BOOKS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7301, 3 December 1910, Page 9

BOOKS.

A BOOK OP VERSE L-ift Ha 4 been noticeable in. suca con g^|ES|^|s osocllent monthly. I>o- - of these contributions aro.heio coi lected but several of the verses arc now - All are fragant with a charm, distinctly their own, nud reflect a certain tender•ness and a truly musical note which m, «t times, quite fascinating. He»o and there, may be, is to be detected a_ pessimistic spirit which strikes one as hetni a triiio artificial, but Mr Hams is. no poseur, and if at tunes ho may piofci low tones, his choice .-ot subject and its treatment aro not fairly to be deemed more affectation. There is .true poetry in the lines entitled "livening, a tew stanzas of which 1 now,cpioto There floats a moon-flake,, waning slim. Above the bush; The doyligut uwindles _dim and dim, Nignt whispers “Hush I" From every hut and whare near ‘ is lamplight‘sent To show niDu take tneir meed of cheer in good content. . Tho clearings glimmer and grow white, M*st ClOuks the tern, ; . . And veils me glowing note oi light Where paeu. logs unru. Xh© slow creek, sings an indolent, lam, sweet retrain; The air is tilled with heavy scout Ox promised ram. . A hell calls faintly far away — Gulls pause ou fall. ... ciutvnuig one more golden day, Lrings rest. lor all. Tho "Cry of Pan" is a lengthy and very musical set of verses, replete with a. semi-mystical spirit and containing bomo exceedingly charming lines. Thus: So© where the broom, and the fields oi thistlo'and fera . A-giow and u-glow with a delicate glory burn; ./The gracious touch of the mellow, mysterious Tight, The bush giuws sombro and still, and the brooding trees Stand heavy with sleep,, dreaming of solitudes - Of olden years, Tho close, damp soil exudes, • A savour of peaceful decay from dead centuries, Tho ragged and rough-hewn mountains' that stretch a-back. Bereft of their trappings of purple, are hiding their scars In a garment of black. And sullenly lie like a rampart affront- ' ing the stars. Who that has witnessed tho subtle change from sunlight to dark, the mysterious 'charm . u. bush-clad solitude, the-stealthy yet solemn approach of Nature's, seeming slumber time, will not cheerfully testify to the truth, the verbal grace and poetic charm of the picture above painted? "On All Souls* Bye” is a pretty variant of the old and charming legend of how poor Pierrot, old and gray, pleads to Pierrette ; Onvre moi ta port©, ' Pour Tamour de Dieu. Alas, poor Pierrot I ■ , He dreams no-new dreams now, poor soul, "OJd dreams, old hones/' his heart must j ■ 'sigh— >. Aweary, - weary ragman's cry—- ■ He.’dreams:the old dreams always now So; sorrowful,-Pierrot, so droll. “I pray God's grace bo not denied- / Pierrette, could Alary, Queen, forget?

Sis candles 'burn for you, Pierrette. . So 6ad, so sad—so long ago— Ah! little ghost that sobs outside.” The wrinkles on his parchment, face Are like to gutters for the flow Of weakly tears of age that go. As wax-drops down the candlesticks, That burn inside the windy place. His flesh near worn to churchyard mould. His feeble head nid-nodding so. Ho buddies by the fireside glow, .Remembering . , . remembering ... ' So sad,-so tired.-, so very old— So droll, Pierrot! "■ Z would fain quote further—from - tho two plaintively beautiful poems, - "Ships at Sea” and "Ships that Pass,” and others of -Mr Harris’s verses, but space forbids. This much must I say i a conclusion. that in Mr Harris Novi- Zealand possesses one of the sweetest and most promising singers that she has yet produced. The edition is limited to 125 copies. I am not aware whether anv copies are available for sale, but the anthorV address is, I note, do tho Hawke s Bay Herald, Napier.