FINE ACHIEVEMENT

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 35, 9 August 1930, Page 25

FINE ACHIEVEMENT

At Boar's Hill, near Oxford, Masefiekl's home overlooks the Berkshire hills from one side and Oxford on the other. He has built for himself a small theatre in his garden, where much of his work for the stage has been played. Mrs. Mascfield looks after his business affairs. They have two children, a son and a daughter (Judith, who illustrated his poem "King Cole of England"). "I am very happy. It is delightful to receive any honour, particularly a splendid honour of this sort. My only regret is that Dr., Bridges had not lived for another ten or fifteen years. I knew him very well, and I was fond of him and his work," said Masefleld to the "Manchester Guardian" on his appointment as Poet Laureate. "Dr. Bridges was so splendid a man that we thought he might well have lived to be a centenarian."

Mr. Masefield has very rigid views on when a Poet Laureate should write. He indicated plainly that he docs not intend to grind out poetry to suit any occasion. "I do not think that any man can really write unless he is deeply stirred,?.' he said with emphasis. "Wordsworth oneo said that poetry is

MASEFIELD ON-YOUNGER MEN

the overflow of powerful feelings. I feel that is a profound definition of poetry." Mr. Masfield refused to be drawn for his opinion of his contemporary poets.' "It is very difficult for anybody to give an opinion of the poets of his own time," was all he would: say. He has, however, optimistic views about the future of English poetry. "In Mr. Robei't Nichols, Mr. Siegfried Sasson, and Mr. Bliinden we have young poets of a very high standard. In some respects they are even better than the'late Rupert Brooke. Rupert Brooke wrote the poety of. youth. The poetry of the more seasoned man is more interesting. In him we had splendid promise, and in those young men of to-day-who aro slightly older we havo achievement instead of promise; Many poets havo died young who might have been worldfamous in-their-own timo if they had lived, normal lives."

[ "I do. quite,' a lot of lecturing," he said, when asked if ho was to come more into public life, "and.l find my own work gives me quite sufficient to ,'io. There'is one thing more: Ido not intend to enter politics."