The inimitable Robert Bly has been translating poets from other countries for a long time. He is a gifted midwife who performs his caretaking functions with creativity and humility. The Winged Energy of Delight brings together for the first time his top-drawer translations of poets from Europe, Asia, and the Americas. As Kenneth Rexroth has commented: "Robert Bly is one of the leaders of a poetic revival that has returned American literature to the world community."

Here are the poems of 22 poets that have had the good fortune of catching the eye and benefitting from the translations of their poems by Bly. Equally blessed are poetry fans who want to savor the creativity and fresh perspectives of writers from other cultures. We have been impressed with Bly's major role in generating a large spiritual audience for the poetry of Rumi, Hafez, Kabir, and Mirabai. He has also done wonders with translations of Antonio Machado, Juan Ramon Jimenez, and Pablo Neruda. Bly's brief introductions to each poet are deep, rich, and encouraging. These translations are glorious and we salute the energy and the delight that went into them!