The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-26
THEROMANCEOP MAETERLINCK
ANOTHER PHASE OF THE BEL
GIAN POETS PLAYS.
u Began to show Itself Plainly In "The
Seven rincesses"-Exquisite Handling
OF the story OF . Child-Poesy and
Romance In "Pelleas and Meiisande.'

Seven Princesses"-ExquisiteH Handling
OF the story Of . Child-Poesy ant
Romance In "PeIleas and MeIisande.'
Israel Zangwill told story once about
Maeterlinck that is ben trordfo II not true
He said the Belgian poet when quite young
fellow was on one OF his nocturnal prowls
~rd while sitting in a cafe overheard mar
explain new dramatic technique TO his
friend. In 1t was the germ Of the Maeter-
linck plays. This is hardly possible, as any
student knows. Their growth on the tech
nical side as well as the evolution from
vague, even nebulous thinking to the calm
solid philosophy OF Wisdom and Destiny
10 set before us in the order OF his CON-
position. Nor is a laconic dialogue so amaz-
ingly new. Dumas employed 1t and also
: Hugo-when not in the mood hatulent.
Maeterlinck's is more significant than
either OF these artists, that is, despite its
apparent childish simplicity, 1t Is more
carrying in the quality and quantity Of it's
meanings. In the prose plays OF Ibsen there
Is the same Inereness brevity, though poetic
connotations are rarer.
The romantic in Maeterlinck began to
show itself plainly in -The Seven Princesses.'
Death is still the motive, but the picture
u anpler, the frame, more decorative.
Presently we shall see meads and forests,
maidens In distress. fount aims and lonely
Knights. Movement. though 1t be u mere
sinister rustling of dead leaves, Is more
manifest in this transitional period. The
Seven Princesses" is like some ancient
morality, with the nervous. sonorous musical
setting Of a latter-day composer. II has
a spacious hall of marble, with q fight Of
seven white marble steps; there are seven
sleeping maidens; a silver lamp sheds its
mysterious glow upon the seven OF mystic
number (the poet unconsciousy recalls
those other seven sleepers Of the early
chroniclers). and the landscape without
the palace-through the windows OF the
terrace is seen the setting sun; the country
il dark, marshy, and between the huge
willows a gloomy canal stretches to the
horizon. Upon its stagnant waters q
man-of-war slowly moves. The old King
and Queen in the terrace note its approach.
Here we have a prologue full Of atmosphere.
IN enigmatic story awaiting its solution.
8 We learn from the disjointed dialogue
that the Prince, the heir apparent Is ex-
pected He comes upon the ship. He is
welcomed by the aged couple--people are
too old without knowing it," says the Queen
and the ship leaves. Its departure is
managed POLITICALLY. The PARKWAY voices
OF the sailors are heard in monotonous song:
Tho Atlantic, the Atlantic evokes a feel
ing OF the remote that we feel when Van
vessel vanishes in THE Flying
Dutdhman.' This refrain OF The Atlantic,
the Atlantic. we shall return no more. the
Atlantic, sets vibrating certain chords Of
m slancholy In the meantime the Prince
has been regarding the sleepers through
the glass windows. The Queen, whose
Of approaching evil are quite
Maeterfinckian, points out the beautiful
girls, names them. The most beautiful OF
all is Ursula. The Prince notices that
she does not sleep like her sisters. she
il holding ono Of her hands strangely
. ." he remarks. why has she not
bound up Der hair'' asks the Queen. dis
tractedly. GTadually the little evidences
accumulate. Something Ia wrong below,
there in the great hall. where breathlessly
sleep the seven Pfincesses on the cushions
of pale silk strewn upon the marble steps.
The Prince. after trying to force the
window. goes through a secret passage
supplied by the Queen at the window above.
She weeps. she bests the glass. she says
frantic things in the gloom to tho old King.
Seven little opeN mouths - Oh,
am sure they are thirs ty,' she cries. The
Prince awakens the, Princesses-all save
one. Ursula lies singularly still. She is
not asleep! She Is not asleep!' screams
the frantic Queen. There Is a hurrying to
-
open,' is the piteous plant Of the old
woman. Beyond. in the night, is heard the
chant OF the seamen as they fade away
into the darkness. The Atlantic. the
Atlantic, we shall return no more
e What does 1t all mean? wha. is the
hidden symbol The scene suggests Hol-
land; yet 1t is no mans land. These dolo-
rous people with burning eyes and agitated,
feverish gestures-who are they? Poets,
people, all. Despite the decoration. de-
spite the skilful handling Of the element
of suspense. this little fanta,y Is not for the
footlights. It is too literary. There is
mastery revealed in the dialogue. The
entire piece recalls a wan Burne-Jones
picture with the symphonic accompaniment
of Claude Debussy
Perhaps 1t Ia well that a dramatist Is
more chained to the planet than his breth-
rem, the poet. composer or prosdteur. Like
the sculptor and the architect, the dramatic
poet must deal with forms that can be ap-
pretended by the world. All art is a con-
yention in the last analysis: theatrical art
contains more conventions than the rest.
Men OF an original cast Of mind revolt at
the checks imposed upon their imagination
by the theatre. But Shakespeare SUBJ
mitted to them and, lesser man. Maeter-
linck, has had to suffer the pangs Of defeat.
But he has left his imprint upon the page
Of the French drama in his disregard Of
the stage carpentry Of Scribe and Sardou.
Above all he has impaired to the contem-
poraneous theatre new ideas. poetic and
otherwise, which he has dramatically
treated. A new technique-on the ma
terial side-is OF less importance than the
introduction OF new modes OF expression,
OF atmosphere, Of ideas. Ibsen. revolution
Est as he is, is a severe Journalist on the tech
nical side He revives the dramatic unities
and there Is q terseness in his dialogue,
n purity Of formal contours. that would
have rejoiced the heart OF any pedantic
ola sa;risf If thu nj ohfaapth ~ant,,rr~