The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1911-01-12

~ " NC 's'SN
an old man. and | know many things.
| wish | knew less Here you have
written many beautiful things. You
have written them beautifully. but"
and the old man spoke in tones that
were genuinely sad. you have only
written poetry"
In experienced In the irony Of tie
Partisan world. of which he was after.
ward to be the acknowledged master.
Vavin stared hopelessly at the publish
er.
Il am a Frenchman-as loyal. as
true a Frenchman as there Is went
on Flamand But we are not doing
the things our instinct prompts. We
are the F~rankensteinS Of our intel
lect. You are a failure as a poet be-
cause YOU do not realize that with us
poetry must be written to prove some
thing, to suggest something or do
something that to your unlettered
unnd has nothing whatsoever to do
with poetry. suppose you Will say
that this Is all wrong; that a lark
when she sings does not try to sug-
gest to you the cathedral at Rouen or
an English fog or that she is not try.
ing to preach a sermon on anti Semi
tism or pro-K antism or anything OF that
sort We have the greatest artists In
the world They are technically the
most accomplished. they are the truest
lovers Of art. but-sO people say-they
paint with the soul of a preacher. They
are more interested in their theories
than they are In their art. Art to
them Is a MISTRESS. not a wife.
You are q poet That is not bad"
he continued. But that is all you are.
A poet In these days must be a poet
philosopher, or poet Socialist. or poet
colonist, etc., and must get into what
be writes more philosophy. socialism.
color. etc, than poetry The people do
not want poetry. but they will read 1t
occasionally If. like the doctors pills.
it has a coating that IS palatable.
Your poems are therefore impos-
sible. and that you should have writ
ten them demonstrates that you-par-
don my frankness-are also impos-
sible. Your poems are an insult to
intelligent Paris. They will be laughed
at by every man who reads poetry or
reviews 1t. You will be pointed ont in
the sheets as a very ridiculous figure.
You have affronted all Paris by offer
ing me these manuscripts. and | will
publish them with our January works"
Jules, who had sat spellbound during
this talk. breathing hard. angrily. but
gradually getting the spirit of the dis
course, verify leaped from his chair
at the unexpected decision.
And" continued the old man, ig-
noring Vavin's excitement, las you
will probably find, Paris will not of
fer you occupation readily, and, as you
have no money, your father Is dead
and your mother has little money, do
me the honor 70 call here on Tuesday
and | will introduce you to the pro-
fcssor Of Greek languages and litera-
ture at the Rouen academy. who Is
looking for an assistant"
In his memoirs, yet unpublished, Va
vim has written:
THAT conversation changed my
whole life | came out gasping. He
was an elder man than |, and there
fore could ask no questions. He
seemed to me the very embodiment of
the MephiStopheles Of the middle ages
smiling, unhelicving. all knowing. all
possessing. yet kindly. Only when /
read my w poems in print did | real
iZe that he had gathered his knoWl'
edge of me from them