The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-05-13
NEWS OF THE BOOK WORLD
a Poem Of Unusual Distinction Built Upon
the Prometheus Myth--Professor Moody
OF Chicago University the Author
Americas Twenty-nlne Immortals.

the Prometheus Myth--Professor Moody
OF Chicago University the Author
I Americas Twenty-nne lmmortals.
Away hack in period Of my youth
that now seems neighbor to the dark ages,
l read Aeschylus' "Prometheus Bound
! was rot much concerned about getting
the poetry out of the poem; the thing
was after in translating was the meaning.
Stlll that was tremendously impressive.
The pagan lesson Of self-sacrifice and
v1carlous suffering in Prometheus filch-
Ing fire from heaven for mortals, and for
punishment being chained to thunder
rlVen mountain crag and left a prey to
the bird of Cod yet still defying Zeus,
is one to impress the mind profoundly
Thls and the traditional ranking of
Aeschylus' drama among the great poems
OF all literature were enough to lead me
/ to settled conviction that no one would
now dare touch the Prometheus myth
When The Fire Bringer, by William
Vaughn Moody of the University of Chi
cago, came to my desk, therefore, it met
rather deep seated prejudice and was
promptly dropped into back corner to
await inspection some day when I had
nothing worse to do. But in time it was
brought forth, and with it came sur
prise. There is the promise Of a poet Of
distinctions in The Fire Bringer, whose
author, however, has already made himself
known by "The Masque of Judgment"
and by short POEMS
| The story of the present dramatic poem
is that Of the bringing of fire to mortals
after Zeus had sought to destroy by flood
/ the men of the brazen age. Deucalion and
/ Pyrrha had been saved by the timely
warning Of Prometheus. The scene opens
upon these two, scarcely discernible in
the thick darkness following the deluge,
i upon mountain slope. The poets pic
ture OF the desolation upon the fireless
earth isa one to make the reader shudder
but Prometheus brings hope. He de-
scribes to Deucalion and Pyrrha his
Il I clambered down
4 Old earthquake-cloven riffs and monstrous chasms
Where long ago the STRIPPING Titans peered
At play and dared not venture-found me out
Flint stone so buried in disastrous rock
thought the Darkener sure had passed them by
. But not a spark lived In them. Past the walls
& Rhipean and the ArimasDan
\ sought the far hyperborean day,
But not z banner of their rustling light ~
+ Flapepd thru the sagging sky, nor did the Fates
Once ding their cleaning shuttles east or west
But Prometheus finally brings fire from
heaven the light breaks, the day returns
Prometheus says:
, Be comforted it is established sure.
Light shall arise from light, day follow day.
And portents of the year.
But O, these were the least brought you home
: The sun whose rising and whose going down
Are joy and grief and wonder In the heart;
The moon whose tides are passion, thought, ant
will;
The signs and portents Of the spirit year
! For these, If you would keep them, you mus
/ strive
/ Morning and night against the jealous gods
L With anger and with laughter and with love;
| And hnfh them he dow
With love and rage and laughter from the heav
Himself the heavens, himself the scornful gods
I The sun, the sun thief, and the flaming reed
That kindles the new beauty Of the world
Pandora brings into the drama the chic
lyric element and with it religious, senti
Q ment ancient yet modern-the interrela
= ton Of the divine and the human Thi
is shown in the following:
stood within the heart Of God
e 1t seemed place that had known;
: Il was blood sister to the clod,
s Blood-brother to the stone).
= found my love and labor there,
y My house, my rainent, meat and wine,
My ancient rage, my old despair
e Yea, all things that were mine.
! saw the Spring and Summer pass,
The trees grow bare, and Winter come;
- All was the same once it was
q Upon my bills at home.
Then suddenly in my own heart
;. l felt God walk and gaze about;
., He spoke: Ills words seemed held apart
- With gladness and with doubt
N ''Here is my meat and wine, He said,
n My love. my toll, my ancient care
ol Here Is my cloak. my book, my bed,
And here my old despair.
N 'Here are my seasons, Winter Spring,
1t Summer the same, and Autumn spills
I'll The fruits I look for; everything
As on my heavenly hills
The qualities Of Mr.. Moody's poetl
:. are evident from these extracts. Thel
= are no high-sounding phrases used merel
= for the sound. All he says contributes t
the development of the theme. Prone
! theus is ever the central figure, and col
=. responding with the breaking OF the da,
= the return of light and life to earth,
= the parallel awakening Of hope and pun
p pose in the hearts of those who survive
- the flood. Given theme touching til
~ hearts and minds of the men of to- da
:, more closely, and Mr.. Moody should /
"a able to produce something that woul
"a make a deep and wide appeal. 1.-THE FIJI
- Bringer" Is the first drama Of a trilos
~ of which THE Masque Judgment is tt
- second.
Twenty -nine American irnmortals a,
: - mentioned in American ImmortaIs /
/ George Cary Eggleston, record of me
!, who by their achievements have create
: the American republic and whose nam,
are inscribed in the Hall OF Fame II
author states his purpose thus in his ii
PRODUCTION: 1T is the purpose OF tn
book to present critical estimates of IL
men elected to the New York university
hall Of fame, with SO much Of the bioi
s. raphy in each case as is necessary to