Considering the few pages which the editors of the Advocate allow themselves in each issue, it is unusual to find that they have devoted the first half of the latest number to the translation of a Chinese poem. It is baffling, furthermore, to figure out why they printed the poem at all when it has already appeared in the Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies and will receive further publicity in two literary reviews. In past years, the Advocate has tried, in a limited space, to bring interesting and rarely-published writing before the public. In this case, however, good intentions have gone to the extreme.

The poem, titled Rhyme Prose on Literature by Wen Fu and translated by Achilles Fang, describes the feelings of a poet when he creates. In spite of the loss of rhyme, and perhaps meaning as well, through translation, the imagery is fresh and at times brilliant. Mr. Fu has made a careful, thorough exploration of his subject and has conveyed the experiences of his art in a clear, unfaltering manner.

Another poem, by Peter Viereck, is a satirical lament on the development of poetry and its critics. Playing a distinct second fiddle to T. S. Eliot, Viereck sighs, "Today the women come and go--Talking of T. S. Eliot." For those who feel that Pound's poetry is intolerable because of his political behavior, that the verse of Eliot is fickle because of the author's flirtation with the classics and religion, and so on with the heirs of 1912, then Full Cycle may extract a chuckle here and there. Viereck, however, falls to equally deplorable sins of banality and conceit. "Cow? Bad enough! But sacred--calf?" From the technical point of view, one can say that the poet has a good sense of rhythm and sound. But these attributes are regrettably eclipsed by the bitter, turtle-on-his-back, approach towards a subject which calls for serious treatment.

A third poem, Reconsiderations by George Kelly, expresses thoughts on the poverty and turbulence of life. Although Kelly's scope is narrow is this piece, he takes one idea and develops it smoothly, leaving a clear impression at the end. Only one line is out of tone with the rest of the poem; yet few exalt or take the dreariness off the dark tone of Reconsiderations as a a whole.

James Chace's In Winter; New England is the brighter star in this issue. Another chapter in the novel, Age of Michael, In Winter portrays the loneliness of several people as their life and friends disappear. In the context of the novel, this selection is enjoyable, but it suffers as a separate story because people enter and leave too abruptly and because the lack of adequate transitions between the thoughts of different characters often creates confusion. Chace is at his best when he records the impressions of Michael saying goodbye to his brother and of old, sick Mandy fighting against her solitude. One italicised paragraph of her meditations, however, is either a halucination or a prediction--at best, incongruous.

The final item, Kelly's review of The Red Carnation by Elio Vittorino, also has merit. Kelly explores all possible levels of the novel and writes with authority and insight. Some of his speculations on the principle character's motivations, nevertheless, are difficult to understand.

It is not so difficult to understand why the Advocate fails to mention the author of the cover design. The bizarre and unappealing geometric shape is indicative of much of the material in this issue.