THE POET'S TESTAMENT

This little volume of posthumous poetry may complete Santayana's work in verse, but it will add little lustre to his name. In addition to a few miscellaneous sonnets, the best short poems in the volume consist of some translations of classical poetry and a few of Spanish and French poets. But the main body of the book is taken up with two rather tedious poetical dramas. The first- The Marriage of Venus, a Comedy was written in 1896 and rewritten in 1946; the second- The Philosophers at Court, was written between 1897 and 1901. This is a long philosophical discussion between various philosophers at the court of Dionysius, the great ruler of Syracuse. Plato plays a prominent role... Santayana's fine intellectual passion is dimmed here-perhaps by the medium which does not fit his best talents. The market will be largely limited to those who wish a complete collection of his work.