literary artist as well. His lean lines, tense, vibrant with emotion can bring about a transformation at the very core of our perception.

A poem like >Tears' appearing in this book is almost a vinculum joining of fragments of experience enabling the reader to move from the said to the

unsaid effortlessly:

Unknown forces

send tender beads

as ambassadors of silence

to tell

concealed woes.

The metaphor functions almost as an explanatory device and when the reader allows the poem to seep into him, he feels tentacular roots of meaning growing into his consciousness. The reality created by Gill is not merely one that can be talked about but one which becomes an experienced phenomenon. I would like to put down my response to one more poem in this collection and that is 'To Mother'. The poem makes a remarkable use of words in which sound and sense define each other. The poem begins with lines that ride roughly on harsh 'd' and >r= sounds :

When

dawn is dimmed

amidst dull and deep clouds

and shroud is spread

on my despair

your name emanates

in pleasing shapes.

The harsh consonantal sounds in 'spread' and 'despair= melt into the liquid 'm= 'ri' and >s= of 'emanates in pleasing shapes' and 'this life and pleasure'. The poem pencils the poet's almost imperceptible but sure change from a mood of despair to that of elation. Gill's poetry, therefore, has an auditory significance of which the reader may not be consciously aware but which reinforces an image at the subliminal level.

Stephen Gill's poetry is a pleasure to read. In his work imagery arises with inevitable naturalness leading to magnificence that is typically his own. The heterocosm created by Gill is wide and rich, full of sun and shade. It is like a lush valley of flowers gazing up at a multicolored sky. I am sure his readers will enjoy reading these poems as they have his earlier ones.

*Dr. Ravi Nandan Sinha edits The Quest, a literary journal, and is a professor of English Literature. He is a reputable poet and critic.