ÉMILE VERHAEREN
BY
STEFAN ZWEIG
LONDON
CONSTABLE AND COMPANY LTD
1914
Émile Verhaeren from an unpublished photograph byCharles Bernier, 1914.PREFACE
Four years have passed since the present volume appeared simultaneouslyin German and French. In the meantime Verhaeren's fame has beenspreading; but in English-speaking countries he is still not so wellknown as he deserves to be.
Something of his philosophy—if it may be called philosophy rather thana poet's inspired visualising of the world—has passed into the publicconsciousness in a grotesquely distorted form in what is known as'futurism.' So long as futurism is associated with those who haveacquired a facile notoriety by polluting the pure idea, it would be aninsult to Verhaeren to suggest that he is to be classed with thefuturists commonly so-called; but the whole purpose of the presentvolume will prove that the gospel of a very serious and reasonedfuturism is to be found in Verhaeren's writings.
Of the writer of the book it may be said that there was no one morefitted than he to write the authentic exposition of the teaching whichhe has hailed as a new religion. His relations to the Master are notonly those of a fervent disciple,[Pg vi] but of an apostle whose labour oflove has in German-speaking lands and beyond been crowned with signalsuccess. Himself a lyrist of distinction, Stefan Zweig has accomplishedthe difficult feat, which in this country still waits to be done, oftranslating the great mass of Verhaeren's poems into actual and enduringverse. Another book of his on Verlaine is already known in an Englishrendering; so that he bids fair to become known in this country as oneof the most gifted of the writers of Young-Vienna.
As to the translation, I have endeavoured to be faithful to my text,which is the expression of a personality. Whatever divergences there arehave been necessitated by the lapse of time. For help in reading theproofs I have to thank Mr. M.T.H. Sadler and Mr. Fritz Voigt.
J. BITHELL.
HAMMERFIELD,
Nr. HEMEL HEMPSTEAD,
14th July 1914.
[Pg vii]
CONTENTS
PART I
THE NEW AGE
THE NEW BELGIUM
YOUTH IN FLANDERS
'LES FLAMANDES'
THE MONKS
THE BREAK-DOWN
FLIGHT INTO THE WORLD
PART II
...