n c lo an G n r Lau e t d ue eve e A P oem in D r ama: T H and th V . he oly G raal O er Fragments BY RIC HARD H O VEY Ea r/z net LAUN C ELOT AN D GUEN EV ERE A POEM IN D RAMAS THE Q UEST OF MERLI N A MASQUE THE MARR IAGE OF GUENEVERE A T RAGEDY THE B IRTH OF GALAHAD A ROMANTIC D RAMA TALIESI N A MASQUE THE HOLY GRAA L AND OTHER FRAG MENTS OF THE UN G OM PLETED ARTHURIAN DRAMAS ALON G THE TRAIL C OLLECTED P oEM s ‘s t I n \ j ‘ i | fl r “ l I AND O TH ER FRAG M ENTS BY RlARD DOVEY BEIN G THE UN C OMPLETED PARTS OF THE ARTHURIAN D RAMAS Edited w ith Introd uction a nd Note: by M R S . R I C H A R D H O V E Y A nd 4 Pr ef a ce by B L I S S C A R M A N NEW YORK D UFFIELD CO M PANY 1907 C O P R G H T 1907 B Y I , , Y DUFFIELD C O MPANY A ll R ight : R e s e r v ed Published Se emb pt er, 1907 - N TE TM: 60 0 1 ha l s a s o be O en t opj r lght ed a : a d r a m atic r omp ox ition 2 0 0 7 o f W m CONTENTS PREFACE INTRODUCTION SCHEMA TH E HOLY GRAAL NOTES ON THE HOLY GRAAL DIGEST OF THE H OLY GRAAL A STOLAT NOTES ON ASTOLAT FATA MORGANA NOTES ON FATA MORGANA KING ARTHUR NOTES ON KING ARTHUR DIGES T OF KING ARTHUR AVALON NOTES ON AVALON PREFACE THERE is an unusual interest in this book of fr ag m ents from th e Arthurian plays which Richard hi a Hovey left unfini s hed at the tim e of s de th, in that it throws n ew light on th e whole s eries of mas ques and dramas which he originally proj ected “ n e u der the title, Launcelot and Guenevere, A Po m ! in Dramas . o f es and Four parts this work, two lyrical ma squ hi e two plays, w ere already publi shed during s lif ns of time . And although the s e are po etic creatio u n m arked bea ty a d power, they have alw ays lacked s om ething of the fulles t s ignificance which potenti ally b elongs to them as r elated portion s of a l arger and n e e a th e more imposi g whol . We can nev r h ve pl ea s ure of reading thi s great cycl e of pl ays and interludes in th e b eauty of its entirety as Hovey an s ee would have written it, but now at la s t we c e of mor its full s cope and purport , and derive a d eepened s ati s faction from r ealizing its es s ential u e s s nd s a a prof ndity, s riou ne s , a wi dom . Fr gment ry as e u it is, th refore, thi s vol me, with its illuminating e not s and introduction, will have a preciou s im portance to the lover of poetry and the student of me A rican letters . 7 Perhaps the chief thin g to b e kept in mind in ’ regard to Richard Hovey s treatment of the Arthu s a a rian l egends is thi , th t he w s not primarily in terested in them for their historic and picturesque a e a a value s poetic mat ri l , great s that valu e un e as his doubt dly is . It w not aim to reproduce a distant fabulou s age for our near er view for the s e of an se mere ak its glamour d romance. He cho the s tory of Guen evere and Launcelot for the sake of the p s ychological probl em it in volves and illu s es s n h old trat . It wa the i ward S ignificance of t e s o a a e tale, apt and famili r a c s e in point, that form d e in as its supr me value his cons ideration . H e w not f r as seeking a theme o his po etic activity, s o much m a serviceable e bodim ent for his poetic ideals . His e thought on the m ain s ubj ect was d efinitely form d, as s x n h ad his t k wa to e emplify a d illustrate it . He at heart and in mind s ome frank s olution of perplex an e ing human relations hips, and needed ad quate n plot to m ake his s olution clear and telli g. The problem he felt called upon to d eal with is e a n l e e a per nni l o e, o d as the world , y t intens ly n e man modern , a d it appealed to him as a mod rn keenly alive to allthe social compl ex iti es of our a s e a civiliz tion . But for all th at, he wi h d to get aw y a so a from the modern s etting for his dram , th t the ex pos ition of his ideas might not be confu s ed by the s baffling counter interes t O f contemporary reali m . e s He was not attempting a comedy o f m ann r , but a h armonod f y o ethics . The farther away from the th e nineteenth c entury his scenes could be laid , more easily could our attention be concentrated on 8 h e f u and t interplay o ch aracter s , the o tcome Of acts , n u the fi al elucidation of a h man probl em . e en e Two cours s were Op to him , th refore . He a a n a could either find some mple, pl stic, a d famili r — plot ready to hand , ample enough to l end dignity to a a an a e his ch r cters, Old d v gue enough to be treat d n m n a freely, and familiar e ough to ea s ily co m a d t tention ; or he could create a plot of his own and e p eople it with s trange and unaccu stomed nam s, s after the m anner of Maurice M aete rlinck . H e cho e h n s t e former alternative . And con s ide ri g the ba is of h i s e s s e find choice, we n ed not be urpri d if we n i e ffe him ma ipulating h s m ateri al v ry freely, and di r ing in h is conception and portrayal Of th e ch aracters from other poets who have preced ed him in the e a e n s ame fi ld . The Arthuri n cycle provid d Ten y s on with the groundwork of a n ational epic of noble proportions and m aj e stic b eauty ; it has furni shed romantic data for numberl es s dr ama s and lyrics to many poets in many ages ; to Richard Hovey it f n e a forded a modern in stance stripp ed of moder dr ss . This fund amental conception mu st be borne in mind , ’ if we would form a j ust appreciation Of Hovey s e achiev m ent . s a a s f The e fr gment ry bit o his work, his notes , n a n f n s out j ottings , t e t tive sce arios , li s ts o p erso , m in r lines , s et down from ti e to time notebooks o on ea alle th e s ad n s stray l ves, were l ft in co fu ion of a bu s y works hop whence the craftsm an is s uddenly a e a r a a n c ll d aw y . Co ning upon such h erit ge , o one could have pi eced togeth er the variou s unfini s h ed and a lines s peeches , understood the innumer ble 9 r m emoranda, o brought any order out Of such a ’ s a m edley, who did not know all the workman pl ns as e Mr s e as th e for the intended m terpi ce . Hov y w n n n s o ly one fitted for that und ertaking, for o o e el e was s o con s tantly in touch with him in his work h er es from day to day . He discussed with in endl s talks allthe debatabl e and crucial point s of his s ub a ject and its treatment through many ye ars . Wh t he f s o f a n should mak e o thi character, what th t incide t , e e u a wh r the j ealou s y motive was to be bro ght in, wh t the final s olution of the tr agic complication was to be — u a , the h ndred and one question s O f p sychologic l n s and e n f as n i ight t ch ical nicety, o such unce i g i e s h e nd nt re t to t artist, were all canva s s ed again a a n h a ag i .