VIVA : e. e. cummings

This seems definitely an aftermath, not quite in the
sense of scholarship but of desire satisfied - not quite real any
longer. At least he has not turned to scholarship. He does not quite
so glibly deceive himself; he quite actually stays on the living
side: by taking his desire to have been accomplished ( which is to
be - changed).

He affects modes that once were, Villon's ballad form
(with excellent use of the vernacular) mingling. And he has used
the Canzon, tho' less effectively. Rather soft coming over from the
Italian where it is not soft. He has used everything ( in a sense )
that has been used. But some things he uses never were : the
Shropshire lad bathos cannot be overcome even by excellent imitation.

He is not good when he # resembles : who does this remind
you of : stumbling eyes ( tho' that's so bad being accurately
driving
descriptive ) but #### white spikes of silence - reminds one very
much of him. Which would be bad enough without being twice. The
wordiness is more sharp-spined here, however. The entire and
perpetual sea - And LVIII is a summary to make use of. Gives the illusion
of present speech and is not like Goethe's : Sah ein knab ein rös-
lein stehn - but the same.

- and all the clocks would run down the next day - it's a bad
slip. Occasionally some ( LIII ) are perfectly bad. Vllll I like
well ( and the others in the same vein ) : a satisfying ( which
little is ) word use which is a better outcome of having been than
talking about it.