The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-02-16
MAsEFIELD's POEMS AND PLAYS.

lected Plays. Each $2.75) form the first complete
assembling of the works of this poet and as such
take most significant position in our literature.
Many people will, through the broader and more
searching revelation here offered grasp for the first
time the full wonder Of poetic gift so deep and
varied, and so simple withal, as to shame indiffer-
enee.
In writing of MAsEFuID, even briefly, it is diff
kult to show proper restraint. We are prone to
allow our enthusiasm to rob us of dignity m con-
templating the loneliness that is his For those to
whom narrative poetry'and plays have no especial
appeal there are lyrics which would establish his
greatness if he had never written another word
With opulent variety of manner and meter he is as
much at home as ZoGBAUM with his shadows or
KRLNG with his style If you bored by The
PGithfuI's innumerable pages of stupid drunken
less as, frankly, we are such lines as these from
TwIight are exquisite enough to compensate for
oeal more:
81 think of the friends who are dead, who were
dear long ago In the past, ....-
Beautiful friends who dead, though / know that
death cannot last 49,.
Friends with the beautiful eyes that the dust has
defled,
Beautiful souls who were gentle when l was
child
Chaucer's Child
The prefaces which Mr. MAsEFElD has given US
ID either volume add materially to the interest of
the collection. In them we read of the sources Of
his poetic inspiration and of the conditions under
which his work was done. OF the Chaucerian infu
ehce so clearly diseernibe, and which he first felt
In 1896 he says, "The Parliament of Fouls the
poem of my conversion. l had never realized until
then what poetry could be- and in summarizing,
"CHAUeER and SHAKESPEARE, some lines of GRAY,
of KEATS of WORDSWORTH and of WILLIAM MORRIS,
the depth, force beauty and tenderness of the Eng
ish mind are inspiration enough and school enough
and stars enough to urge and guide in any night OF
the soul, however wayleSs from our blindness or
black from our passions and our follies.
tDauber he tells US, was written in 1872 the char
acter of DAUBER being suggested by man who fell
from the lower topgallant yard of ship. "He
would never have become good painter" Mr..
MAsEFIEID writes, 'but he had the courage and
vii to succeed and these things in themselves
hind Of genius" A seafaring poet Of our acqualnt-
aAce, that much to be desired combination, writes:
at seems to me doubtful if any one who has not
lived in q blue water 70 este can get the utmost
enjoyment to be extracted from Dauber. read it
after getting back from the sea, and it was my in
Induction to MAsEFIE1lD 1 felt a good deal as did
CIuber,
% Watching the constellation rise and burn,
Until the beauty took him by the throat
Three Weeks and Three Days.
The Everlasting Mercy and The Widow IN the
Bye Street were each written in three weeks and
three days Of 1911, the second as complement 30
the first. Salt Water Ballads were begun about q
year from the time when Mr.. MAsEFIE1D discovered
CtAUCR At that time he wrote only three or four
ON the ballads, and little poetry for several years.
The rest were the result of six weeks work at
Christmas time, 1901, in London lodging It is
sttpendous to think of what must have gone on in
tk mind Of the poet during these years to make
possible this accomplishment.
In the second volume are included nine plays
which represent ten years. During this time"
he writes, "the theatre in England was the main
interest of my fellows and'mysef We did not do
what we had hoped to do 1.-THE war stopped that),