Item 3 - Letter from Arthur Waley to R. C. Trevelyan

1 item

13 Hanover Terrace, Ladbroke Grove, W. - Sends the "Poems" which he prepared for printing 'very hurriedly', thinking that he was going soon to the War Office or 'somewhere similar'; however, he is still at the [British] Museum for the moment. Afraid the 'metre is very hard to make out'; has not put in stress marks; each line can be 'made to go' like that of the original, but he fears many 'scan more obviously as blank verse'. There was too little to be published in the 'ordinary way', but it seemed 'convenient' to have a few copies to give to interested people. Was going to send [Logan] Pearsall Smith one anyway; has met him, he thinks at Graham Wallas's. Did not have his J[udith] Gautier or [Launcelot Cranmer-] Byng with him, or he might have avoided repeating several poems, but he deliberately included Tu Fu's "Recruiter" even though 'everyone' has translated it, as it is 'so superb'. Will be at the Shalford Park Hotel, near Guildford, for the Easter weekend; will be with a 'Chinaman who sings the poems' [Mr Cheng, see 17/5; perhaps Cheng Yao Lu, attaché at the Chinese embassy?].