This kinsman feared, Tellus, behold me come,
Thy son stern-nursed; who mortal-mother-like,
To turn thy weanlings' mouth averse, embitter'st,
Thine over-childed breast. Now, mortal-sonlike,
I thou hast suckled, Mother, I at last
Shall sustenant be to thee. Here I untrammel,
Here I pluck loose the body's cerementing,
And break the tomb of life; here I shake off
The bur o' the world, man's congregation shun,
And to the antique order of the dead
I take the tongueless vows.
But those last lines:
I take the tongueless vows.
we cannot compare with any model. They stand by themselves, unsurpassable, lines such as are only to be found here and there even in the great poets.
The more one reads this poetry of Thompson's the more one discovers that it is something essentially individual. Harmonies that one may miss on a first reading become more apparent and more insistent as one reads again, and the exquisite, haunting melody of his verse pursues us, and its faultless, rich rhythms seem to create new patterns of form. One may miss not a little of his thought, because the engrossing beauty of the language lays hold of the senses. In almost every poem one finds some lingering phrase:
Is but the rainbow on life's weeping rain.
Or:
Often he shows that exact sense of lyrical fitness which Milton pre-eminently possessed, and, second only to him, Shelley. We see it in the passage which begins:
To sit apart, a somewhat alien guest,
And watch your mirth,
Unsharing in the liberal laugh of earth.
The Hound of Heaven, I think, has rightly been pronounced his greatest poem, for whilst in its wealth of melody, its magnificence of imagery, and its pathos, it is unsurpassed, it reveals also the finest depths of his thought as he takes us "down the labyrinthine ways" of his mind's flight. But next to that I would put The Making of Viola, a poem which no other, except Rossetti or his sister Christina, could have written:
Spin, daughter Mary, spin,
Twirl your wheel with silver din;
Spin, daughter Mary, spin,
Spin a tress for Viola.
Spin, Queen Mary, a
Brown tress for Viola!
Weave, hands angelical,
Weave a woof of flesh to pall
Weave, hands evangelical—
Flesh to pall our Viola.
Weave, singing brothers, a
Velvet flesh for Viola!
Scoop, young Jesus, for her eyes,
Wood-browned pools of Paradise—
Young Jesus, for the eyes,
For the eyes of Viola.
Tint, Prince Jesus, a
Dusked eye for Viola!
It may be that he will always be a poet for the few; that his mystical, esoteric spirit, finding its proper expression in baffling imagery and elusive, other-worldly rhythms, will never be wholly congenial to the many. But his place is assured; for he had no traffic with the things of a day or the language of a day. The beauty which haunts his prose and his verse is of that universal order which can hardly fade by the mere passing of time. Only a change in the human spirit can make it dim.
NOTE
Many of the foregoing chapters are based upon articles which have been published in periodicals. My thanks are due to the Editors of the following journals, which I name in the order of my indebtedness:—The English Review, The Nation, The Daily News, The North American Review, The British Review, and The Athenæum.
THE COMPLETE DRAMATIC WORKS OF
Gerhart Hauptmann
AUTHORIZED EDITION IN SIX VOLUMES
It is generally conceded that Gerhart Hauptmann is the most notable dramatist of the present day. His work combines literary, psychological and dramatic interest in greater measure than that of any other contemporary writer, and the award of the Nobel prize in literature was a public recognition of his genius.
An authorized translation of his dramas makes it possible at last for English people to study and enjoy Hauptmann. Excellent translations of a few plays had already been made and these, by arrangement with the respective translators, will be adapted to the present edition, but new translation will be made whenever it seems necessary in order to maintain the highest standard. The editor of the edition is Professor Ludwig Lewisohn. He supplies a general introduction to Hauptmann's works in Volume I, and a briefer introduction to each succeeding volume.
| CONTENTS | |
| Volume I | Volume II |
| Social Dramas | Social Dramas |
| Before Dawn The Weavers The Beaver Coat The Conflagration |
Drayman Henschel Rose Bernd The Rats |
| Volume III | Volume IV |
| Domestic Dramas | Symbolic and Legendary Dramas |
| The Reconciliation Lonely Lives Colleague Crampton Michael Kramer |
Hannele The Sunken Bell Henry of Aue |
| Volume V | Volume VI |
| Symbolic and Historical Dramas | Later Dramas in Prose |
| Schluck and Jau And Pippa Dances Charlemagne's Hostage |
The Maidens of the Mount Griselda Gabriel Schilling's Flight |
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NEW FICTION
SINISTER STREET
By COMPTON MACKENZIE
Author of "Carnival."
THE STORY OF LOUIE
By OLIVER ONIONS
Author of "The Debit Account."
HANDS UP!
By FREDERICK NIVEN
Author of "The Porcelain Lady."
TELLING THE TRUTH
By WILLIAM HEWLETT
Author of "Uncle's Advice."
UNDERGROWTH
By F. and E. BRETT YOUNG
A First Novel.
THE BANKRUPT
By HORACE HORSNELL
A First Novel.
THE FOOL'S TRAGEDY
By A. SCOTT CRAVEN
A First Novel.