The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-28
THE NEW POETRY.


To THE EDITOR OF THE SrN-Sir: And
now the New Poetry comes frisking
along and ilirts it's woollen panties."
We have the New Freedom. the New
Woman. the New Thought and various
other novelties TO nout in the teeth Of
the ancient saw tina, there Is nothing
ncw under the sun. Nevertheless | am
bold enough to ground myself in the
wisdom Of the ancients and level a lance
against the prancing novelties ~ the
hour | am for the old poetry. the old
freedom and the old woman.
For the nonce | joust against the New
Poetry alone. Inasmuch as II Is new ii
is not poetry. and inasrnuch as IT is
poetry IL is not new. This is not a new
way of stating the fact. but it is true.
In the theory of the New Poetry two
propositions are emphasized, one h a
poetry consists essentially in images. the
other that p~oatical expression should he
free from the trarnrne1s Of the law or
numbers. that Is, measured language.
The first is true. hut no novelty the
second IL novel. but nonsense. Poetical
expression is primarily and essentially
in analogue. one thing CARRIED in the
image of another As when the poet
speaks Of man in the sere and yellow
leaf. he is telling us that he is old
From Homer down to Francis Thoinp-
son the analogue has been the essential
element of poetic Uterance. The point
s neither old nor new poetry is
poetry.
The crux comes in the second PROPOSE
ton. that measured language IL not es-
s-ntial To poetry. Here the heresy looms
bald. Art is the sensible expression OF
beauty In space or time Architecture.
painting and sculpture are its spatiai
expressions. Must and poetry are it,
TEMPORAL uttcrances. and both must
perforc conform 20 the Law OF numbers.
Tie Law Of numbers demands a unit of
measur within a fixed limit. and the
ps'hctic sense %requires a unity with a
VARIETY. a likeness with 4 difference A
bird scars on rs wings. a poet scars
on his rhythm. Clip the birds wings
and he autters and founders on the
ground without measured language
the poet IA Is to rise. Poetic utterance
seeks measured language as naturally
as the bird outstretches and beats his
wings in fight. Verse Is ~ more free
than the birds wings are free from the
law that governs its fight.
Indeed IL is only by submission TO the
law that the bird flies at all. So mus
tho poet submit TO the law II he Is 70
soar at all His power is by virtue oil
the lav. Free verse is a miSnorner
Verse may be loose or bad but free
vAr. howeve- T., may shout FOR free
dom. adumhrates perforve a measu-ec
limit. The New Poetry gets itsell
printed In lines verses. couples line'
versesl ~ equal length together, sinu
latee n unit OF measure. and In spite o'
- theory often falls into strictly
measured language. Witness Mr.. Aid
inCton's second line in his Dancers a.
quoted by THE SuS
Ana rlrt their ~ooil-n panties
Here IL as true a measure a. nigh
have lifted in an eighteenth century
bucolic. what a delicious image thos'
dear little white lambs make NirtinE
thsir woollen panties' No wonder thes'
lines get THE suns money. | am al
most tempted 20 retra"t and admit ina
there ~ something new In the Ne"
Poetry. CoSpE y FALLEN.
NEW Rochelle. February -.