Letter from Edward Thomas to the poet Gordon Bottomley. Sent from Elses Farm, The Weald, Kent. Archival ref: 424/1/1/1/10/68
THE WEAL
NR S
278.viii 06 after midnight
My dear Gordon,
Many thanks for your letter and my proofs. I am releived and more than that by your liking things in the first chapter. In fact your letter lifted me up until this evening when I got this 3rd lot of proofs, which include the horrible 'Village', 'Frieze at the Elms' and 'August'. I don't know how I can forgive them. They were written in 1902 and in part as early as 1899, and I have them by me - Dent insisted on 63000 - and so I had to throw them in. They make a nasty mess, though they include a few (recent) sentences which are not bad. They and the length of my work today have quite put me out.
In each case I have done what you suggest. The 'ands' are gone, though one was not quite wrong (the other was a printer's invention). Also I have re-written the first
D
Evenoaks
sentence of all, whilst now stands: 'Sunday afternoon had perfected the silence of the suburban street' which I know is heave and parsonic. I thoroughly admire your opening of 'Lady Gwendolen's Flight' etc. Why not continue the stories? I want to know about the French polished dress box.
It is very nice of Marriott to read me - you don't say 'like'. I believe he is good, but I never read 'The Column'. Did you? Walter Ramal reads my reviews and remembers them. Isn't he versatile? I am printing his 'Child in the Story Awakes' and 'Bunches of Grapes' (ending '"a bumpity ride in a waggon of hay for me" says Jane') not because they are the best, but on the whole the fittest. 'Reverie; (beginning 'When Slim Sophia') is lovely: so is your choice.
I feel sure you are right about Ensor. But don't worry about Doughty. He seems to me now very big but although I did not say so I do hesitate about him and
feel that he may turn out a Southey after all. Remember that Edward Garnett gave me a good start towards my admiration for Doughty. And positively Doughty is an antiquasion. Admitting that, perhaps I am not so far from him. Also, is is very rapacious of him to demand that all beauty shall come into your sight! But you should read his love scene of Esla and Cluten - she covering him with her mantle and using from his embrace at dawn not knowing 'she hath known a man'.
I am too tired to go on and tomorrow I have many books to review and then I go away and then hurry until Michelmas.
Tell me what you would like me to put into my Anthology of yours - not necessarily from The Gate of Smalagdus. I don't min a passage from one of your plays or an unpublished poem. It should not exceed 24 lines by much if at all.
Bad verse writers now send me their books gratis because I said something about modern poetry lately.
Helen and I send out love to Emily and you.
Yours and ever Edward Thomas
I hope the next proofs will be a better lot. They are very ill printed, I think.