New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-10
Della Mare TalkStOUs
Continued from Page THO

to indicate that one should hardly expect good
poetry to be written now at all; Wadsworth
defined poetry as the outcome of emotion re-.
membered in tranquility, and who in England
now has the heart to be tranquil?'
There were many in America, I suggested,
who thought Rupert Brooke's war sonnet
were typical of English war poetry. MI. De
La Mare, who asked me always please To re-
member that one mans opinion was one mans
opinion, answered:
Rupert Brooke was soldier, and he was
Rupert Brooke. There is no reason to call
anybody's poetry typical of anything except
himself. Anything is material for the poet
and there is nothing that is particularly his
province. Don't you think so?"
Mr.. De La Mare has an embarrassing hsbi.
of converting his answers into queries. When.
ever l thought had pinned him down To
theory which | could quote as his authentic
and final judgment, he would make me
partner to his wisdom by asking me my own
opinion. He didn't see much use in talking
about the nature of poetry anyway, and thought
the Poetic Rebirth would get along faster Il
we stopped tanning it into verbal fame.
"And as to YOURSELF" asked, have you
any preference as TO the modes in poetry!
DO youe6ee any freedom in free verse or any
chains in rhyme" In asking which could
have predicted the answer, for Mr. De La
Mare always abiding by the old forms has dOns
little grace-note tricks Of variation upon them.
II have no preference for any form at all.
except that ! don't see why those who d.
should lay down the law. / think the poet IS
bound to be free and anarchistic in his choice
of forms as in his choice of subject. The one
thing needful is craftsmanship, which can be
cultivated, not in ones spare moments, but II
at all, in ones rare moments. When poe'
really knows his craft, he needs no law, 10
doctrine. He will let his imagination sufuse
whatever comes to his mood, and hi, instine'
as craftsman will be his only dictator. There
is no such thing as sonnet as such; there Is
sonnet as Milton handled it, and a sonnet %
Rosetti handled it. Each can mould the form
to his will, and each will be moved TO write p
another mood, just as one may see hundre'
faces and be stirred by only one"
"Then they need not deal especially VI"
problems of democracy" And the eerie meas
ures of the Listeners" answered even oefon
their author.
Transfer your question to music he san
''it seems bit absurd to talk Of social syInpnV
MES, does it not?"
Yes, reflected or the chamber music IVY
resentative of democracy. The musician, sD'
so the poet, learns what he can do with DIS "
struments, and then uses them imsginau'''
TO gain his effects.
What them" asked in hopeless conius"'
for had been brought up 70 respect the Ss''e.
canons Of criticism, what is our stapdsru' W.
criterion, our judgment Of valueT ..
"Simply what you can get of WITH M
La Mare answered lightly: "learn how %S
your effects and never mind the criteria
Anything that will work, you mean
Exactly; and now let me intervie" -,
we've theorized enough about poetry -.
DO you think" he asked, mischieyously
centre Of culture in America
That's not in my department. sa'o
retreated.
"Nor in mine," answered the poet