That fierce endeavour to bring the intellectual and the emotional into focus which characterizes Beckett's work is reflected in his poetry as much as in his theatre and prose. The differences are partly generic, though to a lesser extent than might at first appear, and partly chronological. On the one hand, the generic continuum of preoccupation and manner means that not only must all of Beckett's writings be considered as directly relevant to the understanding of the poetry but also that all Beckett criticism is potentially so. On the other hand, the poetry was produced predominantly in the 1930s, with a further substantial foray in the late 1940s but only occasional ones thereafter, notably in the mid-1970s. Novels and drama made demands on Beckett's creative energies and relegated the forms of verse while simultaneously diverting the essential poetic thrust into other channels. In investigating Beckett's poems, the reader is drawn to explore the limits of poetry.