The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-01-16
low wheat and the slow rolling river

A<iNV til'Nl DDttFs ilutIth u
destined for other vocations. First he
entered his uncle's oil works and
when that proved an impossible task
for the poetic temperament he studied
law. lie not only studied. but actually
graduated in Law at LOuvaln-that
name that now awakens regret and
sorrow in the hearts Of all the civil
lied world. lie seems also TO have
found time to drink and to get drunk
and ''overdid things with tru Flemish
ardor.' He entered a law office IN
Brussels. but the head OF 1t, having
noted the half hearted zeal with which
he conducted one or two cases, him
self advised abandoning the profess
sion. We are told n peasant anecdote
of how. while still in Brussels, Yer
haeren dumped into Lemonnier's
lodgings one day. having, by the
bye. met Lemonnier, and blurted out,
'Je veux vous lire des vers." He read
The manuscript OF his first volume,
Les F~lamandcs." Lemonnier encour-
aged him ond the book was published.
Miss Lowell says: Really 1t Is a star
Ting book. written with a sort of fury
of color. The red. fat flesh tints Of
Iiubens have got into 1t and the pages
seem hot with perspiration." This Is
eminently enlishtening criticism and
one knows just what TO expect from
the volume itself. Indeed Vcrhaeren
speaks himself of "les vieux mattress
who painted lies fureurs d'estomac. de
ventre ct de debauche." II LES
Flamandes" expressed the materialistic
side of the Belgian character, Ver-
hscren's next book. LES Moines," ex-
pressed the CENTER side of his nature.
II Is. says Miss Lowell, "a sad book.
n faded book. The monastcries are
there. hut hathed in the light Of n pale
sunset" In order TO write the book
Nerhaeren went into retreat in the
convent of FORCES neal Chimay and
much Of the book wa written there.
After a terrible breakdown Vcrhaeren
travelled for some time In France.
Germany. Spain and England. and
from this period came the volumes
Les Soirs.'' LES Debacles' and Les
Flamheaux Noirs.'' priceless, says
Herr IwicC. Ncrhaeren's b~iographer,
ito Psychologists and psychologists"
Soon after this stage of suffering and
IT. health Ncrhaeren's great period
followed and he produced the works
which have made him the greatest
poet Of Belgium and one Of the worlds
greatest poets. Les Campagnes Hal
lucinees." Les Villages Mlusoires' and
LES Nilles Te%n,aculaires" appeared
between 1892 and 1896. and in these
volumes. Miss Lowell says. We have
all Ncrhaeren's cxcellencles in rich
profusion.
Ncrhacren's technical exccllcncies
are many. Not only does he show II
by suiting his cadence Ia his subject.
alternating between licht. tripping.
joyous measure to'long. heavy. slow
falling ~cadences. but he handles vowels
and ~consonants as no English poet ex-
ccpt Swinhurne has ever been known
t. Ito. Take the poem "Londrcs" for
example, beginning:
Z, - I6ndres lie fo,e .; de bronze, mon
on des plaques 10 for claoquent sous des
hangers,
Oh le~ y6il-s sen wont. sans Notre-Dam~
rour ctollo. sen Won't. IA has, v"rs les
hazards.
Nut only does the heavy. dropping
cadence give the effect of the gloomy
city bur the "~consonants knock and
hum like the Westminster bells he
mentions" Here we may turn to
some II Miss Lowell's able hits OF
analysis of his eXcellencies. ut is"
she says, This presence of sounds In
his verse. quite apart from the como
tationS Of his words. which gives YER
hacrcn's work It's orange. magic real
ity and makes 10 practically impossible
to translate" This ntermiNture ~
sound with pure pa.nting Is ono of
\~erhaoren'S most remarkahl. traits"
The .A~,cNanjrine has never seemed TO
iii Narhaercn. His tumultuous nature
seems crampod 10y its limitations. Fig
ure the 'SieSfried' idyls played by an
orchestra Of flutes, harps and tam
hourines and You will see what !
mean"
w. ,nu I'm French. Ve-haeren has never
r',u ahi. 80 restrain himsN't within The
,,uou- - French taste. Ms eTer,esceut
r,tuge found tho French clarity and pre-
D.ion thu hauur medium 80 cherished
us th" Gafic mind, "a hamperiuE as he
Nplld hat" found Greek artistic ideals
h,i D." lived several centuries earlier. He
'uu- pyi thre" raymcs. one after the
other u he feIi IKE II; he must have u
coUpI" ~ a~sSOuancss IN = line, or go on
alternating down hal, a page. Their" was
moi hing lu his nature to max. the Ideas
~ M" symbo.istcs attractive 20 him h"
voll1 none %! them. The mysticism OF
uHich / Lt,- spoken modified itself into
- great humanitarian realization lie he.
loved In mankind In tho future Not
r~f"'I-r.' tuo'Elne Is precise I'm NerhaerenJ
nJr 'tGuey. magniAcent.y, with al the
faith his sncee'or~ had placed In the
Dh4r.h lie simply burned with
e u"br''a- ar,or amt w's happy aul
f,,uud
one ~ 20" H,t,,o. nig..u N,rhdereu ON.
phys with uNn-urOwa'e skill Is onoma-
'opw.t lie carries his effect
through Whole poems and e. j. one Of the
rtt-or. ror the Wv illness ~ hi poem Is on
nature.
Miss Lowell here gives entire the
poem "Ih pluir' and points the reader
to "Ic NciGc.' "l.e silence and lie
Vent" for examples of this gift.
WITH these teclUiCal gifts Yer
ElcroN combines an amazing Vlsuallz-
ing power aud 81 dramatic intensity.
Despite means which in the hands Of
a lesser artist hecom" claptiap, he is
always great in his handing. lie
has" SAYS his critic, shown the great
ness 81 everyday III" and made us
understand that sc!cnco and art are
never a. Variance II" has shown that
civic CONSCIOUSNESS is not necessarily
dry and sterile. but can lee as romantic
~ an Individual And he has done all
this without once saving it directly,
by force of the greatest and most COM