The Basement Trains (a 21st Century Poem)

The poem begins in âÂÂan ancient garden in the midnight city,â where a nocturnal recollection of the past begins an epic voyage traversing centuries of ideas and continents of profound imagery. âÂÂThe Basement Trains,â PayneâÂÂs greatest long poem, written when he was 28 years old, conjures up a wealth of poetic legacies: from DanteâÂÂs visit to the underworld, to TS EliotâÂÂs âÂÂMind of Europe.â Here, one sees William Blake, Milton, the Catholic Bible, Greek and Roman myth, Russian folklore; and, beyond this, one hears the voice of Roman Payne in its purest poetic form. This bilingual first-edition contains the superb translation into French by Aurélien Galateau. This edition is illustrated with photographic plates by the author. Published by ModeRoom Press, 2006 - Paris, France.