MAY 1937

Graves begins May with "The Wretch": "eight drafts - two days, 12 lines." He will produce subsequent drafts of the poem as the month progresses, and seems pleased with it. The new poetry collection is also taking shape: Graves begins writing the foreword and starts playing with the order of poems. He also writes drafts of several new poems: "Smoke," (first drafted in April) "The Stranger," "The Last March,"1, "Or To Perish Before Day," and "Leaving the Rest Unsaid," which he intends to include as the last poem in the collection. He also drafts "Poets."
Graves and Riding continue to work on The Kind Ghost (later The Swiss Ghost); Graves writes to the end of Chapter 6, and Riding is not far behind reading the drafts. Rumours about the status of the Claudius film continue to contradict themselves, and the future of the production looks rather grim. But A Trojan Ending receives several more good reviews, and the first review of Honor Wyatt's The Heathen is a surprisingly positive one in the Times Literary Supplement.
Riding writes her own poetry this month as well, including "The Victory," and "UnPentateuchal Genesis." At the same time, she continues editorial work on Schools (despite an earlier plan to postpone work on the project) and Norman Cameron's Rimbaud. She also sends a letter to the Spectator in response to Dorothy Sayers' article on "Letter on International Affairs"; in her letter, Riding demands an apology for infringement of copyright.
As the weather improves, the tone of the diary lightens, although low-pressure weather systems and heavy spring rains also result in frequent headaches for both Graves and Riding. But despite disheartening updates from Spain - Gelat is still in prison and the political conflict is far from over - most entries include some note about the warmer weather and Graves' delight in the natural world. Long walks become longer and more frequent, and often include Riding and Karl. Graves loses weight and feels generally healthier, despite such minor irritations as a bad toothache and the re-emergence of a boil that had plagued him in previous months.
Graves and Riding give notice that they will be leaving the house in Lugano on 1 June. Harry Kemp and Alix Eierman have found them a house in Ewhurst in Surrey for the summer months. Politics and world events take a back seat to domestic activity and the upcoming move back to England. The Hindenberg explodes and the German and Italian attacks on Spain worsen. But the diary chronicles in more detail the return of Schwarz and Strenge from abroad, bearing gifts; Riding's unsettling interaction with Maisie Somerville, which threatens to destroy the friendship between the two women; Karl's expired passport; and Graves' growing sense of distance from his surroundings: "Lugano is already a pleasant memory to Laura & me."
There is one enclosure this month: the envelope of a letter from, or forwarded by? Juan Vives in Rennes.

Editorial Notes

1Graves calls this the "resuscitated" poem - is it the same as "Moments in Never" that he is trying to retrieve from memory in April? JS