Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-07-12

It's raining violets." q
in order to get your little poem into
the current issue of the magazine;
but we will be willing to stop our
presses any time you send us an
other like it," 49,.
This was the opinion of the
literati OF April Rain" but by the
strange circumstance which sur
rounds the lives of poets, it remained
for a popular song and a comedian
to inform the world OF the author
ship of 1t Isn't Raining Rain To-
day"
Last year Al Jolson scored the
biggest hit of his show with April
Showers a ballad which, it is said
lifted" the words of the poem al
most without a change. So complete
ly did Loveman live cut off from the
practical world that he did not know
the jazz version of his poem was re.
ceiving encore after encore in the
New York theater and was being
sold in sheet music from coast to
coast until a friend sent him a clip
ping commenting on its popularity.
A law suit against Al Jolson, p. G.
DeSylva, who wrote the popular
song, and the Shuberts, for infringe
Inent on the copyright is now pend
ing in the courts.
Loveman contributed regularly to
Scribners, Harpers, the Century,
the Independent, and other high
class mas gaines. His slender books
of verse sent out from Robins
Nest" his home at Dalton, were
three collections of Poems" pub
lished in 1889, 1898 and 1897; "a
Book of Verses in 1900; THE
Gates Of Silence, With Interludes of
Song" in 19O3 Songs From a
Georgia Garden" in 1905; Gates of
Silence" in 1905; The Blushful
South and Hippocrene." in 1909;
"On the Way to Willowdale," in
1912, and "Sonnets of the Strife" IN
1917.
Life Abroad
His life was more free from ma
terial worries than that of the or
binary poet, and this was declared
by the critics to have been the eX-
planation Of the greatest weakness
OF his verse.
His life abroad rs said to have
brought him under the influence of
the French poets, and his verse
displayed their lightness of touch.
their grace of expression, and their
skill in handling intricate poetic
forms.
His songs, however, have the
lyric quality and his sonnets Il
phrasing and technical perfection
which make many of them perma-
nent contributions to literature. In
the Library of Southern Literature
Benjamin Sledd says of him, Love
mans genius is wholly lyrical, and
even in the lyric he attempts only
the brief swallow flights of song"
but he goes on further to praise
the gracefulness of these swallow
flights" comparing him to Herrick,
the Greek anthologists and the
cavalier poets.
A comment by John Burroughs
on the Rain Song" may be said to
characterize the largest portion of
Loveman's poetry. He said:
Amy poet who has ever lived
might have been proud to have
written it. 1t goes as lightly as
thistledown, and yet is freighted
with thought. It's philosophy is So
sublimated and SO natural and easy
that we are likely to forget that
it has ally philosophy at all"
OF the other poems published in
the same volume, Burroughs wrote.
mo other singer of ou~ time has
essayed deep-sea soundings into the
problems of human destiny, and
done it with q, plummet Of four-line
stanzas, with great ease and gayety
of heart, as has Loveman. Much
of it is as good as the best in Omar
khayyam." co.
DALTON MOURNS
GIFTED POETS DEATH
DALTON. Ga. July 10,-News
of the death of Mr.. Robert
Loveman, Daltons gifted poet, which
occurred at Hot Springs, Ark, has
deeply grieved this city. where he
was universally loved. not only as
one Of the south's sweetest singers,
but as most lovable gentleman.
Mr.. Lovernan was born in Cleve-
land, Ohio, but came here as an in
FAINT when mis- parents moved to
Dalton. He contributed largely to
many Of the countrys leading naza-
zines and was tn eauthor Of many
Unknown books Of verse, among
them being The Gates of Silence"
Songs From g. Georgia Garden"
The Blushful South" On the Way
to WilowdaIe" and "Sonnets of the
Strife'' He was best known prob
ably for his Rain Song" which ap.
pears in many school textbooks.
He is survived by one sister, Mrs.
Linka Friedman, of Tuscaloosa, Ala.
and four brothers, Phillip of Okla
hon1a, Morris of Birmingham, Louis
of Gadsden, and Bert of Atlanta. The
body will be brought here for burial