Barker does spark the occasional ‘been here before’ feeling, but a man who wrote a poem “To the Memory of James Elroy Flecker” (the ultimate swooning Edwardian) can be forgiven a lot. I like what I might call ‘picture poems’, and the mermaids are certainly that.

Regarding Prufrock, I confess to blanking out most of the Eliot I’ve ever read, but thanks to Google, I see what you mean.