New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-07

good poem in the language from
which it is wrcstcd; and that means
a poem capable Of standing squarely
on its own merit regardless Of any
great name behind il, in the English
N which, IN all its old emotion, it IS
shaped ancw. The fact that thousands
have satisfied the itch of poetry IN
tens of thousands Of TRANSACTIONS, al
though they were unable 10 write orig
inal poetry. having no originality to
write with, and thus, in spite of them
selves and their friends and their
pocketbooks. they have fooihardily
stumbled ahead to their unperceivcd
failures and other friends ~ braves,
this fact clears up the whole mys-
terry Of bad poetry and
tears all superficial examinations into
the theory Of poetry-translatiOn I'M
tremendously away. The shaping anew
Of poetry into another language IS
as absolutely possible as IS the really
good poetry sprung from the universal
source of good poetry, the all-around-
the-world human heart and mind and
soul. But Of course there IS neces-
sty Of 4 good poet. another creator.
and one Of similar emotion and mind
and power. in the shaper-anew Only
few poets being capable Of good
translation. good poets always being
limited IN number, fewer still cultivat-
ing the difficult art Of translation. and
still fewer broad-minded enough both
to respect the art Of translation. and
TO be Jealous TO give great things
greater audiences. is IS no wonder that
the superficial mind has looked askance
at translation, as IL does at other
broadening influences. all difficult
things. all ideal Well Louis Inter
meyer is. or has been, able by sym
pathy, understanding and love to
make himself such a counterpart OF
the original not wholly. yet "on the
whole" "A was IIeine, in perhaps
about equal parts, a good approach
ing excellent, an excellent approach
ing great, and trifing approaching
absolutely worthless, poetic these
levels with unusual kindred spirit in
the making Of poetry rises and falls
Untermcycr.
Poetry changes. Emma Lazarus was
good, approaching excellent, poet a
few generations ago. She made YER
sion Of perhaps half of lleine, good
approaching excellent. But her Ian
guage is no longer so acceptable to
day as it was In her day. Robert
Levy just few years ago. published
a fair translation, delicate, pretty,
but with none Of Heines iron and
irony to speak Of. I'm isolated lyrics,
three little known poets, Alton Rose
Hodgkins. Irving !. Chatto, and, espe-
cially, Clair Vincent Chesley, among
the writer's Of to-day (and Emma
Lazarus, even with the handicap of
time against her, in some Of her very
best), certainly surpass Mr.. Inter
meyers rendering Of THE Grenadcrs."
"Du Dist vie cine Blumc." and several
Of the lyrics i'm "The Home Coming"
and in the Lyrical IntermezZo." But
such spasmodic successes are newt
able, "a surely as some one else can
better feel certain things, at times,
than even Mr.. Untermeycr, so given
to Heine's moods.
A rather complete volume, yet lack
ing such things az Bowring's long.
dull Alta Troll" and Germany" rem
behring's proved to be. this volume is
selected and lived through again in
good judgment and in capable crea-
tive power. That Heine has no such
great poem as the Spanish poet Bee
quer's "The Lonely Dead" or Poe's
"The Raven" and that Heine is prob
ably over-estimatcd. his trifings for
gotten in his greater. more really
poignant flights, more often success
fully accomplished by these other two
whom he always reminds us of spite
of his sensuality and their spiritual
ity), these matters are not Inter
meyers fault but the worlds. which
sometimes praises its poets unjustly.
Anyway, Heine remains the same re-
markable poet, Untermeyer's own