RANOLF AND AMOHIA

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 17 January 1928, Page 6

RANOLF AND AMOHIA

: AIFRpB WJMETT'S POEM t •■ ••;; ► ■ ■ . A NEW ZEALAND EPIC VDDRESS BY PRESIDENT OF SUMMER SCHOOL At the Teachers' Summer School in the VeimaHall yesterday morning the president (Mr F. Milher) gave an interesting address on Alfred-Domett's New Zealand - epic-poem. Mr Milner spoke as follows: -.-..1. : ' "It is a platitude of literary criticism llia't creative literature is never asscciat- ■■-"- cd with the early or pioneering stages '■.;.'■-of national growth. When the energies of a people are engrossed by material f needs ami concentrated upon nationbuilding there is neither the leisure nor which is the indispensable " "' preliminary for; the nurture of the .arts. The slow development of literature jm - America and;again in Australia is an 11,.. ~. „ iu&tration of-'this truth. We must not " - then*: he disconcerted by the comparative meagreness -of New Zealand's imaginanr •' tive literary output. The time will surelv come, when our rich endowment of scenicrbeautv, and the charm that dwells V*-in'. Maori.'folk-lore and Polynesian '-' will inspire the highest artis--tio.-expression in our people. The viking "exploits, too, of the early Maori naviga- ;**' alope provide a theme of ap*v *pealihg power-to the imaginative mind.. ■•';■ ■•" The greatest poetic achievement of our young nation is" undoubtedly -•-—•Domett's 'Ranolf and Amohia,' aft epic *'-■ of early New Zealand-life as it appeared 100 -years ago, styled by- the author A Sea Day'Dreahi.' The poem which ; Tiihsto 14;(XX) lines is.truly epic m pro-, v portions. .•■-Unfortunately;it lacks artistic unity' in • fonn,. and' the i fluent verse in * spite of its variety and fecundity, is not v inspired by the magic of the highest « poetic imagination. Domett possesses Z extraordiharV. range of expression and remarkable 'facility for versifying meta- \ physics and like intractable matter, Un- * fortunately he has an uncpntrollable pen- " chant for' philosophical speculation, and persists in interspersing in his beautiful * ' ' narrative of the honeymoon wanderings * of Hanoi! and -his bride passages of psy- *■'';•-' etiological analysis or speculative reasou- *' ing. which disfigure thCart of his work. « •■•■"■.: if We have only to think of Bailey's v and, Smithey's - long-forgotten * series of huge #pics. to realise that this '■ ukinhmental form of poetry had a great ypgiieinthe-earlyinneteenthcentury.lt tf must be confessed that in spite of all its poetic value Domett's epic lives to-day »' only in anthologies or < as a treasure- ». hour of reference for the historian and i scientist. Tie poem has embalmed for 5 aU time the customs, mythology, and tn- "-• baliife of the Maoris, and preserves a * ' leally floriated description of the flora « and fauna of" New Zealand ip the early "■ years'.& last century.- fAmong, its purple •• passage's are, of course, the lovely de- * ; 'the famous pink and white ».''■ which, were destroyed in the -.' -Ta§Wer£ «r«ption." r Embedded in its found many delightful '-■'■■ especially 'the stirring haka of "" V^e-Niati-pprou tribe, the battle-axe Whet'u-rirL ; and,the sentinels. "~ ;, 'tiphs of translations of Maori, chants from Sp George -Grey's collection, and reveal fiife -"poetic power by their vividness and ■ fire. Domett's poem-is long since out of print/and is quoted now at.£s in booklists. vß'ut.oriats publication in London in 1872 it ..drew, fprtii eulogies not only. from.. the ! personal , friend, Robert Brownings «but from- TennVsbh; Longfellow, and leading literary critics.-' Tennyson praised its intellectual subletv, its descriptive charm, and its v imaginative fire. Browning- declared it sjipefi6r|to his. own Sordello, and stated thatrit was a great and astonishing per r for-mance..-'.ln;these later days it is still " accorded pride of place in the poetry of 'Australia and New Zealand by Douglas Sladen in his "Century of Australian -'■'' Song.',' • v •f J'For all- bf literary tastes this great poem has a.charm, due .to the intimate association pf the author with Robert Bi&wning. Thfir correspondence has "only jeeentlv-been published, and from • Browning's 'letters addressed to Domett :? ■' Nelson' New 'Zealand, we gain much insight into the colonials experiences, oj this highly endowed young adi venturer. "In Domett's career are summed up many of , the ; greatest factors which ensured tho. success of the overseas Enipire'last.century. A" young man of ' university culture—Endowed with marked poetic"ability and a remarkable gift of expression, with keen intellectual ambition—and a spirit of adventure, he ~ . elected:at,;tl?jfe agfe'ipX 30 in 1842 to relinquish his projected career at the Eng: iish bar and to take np laid at Nelson anHer. Zealand.Land, Company. At ..t^is'young settlement his ability brought him- to the front both in the -.".-' '") literary .field, as. editor of "The Examin- . and. also in local, polities. His able . and spirited: defence of the. New Zealand . jXahd Company, at the time of the terri"iysng WairauMassacre impressed Sir $~ George Grey Avho was. Governor Fitzjoy's successor, and Domett gained promotion .to high public offices during the Jftexfc r 20 years, especially in connection the Crown . Lands, and ultimately ".after, representing Nelson in Parliament he rose to be Premier of the colony. His occupation of this high,office conesponded with the outbreak of the second Maori. War, in Taranaki, and proved a time of turmoil antianxiety. He was glad to retire to the Civil Service and the care of the Assembly Library. At length, in 1871 he .returned to England, bearing the precious manuscript on which he had spent much of "the leisure of hia thirty *years of official life. Through the instrumentality of Browning he was able to induce Smith, Elder and publish his work—but not withl;"'^"'but much misgiving on their part. »»!*.*.v ■"Ranolf and Amohia," as been "said, is marred by. artistic defects bf diffuseness. "It purports to be the story of the adventures of Ranolf, a daring and athletic English youth of seafaring ancestry who is wrecked off the East Cape of the'North Island of New Zealand. He joins a friendly tribe of Maori* in the Rotorua district, and in rescuing Amo- *'"*. ,";hia, f .' the beautiful daughter of the cliief -.iof jflpkoja Isle frpm, his "followers, he enters upon the romance of his life. The pair are united in an idyllic horie-rmoon . spent in wandering from Rotorua to the ~>/' Bay of Plenty after facing thrilling adf ventures, llieir return to Rotorua and Z . reconciliation with Tangi-moanu, the * father of Amohia, follows. Tribal con- * flicts are vividly portrayed and the de- *• scription of the attack on Mokoia Isle by .»' . the'Ngati-poi'OU is instinct with dramatic ''.:. fire. The scenic setting of the lakes •* -• and the marvellous thermal phenomena * ''.. are depicted with a wealth bf poetic phrasing that makes tliem live in our '* '. imagination. Domett, too, lavishes upon •» the love of the young couple all the * v dithvrampic fervour of a George MereJ dith; * "Longing to renew his associations * •;': with his homeland Ranolf pines for civilisation. Amohia half ?r;spects his

yearning, and resolves to sacrifice her Jile sooner than allow,the hostile, northern chiefs l<> :il lurk I heir fcrt n't He possible cost .of her • husband's Jile.- But (bough reports, apparently circumstantial arrive of her death, Ranolf on his way to the upast to take .snip iW England/ rescues her from captivity in a hostile pah, and contrives to smuggle his bride .safely on shipboard .with ,I'iim. This deNQuemeint ; »s /questionable act> >*nd pardfy satisfies tiie imagination. "Domett stands among the'secondary poets of the 19th century—a little lower than the great. Facility of versification; and occasional lyric inspiration are features of his work. He lacks true inspiration and a consecutive singing gift. Had he possessed either in himself or his friends critical power lie might have avoided the crudities and verbosities and endless discursiveness which have so marred the artistic worth of his great effort. As a vivid and beautifully phrased picture of the scenic loveliness of early New Zealand .and as an epic of Maori tribal customs and folklore, it remains as n. precious heritage and trea-sure-house for these modern days."