Collected Letters Volume Three: Narnia, Cambridge and Joy 1950–1963. Walter Hooper

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СКАЧАТЬ of a philosophical club.⁵ I saw a good deal of him in that capacity and it was his Minutes which first convinced me that he had attributes quite out of the ordinary. He could condense, and slightly popularise, the arguments of speakers (often very erudite) with less loss than any man I have ever known.

      This satisfies me that he will be a good teacher: he might very well turn out to be one of the great teachers. His personal character won my respect from the beginning and this respect steadily increased during the time he was with me. He is one of the most disinterested—I think I could say one of the most selfless—men I have ever met: and, in spite of his good humour and patience, which are unfailing, I should not like to be the boy who tried to ‘rag’ him. If I had a son of my own there is no one to whom I would entrust him so gladly as to Mr. Goodrich.

      C. S. Lewis

      

      Fellow & Tutor of Magdalen

      

TO GEORGE ROSTREVOR HAMILTON (BOD): ⁶

      Magdalen College

      Oxford Jan 3./50

      Dear Hamilton

O nodes cenaeque deum!,⁷ it was a glorious evening, and the underworld of that Hotel can claim as well as Pluto sunt altera nobis sideral.⁸ And now, to sweeten memory, firstly I find that Virgil does use planta⁹ and Owen¹⁰ accordingly owes me 2/6, and secondly the Masque.

They really were asses not to play it, for it is a lovely thing in a genre now infinitely difficult. For we have mostly lost the power (taken for granted by our ancestors) of fitting works of art into ceremonial occasions. In this you have succeeded and what I admire more than any particular moments, tho’ I admire many of those too, is the combination throughout of what is extremely local and English and fresh with what is classical or timeless. One loses a lot (as one should) by not seeing it actually performed, for then it would be a real

,¹¹ a death & resurrection rite with a most powerful effect. It is full of niceties: the three feminine endings that give the droning effect after ‘What does he say?’ on p. 5.–the ‘small change’ in your paraphrase of Aeschylus—the rhyme scheme on p. 7–the use of the ‘Voices’. But I think you were wrong to use lines (tho’ good) from Masefield¹² where you might have made as good of your own.

      I’m not liking the new year much so far, but wish you very well in it. With many thanks.

      Yours

      C. S. Lewis

      

TO NATHAN COMFORT STARR (W):¹³ TS

      REF.50/23.

      Magdalen College,

      Oxford. 7th January 1950.

      Dear Professor Starr,

      We both thank you for your kind card, and wish you every happiness in 1950.

On Tuesday morning we hope to drink your health at the ‘Bird and Baby’: pity you can’t be there to join us!¹⁴

      Yours sincerely,

C. S. Lewis¹⁵

TO SARAH NEYIAN (T): ¹⁶

      Magdalen College,

      Oxford 9/1/50

      My dear Sarah

      Yes, I did indeed get the mats and was only waiting to be sure of the right address before acknowledging them. They were so like lino-cuts that if I weren’t such an unhandy and messy person I wd. have been tempted to ink them and try making a few prints. Thanks very much indeed.

      I’m glad you like the Ballet lessons. I’m just back from a week end at Malvern and found an awful pile of letters awaiting me—so I am scribbling in haste. But I must tell you what I saw in a field—one young pig cross the field with a great big bundle of hay in its mouth and deliberately lay it down at the feet of an old pig. I could hardly believe my eyes. I’m sorry to say the old pig didn’t take the slightest notice. Perhaps it couldn’t believe its eyes either. Love to yourself and all,

      Your affectionate

      Godfather

      C. S. Lewis

      

TO RHONA BODLE (BOD): ¹⁷

      Magdalen

      9/1/50

      Dear Miss Bodle,

Yes. Charles Williams often used the words ‘holy luck’.¹⁸ Compare Spenser ‘It chanced, Almighty God that chance did guide’.¹⁹ Bless you.

      Yours sincerely

      C. S. Lewis

      

TO SISTER PENELOPE CSMV(BOD): ²⁰

      Magdalen College

      Oxford

      12/1/50

      Dear Sister Penelope

      The name of the graduate looks like KNIONAN, but this can hardly be right! It is embarrassing that as my own hand gets worse I also get worse at reading everyone else’s.

I am very sorry you have had no luck yet with the M.G.²¹ But many a book that afterwards succeeded has been rejected by several publishers.

I read Butterfield and gave it exactly the same mark as you; and am glad of your support, for most even of my Christian friends think it bad.²² СКАЧАТЬ