The sun., 1919-10-19

to the window and called out to the popu-
lace below that she saw the poet had been
eating ham and eggs that he was q real
man. The populace cheered. Fame called
out that she had found golf sticks In the
poets room and that the poet ros real
man. Again the populace cheered. A
man writes for fame and writes WELT
DUNSANY (smiling) II assure you I
meant nothing photographed I had
had the idea long time I have always
meant to write that play. Is there q
truth in it or is there mott A man writes
-(teIephone rings. DUNSANY pays no
attention. Folding doors at side Of room
open LADY DUNSANY, quiet, gentle,
chic lady nth a soft Irish accent, ansaoers
the telephone, Whispering: ("He is en-
gagged, but after little moment Pm sure.1
LADY DUNSANY ret1es and DUN
SANY resumes)-I have done my best to
help men who want to write. A good
many have come to me and have tried
to help each Of them as though he were
a Shelley or Keats But / feel that the
best advice to give a man who wants to
write is, Don'tl Every man needs that
much Encouragement. II he is overcome
by it, at least he won't say, viii write,
and lay out his paper and poise his pen
and say, Now what shall writef But il,
while helping him, you discourage him
if he must write-if it is in him so he has
to write-it will come-that is the best
writing, the best way to write.
CALLER-Of fame then, and Of other
motives regardless7
DUNSANY-I have always looked for
genius. would give my chance of fame
to find and help genius. l looked a
, long time and did what l could to help
a good many before found one. At last
] found one. He brought his verses to
me. saw that he saw things in big
way, symbolically, against the mountain.
There was a synthesis Of meaning because
what he observed i'll one realm he could
transpose into another and the transpo-
stion was significant. Francis Ledwidge
wrote of fields, blackbirds, sheep and
meadows Some of his verses had faulty
lines and phrases such as the sun athwart
the rolling tide such things as people
who don't know think are poetry. I
would tell him to leave that out. He
would leave it out and be grateful for the
suggestion. He was the most grateful
man I ever knew. Here and there on my
he lafk v1hrnoao ard 1traa
from his work. That was all could do
for him. / never wrote a line for him.
Yes-I wrote one line. He brought me
poem. 1 said, "Here you've got poem
of which the two first stanzas have eight
lines and the third only seven" He
couldn't write the other line He had
finished that poem and he couldn't revise.
/ gave him the line, that was the only
time.
CALLER-And Ledwidge?
DUNSANY-He died at the front. He
was genius. 1 can say that after a long
search did find genius. fear that it
will be long time before find another.
I would stake my chance of fame upon
the truth of the assertion that my friend
Francis Ledwidge was a genius.
CALLER-It is said-(telepkone rings.
1t is absolutely disregarded, though the
conversation is broken off. 1t rings again.
A maid ANSWERS. Some one asks for
LORD DUNSANY, but Dhen the maid
looks at LORD DUNSANY inquiringly
ie shakes his head. The maid says into the
telephone, an q moment" and goes .out.)
DUNSANY-You were saying7
CALLER-I dare say you sympathized