PRINCE OF OUR POETS
The Prime Minister of the day appoints to the Laureateship when it , falls vacant, but he cannot require that the other living poets shall regard his choice as the head of their profession (writes Edward Shanks, in ‘ John o’ London’s Weekly ’). Bridges, besides ueing Laureate, held that position with out few dissentient voices. There are not many who will dispute that when he died it went to Mr Yeats, We have co-day many schools of thought in literature, some of them bitterly opposed to one another, but I imagine .hat, if a Prince of Poets were to be ■lected, as used to be done in France, .vir Yeats would receive a thumping majority. Why this should be so may be seen m his ‘ Collected Poems.’ The bulk of lis poetry thus brought together between one pair -of covers is unexpectedly small, but it is the poetry of a man who has never taken his own genius for granted. Mr Yeats has always regarded it as something which he must prove that he deserves to pos-, sess. He has worked incessantly to make himelf a suitable vehicle for the aspiration which visits him. And in •lis mere craftsmanship there is evidence of character as well as of genius. His continuous effort has been to develop a style appropriate to his dedevoping attitude of mind and spirit, le began as one of the poets of the nineties, a member of the' Rhymers’ flub, though with - a more independent inspiration than any of the others. The fault of that coterie was that it was too “ poetical,” took the line of least resistance, and used counters instead of live words and images. . Mr Yeats is the sort of man who instinctively halts when' he finds that he is following the line of least resistance. He once reproached himself for this, saying: fhe fascination of what’s difficult Has dried the sap out of my veins, and rent Spontaneous joy and natural content Out of my heart. But the fascination of what’s difficult lias kept his mind fit, his emotional and spiritual muscles hard. It would be unfair to say that one feels effort in his work, but not to feel that effort has gone to its making would be to miss half its character. Not without labour did the simple rhymes of ‘A Man Young and Old ’ come into existence, nor was the bare diction of “I knew a phoenix in my youth ” made to mean what it does without devoted effort. - . It is this passionate devotion to the task of finding the right style which makes Mr Yeats the head of his profession to-day. That is not a title which, f think, he would misunderstand. or reject. Poetry is to him a vocation entailing strict obligations on those who follow it. This volume, therefore, is something more than a collection of more or less successful or favourite nieces. It has a unity in that it is a record of obligations faithfully and triumphantly discharged.
An author of note in his day was Sir Thomas Dick Lauder, whose career has been recalled in Scotland by an anniversary. Ho was born a hundred and fifty years ago. the son of a Haddingtonshire baronet. Lauder wrote two historical romances, ‘ Lochandhu ’ and ‘ The Wolfe of Badenoch,’ and a vivid ‘ Account of the Great Floods in Morayshire ’ in 182.9. His favourite subjects included Scottish forests and rivers and natural history generally. Among his books are ‘ Highland Rambles ’ and ‘ Legendary Tales of the Highlands.’ ,
Protect your children from coughs and colds this winter. When the weather is wet and chilly, see that they have a few drops of “ NAZOL ” on their handkerchiefs. Protects and disinfects the points of infection. 60 doses for 1/3. 120 doses for 2/6. — [Advt.]
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Evening Star, Issue 21748, 16 June 1934, Page 21
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632PRINCE OF OUR POETS Evening Star, Issue 21748, 16 June 1934, Page 21
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