The Result of the Competition
q,llERE were a very large number of entries to our competition which closed last week asking for a list of the eight foremost English poets and another list of the four best living poets ; this is not surprising, as this type of competition always interests our readers. Shakespeare is, of course, first ; of modern poets, John Masefield is most popular. As many as fifty-seven poets were considered eligible for the former list and sixty-five for the latter. The eight poets elected by the plebiscite were :--
1. Shakespeare. 2. Milton.
3. Wordsworth.
4. Tennyson.'
The four living poets chosen by our readers were :— 1. Masefield. 3. Bridges. 2. Kipling. 4. Yeats. Milton received only 5 less and Shelley 220 less votes than Shakespeare. After the first eight poets came Spenser, with more than 100 votes less than Shelley. Then came Byron, Burns and (with a large drop) Pope. It was perhaps a little disappointing appointing that no living poet was considered sufficiently illustrious for a place on this list. 5. Keats.
6. Chaucer.
7. Browning.
8. Shelley.
Walter de Is Mare was the fifth best living poet, according to the popular verdict, followed by Thomas Hardy, Alfred Noyes, Drinkwater and Sir Henry Newbolt. Contributors to the Spectator who received votes were Evelyn Underhill, Humbert Wolfe, W. H. Davies and Barbara Todd.
There was no entry containing the two lists representing the popular verdict with the names in their correct order, but the prize of £5 is awarded to Miss Wait, for the following lists :-1, Shakespeare ; 2, Chaucer ; 3, Milton ; 4, Shelley ; 5, Wordsworth ; 6, Keats ; 7, Tennyson ; 8, Browning ; and 1, Masefield ; 2, Kipling ; 3, Yeats ; 4, Bridges.
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