LIBER'S NOTE BOOK

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2600, 23 October 1915, Page 9

LIBER'S NOTE BOOK

Byron and the Creeks, To a bookman the very name of Greece recalls memories of Byron's poems, and the' famous "Letters and Journals,whioh were edited by his genial, gifted Irish friend, Tom lloore. The Grecian adventure of the poet, however, an adventure whioh from its very inception seemed ill-starred, does not, however provide such good reading as Byron's'ltalian experiences,-• and to tell the truth, : I was rather disappointed when, one of my. favourite "dipping" excursions—on this occasion into the fourteen volumes of More's Byron— failed to producer-in the "Letters and Journals at least—anything -worth quoting at the present, time,, when British and Greek relations are so entangled. But lam not sorry I had a look into my long-neglected Byron, for in the ninth volume (Murray's-edition of 1832) I happened aoross Byrou's translation, from .the original Romaic, of the famous Greek War Song, written by the patriot Riga, "who perished in the attempt to revolutionise Greece." Would that t'he Greek, nation of today would arise and onco again take up arms, against. "the Turkish tyrant's yoke," even if to do so it were first necessary that King Constantino were deposed and sent to seek suoh consolation as he could get l from his dear brother-in-law at Potsdam. The'first verses of .the.-ancient war song, as translated by Greece's self-sacrificing British friend, run as follows:—

Sons of the Greeks, arise! The glorious hour's gone forth, !Ajid, worthy of such tiesj Display -who gave us birth. Sons of Greeks, let us go In arms against the .foe, ' Till their liatod.. blood shall flow' . .. In. a. river past our feet. Then manfully despising . The Turkish tyrant's yoke, Let your country seo you' rising, And all her chains are broke. Brave,shades of chiefs and sage 3 Behold the coming strife! Hellenes of past ages, Oh, start again, to lifgj

' At tho sound of my trumpet, breaking Your sloop, oh, join with me I And tho soven hill'd city seeking, Fight, conquer, till we're free. Sons of G reeks, arise! Had it not been for its unscrupulous monarch, and liis intrigues with the allies of Greece's hereditary foes, the Greeks'might long ere this have joined ■with tho French and British, and the "seven-hilled city" (Constantinople) ■would no longer be under the hateful standard which bears the Crescent. Were Byron only living to-day, what an eloquent appeal might we not expect from him who died at Missolonghi, an appeal to the Greeks to rise to a man and seize tho opportunity which offers for permanently ridding Europe of. tho Islamic curse. But Greece of to-day is, I fear, even, yet more degenerate than when Byron knew it.

Ceorge Gissing on Science. More dipping—and a ourious haul. ■In view of * tho - hideous use to which scientific inventions have been nut by the.Huns, the following extract from George Gissing's famous book, "The Private Papers of Henry Rycroft" (written in 1903!) gives food for .thought:—

I hate and feajj Science because ■ of my convictionthat for long to . coipe, if not forever, it will be th© remorseless enemy of mankind. I see it destroying the. simplicity and ■gentleness of life, the beauty of the world. I see it -restoring barbarism under a' mask of civilisation; I see ! it darkening men's minds and hardening their hearts:. I sfee ,it bringing a time of vast conflicts which, will pale into insignificance "the thousand wars of old," and, as likely as not, will whelm all the laborious advances . of mankind in blood-stained chaos." How true, how terribly true, was this fanciful prediction of the literary recluse, out of whose mouth. Gissing expressed so many of his own thoughts? There are signs, in certain, of Mr. H. G. Wells's Tecent writings, that even he, the stalwart champion of science, is coming to fear as much as he was wont to admire certain of its triumphs.

The Posms of "A.E." . In last week's "Note Book," referring to the ■works'of certain. Irish, poets, J. spoke of the poems of "A.E." (George Russell) as being out of print. A correspondent, "L. H. Victory," corrects what appears to have been a mistake on ray pari. He writes:—Dear "Liber,"— As one who always takes a keen interest in .your'admirable columnt in' 'The Dominion, and a3 a personal friend of "A.E." (George RiUssell), to whoso poems, you refer in last week's notes, may I say that "A.E.," contrary to what your-comments imply, has published several volumes of poetry which have been available to the public in the ordinary way. His first book, "Homeward: Songs by the Way," was published iu Dublin, and had a wide circulation. His next book, "The Earth Breath," was published in London by Mr. John Lane. Another volume;;'"The : l > Divi^e; l Vi'sion,! , ' was published by Macmillan's. ' There' was also a collected edition, issued by ,the Dim Emer Press, Dundrum, Dublin, and at least one volume'was published in America by Mr.'Mosher, (that,friend of poets) m.Maine. You will, no doubt, be interested in these facts, and probably your readers also. —Your faithfully, Louis H. Victory. • I must- plead guilty and throw myself on the mercy of the Booklovers Court; The mistake was due io an orertrustlin memory and a culpable neglect of ' certain publishers' catalogues'. I thank my correspondent for his friendly correction. I may add that a new collected edition of A. E.'s Poems has just been announced for publication this month, by Maunsel, of Dublin.

An Andrew Lang Memerial. Edinburgh has its memorial to Robert Louis Stevenson (tho-St. Gauder.s bronze portrait plaque in St. Giles), and now another famous literary Scot, Andrew Lang, has been honoured at Selkirk,- where there 'has recently been unveiled, in the public library of the ancient Scots town, a bronze medallion portrait of Lang, inlaid with Italian marble. Two figures at the bottom represent "Meditation'.' and "Literature." Below is the inscription, "Andrew Lang,-born at Selkirk, 31st January, -1844. Died at Baucliory 20t'li July, 1912. Our friends and lovers of his writings have placed this memorial here in the library which lie opened on 28th May. 1889." It is right, of course, for Lang's memory to be permanently 'honoured, in the town of his birth, but it is at St. Andrews, ... St. Andrews by tie Northern Sea A haunted town it is to me, St. Andrews, that "little city, worn and grey," tho city wherein is "the college of the scarlet gown,"-of which I/ang was so distinguished a scholar, that a memorial to Lang should rightly be. Perhaps, after all, Lang's truest and best monument is in the. hearts of those who have delighted, and still delight, in his ever-charming writinKs.

Stray Leaves. John Masefield is running an ambulance launch at the Dardanelles. The now famous poet-playwright spent much of his earlier lifo at sea, as you may read for yourselves in his books, "A Tarpaulin Muster" and "A Mainsail Haul." Another well known writer, Somerset Maughan, novelist and dramatist, is serving as a doctor at the front; and clever Mr. Milne, tho delightful "A.A.M." of "Punch," is also on active service, as an officer in one of Kitchener's new regiments. The well-known London publisher, Mr. J. M. Dont, who has earned tho gratitude of scores of thousands of bookmen by his "Temple Shakespere," "Tomple Classics," and that wonderfully cheap and useful series, "Everyman's Library," has recently lost two sons in tho war. Ore, an officer in the Seaforth Highlanders, was killed in action in France; the other, a sergeant in tho R.A.M.C., died of wounds rectivcd at the Dardanelles. Mr. Dent will have the sympathy of book-lovers all tho world over in his bereavement. Admirers of Mr. Pett Ridge's clever stories of London lifo will wolcome tho latest addition to a long series, "The Kennedy People." I hope to give a roviow of this novel next week. Mr. Joseph Conrad's now story is entitled "Victory," and is published by Methuens. The scene is laid on an island in the Malay Archipelago, whenco Mr. Conrad drew the fascinating local colour in that early story of his—one of bis best—"Almayer's Folly." "Guy and Paulino," Coiupton Mackenzie's new story, was to be published in London just before the last mail left. Tho author is now acting as a war correspondent. . In "Ton' Degrees Backward," Ellen Thorneycroft Fowler's now story, tho principal character is a Christian Scientist. This does not sound very promising, but English reviews say Mrs. Fclkin's story has many humorous touches, although it is far below, the standard of

that fine novel, '"Concerning Isabel Carnaby."

Evidently the Shnkes-Bacon myth dies hard, for I seo tliafc Mr. G. G. Greenwood, M.P., has in his neiv hook, "Is there a Shakespeare problem?" "written a. reply to Mr. J. M- Robert-son and Mr. Andrew. Lang." As -both these latter gentleman were confirmed anti-Bacon-ians, I presume Mr. Greenwood is in the Shakes-Bacon camp. I-lis book is published at sixteen shillings, which puts it beyond the reach of most New Zealand Shakesperian students. And in any case, a British M.P. should have something more useful to do just now than reviving that ancient and profitless controversy.