The Washington times., 1903-06-21

10 prove he knew how to make a drama
on conventional lines. "Joyzelle" vas
also written for the same actress.
woman who has played an important
role in the poets life. Then brought
up Browning's "Luria" and the opinion
Of Prof Phelps. of Yale. that Master
linck had profted by reading the Eng
| lish poet when he. composed "Monna
Wanna" NJ. Maeterlinck smiled.
Naturally 1 read Browning; who
| does not2" he said with the naive intona-
ton that becomes him so well. e 'Luria'
| / have known for a long time; but
! 'Luria' is not a stage play" which,
! coming from the author of Les Aveu-
gles.' considered sublime. He is quite
! right-"Monna Wanna" and ''Luria "
| have little in common except being laid
| at Pisa and that both Luria and Prince
vale were treated badly by an migrate
full country. But then, 50 was Corio-
| lanus and a host OF other historical
patriots.
The tempest coincidence has been
alluded to. Here again Maesterlinck
made no reservations. He spoke of
Shakespeare as other men mention their
deity. He knows Poe very we'll, and
Walt Whitman. I surprised the drama
/ fist by telling him that the Franklin
/ Sargent School had produced his early
plays; that Isben was no stranger to us.
and that, with Hauptmann and other
nioderns, New York witnessed these
plays in a regular theater and not in
some artistic barn up a back alley of
another alley OF dear old Montmartre.
At first it was NJ. Maeterlinck's inten-
ton to publish "Joyzelle" in book
form lie feared Russia and the calm
way the Russian managers appropriate
French and German plays without re-
hitting royalties. He saw a way to
escape this CONTRIBUTIONS a foreign
copyright law A friend. a native
resident. has translated the play and
protected his translation. So, If the work
is performed, the author will benefit
h. it and not lose. as he did in the
case of Norma Wanna" over 100000
francs in Russia alone.
No Love for Music
Too polite to pass any comment
upon Claude Debussy's opera, fashioned
out of "Pelleas and Melisande." NJ.
Maeterlinck made the astonishing con-
fession that he did not. could not, ap-
preciate music He heard sounds, but
their meaning. their symbolism.
whether sensuous or idealistic, totally
escaped him.
I reminded him of Zola, FIaubert.
Hugo. Gautier. De Goncourt as writer's.
most costly OF noises" Daudet loved
Wagner. Turgenev Mozart But the two
were exceptions. 1 had heard. as every
one in Paris has heard, that Maeterlinck
bitterly resented the conversion of his
drama into an opera. over the changes
made in the text he went to law. He
has never heard the Debussy music. He
was interested when l told him OF
Charles Martin Loefner's setting OF The
Death OF Tintagiles." But music is a
sealed book for Maeterlinck, and It is
artistic prose is much rarer than ar
tistic poetry-has a rich assonance and
is varied in its cadences.
I wonder II all the great prosateurs
were music-deaf Charles Lamb was; so
was Sir Thomas Browne though he talks
much Of the heavenly art" Walter
Pater knew music. and today so doe
Arthur Symons. Maeterlinck is quite
frank in his likes and dislikes. though
/ didn't venture TO ask him his opinion
Of his contemporaries, especially of Oc-
tave Mirbeau, his early admirer and
sponsor, as I had seen Les Affaires sont
| courage to inquire of Maeterlinck IL he
had. It would have been too cruel The
poet -dramatist spoke admiringly Of
. Arthur symons and his poetry.
He looks like poet-a rare thing. %
to which cordially assented. Then came
, the inevitable autographs and mucr
wearied man bowed me out and dowr
Z queer staircases into lonely courts paved
with harsh stones. where dwarf trees
r. stood sentinel fashion and presente-
{ branches as I passed into the cool d
e. the street.
The coachman. quite oblivlous to n,
q fact that Maetcrlirck was Maeteriiuck
S grumbled al the length Of my absence
y die not blame him. For an hour .,
i had leaned against the skinny foreIeg.
of his old nag to prevent the beast from
J slipping down the hilly street. After
so much experience in holding up ani
mails the bandit with whip held me al
= and / bied freely at the pocketbook
e Why revolt? I had my interview witt
" Maurice Maeterlinck. and a childish de
tail like wealth had no meaning for ne
Scenery for Much Ado"