| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Golden Threshold by Sarojini Naidu: inherited from him and also from my mother (who wrote some lovely
Bengali lyrics in her youth) proved stronger. One day, when I
was eleven, I was sighing over a sum in algebra: it WOULDN'T come
right; but instead a whole poem came to me suddenly. I wrote it
down.
"From that day my 'poetic career' began. At thirteen I wrote a
long poem a la 'Lady of the Lake'--1300 lines in six days. At
thirteen I wrote a drama of 2000 lines, a full-fledged passionate
thing that I began on the spur of the moment without forethought,
just to spite my doctor who said I was very ill and must not
touch a book. My health broke down permanently about this time,
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Crisis in Russia by Arthur Ransome: speculation could at least be checked by the introduction of
labor books, which would give some sort of registration of
each citizen's work; (3) that workmen can be brought back
from the villages only for enterprises which are supplied
with provisions or are situated in districts where there is
plenty. ("The opinion that, in the absence of these
preliminary conditions, it will be possible to draw workmen
from the villages by measures of compulsion or mobilization
is profoundly mistaken.") (4) that there should be a census
of labor and that the Trades Unions should be invited to
protect the interests of the conscripted. Finally, this
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen: that the enclosed packet should be sent to me after his death.
That was all."
"And haven't you written for further particulars?"
"I have been thinking of doing so. You would advise me
to write to the doctor?"
"Certainly. And what about the book?"
"It was sealed up when I got it. I don't think the
doctor had seen it."
"It is something very rare? Meyrick was a collector,
perhaps?"
"No, I think not, hardly a collector. Now, what do you
The Great God Pan |
