Anna Hempstead Branch, author of many beautiful short poems and several brief dramas, is strongest in "Nimrod," a long philosophical poem. In this, as in her other writing, the sense of the mystical is marked.
"Soldiers of the Light," by Helen Gray Cone, is remarkable for its artistic, subtle yet uplifting feeling. Louise Imogen Guiney, who has been writing for many years, has some recent verse that is of even more than its usual spirituality; read "The White Sail," and "Tryste Noel." Read also from the poems of Rosamund Marriott Watson, Edwin Arlington Robinson, and Agnes Lee, as well as the lovely verse of Alice Brown.
VI—LYRICS AND POEMS OF NATURE
This is one of the divisions which covers an immense field. Among the many writers who might be chosen for study is Alfred Noyes, the young Englishman who is so often compared with Tennyson. He writes spontaneous, optimistic verse. He loves sunshine and green fields and children; he is sometimes dramatic, sometimes playful, but always graceful. "The Barrel Organ" and "Forty Singing Seamen" are among his finest lyrics, but "The Flower of Old Japan" is also noteworthy. Study the other work of Noyes, especially his drama, "Drake."
John Vance Cheney has many lovely lyrics, as have William Vaughan Moody, Bliss Carman, Clinton Scollard, Lizette Reese, Edith Thomas, and a long list of others. Read several of each from the books of Miss Rittenhouse.
Madison Cawein writes of nature always with the same touch of freshness. He idealizes everyday things, fields, grass, and flowers; he has what has been called "the romantic love of out-of-doors." Sometimes he strikes a more vigorous tone, as in his "Prayer for Old Age." Read this, and "The Wild Iris."
Arthur Upson has a style peculiar for its dreamy beauty and exquisite finish. His "Octaves in an Oxford Garden" shows him at his best. "Westwind Songs" is also full of delicacy and grace. His last work, a drama called "The City," has these same qualities.
Charles G. D. Roberts has, among many other things, a collection of verse called "The Book of the Native," with descriptive poems of Canadian forests. His "Afoot" and "The Recessional" are especially charming.
Richard Burton's "Dumb in June" and his later "Quest of Summer" are both full of poetic insight and beautiful expression. These, with his "Lyrics of Brotherhood," are all well worth study. See "Poems," by C. G. D. Roberts (The Page Company), and "Pipes of Pan," by Bliss Carman (The Page Company).