New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-10
w alter De La Mare
Talks to Us
By IRWIN EDMAN
CAME to interview Walter De La NJ,

that he could enhgnten me, as he is hailed ;,
those who are watching for precious sym.
toms in poetry as an extraordinary prae,i
toner Of an exquisite and elusive art Asf-
the war-he had just come over from Englsa
And as to the United States-he had been &.
ing among US four weeks. We got as fa,s
poetry, and couldn't help mentioning the wa
if for no reason other than that Mr. DE 4
Mare had come over on behalf Of Rupef
Brooke's mother TO accept the poetry prize Yaa
had awarded to her son, VINO had met death a,
the DardaneIles. There was no time left D
discuss the United States.
Until recently. little known to America, Nr.
De La Mare has long been recognized by he
passionate few" as having brought into poetry
magic and music too largely absent from the
modes and moralizings Of recent verse in Amer.
lea He has imprisoned the neither side Of
silence, and made shadows and echoes and
mysteries as real as the movies, the telephone
and the subway He has no social gospel; he
trumpets no creed: he doesn't caro- TO repre-.
sent metrically the Spirit Of the Age; he has
no passion for the chains Of poetry, or for free
dom from the chains-snd his poem, "The
Listeners" murmurs itself perSistently in the
ears of anyone who has CHANGED upon It.
might have known most of this after reading
the first stanza:
rs there anybody there" said the Traveller,
Knocking on the moonlit door;
And his horse in the silence ehamped the grsss,
Of the forests ferny floor,
And bird few up out Of the turret,
Above the Travellers head:
And he smote upon the door again a second tine;
"Is there anybody there?' he said.
But no one descended 20 she Traveller;
No head from the leaf-fringed sill
Leaned over and looked into his gray eySs,
Where he stood perplexed and still
But only host of phantom listeners,
That dwelt in the lone house then
Stood listening in the quiet OF the moonlight
To that voice from the world Of men.
But sought out the author Of this magic
at the remote eyre in Staten Island where h.
is at present secluded, prepared TO put hin
through the Catechsm for Poets Landed -Four
Weeks in America.
Mr. De La Mare warned me before | began
that | couldn't learn anything about poetry by
interviewing him; that nobody ever interviewed
anybody in England, and that he couldn't tell
me what poetry really was.
We began with the Poetic Rebirth. | toll
Mr. De La Mare of the impression most Of Us
had that more and better poetry was being
written and read than ever before. Their
seemed. if the publishers and poets were to Be
believed. a true Renaissance of the spirit Of
wonder in America Had he heard about IT,
There were rumors Of the Renaissance IN
poetry, but he couldn't say first hand. "Spoon
River Anthology" had made a great stir ia
England, and the sharp etchings OF character
interested people too much 20 allow them to
worry over the poetic merits of the volume
But there seemed to be a great sitting some
where in transit, and not all the bright con
temporary stars of our lyric armament shoue
regularly in England Perhaps, Mr.. De Ia
Mare suggested, ] could describe the Rebirth
of Poetry in America.
proceeded to tell the author Of "The List
eners" about the national self-consciousness
that was being assiduously cultivated in The
reviews, and to quote from the published sen
timents of some our leading essayists and
poets. Art | explained TO Mr.. De La Man
must be representative of democracy, it mus
touch life at all points, it must not rush IRE
sponsibly away from reality, but must give
expression to the hard, hopeful and hopeis
facts of contemporary life. The arts, especially
poetry, must cease to be irresponsible children
they must deal frankly and courageoUsP
with
81 don't think" replied Mr.. DE La Mart
that poetry can gain much by beng rssp0'
sible to anything, or that 1t must represen
anything. If morals happen to get into pOeir'
very we'll, but if the poet starts in win n'
morals. / have my suspicious that he may 10
be poet / know young Ralph Hodgson, "S'
was keenly and passionately wrought up o's
the iniquity Of women wearing feathers 10 neH
hats. He wrote poem about it. very oesT
tiful poem. But it was Hodgson, and not '''
iniquity of wearing feathers, that made w
poem beautiful.
II suppose some one might bs deeply stiTi',
by seeing some of these lofty tenemene :"
your cities and mine without fire escapes W
suspect that it would have TO be pretty o.
poem to be a good enough pamphlet to ge' !"
fire escapes built"
But, ! suggested, didn't Mr.. De La ma
think that the reason so much poetry was O''-
read was because the poets were beginn"s
.-... ....4 44s.aa affairs and great common ,,
man problems. Take the war and bag'N
poetry
Mr.. De La Mare smiled so eXpressiVeV "
knew | wasn't the only interviewer wpo o.
Lighted upon the thought. =,