Songs for Dead Children

By E.D. Blodgett

In a series of poems inspired by Gustav Mahler's Kindertotenlieder, E.D. Blodgett searches for meaning amidst grief. In the contemplative gentleness of his words, he finds the special light children possess in their state of unknowing as they encounter the world. These sparse poems move through acceptance and resignation to the solace that exists in the word. Blodgett's poetry will speak to readers who have experienced loss, are exploring grief, or want to find a way to connect with stillness.


as bells that ring through
the winter air

the clear laughter of children
sings in the trees

almost like brooks
bursting in spring

the air stands up
its joy unbound

the breath of it
the bright birth of stars

• Language: English
• Publisher: The University of Alberta Press
• Release date: Mar 22, 2018
• ISBN: 9781772123869

E.D. Blodgett

E.D. Blodgett is professor emeritus of comparative literature at the University of Alberta and a distinguished poet. He held the Louis Desrochers Chair in Études canadiennes at the Campus Saint-Jean from 2008 to 2010. His publications include Five-Part Invention: A History of Literary History in Canada, Elegy, and twenty books of poetry. His 1996 collection Apostrophes: Woman at the Piano won the Governor General's Award. He is a past poet laureate of Edmonton, Alberta.

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