New-York tribune., 1919-09-27
Meet MIR. Maynard
Pugnaclous Joy in Songs
TO Drink and the Deitv
POEMS by Theodore Maynard. With an
introduction by G. X. ChestertOn. Fred
criCS y. Stokes & CO. New T0rl.

POEMS, by Theodore Maynard With an
inl9dHe'ion by G x. Chesterton. Fred
Gilbert X. Chcsterton, the poet, and
Theodore Maynard, who makes his
American debut with volume of col
lected verses. are brothers in feet.
Both are primarily "forocious Catho-
lies to employ Mr.. Naynard's epithet;
both write with a pugnacious JOY; both
manifest an inclination toward set
metrcal forms. and both hymn ecstat-
caIly their cnmity for prohibition. In
fact, their common crcdo is epitomized
in the refrain of one Of Mr.. Maynard's
ballades 81 Drain a Mighty Tankard
TO the Pope.'
A few of Mr.. Maynard's poems are
love yrics, but drink and the diety
have done for the rest. His message
is simple and direct He sings the
omnipotence Of belief and even in his
rousing drinking songs he is biblically
bibulous.
Like G. X. c.. Mr.. Maynard scorns
the decadence OF modern verse. He is
prodominantly lyrical and there is a
captivating singing quality in his work
rich, throbbing tuncfulness which
never suggests the mctronomc This
stanza from "A Song of Colors' will
serve as q taste of Mr.. Maynards gift:
And lrft in TIN world lie made
Gold for tt" nuts cnric chnout,
And bug for Tho swords good blade,
ON The white hrows Of maid.
The religious poems are marked
often by melancholy which invariably
IS sublnnated into JOY. The more re-
Elective devotional verses such as THE
Ascetic' arc beautifully wrought, but
they seem less appealing than the
strepitous chants for God. Neverthe-
less, there are moments Of rare lowell
ness, as in the haunting "Christmas
Carol,' OF which ,he last stanza runs:
"lloal kindly with ilim, moon and sun.
40 bird to liu q song deny:
Nn NlNt@ au.. showers. every one
sing LU!iD-i i,ilO- Lrilahi-
For ui.u SHAH cast uim cut to die
la-h h"40- L"io-LuNgly!'
Drinking songs appear at frequent
intervals through MIR. Maynard's pages
We find q triolet in which he Vouch-
safes that he wouldn't trade his noble
thirst for haif-a-dozen bags Of gold
a ballade in praise of one who kept
the pubs open till II. many passing
reterences to the great thirst, and d
"Drlnking Song, which should make
excellent wet propaganda Mr.. May
nard explains that S. Patrick had in
nls tram "a man Of splendid heart and
bra}n'-a g brewer. and
7Jle snake, ho dlofe auoy
~ IRE trctofoNrfs, th'V Nou-
i"'tDfulrfS. ti,v sGp my bo4S.
IfetotdneJs Nl'y soDi
Mr Maynard has a love for old verse
forms. and some Of his sonnets, notably
a splendid "Requiem," compare favor
ably with anything produced by con-
temporary sorneteers. His ballades
are rather free in their rhyme schemes,
and one violates all rules in the use of
sevcn-line stanza in place of the pre-
scribed eight-ine unit. But the Bal
lade OF the Best Song in the World
is one Of the most fetching things pro-
duced in this form. The light hearted
impertinence OF the piece is, exem-
pllfied in the envoi:
Prince, IL by some amazing flu1e You go
TO heaven youl hear the shawms and
cltherns play,
, And aA the trulnpets Of the angels blow
I-'ldaly idGlD-.-ti- .tldlv-0g.
There is much that viii be grateful
to the poetic thirst in Mr. Maynard
! lyrical vats, and we fancy that almost
,x-ili |, ll,