FROM LANCELOT TO STEEPLECHASING

HERE is a certain bookseller, critic, and poetaster in New York City concerning whom a story is going the rounds of those whose talk is of books. It is said that this gentleman (whose politics and knowledge of English literature were both derived from Russia) hotly declared to an acquaintance that Edwin Arlington Robinson was the greatest narrative poet of our times.

"I grant you Robinson's greatness," the acquaintance replied, "but I should not have thought of classifying him first of all as a narrative poet. It seems to me that his greatest claim to recognition is that of a portrait painter and student of character." The bookseller waxed wroth. "Of course he's a great narrative poet. No one but a great narrative poet could have created such a story as 'Lancelot'!" All of which proves nothing, except the fact that while a little information is sometimes dangerous there are also occasions on which is useful.

Mr. Roinson's "Lancelot," like his "Merlin," is a vital contribution to the literature which has sprung from the Arthurian legends. Trusting to an unrefreshed memory, we should say that Mr. Robinson follows Malory much more closely than did Tennyson, and his tale of the Round Table and the fateful lives of Lancelot and the Queen gains much thereby.

Mr. Robinson's poem moves swiftly and surely to its allotted end. As a narrative there are indeed no flaws in its construction, but its supreme beauty lies in its analysis of character and motive. Mr. Robinson's Lancelot and Guinevere are creatures of flesh and blood, dwelling in a world of high romance and great adventure, it is true, but still lacking nothing of those human qualities without which romance and adventure lose substance and meaning. This emphasis upon character appears in the opening lines of the poem, lines which present with startling vividness the setting of the story of that immortal tragedy which follows:

LANCELOT

Gawaine, aware again of Lancelot In the King's garden, coughed and followed him;

Whereat he turned and stood with folded arms

And weary-waiting eyes, cold and half-closed

Hard eyes, where doubts at war with memories

Fanned a sad wrath. "Why frown upon a friend?

Few live that have too many," Gawaine said,

And wished unsaid, so thinly came

the light

Between the narrowing lids at which he gazed.

"And who of us are they that name their friends?"

1 Lancelot. By Edwin Arlington Robinson. Thomas Seltzer, New York.

Lancelot said. "They live that have not any.

Why do they live, Gawaine?

why, and answer."

Ask

Of Mr. Robinson's version of that tragedy we have too little space to speak here. From the garden of Camelot to the nunnery at Almesbury, where Lancelot at last parts from the Queen who was his and yet not his, the story moves forward with a sureness and dignity seldom found in the work of a modern poet. But something of what

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lies between Camelot and Almesbury may perhaps be glimpsed from the concluding lines of the poem. We quote from them here:

A word stronger than his willed him

away

From Almesbury. All alone he rode that night,

Under the stars, led by the living Voice

That would not give him peace. the dark

Into

And in the darkness comes the Light."
He turned
Again; and he rode on, under the stars,
Out of the world, into he knew not
what,

Until a vision chilled him and he saw, Now as in Camelot, long ago in the garden,

The face of Galahad who had seen and died,

And was alive, now in a mist of gold. He rode on into the dark, under the stars,

And there were no more faces. There was nothing.

But always in the darkness he rode on, Alone; and in the darkness came the Light.

2

Since the publication of "Lancelot" still another volume from Mr. Robinson's pen has appeared. It is a book of dramatic poetry similar in scope, though not in form or manner, to Browning's "Dramatic Lyrics." One poem representative of this volume, "The Wandering Jew," first found publication in the The Outlook. Perhaps we would not select this volume to introduce Mr. Robinson's work to one unfamiliar with his method and manner, for in "The Three Taverns" he carries his characteristic use of ellipsis to the extreme. Yet little of his old magic of intonation and rhythm is lacking from "The Three Taverns," even though the intellectual appeal overmasters at times the poetic. The two volumes which we I would first of all choose to serve as an introduction to Mr. Robinson would be "The Children of the Night" and "The Town Down the River." There are poems in his latest collection which, however, are as direct and comprehensible as his earlier "Richard Corey" or "Shadrach O'Leary." One such poem is a sonnet of the war, "The Rat:"

As often as he let himself be seen
We pitied him, or scorned him, or
deplored

The inscrutable profusion of the Lord
Who shaped as one of us a thing so

mean

Who made him human when he might

have been

A rat, and so been wholly in accord With any other creature we abhorred As always useless and not always clean.

Now he is hiding all alone somewhere, And in a final hole not ready then; For now he is among those over there Who are not coming back to us again. And we who do the fiction of our share Say less of rats and rather more of

men.

There are few of Mr. Robinson's poems in any volume of his which can 2 The Three Taverns. By Edwin Arlin Robinson. The Macmillan Company, New Y

bear quotation in part. It is like attempting to concentrate an essence to select passages from his verse for quotation. Dangerous as this attempt is, perhaps it may be permissible, with a particular purpose in mind, to give the first, second, and last stanzas of the opening poem in "The Three Taverns." It is called "The Valley of the Shadow."

There were faces to remember in the

Valley of the Shadow, There were faces unregarded, there were faces to forget; There were fires of grief and fear that are a few forgotten ashes, There were sparks of recognition that are not forgotten yet.

For at first, with an amazed and overwhelming indignation

At a measureless malfeasance that obscurely willed it thus,

They were lost and unacquaintedtill they found themselves in others,

Who had groped as they were groping where dim ways were perilous. There were lives that were as dark as are the fears and intuitions

Of a child who knows himself and is alone with what he knows; There were pensioners of dreams and there were debtors of illusions, All to fail before the triumph of a weed that only grows.

There were thirsting heirs of golden sieves that held not wine water,

or

And had no names in traffic or more value there than toys:

There were blighted sons of wonder in the Valley of the Shadow, Where they suffered and still wondered why their wonder made no noise

So they were, and so they are; and as they came are coming others, And among them are the fearless and the meek and the unborn; And a question that has held us heretofore without an answer May abide without an answer until all have ceased to mourn. For the children of the dark are more to name than are the wretched, Or the broken, or the weary, or the baffled, or the shamed: There are builders of new mansions in the Valley of the Shadow, And among them are the dying and the blinded and the maimed. These stanzas we quote because they afford an interesting opportunity for comparison with the work of another poet whose manner and method has been regarded as belonging to a different world from that in which Edwin Arlington Robinson moves and has his being.

We are thinking of a sonnet sequence in John Masefield's "Enslaved," a volume which reveals anew the amazing power and versatility of that English poet. There are four poems in this sonnet sequence. We quote here only the first and last:

SONNETS Like bones the ruins of the cities stand,

Like skeletons and skulls with ribs

and eyes

Enslaved. By John Masefield. The Macullan Company, New York.

Walls without roofs, naves open to the sky,

Doors open to the wind, the only comer. And men will grub the ruins, eyes will peer,

Fingers will grope for pennies, brains will tire

To chronicle the skills we practiced here,

While still we breathed the wind and trod the mire.

O, like the ghost at dawn, scared by the cock,

Let us make haste, to let the spirit dive

Deep in self's sea, until the deeps unlock

The depths and sunken gold of being alive

Till, though our Many pass, a Something stands

Aloft through Time that covers all with sands.

The comparison between these sonnets and Mr. Robinson's "The Valley of

the Shadow" is one which we leave to our readers to draw for themselves.

We have a feeling that a review of volumes of poetry should be very largely a matter of quotation wherever quotation is possible, for the best interpreter of any poet is that poet's own work. Comment, for instance, is superfluous when it comes to a consideration of Mr. Masefield's double sonnet ⚫"On Growing Old," which likewise appears in "Enslaved." We regret that we have room only for the first half here.

ON GROWING OLD

Be with me Beauty for the fire is dying,

My dog and I are old, too old for roving,

Man, whose young passion sets the spindrift flying

Is soon too lame to march, too cold for loving.

I take the book and gather to the fire, Turning old yellow leaves; minute by

Only stay quiet while my mind re-
members

The beauty of fire from the beauty of
embers.

It is not to be judged from the illustrations which we have given that Mr. Masefield has wholly deserted more elastic verse structures for the sonnet form. The title poem of "Enslaved" is a long, romantic ballad. Following this is still another ballad of pirates and rapine. Following this is an eerie and mystic record of strange adventures on an English down, which contains passages not unworthy of "The Ancient Mariner." A third ballad in the volume is "A Tale of the O'Neill," a romance of Scotland and of a strange enchantment.

In another volume recently published Mr. Masefield returns to a manner and subject which lovers of his poetry can more easily associate with his name. In "Right Royal" he has done for steeplechasing what in "Reynard the Fox" he did for hunting to hounds. Perhaps we are mistaken in thinking "Right Royal" less successful than "Reynard the Fox," for there are many who would quarrel with us in such an estimate of his present work. There is indeed little to choose between the two volumes in vividness, color, and rapidity of action. The feeling that "Right Royal" deserves to be placed below the earlier volume may be purely a matter of individual temperament on the part of the reviewer. In any case, it is a volume which occupies an enviable place in the field of modern poetry.

Right Royal. By John Masefield. The Macmillan Company, New York.

Is it possible really to know and understand Mexico well? What reliable sources of information have we on Mexico?

What reasons can you suggest why we should know Mexico better? Can you suggest how we can get at the real truth of conditions in Mexico and the attitude of the Mexican people toward Americans?

What is Mexico's land problem? How essential do you consider landownership to democracy and sound public opinion? What illustrations can you give in your answer?

What is the Jeanes Foundation mentioned on page 58? When was it established? Of what value has it been?

Is the fundamental trouble with Mexico lack of education? What do you feel sure a public educational system, such as the United States has, would do for the Mexican people?

On page 59 Bishop Thirkield says: "This nation [the United States] is under bonds to Mexico." Does the Bishop make clear what he means? What, with reasons, do you think of the proposition which he suggests?

What points would you consider essential in a constructive policy for future relations between the United States and Mexico?

Define proselyting, strategic centers, peons, menace, social settlement.

If you are interested in reading a popular history of Mexico, secure the book entitled "Mexico from Cortez to Carranza," by Louise S. Hasbrouck (Appleton). An interpretation and solution of the Mexican problem is presented in the book entitled "Intervention in Mexico," by S. G. Inman (Doran). Read also in connection with this topic "Viva Mexico!" by C. M. Flandrau (Appleton).

The Plight of France

Are there any evidences that Germany

is vengeful and aggressive toward France, or are the French under illusions in this matter?

If Germany should again attack France as she did in 1914, do you think that the great civilized nations of the world would go to her rescue? If so, is that enough protection for France?

What is your opinion of the four measures which The Outlook states in

These questions and comments are designed not only for the use of current events classes and clubs, debating societies, teachers of history and Fnglish, and the like, but also for discussion in home and for suggestion to any reader who ires to study current affairs as well as to read it them.-THE EDITORS.

this editorial would have kept Germany from repeating her adventure? Are these proposed measures just and democratic?

If you were a member of the United States Congress, would you advocate the ratification of the Franco-Anglo-American Treaty? Why has it not been ratified?

In connection with this topic it would be well worth your while to read "France and Ourselves," by H. A. Gibbons (Century), and "France Facing Germany," by G. E. B. Clemenceau (Dutton).

The Chief Task of Congress

What are the financial powers given to Congress by the Constitution? Is the power of Congress to levy and collect taxes unqualified and unlimited?

Is the money received by the Government from loans to it a part of its income? Do you know of any other sources of National income except gifts, sales, and taxes?

Now that the Great War is over, do you think that we ought to spend more or less on National defense? Does preparing for war lead to war?

How many specific returns to you personally can you name from our National expenditure?

What comparisons can you make between our present system of appropri ating Federal money and the method that would be used in appropriating money by a National budget system?

Is The Outlook right in maintaining that the chief task of Congress is that of appropriating moneys? If you think otherwise, name and explain what you consider the chief task of Congress to be.

What history can you give to back The Outlook up in its belief that "free government came when the common people took from the monarch the right to tax and the right to appropriate money for public use"?

How do you think the United States Government could reasonably and safely save money?

An explanation of how our Government gets its money and how a budget system works is found in Chapter XXI of "Community Civics," by R. O. Hughes (Allyn & Bacon). Can you answer all

the questions at the end of this chapter?

The Ten Points of Thrift What is thrift?

What can you give from personal experience or observation that could justly be considered as illustrations of thrift? If you were to make a four-minute speech upon each of the points mentioned in this editorial, which points would you emphasize?

Have you read the book entitled "Thrift and Success," by B. B. Jackson (Century), and the "Thrift Series," by A. E. Moore (published by Macmillan)?

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CONTRIBUTORS'
GALLERY

HE REV. FRANK E.

WILSON, who contributes Picaresque side-lights on a modern rectory, describes incidents that осcurred during his rectorate at St. Andrew's Church in Chicago, where he served for seven years. He resigned his parish to accept a chaplaincy in the Army; he was senior chaplain of the 86th Division, with which he served in France; he was later transferred to the 332nd Infantry in Italy and was for several months with the Army of Occupation in Fiume. He is now rector of Christ Church parish in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He was graduated from Hobart College in 1907, and from the General Theological Seminary in 1910.

YMAN ABBOTT, who begins in this is L' sue "Snap-Shots of My Contemporaries" with his reminiscences of P. T. Barnum, describes some of his own early experiences in New York. He was graduated from New York University in 1853, and was admitted to the New York bar in 1856. He entered the Congregational ministry in 1860. He began his eighty-sixth year a week before Christmas just past. He is Editor-in

Chief of The Outlook.

ST

IR ARTHUR E. SHIPLEY, F.R.S., Sc.D., who concludes in this issue his American impressions, is Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University. He was formerly Vice-President of the Linnean Society, and is Chairman of the Council of the Marine Biological Association. He is an authority on plant diseases in the Bermudas.

R. WILBUR PATTERSON THIRKIELD has

DUR PATTERSON The Methodist Episcopal Church since 1912. He has been in the ministry since 1878. He was the first President of Gammon Theological Seminary, at Atlanta, Georgia; he has been President of Howard University, in Washington. He has been General Secretary of the Epworth League. He is a sympathetic student of the Negro question and has written numerous volumes on this and other subjects. His home is at New Orleans.

ARL HORTER, two of whose etchings E illustrate Sir Arthur E. Shipley's article in this issue, is one of America's leading etchers. He was awarded a medal by the Pan-American Exposition, and has frequently exhibited in New York. Many of the leading American magazines have published examples of his work. A group of his Philadelphia subjects were recently published in the "Century." His home is in Philadelphia. He has traveled extensively abroad and his exhibitions have included many subjects drawn from Switzerland, Italy, the Riviera, London, Germany, and Holland. He is a rapid worker, and often does a subject directly on the plate at the scene itself without the usual preliminary pencil study.

I have for more than thirty years studied the health problem from every angle. Far over a million of my various books on Health Subjects have been sold all over the world during this time, and as a result about 300,000 people have written me in detail regarding their weaknesses and their experience with different methods of treatment they applied. I am more convinced to-day, than ever before in my life, that worry, grief, anxiety, mental strain, and, of course, abuse of the reproductive functions, are the basic causes of nerve weakness

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