The death of Michael Donaghy in 2004 at the age of fifty robbed poetry of one of its best-loved and most naturally gifted practitioners. A modern metaphysical, Donaghy wrote poetry of great wisdom, grace, charm, erudition and consummate technical accomplishment; this book gathers together all Donaghy's mature poetry, and includes the full texts of his four published volumes, as well as a number of fine uncollected pieces. As the poet-critic Sean O'Brien has remarked, Donaghy will come to be seen as one of the representative poets of the age. The publication of his ''Collected Poems'' is a major event in the literature of our time.