The Great Vigil of Easter is an ancient service of the Church that recounts God's promises and acts of mercy to His people in 12 lessons from the Old Testament. These readings point to the fulfillment of God's promises in the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God. In Part 1 of "A Verse Vigil and Selected Poems," the author begins with the oldest known list of lessons for the Easter Vigil, recasting each narrative in alliterative verse. The Testing of Abraham, Israel Crosses the Red Sea, and The Valley of Dry Bones are among the Bible stories presented. The 12 lessons plus two alliterative canticles climax in a verse rendering of Chrysostom's Paschal Homily, a joyous proclamation of Christ's victorious resurrection. Part 2 of the book contains shorter metrical poems, most of which spring from lessons for Sundays or other feasts in the church year. Several of these poems may be sung as hymns. An alliterative rendering of St. Patrick's Breastplate concludes the book.