Page:Modern Czech Poetry, 1920.djvu/17

Rh and poignantly personal. His literary beginnings date back to the period of so-called "decadence" in Czech literature, a movement which approximately corresponds to the English "Yellow Book" activities. Theer never entirely emancipated himself from this influence, and at the time of his death he was still in an experimental stage. On the whole, he was probably tending towards a systematic cultivation of free rhythm, although he also employed regular strophic forms with artistic skill and in great variety. But the leading feature of Theer's verse is its emphatically subjective tone. It expresses the mental conflicts of a tragical personality, which were due to the lack of harmony between the intellectual and emotional tendencies in his character. Theer was certainly one of the most gifted among the younger Czech poets, and his premature death is a heavy loss.

This survey of modern Czech poetry takes into account only those writers who are represented in the accompanying extracts. It should, however, be added that their contemporaries are numerous and interesting. A more detailed account of their work may be given on a later occasion.