New-York tribune., 1920-05-16

ing need be said to any intelligent
reader of this journal.
unli& certain magazine, we hcsi-
tate to advertise that you never see a
stupid man or woman reading this
page, because occasionally one does
read it and writes letters to the liter
ary editor about
However, back to Something Else
Again" f. P. AS latest tome" rein
forces his position as one of the finest
craftsman in verse of to-day. His
Stanzas always are exquisitely polished,
and he says not only mouthful but
sometimes whole meal. The inclusion
of succession Of famous poems as
they would have been edited and head
lined at the copy desk is n happy fea-
ture OF the book. Something Else
Again" is>not radically different from
It's predecessors, but tho verses are
somewhat more mellow and tuneful
than any that Mr.. Adams has pub
l'shed. In short, Something Else
Again" is so good that even r. P. A.
will like it.
Translations From the French
f. F. A. also might fancy the infor-
nation that book Of verse called
"Fleurs-de-Lys" (Houghton Mif1in)
was put together by man named Thor
ley. He might fancy even more some
of the sound workmanship OF Wilfred
Thorley, who has made English metri-
cal versions Of 300 French poems,
ranging from twelfth century min
strelsy to the present day. Mr.. Thorley
senslbly has made his translations
free, atte~pting no line for line ef-
fects, and the results are admirable.
He is bit too sane, perhaps, to catch
the key of some of the decadents, but
his verse is always facile and musical
"A daring and not at all displeasing in
novation is the scheme Of translatng
the early French poets into old Eng
lish, using Scottish dialect TO represent
provincial French.
Mr.. Thorley has supplied a new ver-
sion Of FRANCOIS Villon's most famous
ballade-and a delightful version, al
though the form is not altogether or
'hodox--and this stanza must serve as
a specimen of his skill:
Queen Blanche as anye lily wan.
Eerts hqse Rc voice " was sweet az syrens fayne;
Or Ermengarde that ruled in Mayneo
Or lean the goode lass from Lorrayne
i5uFnt by the Englysh rabbes saye
irpvi,,
But where are the white SHOWS borne away?
A new lyrist is Maxwell Struthers
Burt hitherto known chiefly as a
writer of short stories, whose "Sone
and Portraits" (Scribners) appropri-
ateIy contains deal of spring poetry
OF more than average charm.
Forced Effects
Mr.. Burt seeks ever to be musical.
and sometimes his strivings result in
forced effects. Occasionally he lapses
into what Louis Untermyer has dubbed
the young Pierrot school, but not in
frequently he sounds forth little
strain that is altogether appealing.
Throughout the volume there are en-
gaging passages like the following:
7 think there's nothing like at dark
70 see the lamps In Central Park
Turn yellow in the purple gloom
TO huge gold lilies dripping bloom; o
ana watch the great walls through the
night
Ripple to towers of fabulous light.
From overseas come books of verse
by two British soldiers who saw much
of the war from enemy prisons. John
Still, whose Poems in Captivity"
(John Lane) We're composed for the
most part in Turkish camps, and Cap
tain l.. De q. Sicvking, author of
dressing Gowns and Glue" (Harcourt,
Brace & Howe), who was captured by
the Germans. Mr.. Still wrote verse in
prison as an outlet for his thoughts.
and his poems are songs of protest
against the fates that permit wars
still to go on. They are serious and
we'll made, but Of no great distinction.
The volume also contains some verses
on Ceylon, where the author lived be-
fore the war.
Many Introductions
Captain Sevkings verses are almost
buried among some fascinating
sketches by John Nash, an introduction