The Principle of Rapid Peering

by Sylvia Legris

Self-seeding wind
is a wind of ever-replenishing breath.
-from 'The Walk, or The Principle of Rapid Peering'

The title of Sylvia Legris' melopoeic collection The Principle of Rapid Peering comes from a phrase the nineteenth-century ornithologist and field biologist Joseph Grinnell used to describe the feeding behaviour of certain birds. Rather than waiting passively for food to approach them, these birds live in a continuous mode of 'rapid peering'.

Legris explores this rich theme of active observation through a spray of poems that together form a kind of almanac or naturalist's notebook in verse. Here is 'where nature converges with words,' as the poet walks through prairie habitats near her home in Saskatchewan, through lawless chronologies and mellifluous strophes of strobili and solstice.

Moths appear frequently, as do birds and plants and larvae, all meticulously observed and documented with an oblique sense of the pandemic marking the seasons. Elements of weather, ornithology, entomology, and anatomy feed her condensed, inflective lines, making the heart bloom and the intellect dance.

Features drawings by the poet.

Genres: Poetry

79 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 2, 2024

Reviews

[Keely · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember hearing children's book writer Blue Balliett talk about the kind of writing that peels off the top of your head and squeezes lemon juice on your brain. The poems in The Principle of Rapid Peering are that kind of writing. I was that blown away by this collection. I picked it up on a whim from the library's new books shelf and was utterly unprepared for the energy and inventiveness of these poems about birds, moths, winds, and seasons. The language Legris uses is scientifically elegant and precise to the point that I was having to look up multiple words per page. Even then, I wasn't always entirely understanding what I was reading--but I knew I liked it. There are so many memorable images and flashes of innovative language in these poems. I love how Legris blends keen observation and field guide research with poetic techniques like assonance and epizeuxis. The result: a collection that sings with playfulness and originality. I've never read anything else quite like this.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found out about this book through the Youtube channel TheOnlyRealProperty. While listening to how it didn't work for her, I realized it might be right up my alley. She mentioned technical language that was putting her off and I found that intriguing. The Principle of Rapid Peering takes a lot of inspiration from plant and bird and moth field guides. Sylvia Legris lives on the plains of Sascatchewan in Canada. Some of the books important to her in writing this book had the following titles: Rushes, Bulrushes and Pondweeds plus the remaining Monocots of Saskatchewan; Moths: A Complete Guide to Biology and Behavior; and Saskatchewan Birds.

Before getting Lyme disease, I was an outdoorsy gal so this was right up my alley and reminded me of one of my favorite poets, Pattiann Rogers, so my curiosity was piqued and I have not been disappointed. But I will say this: if you're someone who is frustrated if they don't understand the meaning of words, and you're not into biology, botany or ecology, you may find this book aggravating or dull.

I just now randomly opened the book and my eye landed on "conspicuous lenticels." I don't especially care what that phrase means. I love the sound of it. It delights me regardless of what it means. For me, there's something slightly humorous about it.

I find the inclusion of specific scientific language in this book to be used playfully, which can also be true of the poetry of Pattiann Rogers. In fact, I would say that Legris is a like a mix of Ted Kooser (short lines and brief observations and the plains as inspiration), Pattiann Rogers (sometimes technical biological and botanical language and language fun), and Gertrude Stein (sometimes the whole point seems to be the sound of the language).

All that said, Legris is not a biologist who has turned to poetry but a poet engaging with her environment. One of her poems is a cheeky take on Wallace Stevens' "13 Ways of Looking at at a Blackbird." Legris' poem is titled "A Rolling Moth Etymology" and has 11 sections. Here are sections 5 & 7:

5
Nits, gnats, an etymon of moth is midge.
A collision of no-see-um and no escapin'.

7
The reciprocal duties of hospitality are not lost on the moth.
Take the populous poplar, a popular host--
The spotted tussock moth caterpillar feasts all season
and where there were leaves leaves lace, a brocade of moonlight.

Here's "Smell Giveaway (Threes on long stalks)" as an example of something I'm willing to take as verbal impressionism as much as I would visual impressionism:

Galium triflorum.
Gallium Sphynx Caterpillar.

The breathing swale trails
the horned and hovering,

the sweet-scented bedstraw,
the ascending bedstraw hawkmoth.

Dusk-feeding nightfall,
a bullbatting nighthawk,

a loggerhead of grebe and shrike,
pipit, pipit, pipit.

Could you learn something by looking all of that up? Sure. But I enjoy it just from the sounds and the general impression it gives me. But I already have a set of association with most of those words so it's not as overall befuddling to me as it would be to others.

Descriptions and examples of Legris' poetry in this review begs the question whether this is regional poetry of the northern plains. I would be inclined to say no. It has too much linguistic interest. I would call it nature poetry, though, and would primarily recommend it to people who enjoy nature poetry. It would be a cool book to include as required reading in an ecology class because of the way it often connects the ground with the sky.

So those are my thoughts on The Principle of Rapid Peering by Sylvia Legris. I hope this gives you some insight into whether it would be an engaging poetry read for any of you.

[Justin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish it was otherwise, but I can't relate to Legris' work. It is so intimately bound to nature, but also to a strong sense of belonging in a place, which I seem to be incapable of feeling. I can recognize elements in her poems, but not what's beyond them. Neurodivergency isn't always a blessing/gift/thing to celebrate.

Not for me, but I recommend her poetry to others without reservation.

[Margaux · Rating 2 out of 5]

That was a very specific book. Unfortunately, I enjoyed the titles of the poems more than their content. They are, anyway, “titled directly or as paraphrases after passages in” other authors’ works. Overall, I only found the last two poems interesting. Too bad, the cover art was beautiful, and it misled me.

[Janet]

i need to understand when I’m not the target audience for a book!!! her verse was beautiful and i wrote down several of the lines because they were gorgeous but the concepts of the content were just out of my grasp.

[David Whitney · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn’t the book that is going to make me a big poetry reader. The poems aren’t bad, but since I’m not a bird watcher I don’t get the references. Janina Duszejko (the main character of Drive Your Plough Over the Bones of the Dead) would go fucking nuts for this book.

[Jerrel Gilliam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vibrant and meticulous nature observations (and research) transformed into poetic celebration. Plenty of ornithological and entomological vocabulary choices that had me consulting Google— but that is part of the fun. I was quite contented to be “spittle in the slipstream.”