The farmer and mechanic., 1913-03-04
MADISON CAWEIN'S
POETRY ONCE MORE
Mr.. Shacmas OShcel In Letter to
the Editor OF This Review Answers
Mr.. Y,cckham's Recent Article.
The Editor Of Tho North Carolina

The Editor Of Tho North Carolina
Review.
Dear Sir: Someone has courteously
sent me copy OF your February issue.
containing the article by III. II. Peck
ham on the poetry Of Madison Cawein.
and taking Issue with me on the point
of my recent adverse criticism of that
poetry. Let me, before attempting
reply TO Nr. Peckham. tell you that
1 rejoice Ak having had my attention
called TO The Sortb Carolina Review.
AS critic and ltterateur I should
have been long familiar with 1t, sup
pose. but as "A very young critic, ana
one ot very limited resource.
hope | am cxcusable. But l cannot
refrain from offering You IN express
sion OF my appreciation. Such pa
per would do credit TO New York
or any metropolis for it has breadth
of interest. able critical matter. and
dignity. barring the many references
to the late war. which you in the South
remember vividly while we in the
North have almost forgotten it, your
review has that quality which all
things belonging to the grWt world
Of culture share. That such review
~
a section not over cosmopolitan. but
genuinely American. is matter for par
ticular congratulation.
Mr. PeCkhdm Is obviously critic
oil much knowledge and considerable
appreciation. and 1 do not judge SO
entirely because he knows and likes
my poetry and my critques. But ]
find myself compelled 70 venture that
there are some serious errors in his
.tf col don nfYtv Tn, l..fa NJ
Cawein, he is reprOving other critics
than myself. which makes my coun-
tcr-dcfense rather difficult, but he at
least assists me by discovering that
Mr.. cawein has been very often taken
TO task. What l said about Mr..
Cawein in the New York Times | said
reluctantly. 1 hated To hurt the poets
feelings. or to seem captious critic.
or an impudent young "cleverist."
But must ayow that both before and
since | wrote that review, L have
found my opinion OF Mr.. Cawein' S
verse universally supported by other
poets and critics. not all Of them
young. and some OF them close per-
sonal friends OF his. If Mr.. Cawein
has had the influence on American
poetry which Mr.. Pcckham asserts. ]
have discovered no evidences OF II
among my notable contemporaries
that sort OF poetry which by its timid
regularity and insipid neutrality gains
the readicst entrance to our maga.
zines. l can only say that l do not
read such verse. Now with regard tC
Mr.. Cawein's books. I must confess
that whenever l looked into them be.
fore l got one to review, I quickly
fed in dismay from their prolix tan.
giles. The book reviewed l read with
things in 1t. and said SO. But on tn,
whole. thought it very much like
prairie. boundless, monotonous. O
tangled vegetation all compact. with
out those elevations whence We gail
those broad and inspiring vision
which the poet should discover. A
to the poetry which Mr.. Peckhan
quotes. | grant you that Abandoned
and the excerpt from "Strollers'' ar
delightful: but In "A Thronody," tn
line Whose shadow no sunray flows
Is a refutation OF the idea that NJ,
Cawein's technique and melody ar
the melody OF modern poetry Tn
other quotations Of nature verse ar
pleasing; but 1t seems to me that
few hundred pages Of this. unvarie
by anything more intense. and quit
lacking In magic. constitute ba
body Of poetry. As to Mr.. Cawein
fairies. they are little puppets. me
chanical toys In the dead image {
what once the fairies were. but Ion
since ceased to be. That the fairie
have grown up. gaining in herol
stature and in subtlety of symbol
significance. is one Of the thins
which Mr.. Cawein has failed to lear1
Nature means to us today thins
which MT Cawein cannot see becaus
he Is 40 enamoured OF the surface {
nature. I grant that il is all very Il.
!ightful If one has infinite leisure b,
1t certainly is not important poetry.
The only things which Mr.. Peel
ham can cite from Mr.. Cawein's yer,
which give me the pieasurable excit,
ment OF stimulating poetry are tho.
figures which Mr.. Peckham condemn
And the black rain buxzed like bees
That is splendid SO are the other
1t appears then that Mr.. Peckha
considers that poetry good which
strictly regular. unimpeachably oui
and tame. dealing only with famili