New-York tribune., 1902-12-20

xiii, 463. Doubleday Page Co.
New editions of FitzGerald's translation of the
"Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam" always with
us, and they promise TO increase in number as
the years go on, but with his other works-al-
ways excepting the letters-the world is less
familiar This is natural enough To the
'.Rubaiyat" he communicated a magical quality
missing from all his other purely literary pro-
ductions. Nevertheless. many Of those who
know his masterpiece wish to possess the whole
body of his compositions intact, and for them a
beautiful edition has been prepared in the one
which is now before US in four of Its seven vol
umes. This is a model Of judicious editing and
of luxurious typography.
Mr.. Bentham has had the excellent idea of
Withholding his hand from anything like inter-
ference with elucidation Of his authors text
Turning TO the "Rubaiyat' in his first volume,
in expectation of the usual Introductory matter
which editor is apt to consider 1t his right
to supply, we are delighted to find instead few
extracts from FitzGerald's own letters, with
subsidiary quotations from Mr.. Swinburne and
two others. The same method is fol-
lowed throughout. the aim plainly being to pro-
vide simply accurate text, with more ap-
paratus than the writings OF FftzGerald and
few Of his friends yield In the first vol
have the first editions Of the
"Rubiayat" the ''Salaman and AbsaI" Of Jami
and 'Euphranor' The second volume contains
the second edition Of the work, with the
first edition of the "Agamemnon." The third
volume assemblies the fifth edition of the
'Rubaiyat' with the variations of the third
and fourth editions duly noted), the third edi-
tions Of "Salaman" and "Euphranor'' and the
second edition of the "Agamemnon." All of the
fourth volume is given to the six Dramas Of
Calderon." and in the fifth the two plays. by
ba Itch,
declined to meddle with, The Mighty Magician"
and Such Stuff as Dreams Are Made Of are
to be printed, with "Polonius" that collection Of
wise saws and modern instances which is chiefly
to be valued, Mr.. Gosse remarks. for its
charming preface. The sixth volume will be de-
voted to rather incongruous trio, the "Sea-
words and Phrases Along the Suffolk Coast"
"A Birds Eye View of Farid-Uddin Affairs
Bird Parliament" and THE Downfall and
Death of O1dipus." The seventh and concud-
ing volume will form a miscellany Of divers
fugitive pieces.
Where" we can hear the reader plaintiveIy
asking, ARE the letters?" We wish we could
say that they to be printed in further vol
umes uniform with the we have enumer-
ated. but presumably questions of copyright
make this impossible, and must be content
with the epistolary fragments which Mr. Ben
than has been permitted TO for strictly edi-
torial purposes. We regret the absence of the
bulk Of the correspondence, not simply because
it belongs with the works, but because 1t de-
serves, quite much the latter, the form
given to this edition. The tad but well pro-
portioned octavos have been printed from hand
some type on fine paper with the perfection to
be expected of the De Winnie PrsE md in their
delicate gray cloth covers %SA simple title
labels on the backs, these volumes command
he wa DOt m to
look upon, but they are light in the hand, and,
when open. stay open without pressure and
without cracking. They meant for
In closing, we may note that the introduction
by MI Gosse might easily have been spared.
It is smoothly enough written but 1t contains
nothing new, and, in fact. his central motive is
even somewhat misleading. He harps upon
FitzGerald's love of seclusion. his lack of ambi-
ton and his freedom from any Of the traits of
''the professional writer" and seems to think
that unless remember all this are
likely to -put the just value his writings
without exaggeration or extravaganza" This is
amusing. ITO saunter through seventy years
without effort excitement" remarks Mr.
Gosse, with owlish profundity. SIS not the way
to produce the great fiery trophies of poetic
literature" And so on, and so on. It is all very
foolish and irrelevant and patronizng. There
was, of course. nothing phenomenal about Fitz-
Geralds abstention from the turbulent activities
Of urban life. and his character hermit, while
it undoubtedly gave a certain tone to his corre-
spondence, had nothing to do with the essential
quality of his literary work. But we suppose
that to the confirmed dweller In the literary
coteries of cities the tastes and achievements
of the mere Of genius and scholar, content
to do his work apart and to think as he does it.
Will always remain bewildering, if not little
pitiable.