From the Inside Flap
The individual songs derived from dreams are formed into long sequences that are both formally structured and subject to variation and change. Part of what makes a song sequence successful is a combination of perfect memorization, improvisation, and appropriateness to an occasion. More than that, they give the illusion of comprising one dream, at once that of a past Pima, the present singer, and the people attending the dance.
Using the Ant and Oriole songs to ask what is poetry in the Native American tradition and what makes some poems good, Bahr inquires into the expressive qualities of individual songs to learn how they lend themselves to a unitary illusion, practicing a method of translation and criticism with implications for other poetries.
A subtle yet bold endeavor, ANTS AND ORIOLES will appeal to anyone interested in poetry or modes of textuality in other world cultures.
