The Saint Paul globe., 1903-03-01

in material form? Do ties of interest exist be-
tween spirits st in the body and those which
have cast aside their material forms?
When Mrs. Lucy Mcdowell Milbum's volume
OF charming verse. Lost Letters from Lesbos"
which is supposed to contain unpublished letters
and verses Of Sappho, the Greek poetess, was
published there was awakened the question Of
the possibility Of transmission from the spirit
world to the earthly plane Of the writings Of
any author who lived SO long ago in the remote
past and about whom so little is known as
SappEo.
Mrs. Mibun, who is the wife Of Dr. Joseph
Anthony MilbuIn. formerly pastor Of the Sec
ond Presbyterian church of Indianapolis but
who is pastor of Plymouth church. Chi
cag". Is recognized one of the most gifted
of Greek scholars today. Her translations OF
The old Greek plays brought her recognition as
a woman of extraordinary literary ability and
attainments. The appearance of her latest eff
forts in this direction has but added to her lit
eIaly laurels.
In Mrs Milton's new book, Lost Letters
from Lesbos" is new portrait of Sappho. She
introduces the work by the somewhat conven-
uonal device that it is the translation of some
ancient Egyptian papyri. written in Aeoian
Greek, sold to her by the Arabs during her re-
cent visit to the region of the Nile AS the
writer is a thorough Greek scholar, she is well
fited 20 disclose to her readers the lyrics Of
The greatest Of all women in litera ture. Many
poets have utterly failed in trying their hand
or these transations, finally falling into despair
at the failure to produce upon this age the i'm
preston which they were intended to carry 1t
is held that it is faint praise to say that
Mrs. Milburn does not fail in leaving a clear and
not unhappy impression of her great character.
Some critics have gained a wrong impression by
writing under the impression that the lyrics are
nothing more than transations but as a matter
of fact they the creations of the writer.
Some Greek scholars have contended that the
lyric having for its title "One Girl falls short.
1t runs as follows:
Like the Sweet apple which reddens upon the
topmost bough
A top on the topmost twig-which the pIuckets
forgot. somehow
Forgot it not. nay! but got it not for none could
get it till now. +
Like the wild hyacinth flower which on the hills
is found
Which the passing feet of the shepherds forever
tear and wound,
Until the purple blossom is trodden into the
ground SIS 1
In these lyrics Mrs. Mlbum has shown a Won
derful breadth of feeling. She is the most joy
Gus in Lottery, which is as follows: 3s -
Though Mother Earth is a very large part of
us, hold that as she had spouse he too,
must be our parent, and il we wish to know
more Of this heavenly we must live worthy
of such an heritage. 1 would not belittle Mothel.
Earth. L love her and all her robes but 1 long
to know more of that place whence the light
proceeds. i"
Here is-aaittle song that I wrote when child
that our slaves sing every morning:
Hail wondrous light.
Goddess ever bright!
'TiS she, 'Tis she!
Breaks the bonds of night
See the lawn
Rosy fingered dawn
Oh slee! Oh, glee!
Darkness has all gone.
Let praises ring,
Beauty ever ring
For me, for me.
Daylight joy doth bring"
Mrs. Milbun's most effective lyrical effort is
found in the twenty-ninth of the letters 1t is
as follows:
Last night as l lay my couch great, deep
loneliness came over me. 1 and went to
the window and gazed into the silent night A
nightingale In the garden singing such a
weird, pensive song could not stand that single.
note OF pain. so l huniedy took my Tyre and
sought TO drown the birds notes. When suddenly
at the sound of my sad strain his became glad
some, as if he rejoiced to find a companion in
grief This is what I sang:
A gentle bird has lost his mate
1t iieth at the garden gate
Tis fate, sad fate.
That everything is born to die
Had it done aught to suffer so? .-
II calleth in a voice so low
All woe, ah Woe,
Why on the ground does nv love Iiao
o Aphrodite. goddess bright.
Bring help TO me this very night
So sad my plight
That with the bird my heart doth cry
All woe, ah woe.
Dr.. F. w. Gonsalus says of Mrs. MiIburn's
book:
Mrs Lucy Mcdowell AIiburn evidently pos
sosses much of the Greek temper of mind
and is possessed by so much of the Hebrew feel
ing FOR righteousness, that she has been able to
create an exquisite piece of literature while Civ
ing us a portrait of Sappho, fresh with that i'm
mortal beauty which has been too often hidden
by the deposit of four atmospheres
There are delicious bits of evidence of Mrs.
Milburns fine taste and ample scholarship es-
pecally as she appears Greek enough to annraci
ate Sappho Intellectually and emotionalIy and
Hebrew enough to save Sappho from the modern
lAIISIlHeS Who always IKE TO lhlnk of Poe
drunk. and Byron as impure, and Goethe as
sort Of intellectual monster. In the third letter.
Sappho writes in such manner as only a Greek
OF her instincts would write at that hour. -"
For the blending Of imaginative freedom with
unwavering historicity, while the whole is suf-
fused with light of love drifting through
trees of oleander and pomegranate, this little
book will hold its own with any product of our
time
Mrs Milburn has quoted a passage from
Sappho, or, at least. from some voice of the
age, which makes it appear more than probable
that Sappho must have written the very letter
one has criticised But when all is said about
the literary distinction Of this little book it re-