Runners

This book by Gerald Hausman marks the author's third book of poems since New Marlboro State which Gary Snyder called ''fine poems, clear and inside / outside of things.'' The theme of Runners is not the mere physical act of long-distance running, but the art of direction-finding in life. Using this as a metaphor the poet explores the heart of the four universal directions while running through the four compass points of the American landscape. Whether he is up north in a New England blizzard or jogging along the Mississippi, Gerald Hausman invests his work with that peculiar insight common to poets of place: scenes enchant by evoking permanence through a re-calling of history and the heart, legend and the mystery of the moment. Richard Wilbur on Runners: ''Runners is full of such engaging poems as 'Porches,' 'Wood for Winter,' and 'Witnesses.' In other places such as 'The Fallen' or 'Goat Castle, Natchez,' there is some deftly conveyed frisson. And then there are admirable poems ('Ravens,' 'Heron and Trout,' 'Ending Up in Horse Creek Canyon') which are informed by a large and deep sense of participation in the whole of life. Gerald Hausman has put together a strong, subtle and varied collection.''