GEOFRREY DE MONTALK TALK TOO MUCH

NZ Truth, Issue 1262, 6 February 1930, Page 7

GEOFRREY DE MONTALK TALK TOO MUCH

BETTER THAN THE BARD

Polish Cdimt's Unpolished Account Of New Zealand Poetry

BLUNT PROSE NOTES TO WIFE Once upon a time m far away Poland there lived .a noble family with the high-sounding name of de Montalk. Just what happened through the ages to the family fortunes is i not recorded, but years later a descendant of the Polish nobles bobbed up m New Zealand m the person of Geoffrey Wladislas Vaile Potocki de Montalk. , iDe Montalk was— in fact is— a poet with a capital P. Poets, as a rule, are not fond of the limelight. Publicity, m the general sense, leaves them unmoved. They are content to commune with the Muse and address their talents to the appreciative circles rather than to the mundane minds for whom best-selling novels are written. Not so Geoffrey de Montalk, New Zealand \ foremost (according to de Montalk), if not the one and only, poet.

TWO years ago De Montalk pack3d his trunks and set sail for Eurbpo to visit the land of his ancestors, and incidentally to boost New Zealand poetry. At least; so the cables have informed us. For Geoffrey is a selistyled Polish Count, who (again according to the cables) has' been doing a lot of propaganda work on behalf pi New Zealand poets— not forgetting himself. Comparisons are odious, it is. said, and if the cable news published m the daily newspapers ; of the Dominion during the past week is. based on fa'c* 1 and not pure fiction, then Geoffrey do Montalk has been drawing Dome particularly odious comparisons. Popular Belief The most illiterate of mortals have at some time 7 m their lives heard o£ William Shajcespeare. It is generally believed that Shakespeare's poems . are, to say the least, well above the average of his most distinguished contemporaries, but if Geoffrey de Montalk is to be believed (and, always . assuming, of course, that the cables have correctly reported him) then Shakespeare was a very dim star when hys works are compared with the effusions of New Zealand poets — especially de Montalk's effusions. It 1b all very remarkable and not a little disconcerting to. have one's lifelong conceptions of: Shakespeare shattered m this dynamic fashion. ; Here is what the cable man had "to say about- Geoffrey, ■ who .was' inter-; viewed m London on his return from Poland: . London, January 31. . According 'to Count Geoffrey, de Montalk, a young Aucklander, claim; ing an ancient. Polish title,. who cams to England '•from- 'the Dominion m 1928 to" b"6ost New Zealand poetry, the peasantry, of Poland is still m ♦* worse state of civilisation than the Maoris were before the white occupation. Count de Montalk says, \' v after a visit to Lithuania and Poland: ' "The nobles are still the only civilised people. When we: met- peasant? " walking or.|!riqiing A th'ey^bowed to the ground, ?«exciaimirig, 'Good day, • mighty lords.' It is still the practice to address the nobility, as 'the ' mightiest;'.': The .common people art no better' than African natives, except that they are white m color. I was the first member of. the de Montalk .family- for three generations to 1 enter a Polislv palace. I am glad I am a New Zealander, with no neea to remain m that medieval .land." Count de Montalk told a literary audience: at ! Foy|e's Bookshop m a lecture that ; New*. Zealand had produced better', poetry than William Shakespeare had; ever thought .of.' The audience was not impressed even when the speaker mentioned that he hajd^written some himself. His Wife's; Story - Now, poets should not hide the.v lights, under bushels, but there are limits, and it is evident that de Montalk exceeded the limits, not only of good taste, but of common sense. But the ghost of the immortal bard is hoi. likely -to worry. ' However successful he may 'become as a poet, de Montalk was a failure as a husband, judging by the story, told by his wife, Ada Lillian, when she applied to . Mr. Justice Adams at Christchurch for an order of restitution of conjugal rights three years ago. His, Honor was sufficiently, satisfied with Mrs. de Montalk^ story . to grant her the order she asked for. The trouble with: Geoffrey m the •role of husband was that he infused 'too much poetic idealism ._ into the homeland failed to contribute sufficient cash to keep the home fires burning. The story of the Supreme Court action instituted by Mrs. de Montalk m September, 1927, indicated that her life with the poet had been a most unhappy one. If the letters to his unhappy wife were any criterion, de Montalk numbers himself among the elite of bards and complains bitterly that "that other well-known New Zealand poet, Thomas Bracken, was not alone m being 'Not Understood.' " • View of Poets And Geoffrey- thought, he was very much misunderstood. He was confid e.nt that it would 'be "another incarnation before he and his; Ada Lillian live together again," and m his pursuit of true' poetic happiness ■ he proposed "to take the golden road to , Samarkand." . . ; ( "Poets," he wrote m a letter to his wife, "are as badly treated m this land of White Savages and All Blacks as they are feted, laurelled and crowned m Merrie Eng-\ land." ' But as Mrs. de Montalk, addressed by her husband as "the Countess," \ wanted a little less poetry and a bit more marital responsibility from the poet, she told Mr. Justice Adams all about it, and secured a decree for restitution of conjugal rights. • . It is all very nice and artistic rubbing shoulders— metaphorically speaking, of course— with the world's leading' bards, pa>*"w?d present, and emulating their example m giving to the world at large beautiful thoughts garbed m the alluring .raiment of sonnet and stanza, 'or 'whatever othei technical terms apply ; . , ■ But a poet's wife, like the laborer's and the- bank manager's, has to live and keep the home fires burning, and that was' just what de. Montalk failed to realise as fully as he should have done. ' Bitting at home. all day writing poetry Is at best a lean business m this. fair, land, of butter^fat and frozen mutton. When the nuptial knot was first tied Geoffrey and his bride lived m Auckland, where, strangely enough, he found inspiration for earning the

1 weekly salary per medium of a milic ; , rounds i ' ; .■••'■■■;■■ Business was not too brisk, appar- ; ' ently, for, Mrs. de Montalk. told the judge, "he finally compromised with ; his creditors and I lost £1000 of my i ■own money." , ■■ ' The poet and his "Countess then . • moved to, Christchurch. ] "He decided to build a house, but i first of all he erected a motor garago, and we lived m that," said the wife. ! "He only got as fan as laying the foundation-stone of the house -' and never went on with it," she remarked ruefully. . '■ Later they moved over to Hoon Hay, hear Spreydon, 'and trouble was not long m brewing. Not that there were any tedious rows or anything so vulgar. The fly m the ointment for. the wife ; ■ was that Geoffrey wouldn't work. "He was not working and simply sat i at home all. day writing; poetry," she i complained, < . "We had nothing to live on. He div not work and later he went away m •» motor-car." Three days later Mrs. de MontalK saw the poet m Hereford Street; from all accounts the meeting was not 'very cordial' and certainly it was most un- J poetical. . . ... ■' < Her counsel had a few questions to ask concerning^ the meeting. • "As a result of that meeting, your .' husband, I think, -was arrested for an alleged assault on you, but the case was dismissed?" asked counsel. "Yes, that is correct," ans\vered Mrs. • de Montalk! '■■*•'■'' ' JTheMilkihan . \ Counsel: Sirice trieh you have asked j him to get a home together so that you \ can live as husbands and/ wife again? ! —Yes. - ■' ;' ■ ■ .. His Honor: "I see by the certificate of marriage that this, many^ho is (described m the petition as a poet is set down as a law clerk. I suppose he was engaged on the pleadings ?" This sally of his Honor's was greet-, ed with a barely, suppressed laugh m court. J. -■': ' v Vr*- :V . . •• •' Counsel explained that de Montalk' haid, beeri a j milkman, a law c ler k ■'. an d :■; a -': poet-r-a n d fa l l , so rts of 't h i n gs. '■' "' ; : ,-:\ •;:• h.v : vK:s£~± £. l i : er. He/w^si^vlde^tJi^vdes.oi'.ibing himself ;as a p'oetjvas- he had/published a book .of pbetr.^an.d^^a^-V'^Qem'ss.''printed m 'the papers.'' 11 ':; .'.i.Vy.v;' ; ; •■' '■■''' Correspondence 'that had passed between the poet 'and his. wife was then put m. '"'■-, Mrs. de , Montalk' s letter was a pathetic note,' but it did not move the rhymester to anything/ more ennobling than a flippantly. ca.ustic reply. "Dear Geoffrey," /..she wrote, "since I saw you last I have been thinking things over, and I have decided to write m the hope' that you will pause to reconsider our position. "It does seem 'to me that we should get together again, as it is lonely trying to jog along, on .my own, and' I don't feel I can dp my best for Wanda without your help: : "Can't you get a home for, me and the baby, as we planned to dp at Clifton; or anywhere m Chrjstchurch or even. Auckland? . '• ;■ '.*■-• "It isdays sincefwe haid -our; last ■•.-■; . .talk and I .am sure^you ryyant^inie ;' ."•V and our littje):'girl:Vs Reallyi^there' \r ■V is' no reason• why w^can't-liyei^to,-;^ '■"'; : 'g'etherr is 'there?; '.','■;"■" ':" : ''' '''■'. : . "■'"'■■ :r J\'':^ : '.'Do write and let me know you have changed your .mind and' that' we will really be able to live together again, happily, as they do m the fairy stories. Yours affectionately, Lillian." . ' . This letter from, his wife i.-mus't' have reached the poet, when m one of. his most flippant moods.; ... ; : , :■.?,■ „; ." Talk .of- Fairies :■ ■ru^^y^U''.,-.-.He.'thought ;f6r. a while; .and , thon dashed off on his typewriter this reply: "Fifth Sunday after. Trinity, 1927. v "To the Qountess Lillian de Montalk. "Dear Lillian, — I have received your letter dated July 15,, containing a request that I should return to you. "The fairy story touch is pretty good, but you must, realise that one fairy is not sufficient for that end — it , needs two. \ •■, ! "I note that you mention Auckland, , presumably because your property is there. '"-.'. "Well, surely you must know that. I would not live m that intellectual rathole—as the poet, Rex Fairbairn, .calls it — while the Holy City/ Christchurch,- . the lovely and f. ah 4 , is still on the map of New ' ' . \ , , .... . "You should be careful . m men-, i ' tioning fairies to a poet, as we of the 'proud old lineage' have a good . deal of experience m that line. > "It is not true— of me, at any ratethat 'Love goes lightly o'er,' even if the 1 immortal Rupert' Brookes did say It, J but for all that I am afraid it will be j another incarnation before we live to- , gether again. . "The abov,e : poetic. symphony m 1 four movements is an expansion of i a theme of two letters. • i , "NO. If it' is written with some levity m a major key, you will know ; why. Sir'.cerely, Qeoffrey de Montalk.'' - ' After receiving this husbandly, epis- ! tie, Mrs. de Montalk went ahead with > her legal preparations and these drew ' a further letter from the poet. His Final Letter [ On September 3he wrote as follows: [ "Dear" Lillian, — I understand your ] case against me is coming on next week. "I have not written to you at Brook- . lands, as letters sent there seem to '. take weeks to reach you, so I am dir- - I ecting this to your solicitor. , j "It may be ho 'news to you that I ,1 halve just completed a new book of : ' poems and that I shall be publishing this and republishing my present book next season m London. "As a matter of fact, I shall be leaving for England almost immediately. "I have also two prose books under .way. and shall complete them on the t voyage. s "You cannot imagine, surely, that I s would allow you further to interfere

with my, work m life and you can no longer . pre vent my taking the golden road to -Samarkand. . "I do not particularly want to' see you, but can you arrange with some friends' for me to see Wanda before I go •'.•.. - ■••..■•■•• . "I cannot understand your continuing this action, as I do not intend to come back to you. "This. Poet and Peasant idea isn't, a success. Next- time it will be a woman with a Royal body and a I^oyal mind or there will be no next time. "That other well-known New Zealand poet, Thomas Bracken, was by! no means alone m being .'Not understood.' "Sincerely, "Geoffrey de Montalk. ' "P.S.— Poets are. as badly; treated m this land* of White Savages and All Blacks as they are feted and laurelled and crowned m Merrie England." So much' for. the poet's" letters, which occasioned the judge much mild amusement. "■■ ' ■■'■"' Perusing .them, his" Honor quizzically observed:, "One must at least,be indulgent to one who described Christchurch as the Holy City." A little later his Honor came to the poetic, passage concerning . Samarkand. "I see," he remarked with a smile, "that this man is leaving New Zealai d to follow, 'as :he ; describes it, 'the golden road to Samarkand.' : "I think he. had better be served be fore he follows v that golden road!" And so that .this might be done, the judge granted Lillian her order for restitution. . Since then little has been heard of the poet, but his latest utterances while they may raise a smile will certainly "not shatter the foundations of literature, • and it is very evident that Shakespeare's reputation will not <m?.ifen -as- a result of the ponderous pronouncement of'Hhe Polish Count. •