New-York tribune., 1909-12-06
O'SHEEL ON WATSON
ON LIE GALLIENNE,TOO
Ne1c Poem Makes "CoWard 8
Tongue" Peeuish.

The Oft they come. they. last not long.
The roAts with the sounding gong
The banging hsiT. the hungry looks,
rns frantic schemes 20 boom their books;
70 keep within the public gaze
While worthier men so aniet vsys:
An ahs let ssrs ,hs% sSar ran: and pose .ss sa,,.
y truthful nsnlsss.; new. my song
ranhe whispers when Of them she speaks.
xnd xa @ bows e & ni1s her RED, rsa.snias as. cheeks
To write IN words Of living FIRE
Hs teok 20 crimson paint Instead
All careless OF all proper pride,
They blaIon forth what jus: men si;s.
And, go they spread their luri4 falnes,
Stop not a. srhirchins honored rsm.s--
Esy' even foul the craft they orn
What shsn forgive these grisvous wrongs
Q poets with the changing sonssP
To think that songs Ike these are heard
While bards who temper every word
To prove Il pure and fair and just.
nnessa .ivs; y, .ts,,s as Ne ,, hey . must: .,~.
saaENEas o'sHtEL
The difference yesterday between Shae-
meas O'Shsel. the Celtic singer. and WILL
ism Watson. the poet. superlaureate OF
England. who is staying at the Hotel
Aftor IN this city. was that the former
was IN TO newspaper reporters, while the
latter was out. alr. Watson wrote THE
Woman with the ssrpsnt's Tongue" snd.
since his arrival in this country ne has
revealed the identities Of the two English
women, his hostessss, who. he says, fred
his muse. An American poet has an
swered in witherins vein the poetioai
efrusion OF the Enslishnan and MS prose
revelations Of his tea table gossip. There
was talk Of body blows. ou. this itself
ele~ away in faint smoke, and tie inter-
national so-ie-v N az
settling back into its easy chair.
Shaenees O'Shssi. pest and politician. an
Irishman who was born in this country
and has never ceased to regret II, saw the
possibility Of the dove OF psace resting in
poetic circles hers-eaw il late Saturday
night ana ras sad. shaerieas decided TO
prod things up bit with a poetic prod.
And. as has already been stated, he is an
Irishnan politically. POLITICALLY and IN every
sense except that he was not born IN Ire
Land. He would show. therefore. what
poet, rho had only recently determined TO
le: politics get along somehow without
OSheel, could do in the International
poets literary--and. II need be. hstic-en-
counter. Of which much had been said. He,
therefore. in a good old Irish way. started
in with his fist first by writing poem ad-
dressed to Tho Posts with the Sounding
Gong" long hand. 1t was addressed 10
''whomsoever It may ft," and in his '1at
home talk TO reporters yesterday after
noon. at No. ls East esth street, between
the times that tea was served he acknowl-
edged that the lines would be understood
by Messrs. Watson and Is Gallienne. the
sprishtly disputants.
RATHER CLEVER SATIRE"
Il have written them since late last
night" said Mr.. O'Sheel. with pardonabie
pride, for the lines were not few nor ths
adjectiyes mild. The first verse goes like
this think it rather clever satire.
/ don't think IL great poem. or anything
Ike that. But do think it rather clever
satire.
But please do not think that feel the
call for disparasement OF my work, be-
cause don't. II is addressed % Nj Wat
sen and Mr.. lie Gallienne. The former has
written indelicats and UEgentlsmanly stuff:
ths latter's reply was foolish. poor and i'll
natured. And the result has been, to put
IL tritely. 10 drag the craft OF poetry into
the mire. that's all. DO not think that the
poems Of either Watson or Le Gallienne
are poems.
Understand, please. ! do not wish TO
give the impression to the public that it is
iiag h4fttSctoh NdlsOn-DI
lie Gallienne either for that matter--is
trying TO advertise himself or his books.
Perhaps i should say that / do not my
self think. as j am afraid the public Is
Leginning 10 do that Mr.. Watson and Mr.
lie GalIienne are intent merely on the ae-
eompl.shment OF those ends exclusively. l
want 20 make myself very clear on this
point"
No one present would have any more tea
just then. Why not read the first verse OF
Tho Poets with the Sounding Gongs''
then, just as Mr. OSheel had promised?
And thereupon lie did just that after
which he gave each reporter copy OF the
complete effort.
Mr. Watson was not at the Hotel Astor
yesterday afternoon or evening or night.
By just three minutes lac escaped being IN
10 any callers until this morning. At 1898
a. M. to-day he was asked. on his way TO
the elevator. IL he had anything TO say.
WATSON ONLY sTAREs.
lie continued ON his wsv until he was
In the elevator. and again the reporter re-
quested some word from him 10 fash forth
TO a soon awakine world. With a well bred
stare ne looked over the reporters head
and yet he answered nauaht The still
pleading voice Of the reporter must have
touched his synpathies. however. for at the
next historic instant he stepped quickly
from the elevator and said hc fain would
know what was wanted.
rs il so extremely important that il must
be preached at this late. l should say early
houT?' he inquired in. & not hts best, AT
least one Of his best manners
Mention was made OF the poem OF
o'Sheel. and how il had not only . first
verse but several others. but the reporter
was not permitted TO finish recitine even
verse number one ana 81 was considered
pretty good poetry by the author
I'VE thought you might have something
10 ssy." began the reporter but II was
no use wasting language. His manner be
came tetter. but it was OF different va
riety.
That is my reply TO you and your
newspaper" he explained That was
illustrated 1t referred 10 a sudden and
sucee ssful scene enacted in the lobby OF
tie Hotel Astor The poet. a piece OF
paper and the reporter were the prIncf.