THE BLACK LILY
by Frederick Dyer '48.published by Exposition Press, New York;1951; 107 pp; $2-50-
Frederick Dyer, who served as a Naval officer in the Pacific during the last war, and who later got his degree at Tuck School, has written a book of poetry, The Black Lily, which shows considerable skill and talent.
It is apparent that he has been influenced by the German Romantics particularly, and some of his poems are curiously reminiscent of Heine's "Youthful Sorrows."
Mr. Dyer's poems are generally short. He avoids difficult verse forms, possibly because he has not mastered them, and probably because what he has to say is best expressed in his own way. His feeling is sincere, and at times he writes good verse.
Those who may be troubled with the obscurity of certain modern verse will find in Mr. Dyer's poems something that they have missed; they are easy to read.
Some o£ the poems deal with the Dartmouth scene, namely "A Winter Walk," and "The Whole World Be Thy Grave."
Mr. Dyer is a Roman Catholic and in some of his poems he reflects Catholic thought and sentiment. There are excellent notes, as well as a short essay expounding his theory of poetry.
