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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 2, No. 2 March 15, 1939

N.Z. Verse — Green Wood-White Wood

page 3

N.Z. Verse

Green Wood-White Wood

Arnold Cork, already well known by reason of his verse in "Art in New Zealand," the "New Zealand Mercury," and other publications, including several anthologies, has collected thirty poems Into a book well worth owning, "Green Wood—White Wood," recently published.

Although much of this, verse is cast in traditional mould. Mr. Cork is not afraid to make use of modem and even advanced verse forms. His elimination of much conventionally used punctuation that is in reality quite unnecessary, will no doubt displease critics of the older school, but there is a dynamic beauty of expression, and frequently of form, that merits the praise of all. We quote from "Steel Engraving"—with echoes of Swinburne, yet strongly individualistic:

"Yet splendid, O Time, is thy wildness of wastage of wastage thy wanting
thy sunsets and songfalls, O Time, on the wind blowing sweet
from the poppy land honey land happy land Once-Long-Ago
where the stubbles of memories roll to the leas of the twilight
the low-light and dimness then darkness of Ages-Ago;
O splendid the calling-deep-echoing song of thy hunger
wild heart with thy passions of beauty and never again ..."

"Tapestry-Cartoon for Pioneer." first published in "Art in New Zealand" some two years ago is a fine example of the poet's mastery of words and of his ability to grasp the essential spirit of New Zealand in lines of great beauty, and is so well known that it need not be quoted here. Love for our country is manifest In this poem as well as in many other of the poet's exquisite descriptive passages. From "Richmond Hills. N.Z.":

"These hills are out of Faery and belong
to curving worlds and shadows purple-strong:"

"Timber Mill" Is noteworthy for its very effective rhythms and its astonishingly musical sound effects—It is indeed music in words, and at the same time it is a vivid portrayal of a typical bush-sawmill scene. It must be read as a whole to be appreciated. "Rhythm." with its naive philosophy, and "World Music." have also excellent sound effects.

"And I love the sound of the Clydesdale
on a metal road in the frosty morn;
round and liquid and good it moves
to the soul as a sound that is beauty-born."

"The spring songs of the perfume-budding world
When the wind holds choir-boy voices yet unfurled;"

"Gust of Wind" is a poetic fancy of intense charm:

"For she was young and lored the wind who spent
his strength with her, yet took his breath to heart
to dance but in the semblance of the art
which is the carven moon's bewitching motion
caught in the curving facets of an ocean."

The opening lines of "Walter de a Mare" show a deep appreciation of the creative genius of that poet of fantasy, to whom Arnold Cork is himself often akin in thought, although more the poet of to-day than of the past.

"He is the poet of all things lost.
The weaver of dreams come nearly true."

"Domino" is a curiously attractive impression in the modern manner, based upon a subject that could very easily have fallen to the merely banal—a cow in a meadow! Yet here Mr. Cork rises to passages of much beauty.

"O tell me tell me Domino
there's no inquietude below
the final long felicity
and death is sweet with bergamot
and brier-rose and thymet"

Not all the poems in "Green Wood—White Wood" are of such a high order as those mentioned above, to which full justice obviously cannot be done by the quoting of isolated lines, but the whole book is of value to all who are interested in New Zealand verse, and is worthy to take its place in the slowly-increasing ranks of our literature that is worth while.

—a.