The times., 1898-02-27
William Watson

In 1.-THE Hope of the World. and Othe
Poems" William Watson has given u
some very characteristic productions, ful
of the somewhat austere spirit of hi
muse. Among them appears the poem
which was currently reported TO hav
been written as a refutation of Kipling'
''Recessional." 1t is about six times a
long as that noted poem, and not likel!
| to be as much quoted, and ii is Gale,
"The Unknown God" The gist OF it Il
that man cannot know God; that it is Of
no use to hope that human thoughts anC
prayers can move Him, and that, on the
whole, nations have had best fortun,
/ when they forgot-when they forgot. i
| is the musing of a thoughtful and trou.
| bled mind, but ii is not genius-thiS
| poem-and 1t is no contradiction of the
'Recessonal, after all is said and done
The poem which gives its title to the
book, THE Hope of the World" is very
much in the same vein, and in its perfec-
ton of form and its quiet and unemo-
tional tone reminds one of Matthew Ar
mold. In fact, II is almost repetition of
Arnold here and there. The poet muses.
over the conflict of Life and Law, and
the neverfailing voice of Hope, which
whispers that this world is only a gate
way to a brighter one, and that the prog
ress of evolution is but Indication of
further progress The last stanZa but
one runs thus:
Carry thy largesse hence,
Light Giver. Let me learn
To ahjure the opulence
] have done naught to earn;
And this world no more
To cast ignoble slight.
Counting il bat the door
of other worlds more bright.
Here. where ! fail or conquer; here is
my concern.
The adjuration of Arnold's "Empedo-
cles on Aetna is in very much the same
vein and the same meter; but, on the
whole, Arnolds view Is the more sane
and cheerful. Arnold faces the ills of life
with open eyes, and comes to this con-
cluSion:
So, then, fear notI Life still
Leaves human effort scope.
But since lifc teens with i'll.
Nurse zVzgant hope;
Because thou uust not dream, thou need
est not then dcspsir.
But Watson deliberately chooses TO ig-
more Hope. for the very reason that hope
springs eternal in the human breast
There is something fine and stoical in this
determination to cast away all incentive
to endeavor and still 10 endeavor but If
one is after truth, absolute truth, and
nothing but the truth, it looks like rath-
er a morbid view of things.
The closing poem is an apologize with a
good deal of satirical humor in its sem
tentious lines. 1t is the story Of Jack and
Sandy, brothers, and their half brother,
Pat, who personify the three divisions
of the British Isles and are thus discuss
ed:
Jack and his brother Sandy long had been
On some such terms with their half-brother Pat
As immernorially subsist between
The average dog and unregenerate cat:
A state OF things in which, you have seen,
Life, if improbable, scarce is fat,
But may at least one desperate ill defy
That dullness of which men and nations die
There is the spirit of the finer poets of
the last century in this, and the situation
in Ireland is described with grim apt
ness which. is extremely forcible The
little volume, when one has finished It.
tempts the thoughtful reader to a sec
ond perusal. New York: John Lane.
All booksellers. sl.25.)