BOOKS OF THE DAY LIBER'S NOTE BOOK

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3191, 15 September 1917, Page 11

BOOKS OF THE DAY

LIBER'S NOTE BOOK

Wellington Verses. "The Wellington Verses of Boyce Bowden" is the title of a booklet of'poems written by a young Wollingtonian, and published by Messrs. Whitcombo and Tombs. Mr. Bowden's peems reflect a cultivated taste, a passionate love of tho Bea, and a decided gift for original and tolling imagery. Hero and there I seem to detect \a' certain Swinburnian influence, but there is no slavish imitation. Mr. Bowden is evidently a facile writer, but at limes "his imagery appears to me, at least' to be a trifle confused. Thus in the poem entitled "Muritai," the sirailies in the penultimate stanza are surely a littlo strained: ITuritai! A tone of beauty soft within the harbour's throat, ■ Like a, satin-gowned contralto dwelling on her broadest note! All the droon of midnight waters where tho deep-drowned planets br.rn. All the silver tunes of iidedrift rippling down from fitr&ko to stern. Violins anions the reedlands, wistful as a plainting bird, . ... Ohimo upon the ear of Fancy at tho breathing of a word. y But I have nothing but praise for the lilting, rippling, graceful lilies in which Mr. Bowden eings of the nahiral beauties of Silverstream. Some sample verses: — At Silverstream in Maorilaud tho hours are very young; . - They dance to tho measure that tno cascades sine, . And the pay days at Silverstream/are little beads lning, ■ • Turquoise and amber, on a hue gold string. l • Tho soft winds of Silverstream walk down the valley aisles, laden with the gorse scent and many tui tunes; , ' , They part tho sweet manuka scrub, ana cross tho meadow miles To frolic'with a sea-wind tramping the dunes. There aro great hills at Silverstream, mysterious with trees: ' . Hero and there a. plumo where tho toi toi nods; And the green lulls at Silverstream aro down upon their linees— Down upon their knees, girl, like great, prim gods! „ * w. ■ *. «■ The note of over-elaborated refinement, almost preciosity, v;liicli is found in certain of Mr. Bowden's. verses. is replaced in 6ucli poems as "The Grey Gulls" and "The Wellington Lights" by a more virile and more natural touch. In" tho former the poet is peculiarly successful in dopictr ing a well-known feature of tho harbour life. • The grey gulls of Wellington aro quarrelling together, . High flying!—low lying!-wheeling round the quays! • Kittiwake and Mollyhawk-flirt of feet and .feather, ■ , . •Beating up to windward or planms on the breeze. Yagrants of the harbour way tlieir heritages slipping! Strangers to the ocean and the bi-g sea. .rains; The grey gulls of Wellington are hanging round tie shipping, . , And tho glamour of the Oity is throbbing in their veins. Tho' white wings from _ further out are .hovering with caution. Flinging down a challenge from the ' strong . green tide, ~ ■ Tho grey gulls of Wellington have parted ■with their portion For a galley-mess of pottage the cooks put overside. * * # * And the rustle of their pinions-and the - music of their flying • Are blended, with ,the trampling and shuffling of feet; ' And the grey culls of Wellington are mingling their crying With tho rumbling of wagons and tno voices of the street. High flying!-low flying! Clamorous and speedy, Quarrelling ' together !-low tho sharp tones rise! Tho grey gulls of Wellington aro mcrcilcss and greedy, . And the cunning of the City ,is the cunning in their eyes! There is ft fine rhythmic swing and a good wholesome, philosophy of life -ib "Evensong," but I cannot further quote. Mr. Bowden is clearly a young poet of considerable promise. Tho. booklet has an effectively suitable cover design—a study of shipping—by that clever young artist, Mr. Arthur Bender. (Price Is.).

Stray Leaves., We are to have a now book from Mr. E. V. Lucas before long. "A Boewoll of Bagdad and Other JEssays" is tho alluring title. The "title piece" is an "Eastern:'', biography," in which no doubt Mr: Lucas's quaint humour will have full play' I am glad to'notice that the book is to be published in that handy and tasteful form at which, to have- learnt to' associate .w.ith-th6 author's -stones,essays, and anthologies. ■ • • .Amongst Methuen's autumn announce1 notice' it reprint of "Hilliiujden Hall," one of tho many popular novels by B. -Surtees, of "Jorrocks"' fame, in which hunting and country lifo are so amusingly described. -The volume, which, is to be uniform with earlier-volumes of the Surtees series, will contain reproductions ' of the coloured plates, by Jellicoe and Wildra.kc-Heat.il, which were issued with the original edition. Amongst new volumes of Methuens Shilling Library tho following titles are specially attractive :-"On Everything, a volume of essays by Hilaire Belloc; belcct Essays," by Maeterlinck; 'Records and Reminiscences/' by Sir Francis Burnand; two of Conrad's dooks, ' Untfer Western Byes" and "Victory"; and one of clever Elinor Mordaunt 6 excellent novels, "The Family.". Under the title, "The World's Debate, Canon Barry has written an historical defence of the Allies, after GiKbon's description of the'long contest between Christendom and Islam, the author regarding the present struggle as another crusade in which the Allies are defending tho dearest cause of mankind. The trend of history is followed throughout from 1848 to 19U, each epoch being summed up in relation to the existing crisis. That veteran novelist, Mrs. Flora Annie Steel, whoso Indian stories are so well known, especially "On tho Face ot the Waters" and "The Potter's Thumb, lias written a new story in which" the Crimean war is prominently introduced. The story starts in a Scottish castle m the early days of Queen Victoria's reisrn, and takes us, later en, to Varna, Sebaetopol, nnd Inkermaii. The title is' "Marmaduke." , ~ . Those who rend that remarkable novel, "The Rise-of Ledger Dunstan," may be pleased to know that Mr. Sheppard has written a sequel, "The Quest of Ledger Dunstan." English reviews agree that the new. story is as powerfully written as its predecessor, but exception is taken by "The Times" critic to certain, glaring lapses from good taste. Southern journals have, 1 am Rind to «ee published longer and more detai ed Recounts then have appeared locally of the interesting career of the late ill'. AVhitcnnibc, l.ho founder of vlnt i* one vt the most important booltMlhiiTnnd publishing firms, not only i.NeV Zealand, but. in all the British over*,, dominions. Mr. Whiteombe was an old Lansing College boy, but the call of adventure was too strong for him lo .«!«it a professional or commercial career in the f)l,l Ynuiit'v His earliest experiences £ <l New Zealand were in the old Armed Constabulary Force, wherein were eo many, well educated young hut eventually he settled down in OhrwtH urch, and having always had a kce. tie for literature J n '± selling business. How Mr. Whitcombo «nlar°cd the sphere of his activities and s ?Ud the printing ami polishing bus.. , s which was eventually .responsible nr the issue of a long series of very "lh'\ educational publications Jβ weU

known. All students of early New Zealand history should hold llr. AVhitcombe's name in grateful memory, lor it was owing to his energy and enterprise that the firm commenced the publication of a eerics of- reprints of early New Zealand books which had long been out of print. Ho was also responsible for tbo publication by his firm of many original works of groat interest to students of Now Zealand history and ethnology. Some of these publications cannot, I fear, have been very remunerative enterprises. Several visitors to the Dominion, notably, for instance, the lion. James (now Lord) Bryce, have told me that they were most pleasurably surprised to find in existence in a country possessing ieo small a population as that of New Zealand bookselling establishments on the scale'of those founded and conducted by the AVhitcombe and Tombs firm and others to be found in the principal centres in this country. "A good bookseller," said Dr. Johnson, "is a benefactor to any community," and assuredly the late Mr. Whitcombo did much during his lifo to foster ind encourage tho love-of good literature in both Wellington and Christchurch. Padraie Pearso, one of the Irish intellectuals who wero victims of the Sinn Fein insanity, is to havo the posthumous honour of a complete edition of his writings. Maunsols, of Dublin, who published tho fine collected edition of Synge's works, have now brought out a similar edition of Pearso'e poems, plays, and stories. Tho first volumo contains those of Pearso's poems which are taken from Irish legends. ' . Those ivlio- enjoyed that extraordinary French detective story "Fantomas" will bo glad to hear that in "Messengers of Evil" Messrs. . Pierre Souvsstro' and Maurice Allain provide a further ac< count of tho lures and devices of the elusive criminal. The detective Juvo and his journalistic "Watson," Fandor, are again introduced. . Outside "Anna Karenina." I plead guilty to having never been ablo to get through, one of Tolstoy's novels, and such of his political and social' studies as 1 have read have always left me in some doubt as to whether the "Peasant Count * was really a great seer or merely a verbose charlatan. But I have Inauy friends who read anything and everything by and about Tolstoy they can get hold of, and these ivill be glad to know that for the first time an authorised and complete translation of the great Russian writer's "Diary" is to be published by Dent s. Part I is entitled "Youth/ , Some four or five years ago an Bnglifli friend sent mo some little sixpenny book, lets of'poems, "The Flyinsr Flame Chapbooks," printed on rough paper, and "adorned with cute" (in the style of the old-time chapbooks sold by pedlars), by Mr. Lovat Fraser, cuts cleverly coloured by hand. These booklets contained short poems, by Mr., Ralph Hodgson, some of which were as original in style os they were.beautiful in thought. Mr, Hodgson is now recognised ts a poet vhose work is destined to be el- permanent interest and value, and his collected poems have now been published in a volume issued by Macmillans at three-and-sixpence. The quaint little booklets in which his verses first appeared are now, I notice, greatly sought after by collectors of literary curiosities. English reviewers warmly praise the verses, now republished by Macmillans. "', , . That distinguished Irishman, the , late Professor Kettle, who, although, an ardent Nationalist, fell fighting on the Somme as a lieutenant in the Dublin Pusiliere, left material for a volume of verse and prose which was recently published; and—the poetry in particular— ha.s beon warmly praised. A second volumo of his writing, this time- all war essavs, is shortly to be published by Constables. The title is "The Ways of War." They are the confessions of an Irishman of letters as to why he felt called upon to make ttio supreme sacrifice for the freedom of the world. In ono essay, "Tho Gospel of the Devil," the author discusses tho doctrines of Bismarck, Nietezche, Treitsote, awl. their school. A memoir is'contributed by the Professor's widow.