The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-27

Known Ones in Success-Riche-
bourg's ~Death-MOses Colt Ty-
Icr's American HfstOries--XO-
las "Paris''-WaIton's "AngIer."
Correspondence The st. Paul Globe.
NEW YORK, Feb. 24.-Librarians
from many cities and towns in New
York state have recently been in con-
vention, and an interesting feature of
their deliberations was vote on the
past years best books. Each of the
$50 persons present was handed list
of all books deemed worthy of giving
shelf room to in a library, and from
these they were asked to select the
best three in each of nineteen depart
ments of literature, including biogra-
ply. American history, travel, fiction
and childrens books. The result Of the
voting will not surprise nor will it dis
appoints those most capable of judging
in these matters.
Under biography, we have returned
as the three best works Mahan's mel
son." the Memoirs of Tennyson" and
1.-The Life and Letters of Mrs. Stowe
In American history the result presents
us with John Fishes "Old Virginia and
Her Neighbors," Horace Porter's Cam
paigning with Grant and Justis Win
scr's westward Movement" In travel
the winning books are James Bryce's
South Africa" Mark Twain's Fol
lowing the Equator" and Nansen's
'.Farthest North" Fiction has for its
best works. James Lane Aliens "The
Choir Invisible" R. H. Davis SOL
diers of Fortune" and Kiplings Cap
tains Coura geous" Among the juvenile
books the chosen three are these:
Brooks Book of the American Revo-
luton" Brooks "True Story of the
American Revolution and Lang's
pink Fairy Book" OF course, these
results are librarians results, derived
from the votes Of men and women who
are not critics, but who form their
opinions as a sort of consensus of the
critical opinions read and heard by
them But their verdict goes not far
wrong. with any of the books they
have named.
The coming of Richard LIE Caffeine
to this country, as a reader from his
own writing, has directed new atten-
ton to his works. Born in 1866, Mr.. lie
Gallienne is only thirty-two years of
age. Several of his volumes have been
both prose and poetical writings, in
which praise of books has been proni-
nent; but his most recent title to at
tention has been his translation of
Omar Khayyam-a daring undertake
Ing, in view of the widely-admired YER
sion of Omar made more than a gen
grafton ago by Edward Fitzgerald, the
lifelong friend of Tennyson. Fitzger-
aids work might be called Fitzgerald's
gole literary achievement, although
after his death a notable collection
of his letters proved him an accom-
plished, original and charming man of
letters
'sOmar" 1t had long been in print, ere
real form came to it. Wiser minds
saw its excellence as soon as they had
read it; but the wiser minds are few in
any and every community and in any
age. In the rarer upper circles of the
broadly educated, FitzgeraId's book
was regarded as one of the great
achievements in translation of this cen
fury; but to the crowd it passed I'M
needed. Ell u Vedder's magnificent
illustrations for a superb quarto edi-
tion, some twenty years ago, was
warmly welcomed by the few; but
even this failed to bring the transla-
ton into what could be called general
circulation.
But in the past year or two Omar's
Several new transIatfons have been
made, and an Omar club has been
founded. lie Gallienne's version seems
to me to have merited a more cordial
reception than it has yet received.
Had Fitzgerald never made . transIa-
ton lie Gallienne would easily have
made sensation. Some of his lines
are eXquisitely beautiful. and I cannot
doubt that, in their clearness and
smoothness, will be found qualities
from which Omar will derive 2 read
1ng that Fitzgerald never could have
won for him. LIE Gallienne not only
gives what Fitzgerald gives. but con
siderable more. Neither gives all that
the Persian poet wrote, for there are
some 800 autheTtic quatrains with 9oo
others sometimes attributed to Omar
supreme among LIE Gallienne's lines
must count those on the potter's wheel
Which run as follows:
! 3 CT mark yon potter! See the rascal twill
oA one base wheel the dust of prince and
"A p Pie9 tti potter, tits kings hand;
and this was once vioIet-bTea thing GIRL
lis =, the the fair stuff of which the flowers are
It's beauty's very substance core doos
me eFoWS OF ivory, the breasts of mvrrb
And 10. this fellow turns it to +rsJn
And as 1 spake 1 heard whisper stea,
- SAD low laughter, from the potter's vbeel
BehoId. 1t was my fathers sacred dust
foT Whleh unwittingly 1 made appeal,
Fal!ety of varieties is the text. old
as solomon himself, from which 0ma~
preached. Nothing in LIE GalIienne's
version surpasses the above lines. un-
less = be those that follow, with their
Wild haunting and even terrible
melody-a melody to which Orientaj
f&tallsm adds an awful charm:
us great fuss; all this, of Thee and He
important felix are veto Thee and Me.
D.. , ct what if we mean nothing after all.
anu wh&{ II heaven cares nought for-Thee
Al Md. those . who in their graves unheeded lie
were Just as pompous you and T
Complacent spake their little. arrogant
Names arrogant
AND wagged their heads and never thought
beauty sleeps beneath yon quiet grass
VINO dreamed her face the world might NOT
Strength is her neighbor, but he boasts no
And over them the winds cry out, "Alasr
Would you seek beauty, seek it under
Would Won find STRENGTH tho 4