[Document] A Word at the Beginning
Title
[Document] A Word at the Beginning
Subject
Le Prade, Ruth
Le Prade, Ruth. A woman free, and other poems, 1917
Description
Markham writes an introduction for a new book of poetry by Ruth Le Prade [at her request; see Le Prade letters Dec. 17, 1915 and Mar. 10, 1916].
Creator
Markham, Edwin, 1852-1940
Source
Edwin Markham Archive, Horrmann Library
Date
1916
Contributor
Wagner College, Staten Island, NY
Rights
Please contact the Horrmann Library at Wagner College for rights to use this digital image.
Format
image/jpeg
Language
eng
Type
Text
Identifier
MarkhamLePrade1
Text
A Word At The Beginning
In the eager pages of this little volume we find a spirit deeply touched with the love of humanity, a spirit alive to all its raptures and despairs. These verses are written by one of the vibrant and valorous souls of the Far West, a young woman who is yearning to help pass on to all souls the beauty of earth, the beauty of joy. Intense sympathy for man and nature is the pulse of this unpretentious, free-verse offering. The writer does not claim to come with ornamental periods, with polished phrases. Indeed, she modestly disclaims the labors and the laurels of the poet, and says with a sparkle:
“Poets have carefully carved their songs,
Toiling with words, phrases and stanzas,
Till all was finished;
But I do not carve my songs,
Toiling with words, phrases and stanzas,
And all that I leave is unfinished.
That you shall be a poet
Finishing each according to yourself!”
So Ruth Le Prade comes with the simple speech of every-day, declaring her compassion for the multitudes, announcing her contempt of caste and conventionality, affirming her faith in the coming of the great day when love shall take form in a comrade order, wherein all from the greatest to the least shall have the social and material resources for living a rich and abundant life. These pages stir with a trembling earnestness, shine with a vivid fire of faith. May they go forth to kindle hearths, to kindle hearts.
Edwin Markham
West New Brighton, NY
1916
In the eager pages of this little volume we find a spirit deeply touched with the love of humanity, a spirit alive to all its raptures and despairs. These verses are written by one of the vibrant and valorous souls of the Far West, a young woman who is yearning to help pass on to all souls the beauty of earth, the beauty of joy. Intense sympathy for man and nature is the pulse of this unpretentious, free-verse offering. The writer does not claim to come with ornamental periods, with polished phrases. Indeed, she modestly disclaims the labors and the laurels of the poet, and says with a sparkle:
“Poets have carefully carved their songs,
Toiling with words, phrases and stanzas,
Till all was finished;
But I do not carve my songs,
Toiling with words, phrases and stanzas,
And all that I leave is unfinished.
That you shall be a poet
Finishing each according to yourself!”
So Ruth Le Prade comes with the simple speech of every-day, declaring her compassion for the multitudes, announcing her contempt of caste and conventionality, affirming her faith in the coming of the great day when love shall take form in a comrade order, wherein all from the greatest to the least shall have the social and material resources for living a rich and abundant life. These pages stir with a trembling earnestness, shine with a vivid fire of faith. May they go forth to kindle hearths, to kindle hearts.
Edwin Markham
West New Brighton, NY
1916
Data Digital
2009
Digitization Specifications
IBM ThinkCentre Intel Pentium 4 3.06GHz running Windows XP Professional Version 2 Service Pack 2; Epson Expression 10000XL scanner; Master Scanner Settings: 24-bit RGB, 400 dpi resolution; File Format: TIFF; Compression: none; Reference Images resized and converted with Adobe Photoshop CS2 version 9.0.2: 8-bit RGB; 400 ppi resolution; Compressed jpeg.
Collection
Citation
Markham, Edwin, 1852-1940 , “[Document] A Word at the Beginning,” Edwin Markham Digital Archive, accessed April 26, 2024, https://markham.omeka.net/items/show/643.