"[113]
[Footnote 111: C. Saint-Saens, _Harmonie et Melodie_, 1885.]
[Footnote 112: C. Saint-Saens, _Rimes familieres_, 1890.
You will know the lying eyes, the insincerity
Of pressures of the hand,
The mask of friendship that hides jealousy.
The tame to-morrows
Of these days of triumph, when the vulgar herd
Crowns you with honour;
Judging rare genius to be
Equal in merit to the wit of clowns.
]
[Footnote 113: Letter written to M. Levin, the correspondent of the
_Boersen-Courier_ of Berlin, 9 September, 1901.]
Such independence is rare at any time; but it is very rare in our day,
when the power of public opinion is tyrannical; and it is rarest of all
in France, where artists are perhaps more sociable than in other
countries. Of all qualities in an artist it is the most precious; for it
forms the foundation of his character, and is the guarantee of his
conscience and innate strength. So we must not hide it under a bushel.
* * * * *
The significance of M. Saint-Saens in art is a double one, for one must
judge him from the inside as well as the outside of France.
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