Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-26

II, ae stared Ct the Pacins-and all his men
Silent. upon peak in Darien.
\ X
Many attempts have been made in
the past quarter Of q century to
abandon the ancient verse forms
wrought out by the hands and minds
Of many men Of all races over the
run Of the years.
Our own Walt Whitman tried 1t
and succeeded only in initiating the
King James translation of the Bible
Scores of lesser poets without the
law (of poetry have attempted the
feat. with lamentable results.
Firm against such onslaughts stand
the standard forms. Truly one has to
be poet born to handle them. Many
shall try. but few succeed.
Keats was one of the successful
| ones. Take his famous "Ode on a
Grecian Urn" He looks at the urn,
muses., then writes:
They 1o still HnraSished bride Of 9uis,ne:s
howery tale more sweetly than our
What ieai:fringed legend haunts about thy
OF fsnD ss %Gr .ss v Ct Of d Posh
what NJ men or 3o,t gods are thesef What
What mad .pursEitf What struggle to es.
What pipes, and timDrels, What wild
Heard melodies are sweet. bu. those unheard
Arc s,weeter; therefore. ye soft pipes
Not to the sensual ear. but. more endeared.
Fair youth Beneath the 9 tree 49, t thou cans,
not leave
Thy song. nor ever can those trees be
r., Bold lover. never. never canst thou kiss
Ihough winning near the goal-yet. do
She cannot fade. though thou hast not thy
Forever wilt thou love. and she be fair.
Your leaves. nor ever bid the Spring
And. happy melodist. unwearied.
\, fore'er piping songs forever new.
More happy love more happy. happy love
pan asd s s 90 be 9oSna
All breathing human passion far above
mat leaves leaves, a heart high-sorrowful and
burning forehead. and parching tongue
Who are these coming to the sacrifice?
Jea ~ that green sitar mysterious priest
drestf
Or mountain built with peaceful citadel.
Anf ta to Sf s ,b i2k .1, this pons
VIII silent be and not a soul to tell il G A'''
why thou art cesolate. can eer return
. Attic shape Fair attitude with brede
WIZ marble marble men and maidens overwroqght
Thou silent form. dost tease Us out OF
As doth eternity: cold PASTORAL
Nnen oIu age shall this generation waste
Thou shalt remain. in midst of Other
Than ours. friend to man. to whom
thou say ST.
Beauty Is truth, truth beau,y-7that is all
know.
/ have seen the above poem printed
in a beautiful volume, with the word
"brede" printed breed" there. Sc
is Keats corrected, The word
"brede" Is archaic now; 1t means
braid or embroidery. SO. too. We have
seen the poet corrected" in various
editions. 30 that he reads Beauty is
truth, truth is beauty" Perhaps il
would have been better had he pune
tuated 1t az follows: Beauty is
truth: truth. beauty"
Reading over again these old poems
many readers will wonder how i,
comes about. II the writer's speak
truth. that old verse forms are en-
tirely out of date. that Keats still
holds sway over the minds of those
who enjoy poetry.
Is 1t not simply due to the fact that
Keats did what he set out to do
write some real verse? Just as ar
chitecture has its laws, and music its
legitimate forms, so poetry has
modes, forms, patterns, call them
what you will, which real poets work
with, and observe