Evening star., 1951-12-09

A
alton comes after many
readings in many moods. FIRE.
quently a collection by a we'll
known and a well-loved poet often
seems worthier of comment than
new verse of undisputed merit.
Or, as sometimes happens, an
event seems to mark more clearly
than a mere publication the slow
passing of writing into literature.
During 1851 the death of Edna
st. Vincent Millay served to re-
mind us that an epoch in poetry
was at an end. Spokesman for a
generation, Edna Millay had fame
and popularity. 1t is now. after
the inevitable moment of her
death, that one is able to realize
that she was much more: That
she was one of our finest lyric
voices and that in her best moods
she was very near to the peaks in
poetry.
Another poet viewed in retro
spect was William Butler Yeats.
His Collected Poems" Mac
millan) was certainly the one
book of the year in poetry. if one
must be limited TO one book. 1t
reminded us again that great
poetry is close to a great life.
Here was a man who lived to the
fullest and spoke in accents which
are likely to carry message Of
hope and perception as long as
English is read.
Walter de La Mares
Recent Compilation
After Yeats perhaps the best
poet in the language is Walter de
La Mare. His Winged Chariot"
(the Viking PresS) Is compila-
ton of verse of recent years, some
of it published in this country for
the first time. De La Mare is not
poet for the many-perhaps not
for rs many as Yeats, even-but
he is a pure lyric poet and the
stamp of his individuality is upon
all these verses. He has created
a world of his own, Oblique.
strange but always rewarding. The
way he looks at his world is
revelation of incisiveness and one
returns to him again and again.
Robert Lowell, Pulitzer Prize
winner and a former consultant
in poetry at the Library of Con-
gress. is one of the best OF our
younger poets. He has offered
"The Mills of the Kavanaughs"
(Harcourt, Brace, and it is an
advance over his previous work.
The title poem is long narrative,
musical in feeling with grave over
tones. He moves more into the
orbit Of another Lowell, Amy. But
with an earthier tone. There is
the note Of understatement that
sends you back to his poems to
find hidden meanings.
Flashes Of wit and perception
mark THE Seven-League Crutch-
es," by Randall FARRELL (Harcourt.
Brace). His portrait of "A Girl
in a Library" is a delightful poem
with depth and surface glitter as
well. It's a dexterous perform
ance. as are many others in this
volume.
Among the Lyric Poets
OF Unusual Talent
The note of affirmation and
hope is found in a collection OF
poems by the late William Rose
Benet, The Spirit of the Scene
(Knopf. Mr.. Benet, noted as
critic, has not yet been fully ap-
preciated as a poet. Some Of this
verse is very excellent lyric poetry.
Conventional in style and ap-
proach, Mr.. Benet was a gifted
writer.
Another lyric poet of talent IS
Carleton Drewry. His "A Time OF
Turning" (Dutton) has many good
nature poems. The Course Is Up
ward" by George Scarbrough
Dutton), also has pleasing lyric
verse about nature. 1t turns.
toward the end. to a series OF
rather mystifying love poems.
Paul Engle, the Iowa poet. IS
far more successful singer of the
joys of love. His The Word OF
Love" (Random House) is sllght
volume of deceptively simple