Sophus Claussen, one of the greatest lyricists of Denmark, is widely regarded as the poet who, though a symbolist, nevertheless heralded modernism. But he also tried to retain a romantic view of the poet as an almost prophetic figure who could merge the disparate elements of modernity into a harmonious whole: "Ak giv mig som Afgrunds- / og Himmel-Stormer- / det Greb, som kan knytte de tusinde Former" (Oh give me as Titan of the Abyss / and of the Heavens / that grasp which can unite a thousand forms), he wrote in the poem "Nætter" (Nights, 1901). In a manner similar to that of other fin de siècle poets, he reached to the utmost extremes in his poems, often associating opposites such as life and death, cold and heat, and conflict and love. Many great Danish writers are indebted to him--among them, Tom Kristensen, Karen Blixen, and Thorkild...