PRESENT DAY POETRY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 645, 23 October 1909, Page 9

PRESENT DAY POETRY.

; • ->In: the .last-few.;;■ years":American'' verse, has- 1 _■', 'Biadd .'great'- strides ;.m iech'iiical cic'ellcnco. 1 , A : : large .amount' of 'our'-curreiit' poetry, is ..not at -'..'all.i crude' in ''-'foriri;-,:'-.'Even'tho,sonnet ,is culti- ., . yated.and-offers l examples"tho formal accuracies ,'y\ of .'which it; would take an taqiiisitd kudwlcdgo -.-'■:': ~;Were.':there schools .of. poetry as . 'thoreyiro of -painting: 'it is -probable that ;the ',' .'American-.' studentsnvouldr.be-marked.' high in academio accomplishmdiitMust as they are now '.-in-the plastic arfsi/fJh'thesp.'latter/jh'ey have,/shown a power of'absorption of ckssic stan- ; .dards.and cleverness 'in reproducing and' apply- '•"■ ing thorn., that are ".'".-'■•' : ;.;.'And : '/yet'.tho ,'ambunt -of -real:'.poetry ..in l our • ..'verses'.is'not, great.- -In ' ,: the ■ course "-of '• a , ..thbcigbtful,article' in' tho. "I'pr.um'," oh:."Pre. ':■'. sent .Airierican Poetry,"' Brians' Hooker ■ v;cll ~',says ,that, "we.need, to .think; of...poetrj- as h ', need,' not as 'an .OTnamerital-Eccomplishmont.''. , To- all who have felt the appeal of poetry, thp. ■■■'■'. fact that-it'satisSc's'an imperativftiiie'ed.'.isob-' . 'Tious.,'The specific quality, -of Wordsworth's ~ poetry, for example,...iV-that;of a., moral and ,': physical.ctono,. a;:grcat' reconciler, to lifo;, a ■:■ ' rEtimulant to the sensibiiities ; .and Lan-intorpre- . ter,„of.,nature 'and; tho ■sd'uliVj3.'()..rii!iriy : ;people, ..,WPrdsworth"has'been,, and is, a : spiritual cx-'.-j'perionce,'"important,:in('..their K .,■liris l .\ satisfying ', not meroly a temporary'b'u't' a pbrniarie'rit need. '/Unless poetry ha^ithis-quality of importance, to . the'roatlifo of tho individual, it is not poetry; !: .-;for-posry. is-the,.bostr ; -' : -—- :—..<■-■■ -.—- ~ .;■::' Poetry).therefore,'; should^noi-bo:diffic'ult v ti) the /reader.- lfi, ', shpiild; cotri'p; iippnV.him ; with , sweet'compuls'iveness,'irioyitahly meaning sdme- , thing that' appeals to his deepest-, nature. ■ Biit' ! it is rare,'in our po'ntoiniiofar/, output/"to' find ...technically good.,,Yerses:irhich are-easy, reading.. ' One haft to*concentrate' -the.attention'.'td follow.' ' the: thought, not .because- the '.thought .'is pro- . • found/'.bnt becauso it is not. : It .is ofton v a'caso '•.'.. 'of- "expression' itsiuffipg' for'thought." Tho ' , pTPfounddr the meaSirig, the.shaichtcr home it \ igoes ,to tho■:heart and .feoling;',for 'the. depth ; ':pi..poetry-is riieusurcd' by .its. large and^general -'"fenmdn'.message.; It -it! -not- a meticulous mat- : .teri'^tted.'for, hair-splitting:distinctions.' :Yet ; .the :wrlll-constructed modern has . little. 'Wt ; 'ti')i structure;;orio.'has almost ultfays.afecl- ''••'•' jpg"':th'at;ihe thought, is:,sul)ordiiiute,./u!id -is used ■foorely as an eseuse for the form; so that the I'Kidiiig of it baqonips u task. Even to' tho ' modern:'poet"himself;his .verse .scenis'. to give '.-little' in the,' 'way of spiritual. satisfaction. . A .-' noteworthy arid instructive-exception ,ia .Man; ' 'rice,-'Edsonf eld,-who,-;wheu ;nt, work 'in- tic '■•''■■ BWQ'at'-sho'p-,, often: wrote-a,poein instead of-eafc inS his suustanttal'appease- ' "' that j '•■'■'• this isuggests I ,' accounts ,in ■ part ; for. tho, pxcclloh t ; /■■ ; ' : pMti7'<kd ; nrqdn^ ■'''■'lii'tlid ivork''.of. even 1 our best poets,, such as -.' ih'at'-of (William 1 .-Vh'ughhiv;Mobdy/-Ge'orgo' Sail-, '■'■■ : .tayana; , ''QebrßO!',Sterhu'g;-''and l f'shall.,wo'-.ad(l?. ' -'lira WhSvtoD/.wo seldom;, if ever,-;.hnd as- uu-, '" 'doubted a'-uriioii'-betwieri.' feeling '■■° '-'riot.' oidv'.'te.tho,;Brcatest' poetry,' ::''Dut!;foiK poetry Vnfc'aU. ?: -,tof •■'""'■■ih'avo-''BU-''-tliß' tools'-' of;' poetry,-, to' haye; madg.

able; experiments,in.vbrse,'gbod ; 'stndies,'but his euibtiort■ oiv thought: l isX ; not'-''.Wa'rrii 'and!-full and essential onough :td weld tho-whole into ( ..a' form ■which sends its unerring satisfaction '<to -the heart audinihd. Mr. Santuyana, in this,jioces r sary/weddiug of fec\ing and .technique;..is/moro successful,/ but,/ ; urifbrtunately'i/his feeling is ja littlo too.m'Uclitoff .the,niain.;track; while ,W Mrs.'Wharton's clover mind, the/only thjng upknown : is-tho"quality of sensuous, and! impassioned." ' ' ;■""•■,.'•• • There is always plenty of passion, .-feeling; and " temperament". in the people/-..Wky, docs it not appear, with no uncertain voice M poetry?" For the same reason, probably, tlipt these, qualities are still lacking in ourvplasfio art.■ • Our verscrwritiiig,'as well- as oufc'.paujit-. ing,-is, as.yet largely an academicaffair"; -sojnc-: thing-to bo learned and mastered, asva pjrt of' oiir general cquipmont of culture, but deeply'and-, truthfully enjoyed, or onjoya-b.e. Wo look;at paintings and study poetry i and, frojoice in an' acquisition of knowledge; then, with a sigh of rolief and with a conventional tafeto, satisfied," we turn to somo undistinguished, but real thins,-which we actually enjoy,, not/realising that wo have been defrauded.- Even Jari iintrained appreciation." doo.<, not/get from shallow/'rcrso the" deep'content,.that it might derive from real poetry. In that, genuine a.nd important and' omotionai: messages aro-'sent-us ,in a form beaton.'cimple/ond strong through 'tho intensity of the poet's feeling.—New.-'. Tort "Post.",.; ;■.'. •■:- '■•': •... ; {: ;■'■ /