New-York tribune., 1912-04-19
Literary News and Criticism

ard In these matters and gives to our
contemporary young poet all the counte-
nance he needs Only the author OF Tine
Parish Register" and the Tales OF the
Hail. did more than moralize his real
ism. he poetized 1t. and gave II charm
strong enough TO triumph even over the
iog-trot of his couplets. Omar F1tz
Gerald. who dotted on Crabbe has good
saving about him in one of his letters. i
doubt not" the passage runs. tnat MT.
Woodberry is quite right in what ne
saws Of Crabbe not having Inauguration
to draw that Soul from Nature OF which
he enumerates the phenomena; out ne
at any rate does so enumerate ana Sc
lect them as to suggest something more
10 his Reader. something more than mere
catalogue could suggest Could the IN
definable be brought nearer than TINS
to the point of definition? If 1t is nara
TO say what it is that constitutes true
poetrv it is surely quite as hard TO taou-
late those omissions which leave so much
of modern verse high and dry. We can
guess what might have been MADE OF
The Widow in the Bye Street by Crappe
in England, by Villon in France, ana we
can kindle TO the thought. But what MI
Nasefield has made of it, though human
~ interesting, leaves Us. poeucaliy
speaking, with pulse unquickened.
Without making any inyid!ous compar-
ison we NAV reasonably cite Mr.. Gals
worthy's Moods. Song and poggerels
as shedding a little further light on TINS
subject. He. like Mr. Maseneid, Is NoNeu
by mans unhappiness. The pity Oh II
stirs him. and stirs him the more polg-
nantly inasmuch as he has no HIsh
faith IN offer TO his reader. but only
kind nf stern. pasan courage. His dead
woman. who died for love and lies out
under the heather asks FOR no TOMB
stone screed. Soon to glory shall she
rise " but is content, we gather, JUS with
"deathless peace. Here is a poem Which
might be said 10 express in a few lines
all Of Mr. Galsworthy's philosophy:
THE PRAYER.
If on 2 SrrinG night ! vent tN
And God were standing thoie, o.,.
What is the prayer tnat l Moi!d -!
To Him? This is the prayer
q Lord of Courage grave, ,
q Master of this night of spring
Make hrm in me hedll lpC Il@N'
To ask Thee anythin5
# SIMS up all his thought but not
all his feeling. and there 1t Is tAal we
find him setting a profitable example
for writer's like Mr. Masefield Mr.. Gals
worthy has a sense Of beauty. Nature
! appeaIs to him. so that landscape anu
| the magic of the wind can take nm out
Of himself and hasten his speech in that
strange fashion which turns prosalc op-
servation TO finer purpose, gives
reverie the flip of emotion and trans
mutes description into song. We choose
here, at random, two more pieces from
Mr.. Gainsworthy's book:
SILVER POINT.
sharp against a sky Of grey
Pigeons nest in naked tree,
All the silver twigs up-cuIled'
All the leaty spirits fured,
Not q breath TO ran thc HdS'
World aspiring and severe,
Not hum of fly OF pee
Not song, and not cry,
Not a perfume stealing by;
Stillest moment of the year!
WIND.
Wind. vind-heather gypsy
Whistling in my tree!
All the heart of me is tpsy
on the sound Of thee:
Sweet with scent of clover,
Salt with breath of sea
Wind wind-wayman lover
Whistling in my tree
We would not make too much OF Ihese
lvrics. They are. to be sure the veries'
trifles. But they will serve to enforce
the point that the instinct for beauty
will help a man to some sort OF poetical
expression. There is nothing on ~hlch
he may not wreak it. The poachlng
pugilist is as legitimate an object or It's
exercise as the wan lover or the meio-
dious nightingale. But without that IN
stinct the poet may as well stay mar
ticulate, for without 1t no illusion can be
created. and, as Matthew Arnold long
ago told us, in poetry the Illusion the
divine illusion, is everything