This collection of the work of one of the greatest modern poets was first published in America in 1954. The Collected Poems was prepared by Stevens himself, shortly before his death, and contains all of his published books of poetry, covering more than four decades: from the brilliant rococco lyrics of Harmonium, through the large-scale orchestrations of his middle years, to the magnificent austere lyrics of 'The Rock', which first appeared in The Collected Poems, Stevens's poetry meditated unremittingly upon the relation between the world and the imagination.