You must forgive me for not having written before, but things are still very unsettled and all sorts of annoyances happened to interfere. I could not come on Sunday as Sundays I am especially busy. I enlose another poem.
Yours sincerely
ISAAC ROSENBERG
159 Oxford St
DEAR MISS WRIGHT
I saw Miss Cook at the N.G. and she told me Mr Quick had seen my poems and wished to see my drawings. I have not got a room yet so its difficult to arrange about seeing them — in fact I’ve hardly got anything to show. I am very bothered — I think I’ve been saying that in all my letters to you — but I really am in a very serious situation. I have thrown over my patrons they were so unbearable, and as I can’t do commercial work, and I have no other kind of work to show, it puts me in a fix. I only mention these private troubles to excuse my backwardness in answering your letter
I trust you and your sister enjoy the holidays.
I have written other poems since. I send the last one as I can’t find the others just now.
Yours sincerely
ISAAC ROSENBERG
December 27, 1912
159 Oxford St
Mile End E
DEAR MISS WRIGHT
Thank you for your letter. My affairs have cleared up a little, I have managed to get fixed up for some time at least satisfactorily. I shall not be able to turn up Sat, as I have work to do, but I think Thursday I could. By then I think I shall be living in Fitzroy St, I have come across a place there, but haven’t quite made up my mind.
I haven’t got the poems I promised but will try and remember on the other side.
Yours sincerely
ISAAC ROSENBERG
December 1912
1 St Georges Sq
Chalk Farm
DEAR MR LESSER
I enclose another receipt dated last Monday when I received it. I saw Dr Davis but he couldn’t do anything as he has nothing to do with eyes — but he gave me a card for the Opthalmic Hospital which I havn’t been able to use yet because of the Xmas holidays. I shall go some day next week. Thanks for the information about my being a British Subject. I am getting along with my things for this competition.
Yours sincerely
ISAAC ROSENBERG
December1912
1 St Georges Square
DEAR MISS SEATON
Excuse me writing in pencil as my pen has gone wrong and I want to write just now. I have not been reading Donne much as I am drawing a lot, and when I’m not drawing my mind is generally occupied that way. A great deal of Donne seems a sort of mental gymnastics, the strain is very obvious, but he is certainly wonderful, ‘The ecstacy’ is very fine, but F. Thompson’s ‘Dream tryst’ to me is much finer. There is a small book of contemporary Belgian poetry like the German you lent me (which by the way I don’t feel inclined to open) some Maeterlincks seem marvellous to me, and Verhaern in the ‘Sovran Rythm’ knocks Donne into a cocked hat. I mean for genuine poetry, where the words lose their interest as words and only a living and beautiful idea remains. It is a grand conception, — Eve meeting Adam. Maeterlinck has a superb little thing ‘Orison’ — a most trembling fragile moan of astonishing beauty. The Blakes at the Tate show that England has turned out one man second to none who has ever lived. The drawings are finer than his poems, much clearer, though I can’t help thinking it was unfortunate that he did not live whan a better tradition of drawing ruled. His conventional manner of expressing those astounding conceptions is the fault of his time, not his.
Yours sincerely
ISAAC ROSENBERG
1913
Spring 1913
87 Dempsey St
Stepney E
DEAR MR LESSER
I have failed in the Prix De Rome competition, but when I get the things back, I can do a little more to them and send them to Exhibitions. Since I did those things I have been unwell, and been coughing very badly for about two months. Last week I saw a doctor and though at first he thought it was serious and said I had a very bad chest, the next time he said it wasn’t so bad but I needed to go away for a couple of weeks and be out in the open. I have been sleeping here while unwell. Do you think the Society would let me have some money to go away so that I would be fairly comfortable and I could go somewhere on the South Coast.
The ‘Prix De Rome’ things, successful and not, are on show at the Imperial Institute, South Kensington, from 10 till 4, all this week. No Slade people got it, though Prof Tonks thought they should have done so. He was disgusted with the decision. I trust you will let me know soon.
Your’s sincerely
ISAAC ROSENBERG
1913 November
I, St George’s Square
Regent’s Park, N.W.
DEAR MR MARSH
Thanks for your criticisms which of course I agree with. If a poem doesn’t sound real it has missed its end, — but I think you can understand one’s fondness for an idea or a line prompting one to show poems that one knows are otherwise poor.
I have seen Bobbie — he has not been able to get his drawings yet, being busy at the workshop, but he expects to get them this week.
Yours sincerely
ISAAC ROSENBERG
1913 December
87 Dempsey St
Stepney E
DEAR MARSH
Thanks very very much for the book. I know so little of these men, and from that little, I know how much I miss by not knowing more. I think the Queen’s song of Flecker, delicious; and ‘The end of the world’ by Bottomley, very fine imagination and original. That is all I have had time to read yet. What strikes me about these men is they are very much alive, and have personal vision — and what is so essential, can express themselves very simply. But writing about a poem is like singing about a song — or rather, as Donne says, fetching water to the sea, and in my case, very dirty water. You can talk about life, but you can only talk round literature; you will be talking about life, I think.
Yours sincerely
ISAAC ROSENBERG
Postcard to the poet’s mother,
February 24, 1912
195 Wimbourne Rd
Winton Bournemouth c/o Cohen
I forgot to put the address yesterday. I’m not lucky with the weather yet but the air is very good, — I don’t cough much. The town here is like a big sanatorium. I’ll send a card of the invalids’ garden. Pine Woods a few minutes from here. I’m going there now.
ISAAC
1914
87 Dempsey St
Stepney E
DEAR MR LESSER
Do you think the E A S would make me a grant of 12 or 15 pounds to go to S. Africa.
The doctor has told me my chest is weak and that I must live in the country and take care of myself. I cannot live here in the country just now, and it is now that it is so essential. I have a relation in Cape Town who could put me up until I sold things some way or other, and I believe I could get heaps of good subject matter.
The kaffirs would sit for practically nothing. In a year I’d have a lot of interesting stuff, to send to England. I am sending several things to Whitechapel show. The fare to S. Africa is £12. Could you let me know at once as I am convinced of the importance of not stopping here.
Your’s sincerely
ISAAC ROSENBERG
Spring 1914
To Miss Seaton,
So, I’ve decided on Africa, the climate being very good, and I believe plenty to do…I won’t be quite lost in Africa…I dislike London for the selfishness it instils into one, which is a reason of the peculiar feeling of isolation I believe most people have in London. I hardly know anybody whom I would regret leaving (except, of course, the natural ties of sentiment with one’s own people); but whether it is that my nature distrusts people, or is intolerant, or whether my pride or my backwardness cools people, I have always been alone. Forgive this little excursion into the forbidden lands of egotism.
1914 May
87 Dempsey St
> Stepney E
DEAR MR MARSH
I should feel very pleased and proud to have my drawing printed in your book. I know someone who might be a subscriber and would like to know what the subscription is, — and I suppose a copy would be sent on. I am about to sail for Africa as I have been told my chest is not strong and I must live away from towns. If I get the chance I may work on a farm for a year or two as I am young enough to afford it. I might also this way get ideas for real things. One is so cramped up here and one must either do cubism or what I propose to do to avoid the rut etc. I could not resist mentioning this having this occasion to write to you. I hope you will let me know the subscription for my friend.
Yours sincerely
ISAAC ROSENBERG
May 15, 1914
87 Dempsey St
Stepney E
DEAR MARSH
I have been to the Emmigration Office and find there are no other restrictions beside those you wrote me. They would want some sort of guarantee that my sister could keep me, but that depends on what the other side (in Africa) take for guarantee. I shouldn’t think I need fear anything that way, as I’m sure my sister could put me up for some months during which I could turn out enough work to make some sort of stir. I have no tuberculosis as far as I know, but a weak chest.
It is very kind of you to go to all that bother — I hope it doesn’t interfere with anything you have to do.
I am enclosing the lines I lately wrote, and those I showed you. I think the more recent read more musically. At present they have no connection with the first but that is the only way I can write, in scraps, and then join them together — I have the one idea in mind.
Yours sincerely
ISAAC ROSENBERG
May 1914
87 Dempsey St
Stepney E
DEAR MARSH
I shall not be going for about 2 weeks, when I expect to be quite ready. I should be delighted to see your pictures before I go, — I have heard you have a fine collection. I can spare any evening you like and will bring one or two drawings. I’m also having some things at the Whitechapel, but they’re very incomplete — I suppose you’ll see them there. The address I should like you to send the prospectus to is
Mrs Lowy
11 Ladbroke Terrace Holland Park W.
Yours sincerely
ISAAC ROSENBERG
May 1914
87 Dempsey St
Stepney E
DEAR MARSH
Thank you very much — I am very eager to see your pictures. I will be at the restaurant Fri, with some silly drawings.
Yours sincerely
ISAAC ROSENBERG
May-June 1914
87 Dempsey St
Stepney E
DEAR MARSH
This is my rest while packing. My things have to be on board by Wed — and I only knew today — so you can imagine the rush I’m in. Your criticism gave me great pleasure; not so much the criticism, as to feel that you took those few lines up so thoroughly, and tried to get into them. You don’t know how encouraging that is. People talk about independence and all that — but one always works with some sort of doubt, that is, if one believes in the inspired ‘suntreaders’. I believe that all poets who are personal — see things genuinely, have their place. One needn’t be a Shakespeare. Yet I never meant to go as high as these — I know I’ve come across things by people of far inferior vision, that were as important in their results, to me.
I am not going to refute your criticisms; in literature I have no judgment — at least for style. If in reading a thought has expressed itself to me, in beautiful words; my ignorance of grammar etc, makes me accept that. I should think you are right mostly; and I may yet work away your chief objections. You are quite right in the way you read my poem, but I thought I could use the ‘July ghost’ to mean the Summer, and also an ambassador of the summer, without interfering with the sense. The shell of thought is man; you realise a shell has an opening. Across this opening, the ardours — the sense of heat forms a web — this signifies a sense of summer — the web again becomes another metaphor — a July ghost. But of course I mean it for summer right through, I think your suggestion of taking out ‘woven’ is very good. I enclose another thing which is part of this. I told you my idea — The whole thing is to be called the poet, and begins with the way external nature affects him, and goes on to human nature.
In packing my things I found a little painting of a boy that I don’t think looks at all bad. I could show it to you if you cared to see it
Yours sincerely
ISAAC ROSENBERG
c/o Mrs Horvitch
Early June 1914
Hill House
43 De Villiers St Cape Town
DEAR MARSH
Thank you very much for your letter to your friend. I hope he will be in C T and that I’ll be able to see him. I’m eagerly waiting for Sat. The above will be my address, but I’ll write when I get there and know what sort of outlook it is.
Yours sincerely
ISAAC ROSENBERG
Letter Card from Capetown,
43 De Villiers St — June 20 or 30, 1914 — C T
DEAR MARSH
I’ve had a fearfully busy week — seeing people and preparing for work. I want to write a long letter I have lots to write about, — wait till next week. Stanley has given me a small job — painting two babies. I’m just off to do them.
The place is gorgeous — just for an artist.
Yours sincerely
ISAAC ROSENBERG
Capetown, July 24, 1914
43 Devilliers St
Cape Town
DEAR MARSH
I should like you to do me a favour if its not putting you to too much bother. I am in an infernal city by the sea. This city has men in it — and these men have souls in them — or at least have the passages to souls. Though they are millions of years behind time they have yet reached the stage of evolution that knows ears and eyes. But these passages are dreadfully clogged up; gold dust, diamond dust, stocks and shares, and heaven knows what other flinty muck. Well I’ve made up my mind to clear through all this rubbish. But I want your help. Now I’m going to give a series of lectures on modern art (I’m sending you the first, which I gave in great style. I was asked whether the futurists exhibited at the Royal Academy.) But I want to make the lectures interesting and intelligible by reproductions or slides. Now I wonder whether you have reproductions which you could lend me till I returned or was finished with them. I want to talk about John, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Innes, the early Picasso (not the cubist one), Spencer, Gertler, Lamb. Puvis De Chavannes, Degas. A book of reproductions of the P Impressionists would do and I could get them transferred on slides. I hope this would not put you to any great trouble but if you could manage to do it you dont know how you would help me. Epstien...
Stanley gave me a little job to paint two babies, which helped me to pay my way for a bit. I expect to get pupils and kick up a row with my lectures. But nobody seems to have money here, and not an ounce of interest in Art. The climate’s fine, but the Sun is a very changeable creature and I can’t come to any sort of understanding with this golden beast. He pretends to keep quiet for half an hour and just as I think, now I’ve got it, the damnid thing has frisked about.
There’s a lot of splended stuff to paint. We are walled in by the sharp upright mountain and the bay. Across the bay the piled up mountains of Africa look lovely and dangerous. It makes one think of savagery and earthquakes — the elemental lawlessness. You are lucky to be in comfortable London and its armchair culture.
I’ve painted a Kaffir, and am pottering about. I expect if I get pupils to get a room and shall be able to work better. Do write to me — think of me, a creature of the most exquisite civilization, planted in this barbarous land. Write me of Spencer, Lamb, Currie and the pack of them. I mean to write to Gertler myself, but so far I’ve not been able to get away from my own people here to write. They don’t understand th
e artist’s seclusion to concentrate, and I’m always interrupted. Write me of poetry and do send me that little thing of Binyon’s in your album.
Yours sincerely
ISAAC ROSENBERG
I’ll send my lecture next week as they may be printing it in a local paper.
Capetown, August 8, 1914
‘Hill House’
43 Devilliers St Cape Town
DEAR MARSH
I enclose the lecture. By the time it reaches you I expect the world will be in convulsions and you’ll be in the thick of it. I know my poor innocent essay stands no chance by the side of the bristling legions of war-scented documents on your desk; but know that I despise war and hate war, and hope that the Kaiser William will have his bottom smacked — a naughty aggressive schoolboy who will have all the plum pudding. Are we going to have Tennyson’s ‘Battle in the air’, and the nations deluging the nations with blood from the air? Now is the time to go on an exploring expedition to the North Pole; to come back and find settled order again.
Complete Works of Isaac Rosenberg Page 19