The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-03

k<iisd,,de She has given birth 70 tiny
inags Of herself, and quite frightened by
the world she has lived Ia she leaves II
like n bird scared 10 sudden tight. She
has loved, though II is not with the guilty
love her husband supposed lie hovers
over ller couch, awaiting the words that
will satisfy his egotistio passion.
-Shc must not be disturbed" urges the
venerable Arkel 'The human soul In very
silent. The human soul likes 70
oro,,sly. . But the sadness, Golaud.
The sadness OF all we see.
Twas a little being, 90 quiet. 40 fearful
and 80 silent Twas a poor little mys-
FERROUS being like everybody.
1T Is a drama In which the interest Is
concentrated on vague people," writes
Arthur Symons OF the Maeterlinck drama
In general. "who are little parts OF the uni
versal consciousness, their strange names
being but the pseudonyms OF obscure
passions. intimate emotions. They have
the fascination which we find In the eyes
Of certain pictures, 70 much more real
an e:jpquietns, 10 much more permanent
with us than living people; they are always
children In their ignorance Of themselves.
Of ono another and Of fate. And because
they arc disemhodied OF the more trivial
accidents OF life, they give themselves
without limitation to whatever passionate
instinct Possesses them. l do not know a
more passionate love scene than that scene
in the wood beside the fountain, where
Pelifds and Mtlisundd confess the strange
burden that has come upon them. When
the soul gives itself absolutely to love. all
the barriers Of the world are burnt away.
and all Its wisdom and subtlety are as
incense poured upon n fame. Morality
too, is burnt away. no longer exists. any
more than it does for children or for God"
"Ag!avaine and Selysette" need not
detain us long. 1t is more shadowy in
it's treat ment than "Pt!leas and Mdlif ande,'
and no doubt to the lovers Of the precious v
in Maeterlinck more interesting than
Norma Wanna" 1t deals with the love
Of two women, Aol1rdine and Selysette.
for M(ltGndre, The delicacy Of technique
isplaved is almost inconcclvable, and
the note Of irony, faint a. it is. enters.
new element in this spiritual duel To be
brief Aolaroine is the mouthpiece for
Maeterlinck in his Treas ure OF the Humble.
She is an esprit fort, who attracts the hus-
band Of Stlysche by her beauty of soul.
vigor OF brain and tenperamental intensity.
Poor Seiysctte Is crushed between the
upper and neither milestone OF the man
and woman. They both love her devotedly,
but being OF Tho Melisande type in her
sweet, submissive nature, she fades away
until death. feif-sought, comes. She has
fragrant eoul. and Its fragrance exhales
itself on her deathbed. The dynamics
Of love prove too much for this creature.
There is tragic pathos in her taking-oh.
and Macterlinck is at his best in delineating
the tower. with it's crumbling walls. the
wheeling birds frightened by the appari-
ton Of a falling body. and the terror and
alarm Of the little sis ter. Less, much
less. fitted for theatrical repres entation
than "Ptlleas and Meis ande," this drama
is charged with symbolism and with rather
too severe strain for its poetic build
much intellectual freightage. 1t was COM
posed after tie essays, and it is becauee
OF this. perhaps, that find -Aglavaine'
just trihe doc.rindire. There is wise and
charming talk. the action Is nal. We get
instead etdts d'dmss. The two women
expand before our eyes; it is rare spiritual
growth, psychology In the veritable sense
of that overworked word. Yet the friend
chip OF Aoldvaine slnys Stlvsette, There
is mystery, beauty In the play Of high
order, and in some things it bctrays a dis
tinct advance upon it's predecessors.
Sister Beatrice and AAriadne and
Barbe Bleu' are hbrettos for music The
first Is delightful setting OF that old Dutch
l. In, .1tn~ E,,~ ti,h @.ar
by John Davidson in his "The Ballad of
Nun" There are homely pathos and mystic
exaltation in Maeterlnck's Interpretation
of this nun, who left her convent for the
love of man. only to return, decades later,
wrecked in body and soul But her abb
sence has not been missed. for the Virgin
Mary has stepped down from her niche in
the hall and played the ROY, Of porteress
disguised as tho runaway.
Ariddne married Biuebeard and falls,
like the rest Of his wives, into the trap set
for them. She defts the monster and
with tho help Of the peasants rescues them
all from tho marvellous dungeons under
the castle. But she goes forth into the
world alone-oh. irony Of ironies!-the
others do not care to be rescued. The
story is told with charm and brilliancy.
The author discovers himself az a contour
with a light, graceful, humorous touch.
It is an ideal libretto-for an ideal COM
poser.
The sheer symbolism OF .Aglavaine and
Selysette" has led soma to ask II Ibsen did
feel the influence Of Maeterlinck when he
wrote "The Master Builder This is re.
versing the real order of things. It ia
Ibsen. the Ibsen OF Brand and peer
Gynt' who influences Maeterlinck. an in
f1uence acknowledged by the latter. He
wrote in The Treasure Of the Humble"
what Is it. asked; what is it that. in
the Master Builder the poet has added
to life. thereby making II appear so strange.
so profound, and 20 disquieting beneath
its trivial surface? Tho discovery is not
easy. and the old master hides from us
more than one secret. 1t would even seem
AZ though what he has wished to say werc
but little by tho side o. what he has been
compelled to say. He has freed certain
powers OF the soul that have never vet
been free, and it may we'll be that these
have held him in thrall. Rilda and
Solness are. believe the first characters
in drama who feel. for an instant, that they
are living in the atmosphere of the soul;
~. l.. Al-IN