The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-01-16
SOME NEW BOOKS.
French Poets.

who wan a certain amount of infor-
nation In tabloid form To be quickly
swallowed; but readers who are willing
10 Gull the Flower of author" and "a
watch the bloom by the wayside. AMY
LowEl.L's IrcHCh Poets. studies in
Contemporary Literature iMacmillans)
IN not what w usually think Of us
criticism. rather ought it to he labelled
like Pater's studies "Appreciations.'
20 full of harm are its penetrative
Interpretations. Moreover from the
technical side the book. unlike so many
books made of collected lectures. is "A
finished product. There are faithful
and excellent TRANSACTIONS of the many
French poems used as Illustration and
these do not tease the reader by being
placed on the page with the text
either us footnote or otherwise, but
are in an appendix to themselves,
where they need be consulted only II
wanted. There is also "A full and
valuable photography. The book full
fills To perfection its mission of send
ing the reader at once to the original
sources and opening to him a fresh
field Of Joyous delights.
In the entire book, there IL hut one
flaw Ia printers error?) to he found.
In the translation OF Gourmont's AS
cension' the original runs:
lin CHEN. au seuil d'un porte entr' ouver,e.
Ia haut. picure a Ia lunc naissante ct
verte
pui rend un peu de iole nu ciei aveusle.
la vache qu'on va traire s'agite .: meugle.
Tn CHEN pleure a la iune naissante ct
verte.
ID haut. uu seuil dune porte cntr' ouverte.
it is perfectly evident here hat the
dog bays the moon, up there. at the
threshold OF "A half open door. SO III
the first two lines of the translation
is it stated, but by an omission In the
repetition of the lines 1t becomes the
cow who is going to he MIXED hat is
up above. at the threshold of the door
"a much less likely position. This Is
merely mentioned that in the later
editions of this book, which will surely
be called for, the omission may he re-
placed.
In her preface Miss Lowell dcplores
the act that so few OF the English
and Americans who go to France each
year, and have a more or less super
f1cial acquaintance with French lit
eraturc. have So little realized the
depth Inc seriousness Of the French
character. Those who really studied
the literature understood. indeed. that
the earnest and single minded en-
deavor. applied to the arts. must have
its counterpart in life. The recent
disasters ave amply proved this.
During the last eighty years, begin
ming with Lamartinc and Hugo,
1~rapna I.u t.n, Iu,,,., -,,,,.g.,,
OF remarkable poets. The war Will
naturally cut this era short. and such
poets as arise after the war and such
a. survive It will necessarily write
from "a new standpoint and with new
material.
The poets chosen 10y Miss Lowell
Immediately succeeded NcrlainC and
Mallarme. with the exception of Sa-
main and Remy dc Gournont, who
died September -. 1911. they are still
living. They are not les ieunes. but
ali men Of middle age and established
fame. Miss Lowcll's method has been
To follow the life and career of the
poet chosen and to analyZe and eSti-
mate his works as they p~uuCtuated his
life. She says that her effort has been
To give the reader a feeling of having
known the poet and read his works
as they were published.
Before taking up the volume. chap
,.r h,, cba,.or e n.a, ,a.n.
thiny ~ uiss IonoIrs ,ar.nn,, Az
~.ipc,io, a. a u,,n,,,our Sha a. ,ho
sister of Jawr.rce nuou ,ro.t5.r,
~ U,rv,rd c,lt.ao ,rl -, 49,,
Lowell, the famous astronomer she
has lived and studied a great deal in
rr,,co .rd b,. an a,ba,.,t,, ,.,ar.,
edge NJ i,s rtor,,rro 81. b.. ,,,L
,ishod ,,, ,oI,r,., -, -. 80, n.
NJ Nsrv co',ro1 c,,.s" ,,t .cu,rl
rp,ado. aud t.oun,. sci /, la,
,.r cha hoe ,s,I -, .,. o.. ~.
unrhvu.d ,.aderrc ta,Ir5. l..r h,. Ina
French nnets IA ,~lII,r,,n ,ro
81, hos ra,,,oi ct,, ~ .,oavo,a.
sersitrve -ruroc,,i,u - ho..,,- ,,,,,.
ord =, f..,li,,. .,rn ;.
An thesa f,cuI,ics cor,a uror i,,,
n,av i'm bo, r,o.a .rnrao,,,.n, -,
los. thu, -, 10, - -,
croo,sa, a.,. 80 49,.
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,as,,psros,. ana .", oiI
70 Coz IT,, ha.
In,ornro,n,ior. ~ r,ro,oh noa,. Am
,ive a. inr. n w
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ana i.s,i,. ,ia.o -. ari,.a.n.
M. no,, ,.,,i,l,t g. -, ~
are Emile v.rh,,r,r ,Iha,, s,n,nin
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