A PAGEANT OF POETRY.*

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17426, 21 September 1918, Page 2

A PAGEANT OF POETRY.*

UNDER THE SOUTHERN CROSS. By Constant Readeb. Hero is a selection, as fairly representative as 1 know how to niaJco it* from the mass of verse written by Australians and New Zcalandors during the last hundred years or so—arranged, roughly, in chronological order, begmning with Wcntworth, whose vigorous rhetoric haa an eighteenth century ring in it, and ending on a vary distinct twentieth-century note. ' So writes Mr Walter Murdoch in the preface to "The Oxford Book of Australasian Verse." The ' Oxford" editions of the posts are characterised by careful editing, completeness, and excellent typographyand the Oxford Univeisity Bress lias recently added to its reputation in this respect by the issue of a considerable number of authoritative anthologies. " The Oxford Book of English Verse," the parent of theso anthologies, lias now an extensive progeny, including ■books of "English Mystical Verse,'' 'Spanish Verse," "French Verso" " Italian Versa," etc. Still more recent is the '"Oxford Book of Canadian Verse"; and yet another link has been forged in the poetic chain with the production of the pres3iit "Book of Australasian Verse."

In view of tho high renown gained b-<- the Oxford University Press in the respects already mentioned, it is a thousand pities that the editor of this latest issue should have to apologise for a serious defect in his selection. The apology reads as follows : —

As for Australasian readers, who already know and value their own literature, I cannot hops that the book will please many of them. They will blame the editor both for his exclusions and for his inclusions. They are certain to miss many old favourites. Apart from the established fact that tastes differ, I have but Mio excuse to offer for my misdeeds: my emission of certain names—and these imon? the most widely popular in their >wn land—is duo neither to negligence lor to a lack of appreciation on the ditor's part, but simply and sololv to

thp inexorable necessities of copyright

When undertaking the compilation and publication of any anthology, the Oxford University Press, for its own sake and in the interests of students of poetry, should have been ablo to see its way to overcome the _ " inexorable necessities of copyright," or it should have left the work severely alone. There are potent arguments before which even the bars and bolts of copyright can be made to yield, andi obviously these should have been em ployed in this instance. «A representative collection of Australian verse from which is absent any examples of th« , poot,r> of Andrew Barton Paterson, James Brunton Stephens, Victor James Daley, George Essex Evans, Will li. Ogilvie, John Fan-oil. and Douglas Sladen—to cite six or seven of the score or more of notable omissions—cannot fail to prove both misleading and mischievous. A comparison between Mr Murdoch's selection for the " Oxford Boole of Australasian Verse" and the selection made by Mr Bertram Stevens for his " Antholosrv of Australian Verse," published in 1906. will make the position clear. It should be noted that Mr Stevens endeavoured to malahis selection " representative of the best short poems written by Australians or inspired by Australian scenery and conditions of life—'Australian' in this connection being used to include New Zealand." Mr Murdoch's selection includes 204 examples of the work of 80 poets. Mr Stevens selects 162 examples of 66 poets, and of these 66 no fewer than 31 find no representation in Mr Murdoch's anthology. When a further comparison is instituted between the purely New Zealand contents of this Oxford book and the collection of New Zealand verse, published in 1906, under the joint editorship of W. F. Alexander and A. E. Ourrie, the extent of the omissions appears even more striking. Of the 50 odd writers in the "New Zealand Verse" only some 13 are chosen by Mr Murdoch; and when it is mentioned that among the exclusions are Alfred Domett, Alexander Bathgate, Charles C. Bowen, D. W. M. Burn, John Liddell Kelly, and Arnold Wall, the shortcomings of this Oxford book scarcely need to be emphasised. Mr Murdoch's judgment challenges criticism also when the prominence givon to some of his favourite authors is closely examined. It may be questioned whether Sir Henry Parkcs—grand old man though lie undoubtedly was—is justly entitled on his poetio morits to three examples of his muse, while Mr William Pember Reeves is limited to one example. The large latitude accorded to Jessie Mackay and Blanche Edith Baughan for verse of quite inconsiderable merit stands in remarkable contrast to the single noom by Thomas Bracken. Such criticism might, of -course, be extended indefinitely. according to the personal predilections of the critic and without any possibility of agreement. Tho "Oxford Booli" is well-nigh as disappointing when the contributions of the poets of the present day come to be considered. The student will search in vain for examples of the verso of Zira Cross, of C. J. Dennis, of Leon Gellert, of Geoffrey Wall, of W. M. Fleming, or of Alfred Clark, to mention only a few of t-he names that at once occur. Mr Murdoch's book will doubtless serve a purpose if it does but acquaint the English reader with a part of the poetry issuing from the men and the women of the Empire Overseas. It may also have tho effect of stirring up some enterprising publisher to do the work thoroughly and well. It will bo well at this point to enter a caveat against the mingling in the one anothology of Nov.' Zealand and Australian poetry. _ The_ poetic development of each nation _ is, owing to difference in climatic conditions and contrasting configuration, likely to develop upon quite different lines, and already there is room for distinction in tho matter of literature. After the war, and with the added poetic output which tho fighting men are bringing to an already considerable collection, there will be room •for two separate anthologies; the one devoted to the poetry of this dominion, the other exclusively Australian. Mr Murdoch's hook may possibly serve as a basis from which the new effort may take rise.