14 Calverley Park, Tunbridge Wells. -Thanks Trevelyan for sending him his book ["The Bride of Dionysus"]; he makes 'the old legends live again'. Wonders if the opera has been performed yet, as Trevelyan says the music [by Donald Tovey] is completed; will look out for notices. Trevelyan's vers libre does not appeal to him, but 'poets have every right to try experiments', and he is right to use it if it seems most suitable to him. Is perhaps most interested by Trevelyan's 'handling of hex. metre [hexameter]' in his version of Lucretius, which seems to use six accents rather than regular feet; has doubts, which also apply to [Robert] Bridges, [Henry] Newbolt, [Lascelles] Abercrombie and others, whether speech-accent gives 'sufficient certainty'; discusses with examples. Otherwise he admires the lines as a 'scholarly exercise'. Has never understood the metre of "Attys" [Catullus 63], in the original or in other translations; amuses him to 'what different views' people seem to have. Has written a great deal about metre: this is not the sole criterion for judging poetry, but he does take it seriously, for 'is it not that alone which differentiates it from prose?'; perhaps that is why he thinks the lines from [Sophocles's] "Ajax" most successful. Remembers Trevelyan quoting the chorus [from the "Bride of Dionysus" itself] on page 13 to him. Hopes that the Trevelyans are well; he and his wife much enjoyed last summer and hope for more of the same this year. Have been at home all winter 'as usual', but now thinking of travelling, though after the Browning centenary celebration in Westminster which they hope to go to; wonders if they will see Trevelyan there. Has written little this winter apart from correspondence and a few reviews and 'letters to weeklies etc'; encloses something about hexameters from the "Modern Literary Review", which gives copies of articles instead of cash payments ["Homer's Odyssey: A Line-for-Line Translation in the Metre of the Original by H. B. Cotterill", The Modern Language Review", Vol. 7, No. 2 (Apr., 1912), pp. 257-262; no longer present]. Was glad to get [Henry Bernard] Cotterill's book for review as it is published only in an expensive edition, but was disappointed by his verse; had hoped for better from things he had written about prosody. Trevelyan's brother [George] has had a 'grand success' with his books about Garibaldi, which he himself has read with 'delight' and 'reviving of old enthusiasms', while Trevelyan's father is still writing new books and having old books republished.
Pensione Palumbo, Ravello, prov. di Salerno, Italy.- Is writing to her instead of to his father, as he intended, since 'Bessie has rather a chill' though he thinks not a serious one, and has gone to bed. She 'often has these feverish chills, and if she goes to bed in time they seldom become serious'; Mrs Reid's doctor will see her tomorrow and Robert will let his mother know how she does. He has a chill himself, though not severe enough to send him to bed. Since the weather is 'very fine, though still a little coldish out of the sun', he expects Bessie will recover soon. They have had 'dreadful weather until two days ago, in various forms'.
Asks her to thank his father for his speech, which they 'both appreciated very much'; will write to him about it soon. The Booths [Charles and Meg] are arriving on the 29th. Some 'rather nice people' are here, the Omonds: 'free-churchers of Edinburgh', though they no longer live there' thinks he [Thomas] was until recently a don at Oxford, and he has written a book 'on the theory and science of metres, a dull enough subject to most people' but of 'great interest' to Robert. Finds him 'practically the only theorist on metre' he agrees with, so of course has much to discuss with him. Tells his mother that 'the fiscal question is nothing as compared with the great metrical question, in difficulty and intricacy,' though he will not claim in importance.
His play [The Birth of Parzival] comes out soon, and the publishers have sent him a copy, which seems alright; his mother may think 'the print a little too high up the page', has doubts himself, but would rather that than too low. The price is to be three shillings and sixpence, as two and sixpence would not cover costs. Has dedicated it to Bertie Russell, who has given him 'much advice and encouragement'; Russell has been 'very critical', too, but so is Robert 'now at least'. Expects people will say that 'though in form a play, it is not really dramatic, and perhaps should have been treated more frankly as a poetical narrative'.
Has no message from Bessie, as he has left her to sleep, but his mother must not be anxious about her; thinks she will only need a day or two in bed. Will write again tomorrow.