For Lovers of God Everywhere

A priceless collection of poems from Christian mystics, which makes it ideal contemplative reading. The book consists of over 100 poems, with the text on the left and a short commentary on the right. There is an element of serendipity since the contents are not arranged chronologically and some writers appear more than once. I find it a very interesting selection, with some names is better known than others. Among the contributors are St Teresa of Avila, St Catherine of Siena, St Augustine, Mechtild of Magdeburg, Meister Eckhart, TS Eliot, Simone Weil, William Blake, Henry Vaughan, RS Thomas, Rainer Maria Rilke, Kahlil Gibran, Thomas Merton and John O'Donohue. Here is an unusual piece from the 13th century by Hadewijch II:

Tighten

Tighten to nothing the circle that is the world's things.

Then the Naked circle can grow wide, enlarging, embracing all.