The author writes about the ideas in Smart's poetry, composed in the late 18th century, in relationship to contemporaneous writers in order to establish the significance and ambition of his poetry. Smart was confined to a mental institution during most of his poetic writings. Guest devotes a major portion of the book to an analysis of Smart's poem, "Jubilate Agno." One section of this poem deals with Smart's discussion of the Hebrew letter, lamed. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.