the little review (pound to mencken)

8/11/2019 The Little Review (Pound to Mencken)

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T H E L I T T L E R E V I E W

Literature Drama Music Art

MARGARET

C ANDERSON

EDITOR

M A Y

1917

Editorial

Ezra

Pound

Eeldrop and Appleplex T S

Eliot

Pierrots (Jules Laforgue)

ohn

Hall

Jodindranath Mawhwor s Occupation

EzraPound

Imaginary Letters, I. WyndhamLewis

Proses Coronales

MorrisWard

Announcement forJune

The Little Review Bookshop

The Reader

Critic

Published

Monthly

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31

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The Little Review

V O L

IV . M A Y 1917 N O . I

Editorial

Ezra Pound

I

I H A V E , accep ted the post of Fo re ign Ed i to r of The Little

Review: chiefly b ec au se :

I .

I wished a p lace where the cur rent prose wr i t ings of James

Joyce , W yndham Lewis , T . S . E l io t , and m yse l f might appear

regular ly , prompt ly , and together , ra ther than i r regular ly , spor

adica l ly , and af te r useless delays.

My connect ion wi th The Little Revieew d o e s not imply a sev

erance of my re la t ions wi th Poetry for wh ich I sti l l remain

Fore ign Correspondent , and in which my poems wi l l cont inue to

appear unt i l i t s guarantors revol t .

I w ou ld say, ho w ev er, in just i f icat ion both of Poetry and

myself,

t h a t

Poetry

has neve r been " th e ins t rum ent" o f m y

" rad ic a l i sm " . I r e spec t Miss Monroe for a l l tha t she has done

fo r t he suppor t o f Am er ican poetry, but in the conduct of her

m a g a z i n e m y voice and vote have a lways been the vote and

voice of a minori ty.

I recognize tha t she , be ing "on the ground" , may be much

bet te r f i t ted to unders tand the exigencies of magazine publ i sh

ing in Amer ica , but Poetry has done numerous th ings to which I

cou ld neve r have given my personal sanct ion , and which could

not have occurred in any magazine which had const i tuted i tself

m y " i n s t r u m e n t " . Poetry has shown an unf lagging cour tesy to

a lot of old fools and fogies whom I should have told to go to

hel l tou t p le inem ent and bon nem ent . I t has re f ra ined f rom

at t ack ing a num ber o f pub l i c nu i sances ; f rom implying tha t

the personal charm of the la te Mr . Gi lder need not have been,


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4

The Little Review

of necessi ty, the s ign manifest of a t rem end ou s in te l lec t ; f rom

heaping upon the h igh-school c r i t ics of Amer ica the contempt

which they deserve .

T h e r e w o u l d have been a l i t t le of this contempt to spare for

tha t e lder genera t ion of A m e r i c a n magazines , founded by medi

ocri t ies with good intent ions, cont inued by mediocri t ies without

any in tent ions , and now "nour i sh ing" under the com m and and

empery of the re l ic t s , pr iva te -secretar ies and ex-typists of the

second regime.

H a d Poetry been in any sense m y " i n s t r u m e n t " I should

years ago have pointed out cer tain defects of the elder Ameri

can wr i t e r s . H ad Poetry been my instr um en t I should never

have permit ted the delet ion of cer tain f ine English words from

poem s wh ere they ran g wel l and sound ly. N eithe r would I

have felt i t necessary tacitly to comply with the superstit ion

tha t the Christ ian Religion is indispensable, or that i t has always

exis ted , or that i ts existence is ubiqui tous, or irrevocable and

eterna l .

I do n' t m ind th e Ch rist ia n Religion , bu t I can not blind

myself t o th e fact th at Co nfu ciu s w as extrem ely intelligent.

Organized rel igions have nearly always done more harm than

good, and they have a lways co ns titu ted a da ng er. A t any rate,

respect to one or another of them has nothing to do with good

let ter s. If a ny humjan activ ity is sacr ed it is the formulation of

thought in c lear speech for the use of humani ty ; any falsifica

t ion or evasion is evil . T h e codes of pro prie ty are all local,

pa roch ia l , t r ans i en t ; a con sidera t ion of them, othe r than as

subject matter , has no place in the ar ts .

I can say these things qui te dist inct ly and without in the

leas t de t rac t ing f rom my pra ise of the spirited manner in which

M iss M onroe has conduc ted he r pap er. Sh e is faced with the

prac t ica l problem of c irc ula ting a m ag azi ne in a certain peculiar

mil ieu, which th ing being so I have nothing but praise forthe

way she has done i t . Bu t tha t ma gazine does not express my

convic t ions . A t tack s on i t, gro un de d in such

belief,

and under


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The Little Rev iew 5

t aken in the m agnan im ous hope o f depr iv ing m e o f pa r t o f m y

sus tenance , can no t be expec ted to have m ore than a t em pora ry

success and tha t among i l l - informed people .

Blast,

fo un de d chief ly in the in tere st of the visual ar ts , is of

n e c e s si ty s u s p e n d e d . W i t h G a u d i e r - B r z e s k a dead on the field

of ba t t l e , wi th M r . W i l l i am R o ber t s , M r . W a d s w o r t h , M r .

E tch e l l s , an d M r . W yn d ha m Lewis, a ll occup ied in va r ious

branches of the service , there i s no new vor t ic i s t pa in t ing to

w r i t e abou t . Such m a nus c r ip t a s M r . Lew is has lef t with me,

an d suc h thi ng s as he is able to w ri t e in the brief le isure

al lowed an ar t i l lery off icer , wil l appear in these pages.

I t is qui te impossible that

Blast

should again appear unt i l

M r. L ew is is f ree to give his ful l energy to i t .

In so far as i t is possible, I should like

The Little Review

to

a id and abe t

The Egoist

in its w o rk . I do no t th in k it can be

too of ten pointed out tha t dur ing the las t four years

The Egoist

h as publish ed ser ial ly, in th e face of no inco nsidera ble difficul

t ies ,

the on ly t r ans l a t ion o f R em y de Gourm ont ' s

Chevaux de

Diomedes;

the be s t t rans la t ion of Le Comte de Gabal i s , Mr .

Joyce ' s m as te rp iece

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man ,

and is now pub l i sh ing M r. Le wis ' s novel Tarr. Ev en if they

had publ i shed nothing e lse there would be no o ther cur rent per i

odica l which could chal lenge th is record , but The Egoist has

no t s topped the re ; they have in a mo st sp i r i ted m ann er car r ied

ou t th e publ ica t ion in book form of the Portrait of the

Artist, a n d are in the act of publ i sh ing Mr. El io t ' s poems,

u n d e r the t i t le Mr. Prufrock and Observations.

I see no reason for conceal ing my bel ief that the two novels ,

by Joyce and Lewis , and Mr. El io t ' s poems are not only the

most impor tant cont r ibut ions to Engl i sh l i te ra ture of the past

three years , but tha t they are prac t ica l ly the only works of the

t ime in which the crea t ive e lement i s present , which in any

wa y show invent ion , or a pro gre ss beyond preced ent w ork . T he

mass of our contemporar ies , to say nothing of our debi l i ta ted

elders , have gone on repeat ing themselves and each o ther .


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I I .

Secondly , the re a re ce r ta in p reva len t ideas to which

I can

not subsc r ibe . I can not bel ieve that the mere height of the

Rocky Moun ta in s w i l l produce lof ty poetry; we have had l i t t le

f rom Ch imborazo , the Alps o r the A nd es . I can no t believe

tha t the m ere geogra phica l ex pan se of A m erica w ill produce of

itself exce llent w rit in g. T h e de ser t of S ah ar a is almo st equally

vast . N ei th er can I look fo rw ard with longing to a t ime when

each vil lage shall rejoice in a bad local poetaster making bad

verse in the humdrum habi tual way that the local archi tect puts

up bad bu i ld ings . T he ar ts are no t the m edioc re habi t of man

k ind . Th er e i s no comm on denominator between the l i t t le that

i s good and the was te that is dul l , med ioc re . I t m ay be pleas

ing to know that a cook is president of the local poetry society

in Pe r igo rd ,there is no reason why a cook should not write

as wel l as a plowman,but the combinat ion of several activities

is real ly i r re le van t . T he fact remains that no good poetry has

com e out of Pe r ig or d since the Albig ensian crusad e, anno domini

t w e lv e h u n d r e d a n d nine. T he re being a local poetry society

has no t he lped to p revent th i s .

The shel l - f ish grows its own shell , the genius creates its own

milieu . Yo u, the publ ic , can kill genius by actual physical star

vat ion, you may perhaps thwart or dis tor t i t , but you can in

no way c rea te i t .

Because of this simple fact the patron is absolutely at the

mercy of the ar t is t , a n d the artist at the cost of some discom

for t per son al , t ran sien t disco m fort is a lmost wholly f ree of

the pa t ron , whe ther th i s l a t t e r be an individual, or the hydra-

headed de tes tab le vu lgus .

The re i s no misanthropy in a thorough contempt for the

m o b . T h e r e is no respe ct for m ank ind save in respect for

de tached ind iv idua ls .


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7

Eeldrop and Appleplex

T. S. Eliot

I .

E

E L D R O P a n d A p p l e p l ex r e n t e d tw o sm a l l r o o m s in a d is

r epu t ab l e pa r t of t ow n . H e r e they somet imes came a t

n igh t fa l l , he re they somet imes s lep t , and a f te r they had slept,

they cooked oa tmea l and depar ted in the m orn in g fo r de s t i na

t ions un kn ow n to each o ther . Th ey somet imes slep t, m or e of ten

they ta lked , o r looked ou t of the window.

They had chosen t he rooms and t he ne ighbo rhood wi th grea t

ca re . T he re a re ev il ne igh borh ood s of no ise and ev il ne igh bo r - '

hoods of s i l ence , and Ee ldrop and Applep lex pre fe r red the l a t

ter , as being the m or e evi l . I t was a shad y s t reet , i t s windows

w ere heav i l y c u r t a i n e d ; and over i t hung the c loud of a respec

tab i l i ty wh ich has someth ing to concea l . Ye t i t had the a d v a n

tage of m ore r io to us ne ighborh oods nea r by , and Ee ld rop and

A pp lep l ex commanded f rom the i r w indow s t he en t r ance o f a

pol ice s ta t ion across the wa y . T his a lone possessed an i r re

s is t ib le appeal in their eyes . F r o m t im e to t ime the silence of

the s t r e e t w a s b ro ke n ; w heneve r a ma le f ac to r w as app rehend ed ,

a wave of exc i tement cur led in to the s t ree t and broke upon the

do ors of the pol ice s ta t ion. T he n the inh abi ta nts of the s t re et

would l inger in d ress ing-gowns , upon the i r doors teps : then

al ien vis i tors would l inger in the s t reet , in caps ; long a f te r the

cen tre of m isery had been eng ulph ed in his cell . T he n E eld ro p

and Applep lex would break of f the i r d i scourse , and rush ou t to

ming le wi th the m ob. Ea ch purs ued h i s own l ine o f enq ui ry .

Applep lex , who had the g i f t o f an ex t raord inary address wi th

the lower c lasses of both sexes , quest ioned the onlookers , and

-usual ly extracted ful l and inconsis tent his tor ies

:

E e l d r o p p r e

se rved a more pass ive demeanor , l i s t ened to the conversa t ion of

the people am ong them se lves , reg i s te red in h i s m ind the i r

oa ths , the i r redundance of phrase , the i r va r ious m a n n e r s of

spi t t ing , and th e . cr ies of th e vic t im fro m the hal l of jus t ice


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The Little Review

wi th in . W he n the c rowd d i spe r sed , Ee ld ro p and Ap plep lex

re tu rned to the i r room s : App lep lex en te red the r e su l t s o f h i s

inqui r ies in to la rge note-books , f i led according to the na ture of

th e c a se , f r o m A ( a d u l t e r y ) t o Y ( y e g g m e n ) . E e l d r o p

smok ed reflect ive ly I t ma y be add ed tha t E eld ro p w as a scep

tic; wi th a tas te for myst ic i sm, and Appleplex a mater ia l i s t wi th

a leaning tow ar d scept ic i sm ; tha t Eel dro p w as learn ed in theol

ogy, and tha t Appleplex s tudied the physical and biological

sciences.

There was a com m on m ot ive which l ed E e l d r o p a n d A p p l e

plex thus to separa te themselves f rom t ime to t ime, f rom the

fields of their dai ly employments and their ordinari ly social

ac t iv i t ies . Bo th we re end eav or in g to escape no t t he com m on

place , respectable or even the domest ic , but the too wel l p igeon

holed , too tak en- for - gra nte d , too h ighly sys tema t ized are as , an d,

in the l anguage o f t hose whom they sough t t o avo id they

wished " to apprehend the human soul in i t s concre te indiv idu

a l i ty . "

"W hy" , sa id Ee ld rop , "was tha t f a t Span ia rd , who sa t a t t he

table wi th us th is evening, and l is tened to ou r conv ersa t ion

wi th occas ional cur ios i ty , why was he himsel f for a m om ent an

object of interest to us? H e w ore h is nap kin tucked in to h is

chin , he made unpleasant noises whi le ea t ing , and while not,

ea t ing , h is way of c rumbl ing bread be tween fa t f ingers made

me ext remely nervous: he wore a wais tcoat cafe au la i t , and

black boots wi th bro w n tops . H e w as opp ress ive ly gross and

vulgar ; he be longed to a type , he could easily be classified in

any tow n of provinc ia l Spain . Y et un de r th e c i r c u m s t a n c e s

when we had been d iscuss ing marr iage , and he suddenly leaned

f o r w a r d a n d e x c l a i m e d : " I wa s ma rr ie d once mysel f" - we

were able to detach him from his classif icat ion and regard him

for a moment as an un ique be ing, a soul, ho w ev er ins igni f icant ,

wi th a h is tory of i t s own, once for al l . I t is the se m om en ts

which we pr ize , and which a lone are reveal ing . F o r any v i ta l

t ru th i s incapable of be ing appl ied to another case : the essen-


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The Little Review

9

i s uniqu e; P er ha ps th a t is why i t i s so ne glec ted; be cause

it i s use less . W h a t w e learned about tha t Spaniard i s incapable

of b eing app lied to any ot he r Sp an iar d, or even recal led in

w ord s . W ith the dec l ine of or t ho do x theology and it s ad m ir

able theory of the soul , the unique impor tance of events has

vanish ed. A ma n is only im po r tan t as he is c lassed . H e n c e

there i s no t ragedy, or no apprec ia t ion of t ragedy, which i s the

sam e th ing . W e h ad been ta lk ing of yo un g Bis twick, wh o

th ree m onths ago m ar r i ed his mother ' s housemaid and now is

aw ar e of the fac t . W h o appre c ia tes the t ru th of the m a t t e r ?

N ot the re la t ives , for they are only mov ed by affection, by

re ga rd for Bistw ick's inte rests , and chiefly by the ir col lective

feel ing of family disgrace . N ot th e gen erou s minded and

though t fu l ou t s ide r , who rega rds i t merely as evidence for the

necessi ty of d ivorce law reform . Bis twick is classed among the

unhapp i ly m ar r i ed . B u t w h a t Bistwick feels when he wakes up

in the morning, which i s the grea t impor tant fac t , no de tached

ou ts ide r conceives. T he awful impor tanc e of the ru in of a life

is over looked. M en ar e only al lowed to be happy or miserable

in c lasses . In Go psum S t ree t a man mu rde rs h is mis t ress . T he

im po r tan t fac t is th a t for the man the act is eternal , and that

for the brief space he ha s to l ive, he is alrea dy d ead. H e is

alre ad y in a different w orld from ou rs. H e has crossed the

f ront ie r . T he impor tan t fac t tha t som ething is done wh ich can

not be undonea possibi l i ty which none of us realize until we

face i t ourse lve s . F or the m an 's ne ighbors the impor tant fac t

i s what the man ki lled her w i th? A nd a t prec ise ly w ha t t im e?

And who found the body ? Fo r the "en l igh tened pub l ic" the

case is m erely evidence fo r th e Dr in k ques t ion , or Unemploy

men t , or som e oth er ca tego ry of th ings to be refor m ed . But

the mediaeval w orld , insis t ing on th e e tern i ty of pu nis hm en t ,

expressed- som ething nea rer the t ru th .

"W ha t you say , " r ep l i ed Applep lex , " com m ands m y m eas

ured adh eren ce. I should thin k, in the case of the Sp an iard ,

and in the many other in teres t ing cases which have come under


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our a t tent ion a t the door of the pol ice s ta t ion, what we grasp

in t h a t mo men t o f pu re obse rva t i on on w h ich w e p r ide ou r

selves, is no t alien to th e prin cipl e of classification, b ut de ep er.

We could i f we l iked , make exce l len t comment upon the na ture

of provincia l Sp an iar ds , or of dest i tu t ion (as misery is cal led

by the ph i lan thr op is t s ) , o r on hom es for w ork ing g i r l s . Bu t

such is not ou r in tent ion . W e aim a t exper ience in the par

t icu lar cen tres in wh ich alone i t is evil . W e avoid classifica

t ion . W e do no t deny i t. Bu t wh en a m an is classified some

th ing i s lost . T he major i ty of man kin d live on paper cu r re nc y :

they use t e rms which ar e m erely good for so m uch real i ty ,

they never see actual coinage."

"I should go even fur ther than tha t , " said E e l d r o p . " T h e

major i ty no t on ly have no language to express any th ing save

genera l ized man ; they a re fo r the mo s t par t u na w are of them

selves as an yth ing bu t gene ral ized men. Th ey ar e first of a l l

government officials, or pil lars of the chu rch , o r t r ade un ion

is ts ,

or p oets , or u nem ploye d ; th is cataloguing is not only satis

facory to ot he r people f or prac tical purp os es, i t is sufficient to

them selves for th eir ' l ife of the spir i t . ' M an y are not qu i te

rea l a t any m om ent . W he n W ols t r ip m ar r ie d , I am sure he

said to

himself:

'N ow I am con sum m at ing the un ion of two

of th e best fam ilies in Phi lad elp hia . ' "

"The ques t ion i s , " sa id Appleplex, "what is to be our phi los

ophy . Th is m us t be se t t led a t once . M rs . H ow ex den recom

me nds me to read Bergson . H e wr i tes very en te r ta in ing ly on

the s t ructure of the eye of the f rog."

"N ot a t a l l , " in te r rup ted h i s f r iend . "O u r ph i losophy is

qu i te i r re lev ant . T h e essent ia l i s , tha t ou r phi losop hy should

spr ing f rom our point of view and not re turn upon i tse l f to

expla in our po in t of view . A phi loso phy about intuit ion is

som ew hat less l ike ly to be in tu i t ive tha n any o ther . W e m us t

avoid hav ing a p l a t fo rm ."

"B u t a t least , " sa id Ap pleplex, "w e ar e . . ."

" Ind iv idua l i s t s . N o no r an t i- i n te l le c tua li s ts . Th ese a lso


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11

are l abe ls . T h e ' ind iv idua l i s t ' is a m e m b e r o f a m o b as fully

as any o ther m an : and the m ob of ind iv idua l i s t s is the m os t

unpleasing, because i t has the least character . N ie t z sche w as a

mo b-man, jus t as Berg son i s an in te ll ec tua l is t . W e can not

escape the label , but le t i t be one which car r ies no d i s t inc t ion ,

an d aro us es no sel f -consciou sness . Sufficient th at we should

f ind s imple labels , and not fur the r exp loi t the m . I am, I con

fess to you , in pr iv at e l ife, a ba nk -cle rk. . . ."

"And should , accord ing to your own v iew, have a wi fe , th ree

chi ldren, and a vegetable garden in a suburb ," sa id Applep lex .

"Su ch i s p rec ise ly the case ," re tu rn ed Ee ldro p , "bu t I had

not tho ug ht i t necess ary to m ent ion this biog raph ical deta i l . A s

i t i s Saturday night , I shal l re turn to my subu rb . To m or r ow

wil l be spent in that garden. . . ."

I sha l l pay my ca l l on Mrs . H ow exden , " murmured A pp le

plex.

{Next chapter in June number.')

P i e r r o t s

S c e n e c o u r t e m a i s t y p i q u e

(After the "Pierrots" of Jules Laforgue.)

John Hall

Your eyes Since I los t their incandescence

Flat calm engulphs my j ibs ,

The shudder o f Vae soli gurg les benea th my r ibs .

You should have seen me af ter the affray,

I rushed about in the mos t ag i ta ted way

Crying : My God, My God, wha t wi l l she say?

My soul ' s an tennae a re p rey to such per tu rba t ions ,

W oun ded by yo ur indirectne ss in these s i tuat ion s

A nd your bundle o f mundane compl ica t ions .


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Your eyes put me up to i t .

I

tho ug ht : Y es , d iv ine , these yes , bu t w ha t ex i s t s

B e h in d t h e m ? W h a t ' s t h e r e ? H e r soul 's an affa ir for ocul is ts .

A n d

I

am sliced with loyal aesthetics.

Hate t remolos and na t iona l f rene t ics .

I n

brief,

violet is the g round tone of my phone t ics .

I am no t " t ha t chap t he r e " no r ye t " T h e S u p e r b . "

Bu t my sou l , the sor t which har sh s oun ds d i s tu rb ,

I s ,

a t bo t tom , d i s t inguished and f resh as a M ar ch her b .

My nerves s t i l l regis ter the sounds of con t ra -bass ' ,

I can walk about wi thout f idget ing when people pass ,

Wi thout smirk ing in to a pocke t - looking-g lass .

Yes, I have rubbed shoulders and knocked off my chips

Outs ide your se t bu t , hav ing kep t fa i th in your eyes ,

You might pardon such s l ips .

Eh , make i t U p

Soo th ings , con fe s s ions ;

These new concess ions

H u r l m e in to such a mass o f d ivergen t impress ions .

(Exit.)

Jodindranath Mawhwor's Occupation

E z r a P o u n d

THE soul o f Jo d in dr an a th M aw hw or c love to the god of th is

un iverse and he medi ta ted the l aw of the Shas t ras .

H e w as a man of modera te income inher i t ed for the mos t

par t f rom h is fa thers , o f whom there were sevevra l , s l igh t ly

augmented by h i s own ra ther desu l to ry opera t ions o f commerce .


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1 3

He had neve r made money by conques t and was incl ined to

r ega r d t h i s me t hod o f acqu i s i t i on a s an t i qua t ed ; a s be l ong i ng

ra th er to the days of h i s f avo r i t e au tho r than to ou r ow n.

He had fo l lowed the advice of the Sut ras , had become t he

head of an house in the not unprosperous c i ty of Migdalb , in

a quar t er where dwel t a r easonable propor t ion of f a i r ly hones t

and hon oura ble people not un ave rse to goss ip an d v i s i ts . H i s

house was s i tua ted by a watercourse , in l i eu of new fangled

plumbing, and in th i s h i s cus tom was a t one wi th that of the

ear l i es t Cel t s . I t wa s d iv ided in var io us cham bers for v ar iou s

occupa t i ons , s u r r ounded by a commodi ous ga r den , and pos

sessed of the tw o chief ch am bers , the "e xte r io r " and the " in

t e r i o r " (butt a n d ben). T h e inte r ior w as the place for his

women, the exter ior enhanced wi th r i ch per fumes , conta ined

a bed, sof t , luscious , and agreeable to the act ion of vis ion,

cov ered wi th a cloth of un r ival led w hi ten ess . I t w as a l it t le

hum ped in the midd le , and su rmo unte d wi th gar l an ds a nd

bundles of f lowers , which were somet imes r enewed in the morn

ing . U po n it w ere a l so a cover le t br ight ly em broide red an d

two cyl indr ical pi l lows, one at the head and the other placed at

the foot . T h er e w as also a sor t of sofa or bed for repo se, at

the head of which s tood a case for unguent s , and per fumes to

be used dur ing the night , and a s tand for f lowers and pots of

cosmet ic an d o the r odo r i f erous subs tances , es sences for per

fuming the breath, new cut s l ices of lemon peel and such things

as w er e f i tt ing. O n the f loor n ea r the sofa reste d a m etal spi t

toon, and a toi let case, and above i t was a luth s us pended f r om

an e lephan t ' s tusk , unc ut but ban ded wi th s i lver . T he re wa s

also a dra w ing table, a bowl of perfu m e, a few b ook s , and a

gar l and of am ara nth s . Fu r th er off wa s a sor t of ro un d ch ai r

or tabouret , a ches t containing a chess board, and a low table

for d icing. In the outer apa r tm en t we re cages for Jodindra

nath's

b i rds .

H e had a g r ea t man y t oo ma ny . T he r e w er e

separate smal l rooms for spinning, and one for carving in wood

and such l ike di let tant isme s . In th e ga rd en wa s a sor t of m er ry -


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The Little Review

go-round of good rope , looking more or less l ike a May-pole .

There was l i kewise a com m on see - saw o r tee ter , a green house ,

a sort of rock g a r d e n , a n d t w o n o t too com for t ab le benches .

2 .

Jod indrana th rose in the m orn ing and b rush ed h i s t ee th , a f t e r

hav ing pe r fo rm ed o the r unavo idab le du t i e s a s p resc r ibed in

the su t r a , and he appl ied to h is body a not excess ive , as he con

s ide red i t, am oun t o f ungu en t s and pe r fum es . H e then b l ack

ened h is eyebrows, drew fa in t l ines un de r his eyes, pu t a fair

deal of rouge on h is l ips , and regarded h imsel f in a mir ror .

Then hav ing chewed a f ew be te l l eaves to pe r fum e h i s b rea th ,

a n d m unched ano the r bonne-bouche o f pe r fum e , he se t abou t

his day ' s bus in ess . H e w as a c re a tu re of hab i t . T h a t i s to

say , he ba the d, da i ly . A nd upon a l t e rna te days he ano in ted h i s

person wi th o i l , and on the th i rd day he lamented tha t the mossy

subs tance em ployed by the ea r l i e s t o r thodox h indoos was no

longer ob ta inab le . H e had neve r been b rou gh t t o r eg a rd soap

wi th com pla isance . H is consc ience was t roubled , both as to the

rel igious and social bearing of this sol idif ied grease. He suspect

ed the presence of beef-suet , i t was a t bes t a parvenu and Mo

hametan subs t ance . E ver y four days he shaved, that is to

say, he shaved his head and his visage, every f ive or ten days

he shave d a l l the res t of h is body. H e met iculous ly remo ved

the swea t f rom h i s a rm -p i t s . H e a te thr ee me als da i ly ; in the

m orn ing , a f te rn oon and a t evening as i s pres cr ibe d in the

C h a r a y a n a .

Im m edia t e ly a f t e r b reakfas t he spen t som e t im e ins t ruc t ing

h i s pa r ro t s i n l anguage . H e the n proce eded to cock-f ights , qua i l -

f ights and rain-f ights; f rom them to the classical plays, t h o u g h

the i r r ep resen ta t ions have sadly d iminished . H e s lept som e

hours a t m id -da y. T he n, as is befi t t ing to the he ad of an house ,

he had h im se l f a r r ayed in h i s o rnam ent s and hab i l im en t and

passed the af te rno on in ta lk wi th h is f r iends and acquaintance .

T h e even ing w as g iven over to s inging. T ow ar d the end of i t

Jod indrana th , a s t he head o f h i s house , re ta in ing only one f r iend


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5

i n h i s com pany , sa t wa i t ing in the a fo rem ent ione d pe r fu m ed

and we l l a r r a ng ed cham b er . A s the l ady w i th w ho m he was a t

tha t t im e connec ted d id no a r r ive on the ins tant , he cons idered

send ing a m e sseng er to r ep roach he r . T he a tm osp here g rew

un eas y. H is f r iend M oho n f idgeted s light ly .

T he n th e lady ar r iv ed . M oh on , h is f r iend, rose grac ious ly

bidding her welcome, spoke a few pleasant words and re t i red .

Jo din ran ath rem ained . A n d for tha t day, the tw enty f if th of

A ug us t , 1 9 1 6 , t h i s was h i s l a s t occupa t ion . In th is respect the

day resembled a l l o thers .

T hi s sort , of th in g has gone on for th i r ty f ive hun dre d yea rs

and there have been no d isas t rous consequences .

3 .

As to Jod indrana th ' s t hough t s and ac t s a f t e r M ohon had l e f t

h i m , I can speak with no defini te cer tainty. I know th a t my

fr iend was deeply re l ig ious ; tha t he modeled h is l i fe on the

Sh a t r a s and som ew ha t on the Su t ra . To the K am a Su t ra he

had g iven m inu te a t tent ion . H e wa s firmly convinced tha t one

shou ld no t t ake one 's p leasure wi th a woman who was a lunat ic ,

or leperous , or too whi te , or too b lack , or who gave for th an

unpleasant odor , or who l ived an asce t ic l i fe , or whose husband

w as a m an given to w ra th and possessed of inordin a te p ow er .

These points were to h im a mat ter of grave re l ig ion .

He cons idered tha t h is f r iends should be cons tant and tha t

they should assis t his designs.

H e con sidere d it f it ting th at a ci t izen should e nte r into re la

t ions wi th laundrymen, barbers , cowmen, f lor i s t s , druggis t s ,

merchants of betel leaves, cab-drivers , and with the wives of

all

these.

He had careful ly cons idered the s izes and shapes and ancient

ca tegor ies of women ; to wit , tho se wh ich sh ou ld be classified

as she-dog, she-horse , and she-e lephant , according to the i r cubic

vo lum e . H e agreed wi th the c l as s ic au th or w ho recom m en ds

men to choose women about the i r own s ize .

The doct r ine tha t love resul t s e i ther f rom cont inuous habi t ,


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f rom imaginat ion , f rom fa i th , or f rom the perc ept ion o f e x te r io r

objec ts , or f rom a mixture of some or a l l of these causes , gave

him no difficulty. H e acce pted th e old au th or s freely.

W e hav e l e ft h im wi th La lun m o ki sh sea t ed upon the bed

hu m pe d in the middle . I can but add tha t he had careful ly

cons idered the def in i t ions la id down in the Sut ra ; k iss nominal ,

kiss palpi tant , kiss contact ic , the kiss of one l ip and of two l ips

(p re fe r r ing the l a t t e r ) , t he k i s s t r ans fe r r ed , t he k i s s showing

intent ion . Bey ond th is he had s tudied the va r iou s m eth od s of

sc ra t ch ing and t ickl ing, and the nai l pressures as fo l lows

:

s o n o r

ous , ha l f moon and c i rc le , peacock-c law, and b lue- lo tus .

H e cons idered tha t the Sut ra was too vague when i t descr ibed

the Bengal i women, saying tha t they have la rge na i l s , and tha t

the sou the rn wom en have small nai ls , which may serve in

d i v e r s m a n n e r s for g iv ing p leasure but g ive less grace to the

h a n d . Bi t ing he d id not m uc h app rove . N or w as he very

grea t ly impressed wi th the l i te rary tas tes of the publ ic women in

Pa ra l ipu t r a . H e r ead books , bu t no t a g rea t m a ny . H e p re

fer red conversa t ion which d id not leave the main groove . He

did not mind i ts being famil iar .

( F o r myself I can only profess the deepest respect fo r the

w o m e n o f P a r a l i p u t r a , who have ever been the f r iends of brah

m ins and o f s tuden t s and who have g rea t ly suppor t ed the a r t s . )

4.

U po n the day fo l lowing, as Jo di nd ra na th was re t i r ing for h is

mid -day repose , h is son entered the per fu me d a pa r tm en t . Jod

indra closed the book he ha d been rea din g. T h e boy w as ab ou t

twelve year s of age . Jo din dra began to ins t ruc t h im , b u t wi th

ou t i nd ica t ing wha t r e m a rks w ere h i s own and wha t de r ived

from ancient auth or i ty . H e sa id : -

" F l o w e r of my l i fe , lotus bud of the parent s tem, you must

preserve our l ine and keep fat our ancestral spir i ts lest they be

found w i thered l ike ba ts , as is sa id in the M ah ab ha ra t a . A nd

for th is purpose you wi l l doubt less marry a v i rg in of your own

caste an d acq uire a legal po ster i t y and a good rep uta t io n. St i l l


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The Little Review 1

7

th e

u sage

of

w omen i s no t for one p u r p o s e only, for w h a t p u r

pose is the u sage of w o m e n ? "

"The use of women," answered the boy , " i s fo r genera t ion

and p leasure ."

"There i s a l so a th i rd use ," sa id h i s fa ther , "ye t wi th ce r ta in

w o m e n y o u m u s t no t mingle . W h o a re the p roh ib i ted wome n ?"

T he boy answ ered , " W e shou ld no t p r ac ti s e dal l iance with the

wo me n of h igher cas te , o r wi th those whom ano ther has ha d for

h i s p leasure , even though they a re o f our ow n caste . Bu t the

pra ct is e of dal l iance w ith w om en of low er caste , an d w ith

women expe l led f rom the i r own cas te , and wi th publ ic women,

and wi th women who have been twice mar r ied i s ne i ther com

m and ed us no r fo rb idden ."

" W i th such w omen ," s a id Jod ind rana th , " da l l i ance ha s n o

objec t save p leasure . Bu t the re a re seasons in l i fe when one

should th ink broad ly . Th ere a re c i rcumstances when you should

not mere ly par ro t a t ex t o r think only as you have been told by

yo ur tutor . A s in dal l iance i tse lf the re is no text to be followed

verba t im, fo r a m an sho uld t rus t in pa r t to the whim of the

moment and not govern himself whol ly by rules , so in making

y o u r career and posi t ion, you should think of more things than

genera t ion and p leasure .

"You need no t say mere ly : 'The woman i s wi l l ing ' o r 'She

has been two t imes mar r ied , wha t harm can there be in th i s

bus iness? ' Th ese a re m ere though ts o f the senses, imp rac t ica l

fancies . B ut you hav e yo ur li fe befo re you, an d per cha nce a

t ime wil l come when you may say, 'This woman has gained the

he ar t of a ve ry grea t husb and , and rules him, and he is a f r iend

of my enemy, i f I can gain favor with her , she wil l persuade

him to g ive up my enemy. ' M y son, you m us t ma nag e yo ur

rud der . A nd again, if he r husb and hav e some evil design

again st you , she m ay diver t h im, or again you m ay say, ' I f I

gain her favor I may then make an end of her husband and

w e

shall ha ve all his g re at riches'. O r if y ou sho uld fall in to

misfor tune and say, 'A l ia ison with this woman is in no way


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The Little Review

bese t wi th danger , she wi l l br ing me a very la rge t reasure , of

which I am grea t ly in need cons ider ing my pes t i lent pover ty

and my inabi l i ty to make a good l iving. '

" O r a g a i n : ' T h i s wom an knows m y weak po in t s , and i f I

refuse her she wi l l b lab them abroad and ta rn ish my reputa

t ion. An d she wil l set her hu sb an d ag ain st m e. '

" O r aga in : 'Th i s wom an ' s husband has v io l a t ed m y wom en ,

I wil l give him his own with good interest . '

" O r a g a i n : 'W i th th i s wo m a n ' s a id I may ki l l the enemy of

Raja , whom I have been ordered to k i l l , and she h ides h im. '

" O r a g a i n : 'The woman I love is under this female 's inf lu

ence ,

I wil l use one as the road to the other . '

" O r . T h i s w o m a n wi l l ge t me a r ich wife whom I cannot

get a t w i thout her . ' N o, my Blue Lo tus , l i fe is a ser ious m at

te r . Y ou wil l not a lway s hav e me to guide you. Y ou m us t

t h i n k of prac t ica l m at te rs . U nd er such c i rcum stances you

should a lly yourse l f wi th such w om en."

Thus spoke Jodindra ; but the counci l i s very ancient and i s

most ly to be found in the Su t ras . Th ese books hav e been

tho ug ht very holy . Th ey conta in chap ters on p i llu les and

phi l t res .

When Jodindranath had f in ished th is speech he sank back

up on one of the cyl indrical cush ions. In a few mom en ts his

hea d bow ed in s lumber . Th is w as the day for o i l. T h e ne xt

day he shav ed his wh ole bod y. H is li fe is no t un du ly ruffled.

U po n ano the r day Jod ind ran a th sa id to h i s son , "T he re a re

certain low women, people of i l l repute, addicted to avarice.

You should not converse wi th them a t the s t ree t corners , l es t

your c redi tors see you."

His son's l ife was not unduly ruffled.


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The Little Review

19

Imaginary Letters

( S i x L e t t e r s of W i l l i a m B l a n d B u rn t o h i s W i f e )

W y n d h a m L e w i s

Petrograd, January 7 , 1 9 1 7 .

D

EAR Lydia,

Y ou r amiable le t te r to han d. I am glad Y or ke ' s cold

i s be t t e r . H e has no t a t h ro a t of i ron tou t com m e son

pere . Bu t I should not w r a p it u p W h e n h e h e a r s me in

the hou se h e a lway s comes leaping in my di r ec t ion ; bu t th e

moment he sees me, he seems to grow old and sober , ra ther

ma n shy, and wh en h e g e ts wi th in abo ut f ive ya rd s of m e ,

makes some innocently aggress ive r e m a r k .

I

wish I could see

him m ore . T he se long absences a t the end s of the E ar th p re

ven t tha t . H e thin ks me a casua l beg gar I bel ieve.

I am "glad you ask me those ques t ions . "W h y not be h ap p y? "

The chief use of a wife, af ter love, is to disgust you with your

weaknesses , and to watch them cons tant ly re turning, by a l l sor t s

of bye-w ays , to the a t tack . O r ra t he r they seem to rega rd a

w ife as ideal "co ve r ," an d a f irst -rate av en ue of re tu rn . Y ou

kick one out one day, an d you f ind h im the nex t sku lk ing

benea th yo ur wife ' s pe t t icoa t w ai t ing h is chance . T h e co njugal

skir t is a t rap from which, any day you feel l ike hunting, you

can return with a ful l bag.

" W h y n o t be happy ?" T ha t i s , why no t aband on the p l an e

of exaspera t ion and res t lessness , and be content wi th the

approximat ions and se l f -decept ions of the major i ty? W el l , of

course happiness of that sort is not wi th in my grasp , i f I wished

it. Bu t w hy expe ct from you a pe rpe tua l d i sc ip line? T h a t d i s

cipl ine is however, a t least as easy for you as for me, i f you

thin k of i t. T h e seren i ty and ease wi th which you accompl ish


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The L i t t l e Review

the most

g rue some se l f - r e s t r a in t s

at

f i r s t su rpr i sed

m e

unt i l I

remembered tha t you d id no t t ake them ser ious ly , l ike

me, or

suffer f rom their necess i ty . N ot ha v in g a sense of va lu es (ve ry

roughly a mascu l ine corner ) bu t on ly the complacency of an

o b e d i e n t m u m m e r , you cove r t he ha r shes t g round w i th Spa r t an

face. I t is only w hen you are lef t a lone that you complain or

ques t ion se r ious ly . Yo u forget a l i t t le the intricacies of our

cerem onial dan ce, and f ind tha t w orr yin g. D on ' t be offended a t

w ha t I have been say ing . Yo u need no t be asha m ed of b e ing

ca lmly hypn ot ic . Y ork e wa s o lder than you when he wa s born .

W e shou ld al l be m ad if our m oth ers did not inv igo rate us w ith

the a i rs of

a

twin kl ing , ear ly and sweet w orld , and feed us

w i th a r emo te " happ ines s . "

Y ou w an t m ore " hap p ines s , " t hough , f o r you r ch il d . W h y ?

I would not be anything but what I am (unless I could f ind

some th ing " unhapp ie r " ) and w hy shou ld

he,

in the future , wish

to be any th ing bu t w ha t I th ink he wi ll becom e? T he re i s an

intox icat ion in the vis tas of effort a nd se l f -cast igat ion wh ich

cann ot be bou ght wi th " hap pin ess ." Ag a in you m ight say ,

"Why

be so ha rd on this pers on or on tha t , and no t accept h im

as a "good fe l low," or take him at the valuat ion of the world ,

an d der ive am usem ent and sen t imenta l sa ti s fac t ion f rom h im ,

R ich a rds , H ep bu rn , Tom , M rs . F i she r W ak e e t c. . e t c. They

have a l l been "quar re l led wi th ." T h a t is, I have not been civil ,

and w e do no t see the m . Bu t I have left you a M en u of equa l ly

am us in g b i rds to whi le aw ay l ife wi th . Yo u wou ld hav e qua r

re l led with the f i rs t lo t in t ime and in due course on unreason

able gr ou nd s, if I had no t foresta l led you. I ha ve m erely d one

the job c leanly and reasonably.

Clean

is not the word, you

argue, for th is cold-blooded pro ces s. I t is no t veiled in the

forms and frenzies of l i fe , but indecent ly done before people

shocked in to a t t en t ion . T he inte l lect i s cruel and rep ug na nt .

Di r ty , tha t i s . (E ve ry th i ng loa thesome is re la ted to d i r t ) ,

I am a t t r ibu t ing a l ine o f a rgument to you and a tone , which

your ques t ions do no t w a r r an t . Bu t I am t ak ing t hem to the i r


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The Little Review

2x

ul t i m ate deve lopm ent . I m us t a lw ays do this , c 'es t mo n ma l e t

mon gloire .

Thousands of beau t i fu l women have spen t the i r lives in

c lo i s t e r s ; t he r e a r e mi l l ions o f o ld ma ids . W he n I am w i th

you I show a full , if not excessive, app recia t ion of yo ur s ex.

Y ou ha ve a ch i ld . W i th a sort of lofty cunning you dote on my

cleverness and improv e you r ow n. Yo u would not be with me

if you r equ i r ed any th ing much different f rom w ha t you get .

But s t i l l you deplore some of my not ions and habi ts . I sus

pect my fr iend Vil lerant of having smiled a t my naivete , and

also suggested that in some things I was cracked and difficult .

I will follow the l ine of argument tha t your que st ions imply :

"W h y not ease off a l i t t le ?" Yo u w ould say, "Y ou wil l adm it

that i t is

uncomfortable

to be a t loggerh eads with

anybody.

Y ou f la t ter a person by takin g so m uch not ice of him as to turn

your back ."

(A t this point I in te r jec t : " I t i s neve r theless mo re com

fortable for m e, in the lon g r u n , to be rude than to be poli te.

I t is a physical discomfort not to show, after a t ime, my feel

ings .)

You cont inue

:

"Being so easi ly disgusted with people sug

gests a na ive ideal ism. W e are a l l r id iculous, looked a t pro p

er ly , by me ans of ou r l i tt le forked bodies . W e are d i sgus t ing

physical ly (e xce pt a few in their fluffy and velvety y o u th ) . So

why carp, and glare , and sheer off? T ak e l ife, in the En gli sh -

civil ized way , as a jo k e; our funny bodies and their pecul iar

needs, our ambit ions , greeds, as comic s tunts of an evident ly

gent leman-crea tor , wh o is mo s t unques t ionably " a spor t . "

At this point , my dear lady, I am going to s top you, and

br ing in the counte r - f lux : re lease the over -mount ing ob jec t ions .

Firs t . I feel tha t we are obviously in the posi t ion of U ly s

ses'

companions ; an d the re is no thin g I resent mo re tha n p eople

sett l ing dow n to beco me w ha t is sensible for a sw ine . I will

st i l l stalk about with my stumpy legs, and hold my snout high,

however absurd it may be . W e m us t ge t th ro ug h th i s encha nt -


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The Little Review

m e n t w i t h o u t too m a n y m e m o r i e s of abasem ent . W e m o s t need ,

in the inner fac t , changing back into men again A n d I don ' t

w a n t t h e " h a p p i n e s s " of the swil l-pai l , b u t a perpe tua l res t less

ness unt i l the magic is o v e r I set out som ewhere on a l egen

da ry expedi t ion= = I do no t da t e f rom Nine teen Tw o.= = I do not

feel l ike sniggering over our p l ight . I am permanently in a

b ad t e m p e r = (I a m no t a " a s p o r t " )

S o S o S o

Socie ty , mo st people , hav e the i r l i t t le bi t of beauty and

energy which is a sm a l l com par tm en t o f life. T h e res t i s the

g e n t l e m a n-an im a l , which am bles a long , t he en d- in - i t se l f= oh

yes

I do not like the gen t lema n-an imal . H e is a poo r beas t .

His glory is to be long to a d is t inguished herd . H e pre fers to

himself a H u m a n Cl iche of m an ne rs , ca tch -phra ses , fashion

able s lang, herd-voice ( w h e n h e Baas the wel l - ins t ruc ted can

ins tant ly tel l that he comes from a very d is t inguishe d h erd ; or

from a qui te good herd ; or f rom a respectable herd ; as the case

m ay be . W he n he he ars a s imi lar Baa he pr icks h is ea r s up, and

B a a s m ore loud ly and l ispingly

himself,

to show his label and

tha t he i s there , he prefers a code wh ich is, m os t of i t , imbecile

in i t s induct ions , imprac t icable , and not hold ing w a t e r . H u m a n

w e a k n e s s , h u m a n needis the w orse for a g loss . Y ou do not

a gree ? I have t h a t feel ing very s t rongly .

B u t I h a v e amplified too much, and wi l l re turn to what I

w i s h e d immedia te ly to s a y . = T h e b e st t h a t most people can see

is the amiable-comic, the comfor table , the advantages of the

gen t lema n-an ima l . I , w ho see beau ty and energy so m uch tha t

they bu lk and outweigh a thousand t imes these cowardly con

t en tm en t s and pis-allers, why should you expect me to admi t

society as an yth ing bu t an org aniz ed pol tro on ey and forgetful

riess? T h e gen t l em an-animal has h is poin ts . A n d it is just

w h e n he is successful t h a t we should d is like h im mo st . F o r he

is the most c u n n i n g effort of society to close its eyes and clog


23/32

The Little Review

2 3

i t s ears .

H e

is the gre at sham reconci l ia t ion an d just i f yin g of

ease.

I must leave you a t th is , my dear woman, as I h a v e to co r

rec t p roofs w anted to -m orro w and twice wr i t t en fo r . = : In

glancing thr ou gh wh at I ha ve wr i t ten in this le t ter , I f ind thin gs

that , were I wri t ing for any but a famil iar ear , would require

resta t ing. T he re is an impl icat ion, for ins tance , tha t enth us i

as t ic herd-man could, i f he would, produce some excel lent ego

in place of his social self, and that i t i s th is immoral waste of

fine ma ter ia l that I object t o = w he rea s of co urse he is radical ly

boring and obn oxiou s. H e is a perfect metis, t he gen t l eman-

an imal , hav in g c rossed consumm ate ly h i s hu m an and i n h u m a n

qualit ies. I l ike to see thin gs side by side, perfe ct ly du al a nd

unm ixed. N ei th er s ide of a man is responsible for the oth er .

But you know my ideas on these subjects and can dia logue

for me as I have for you.

I

wish, Lydia , you were here , wi th your body rasping under

mine now . W e could beat out th is arg um en t to another tune .

Send me more of Vi l l e ran t ' s Aunt Sa l ly's , or anybody else 's ,

to bowl a t . I l ike these imm em orial phizzes s tuck up within

easy reach . I ha ve ba gs full of coc oa-n uts

As far as I can see I shall be stopping over here a t least

ano ther s ix weeks . Th e wa r con t in ues I was sor ry to hea r

G ran t had been blown up. I t sound s like a pra ctica l jo ke . I

hope Pampas wi l l t ake ca re o f h imse l f .= Much occurs here o f

the s t range st . T he Ru ssian factor is qui te cur io us in this gam e.

It is really, much more than the o ther count r ies , a thea t re to

itself, ca r ry ing on a play of quite a different de scrip tion . K iss

Y ork e for me . Al l love to

yourself.

Y ours , W i l l i am Burn .

(Next letter of series will appear in June number.)


24/32

2 4

The Little Review

Prose Coronales

MorrisWard

T o G . M .

Chadwick

" I the reed was a use less p lant ; for out of me

grow not f igs nor apple nor grape-c lus ter ; bu t m a n

consec ra t ed m e in the myster ies of Hel icon, p ierc

ing my frai l l ips and making me the channel of a

n a r r o w s t r e a m ; a n d t h e n c e f o r th w h e n e v e r 1 sip

the b lack dr ink , l ike one inspi red

I

speak a l l words

w i th th is voice less m ou th . " From the Greek

Anthology. Anonymous.

I

The New Dawn

"Y ou hav e s lept long, oh he ar t And you, my hear t ' s dear

com rade , whom m en ca l l B eau ty why have you awakened m e

once m ore and m ade m y bed no longer roses bu t sha rp thorns?"

" T o o many are ye t as leep: they have s lept ove r long . Y ou

m us t awaken now and once m ore , i n this golden dawning, s ing

to them and to th is s i lence round about them out of your soul ' s

r ich pa in , out of your body ' s we ar iness . S ing , t hen , s ing " -

"I wi l l , dear my hear t , my Beauty , I will But oh, the s i lence,

this silence "

II

At Evening

The lamp shines low in the s i lent room, and the lonely poet

d ream s o f l ong- fo rgo t t en evenings . Pu t t in g as ide the volu me

in m y hand I caress the sumptuous fur of the ca t as leep on my

knees ,

crooning to myself the while an old old folk s o n g. W i t h

out , s t re tching far away in to the hor izon, the fields of golden-

wheat sway to and fro under the moon's ful l l ight

;

and on the

screen of th e w i n d o w a single moth clings motionless, i ts fire-


25/32

The Little Review

2 5

l ike eyes dr inking long draughts of the l ight which i t cannot

reach . Oh m ot h why should you love so wel l the th in g tha t

seeks y ou r d ea th ? . . .

An Invocation

I I I

You who love Beauty as the bee loves the f lower , as the bi rd

loves the a i r hai l You who l ie aw ak e a t n ight drea m ing of

the Beauty that i s in the wor ld yet not of the wor ldall hai l

You whose l i fe i s l ike a broken song t rai l ing through the cease

l es s mon otone of hu m an th ings hai l and farew el l

W e we re no t long toge ther , but hap ly ne i the r wi ll soon for

get . Alm ost we un ders too d each other , and in al l the w or ld

there is no wo rd tha t touch es l i fe so quickly as "a lm os t" . A nd

on tha t word we par t ed .

Beca use you ha ve no t learne d that Be auty nev er s top s to

kiss he r chosen ones . Yo u do not know th at wi th he r swee t ,

too- sweet and awful brea th a lone does she condemn them to

journey forever f rom f lower to f lower by day, by night f rom

s tar to s t a r . Eve n as you journe y, a f r ai l, w on dro us an d

ghos t ly be ing , pou r ing for th your pa in-m ad m elodies , broken

melodies , ceaseless ly yearning toward the verge of that perfec

t io n . . . ah

and you would have me leap into those chi l l

profundi t i es , out of the wor ld , out of your dear r emembrance ,

out of the br ight sun ' s warm th , fore ve r

Hear me, pass ionate s t r i cken one

Hear me t h i s once

:

then

i f you wi l l forget me; i f yon can remember s t i l l .For I have

pon dered on the rune of dream s and there in I hav e rea d :

Th at Bea uty is alway s in the search an d in the se ek er ; i t is

a w and er ing an d no t a go al ; a wa ve and not the se a; a f lame

and not the candle :

I t i s that soul which is not man, nor woman, nor chi ld, nor

anything at al l save one long shat tered cry echoing down the

gal ler ies of s tupendous night


26/32

2 6

I t i s th i s c ry tha t I now send to you, va l iant and wayward

one , my s i s te r : - - -

Th i s , and once m o re , t h i s : "H a i l and f a rewe l l . "

I V

The Lover's Lam ent

Once in the waning of an autumn day, as I w a s read ing

to my beloved from a lit t le book of verse, I c a m e upon the

l ines

:

"They are not long, the days of wine and roses

:

out of

a m isty dre am . . . . " Bu t sud den ly a flower-like hand cov

ered the page f rom my eyes and the m om ent o f swee t g l adness

tha t was m ine van ished l ike th e saffron t int s from th e clou ds

beyond, as I fel t her arms steal about my body and saw her

m u t e poppy l ips c raving ye t another k issyet another k iss .

V

Wanderers

Dream ing one n igh t o f a t r i um phan t j ou rney a long the

M ilky W ay , t rav ers i ng the Inf in i te f rom wo r ld to w or ld as

though on f laming cushions, I was awakened by a dul l shuff l ing

noise outs ide my door . I l i s tened for a m om ent : "Ah, i t is

only the o ld b l ind woman across the ha l l , s tumbl ing in the dark

ness on the way to he r room . " And I went to s leep aga in , but

my dr ea m had go ne forev er . . . .

V I

The Accursed

" I n t o the same r iver thou mays t not s tep tw ice " O h sage

gr im one , weaver a t a sable loom, Herac l i tus ,ar ise f rom your

ashes and I wil l show you a woman so fa i r tha t looking on her

you wi l l love , and loving, nevermore p la i t your sombre ne ts of

C hange "In to the same r iver thou mayst not s tep twice "

N o t even if the r iver ' s nam e i s Lo ve ? A ns w er me , sp i r i t of

despe ra t ion , ru th l e s s pas se r -b y : no t even Lo ve? Si lence , on ly

s i lence , and the cont inual has t ing of waters down to the

sea. . . .


27/32

The Little Review

V I I

Ennui

I am t i red of dancing and song, of pictures and the words

tha t me n cease lessy u t te r wi th out need. A nd of m y own d a n c

ing and song, of my own visions and unavai l ing speech I am

more t i red st i l l .If so i t might be, I would l ike to have a room

at the top of a tow er, far above the ea rt h : a room consec ra t ed

to silence, wh ere only the n igh t could enter . A nd the re I wo uld

si t forever by the window, receiving the benedict ions of the

s tars , and wa tch ing in the m oon's pale disc the reflections in

love rs ' eyes as they dra nk from o ne an oth er at the sor row ful

fountains of illusion.

V I I I

The Rose-Jar

Rose-jar , soft to the f inger 's touch, rose-jar l ike a maiden's

breas t , thou chance i ssue f rom the wo mb of B eau ty wh at

coarse-mouthed pot te r turned thee on h is wheel , shaping thee

from the inert c lay? A nd in what anc ient garden b loomed the

flowers now so dry within thy comely bel ly, now so very dry

b u t oh so f rag rant to the nos t r i l s of the po et? Ro se- ja r , sof t

to th e f inger 's touch , rose-jar l ike a maid en's br ea st and even

thou some day will lie upon th e earth and all thy loveliness and

all thy pe rfu m e will re tu rn again un to the clay . . . un to

th e clay ben eath swift br uta l feet. . . .

IX -

Vcsperal

Clear-eyed evening, and thou, dark shadows, chi ldren of the

moon, let us dance toge ther a l i t tle wh ile , an d sing to one

another ant ique melodies , compounded a l l of pass ion and youth

and glad forgetfulness.-For soon the m or nin g wil l come a gain

out of the fateful E as t the mo rn ing with all i ts sul len

duties. . . .


28/32

28

The Little Review

Announcements for June

T he Ju ne issue will contain :

E ig h t new poem s by Wi l l i am But le r - Y ea ts

" A n A nach ron i sm a t Ch inon" by Ez ra Pound

The s econd i n s t a l lmen t o f " Imag ina ry Le t t e r s " by W y n d h a m

Lewis

The second par t o f T . S . E l io t ' s "Ee ldorp and A pp lep l ex"

James Joyce has wr i t t en to say that he wil l be among tne

ear ly con t r ibu tors .

The next number wil l be increased to at least

4 4

pages .

The Litt le Review Book Shop.

T he Li t t l e Review Boo kshop i s now open .

You may order any book you want f rom us and w e hav e the

facil i t ies for delivering or mai l ing i t to you a t whatever t ime

you specify.

You may come in and look over our s tock and take your

selections with you.

Some of the bo oks you wil l w an t a re th ese :

J a m e s J o y c e 's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man . $ 1 . 5 0

N e x o ' s Pelle the Conqueror. Fo u r vo lumes ,

6.00

Gilber t Cannan ' s Mendel. $ 1. 5 0

Roma in Ro l l and ' s Jean Christophe. Th ree vo lum es , $5 .00

D . H . L a w r e n c e's Prussian Officer and Twilight in Italy,

$1 .50 each.

Ethe l S idgwick ' s Promise an d Succession. E a c h $ 1 . 5 0

E z r a P o u n d ' s

Mem oir of Gaudier-Brzeska.

$ 3 . 5 0

The Imagist Anthology, 1 9 1 7 . 75 cen ts

Verharen's Love Poems, t rans la te d by F . S . F l in t . $ 1 . 00

The Plays of Emile Verharen,

t r ans l a t ed by F l i n t , A r th u r

Sym ons , e tc . $ 1 . 5 0

W i l l a r d H u n t i n g t o n W r i g h t ' s Modern Painting a n d The

Creative Will.

$2 .50 and $ 1. 5 0

T a g o r e ' s Reminiscences an d Personality. E a c h $ 1 . 5 0


29/32

The Little Review

Th e com plet e wo rks o f An a to le F ra nc e . Pe r vo lum e , $ 1 . 2 5

T h e W ork s o f H en r i Fa bre . 6 vo lum es . Ea ch

$1 .50 .

Th e W ork s o f M ark Twa in . 2 5 vo lum es , $2 5 . 00

Creative Intelligence,

by Joh n Dew ey and o th ers . $2 .00

C ar l Sandburg ' s Chicago Poems. $ 1 . 2 5

Joseph C onrad ' s

The Shadow Line.

$ 1 . 3 5

M aur i ce Hewle t t ' s Thorgils. $ 1 . 3 5

A n d r e v e v ' s The Little Angel, The Crushed Flower, etc .

$ 1 . 3 5 a n d $ 1 . 5 0

K u p r i n ' s A Slave Soul. $ 1 . 5 0

Tchekoff

The Kiss, The Darling, The Duel, The Black Monk.

E a c h $ 1 . 2 5

Gorky ' s Confession an d Twenty-Six Men and a Girl. $ 1 . 3 5

Dostoevsky 's

The Eternal Husband.

$ 1 . 5 0

Gogol ' s Dead Souls, Taras Bulba, The Ma ntle. $ 1 . 4 0 ,

$ 1 . 3 5 .

Sologub 's The Sweet-Scented Nam e. $ 1 . 5 0

Ar tz ibashe f ' s

Sanine, The Millionaire, The Breaking-Point.

E a c h $ 1 . 5 0

The W orks o f F reud and Jung .

M a x E a s t m a n ' s

Journalism versus Art, Understanding Ger

many. S1.00 an d $ 1 .2 5

John C owper P o w y ' s Confessions, Suspended Judgments.

$1 .50 and $2.00

Pau l Gera ldy ' s The War, Madame. 75 cents .

Am y Lowel l ' s Men, Women and Ghosts. $ 1 . 2 5

H. D. ' s

Sea Garden.

75 cen ts.

D. H . Lawrence ' s Amores. $ 1 . 2 5

W. W. Gibson 's

Livelihood..

$ 1 . 2 5

Th e S to r i es o f A . Ne i l Lyon s . Each $ 1 . 2 5

S h e r w o o d A n d e r s o n ' s Windy McP herson's Son. $ 1. 4 0

I, Mary MacLane. $ 1 . 4 0

NOTE. W e have som e in t e res t ing d i scuss ion fo r t he R eader

Cri t ic this month, but owing to lack of space it will have to be

held over until the next issue.


30/32

The Mouse Trap

T E A S L U N C H E S

We

move

t 3 SheridanSquareTuesday May

the fifteenth. You are cordially

invited

tohave

lunch tea ordinner. Openfrom twelve-thirty to

eight

Orders Taken for

Studio

Teas

3 SheridanSquare

S T A T E M E N T

O F

O W N E R S H I P . M A N A G E M E N T , C I R C U L A T I O N , ' E T C . ,

R

Q U I R E D

B Y T H E A C T O F

C O N G R E S S ,

O F

A U G U S T

24,1912.

O f T H E L I T T L E R E V I E W , publish ed month ly at New Y o r k , N . Y . ,fo r A p r i l 1st, 1916.

State of New

Y o r k ,

C o u n i y of New

Y o r k s s .

Before me, a Notary P u b l i c in and for the State and county aforesaid, personally

appeared M arga ret C.Ander son, who, hav ing been dul y sworn accor ding to law,

L I T T L E R E V I E W , and

that

the

f o l l o w i n g

is, to the best of her knowledge and belief,

a

true statement

of the ow ner sh ip, manageme nt (and if a

daily

paper, the circulation),

etc., of the aforesaid publication for the date sho wn in the above captio n, re qui re d by

the A c t of Au gu st 24, 1912, emb od ie d i n section

tli.

Postal La ws and Regul atio ns,

pr int ed on the revers e of this for m; to w it :

1. That the

names

and

addresses

of the publ ish er , editor, ma na gi ng editor, and

business managers are:

pu blis her , Marga ret C. Ander son, 31 W.Fo urt eent h St., Ne w Y o r k ; Ed i to r . Margaret

C . And er so n, 31 V V .Fourtee nth St . , New Y o r k ; Mana ging Editor , Margar et C.

W . Fourt eenth St., Ne w Y o r k .

2. Tha t th?. owner is, Mar gar et C.Anders on.

3. Tha t the kn ow n bondholde rs, mortgagees , and other secur ity holde rs ow ni ng or

holding1 per cent, or more of tota l amo unt of bonds , mor tga ges , or other sec uri tie s

are; None.

t.

Th at the two paragraphs next above,

g i v i n g

the names of owners, stockho lders,

and security holde rs, i f any. con tain not only the l i s t of stockholders and secu rity

holders as they

appear

upon the books of the comp any but als o, in

cases

wher e the

stockholder or security, holder appears upo n the boo ks of the co mpa ny as t rustee or

i n any oth er fiduciary re la ti on , the name of the pers on or cor por atio n for w ho m such

trustee

is act ing, is give n; also

that

the s aid two paragraphs contain

statements

e

under which stockholders and security holders who do not

appear

upo n the bo ok s o f

the company a

trustees,

hold stock an d secur itie s in a capa city other than tha t of a

bona fide owner; and this affiant has no reason to believe that any other pers on,

o r other securities than as so stated by her.

M A R G A R E T

C. A N D E R S O N .

Sworn to and subscribed before me this 9th day of

A p r i l ,

1917.

W A L T E R H E A R N , No ta ry P u b l i c .

( M y commission expires

M a r c h

30th, 1918.)


31/32

Hello

Huck

R

E C A L L

that gol den day when you first read " H uck

F i n n

"?

H o w you r mother said , " Fo r goodness' sake, stop laughing

aloud over that book. Y o u sound so

s i l l y .

But you couldn't stop laughing.

Today

when you read "H uck leb err yF i n n you w i l l not laugh so muc h. Y o uw i l l chuckle

often, but you w i l l also want to weep. The deep human ity of itthe pathos, that you

never saw, as a boy, w i l l ,appeal to you now. Y o u were too busy laughing to notice the

l i m p i d purity of the

master's

style.

Mark T W A I N

When M a r k T w a i n first wrote " Hu ck le berry

F i n n

" this land was swept w i th a gale

of laughter. When he wrote " The Innocents Abroad " even E uro pe laughed at it itself.

B u t one day there'appeared a new book from his pen, so spiritual, so true, so lofty that

those who did not know him w e l l were amazed . " Joan of Arc " was the work of a poet

a historiana

seer.

M a r k

T w a i n

was all of

these.

His was not the light laughter of a

moment' s fun, but the whimsi cal humor

that

made

the tragedy of

l i f e

more bearable.

Real American

M a r k T w a i n

was a

steamboat

pilot.

H e was a searcher for g o l d in the far

Wes t. H e was a printer . He worke d

bitterly hard. A l l this without a g l i m -

merof the

great

destiny thatlay before

him. Then,

w i th

the opening of the

great

wide West, his genius bloomed.

H i s fame spread through the nation.

It flew to the ends ofthe

earth,

u n t i l

his work was translated into strange

tongues. Fr om then on, the path of

fame lay straight to the high places.

A t

the height of his fame he lost all

his

money. He

was

heavily in

debt,

but though 60 years old, he started

afresh and paid every cent. It was the

last heroic touch that drew him close

to the

hearts

of his countrymen.

Theworldhasasked istherean

A m e r i-

can literature? M a r k Twain isthe an-

swer. H e is the

heart,

the spiri t of

A m e r i c a .

Fromhispoorand struggling

boyhood to his glorious, splendid old

age, he remained as simple, as demo-

cratic as the plainest ofour forefathers.

He was, of all

Americans,

the

most

Ameri

can.

Free

in

soul,

and

dreaming

of

high

thingsbrave in the face of

troubleand

al

waysreadyto

laugh.

Thatwas Mark

Twain.

H A R P E R & B R O T H E R S

New Y o r k

The Price

Goes

Up

25 Volumes

NovelsStories

Humor

EssaysTravel

History

T h i s is M a r k Tw ain' s own set. This is the set he

wanted in the home of each of thosewho love him.

Because he asked it . Har per s have worked to make

a perfect set at a reduced price.

Before the war we had a contrac t pric e for paper,

so we couldse l l this set ofM a r k T w a i n at h a l f price.

Send the Coupon Without Money

The last of the editionis in

sight.

The

price

of paperhas gone up. There can

be no

more

Mark

Twain

at the present

price.

There never again will be

any more Mark

Twain

at the

pr s nprice.

Get the 25 volumes

now, while you can.

Every

Americanhas got to

have

a

set of Mark

Twain

in his

home. Get yours now

and

save

money.

your chi ldren w nt

Mark

Twain.

Yon

want him.

Send

thiscoupon to.

daynow-

while yon

are

looking

at it

/ L .

R.

5

HARPER

BROTHERS

Franklin Sq., N. Y.

end me, all

charges

prepaid, a set of Mark

Twain's

works in 25

olumes,

illustrated, bound

in handsome green cloth,

stamDed

in

cold,

cold

tons anH

ntrimmed

edges. If not satisfac

tory,

I will returnthem at

your

ex

pense. OtherwiseI

will

sendyou 1,00

ithm

5 daysand 2.00a month for 12

months,

thus getting

the

benefit

of

your

half-price

sale.

Little

Review


32/32

Special Offer

A M E S J O Y C E ' S

A Portrait of the Artist as a

Young

Man

anda year's subscription to

The Little Review

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W e areh a p p y to a n n o u n c e t h a t t h r o u g h the c o u r t e s y

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we are

a b l e

to

m a k e

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f o l l o w i n g

u n u s u a l o f f e r , o p e n

toany one who

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ina

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t i o n or a r e n e w a l ) to

The Little Review:

M r . J o y c e ' s

Portrait of the Artist as a

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at

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to

T H E L I T T L E R E V I E W

3 1 W e s t 14th S t r e e t

N e w Y o r k C i t y .

F o r e i g n S u b s c r i p t i o n s

r e c e i v e d at E n g l i sh off ice of

The Little Review

5 H o l l a n d P l a c e C h a m b e r s

K e n s i n g t o n , L o n d o n , W . 8.

the little review (pound to mencken)

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