Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-08
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
I. G.. M.
SONNETs OF A MINNESINGER
AND OTHER LYRICS. j. u.
Nicolson Pascal CoVici.

SONNETS OF a MINNEs5AINSTLIS
AND OTHER LYRICS. j. u.
Nicolson Pascal Covici.
In. Germany, 700 years ago and
more, there rose among the gallants
of that day the fashion of making
love songs TO sing to high-born ladies
Of their desire. An instrument some
thing like an oVergroWn violin went
humming and stunning along in
tune with the verse to stress the
ardors of the theme or maybe, now
and then to lend a hand over weak
and faltering spots in the poets fine
frenzy Of invention. Clearly, poetry
and music were then close Of kip, as
they had been before, as they occa-
sionally are now. That which started
so long ago in Germany, just as
many another vogue starts and ends,
became in this case a genuine poetic
movement. Out of it emerged the
historic Minnesingers who had, by
their efforts, lifted the sonnet in its
verse structure to enduring fame as
the supreme poetic medium for ex-
pressing the emotion of love. A hun
dred years later or thereabout it was
Petrarch who remodeled the sonnet.
who refined it to it's present form. In
his retreat at Vaucluse, Petrarch made
talize the beauty and goodness Of
Laura. With Villon the sonnet be-
came the tool of a fine fashioning.
Nearer to us 1t swept out of the hand
of SWinburne in a passion of perfect
song.
Now another true Mfnnesinger
steps out into the present. Into this
old mold of song he pours music on
the themes of life and love. And
these sonnets are as truly singing
verse as are those of the medieval
and modern forbears of this author.
One, reading here. is at no time held
up by hating measure or stumbling
rhyme. Instead, one goes swinging
and singing through on tide Of rich
imagery through mazes of poetic
thought. The effect of them as a
whole, however, is quite distinct from
that of those old lovers chanting lays
Of passion and hope to ladies fair.
True, the ruling theme here is that
of love, as il was there. But those
were forward-looking faces lighted by
dreams to come true. This poet
fronts invariably upon the past where
dreams lie shattered where losses and
unfulfilled hopes cover the ground.
In a word, these sonnets are lamen-
tations over the things that slip away
with youth itself never to be re-
covered. Nor are these chastened
lamentations-bitte ones instead,
that give out acrid savors of disap-
pointment, resentment, irremediable
loss. An odd effect, this, that of
thoroughly sophistfcate man and a
completely disillusioned one looking
at life through a medium that has
been used for many centuries to ex-
press the hopeful ardors of youth
fronting upon the supreme passion of
love. Yet, despite this incongruity
no one can deny these sonnets the
praise of rich imagery and true
beauty. No one can deny their poetic
inspiration nor contest the fine finish
of their structure.
VERSES, NEW AND OLD. John
Galsworthy. Charles Scribner's
Sons.
Every reader knows Galsworthy,
the novelist and the playwright. For
the good reason that these two liter
airy forms have been his prime pre-
occupation, not many know Gals
worthy, the poet. Perhaps the chief
significance of this little book of
poetry lies in the fact that whether
writer is. above all else, the man of
serious purpose along current lines of
human endeavor. Here is the writer
of social instinct who bends his art
to the amelioration of certain of the
harder aspects of life, of certain of
the injustices lying inherent in mod.
ern society In a more personal way
these poems are in the nature of
plea. of a prayer, if you will. for
courage, serenity, acceptance They
are reflections on the uncertainties of
life, on the certainty of death. They
are encouragement toward a philoso-
ply calculated to evaluate life accord
ing to it's verities and, thereby, to
come into serene acceptance of its
inevitabilities. Austere verse, this, in
effect. Verse that is unadorned with
the usual trappings of poetry. I'm
pressive and penetrating verse, never
theless, since it is sourced in the deep
needs of every man. This Prayer"
is no more John Galsworthy's than 1t
is yours and mine:
If on Spring night went by
And. GOD we're standing there.
To HimP This is the prayer:
o Lord of Courage grave.
Master of this night of Spring
To ask Thee anything
Here and there these verses turn
to the natural world--to the English
downs, to the surrounding sea in its
multiform moods, to the seasons, to
Spring in the Highlands, to songs of
the West Country. Always, however,
beauty-and always are they beauti-
full.
TOUCH AND GO. Ralph Cheyney.
Henry Harrison, publisher.
A modern poet, partaking in full
measure of the spirit and outlook of
the moment, but a genuine poet, not
withstanding, in any fair accounting
of this craft. Almost every one has
his poetic tradition which, like any
other tradition, is cramping in effect, |
distorting in influence. Thus every
one accepts certain themes as suited
to poetic treatment, and certain |
others that are decidedly not so fitted. |
He may be wrong. He probably is |
wrong. But to him there is an in |
congruity hard to accept in meeting |
themes such as he will meet here in |
Ralph Cheyney'S verse, in the verse of |
almost every modern poet as we'll. BY |
what right does this almost every |
one" declare against Sex" as a poem |
"Psycho-analysis" or other such sub
jects? But, for general acceptance on !
account of their genuine beauty here |
are love songs, tender as such songs |
should be and songs of other devo- |
lions than those lavished by the |
lovers of the world. Here is a man |
who, clearly, knows good deal about |
the human heart despite a world |
wide conspiracy to hold that heart |
to deep self-secrecy Here is a man |
who has learned how to smile at the |
general Illustration of life that every !
man is bound to meet, either with |
courage or with shrinking. And with |