drankclub

YEATSANDTHERHYMERS'CLUBYeatsandtheRhymers'Club*ERNESTRHYSItwasinmyfourthwinterthattheRhymers'ClubwassetgoingattheoldCheshireCheeseinFleetStreet.
ThethreefirstmemberswereT.
W.
Rolleston,W.
B.
Yeats('Willie'Yeats,whichdidnotinanysensedescribehim),andmyself.
EachofusaskedotherRhymerstocometotheclubsuppers,andwesoonreachedtheallottednumberoften.
Ourcustomwastosupdownstairsintheoldcoffee-houseboxes,somethinglikehighdouble-seatedpewswithatablebetween.
Aftersupperatwhichwedrankoldaleandothertime-honoredliquors,weadjournedtoasmoking-roomatthetopofthehouse,whichwecametolookuponasoursanctum.
Therelongclaysorchurchwardenpipesweresmoked,andtheRhymerswereexpectedtobringrhymesintheirpockets,tobereadaloudtotheclubforcriticism.
ThebestreaderamongtheRhymers,byfarthebest,wasW.
B.
Yeats,whorecited,orsayintoned,hisversewithamusicalvoiceandveryhauntingcadence.
SomeoftheotherRhymers,whetherfromshynessorbecausetheyhadneverlearnedtoopentheirmouths,gavenosortofexpressiontotheirverse.
LionelJohnsonhadademure,gentlevoice,whichonevisitortotheRhymers'Clubsaidremindedhimofamouse'srecitative.
Thatwasnotafairdescription,butcomparedwiththeincantingofYeatsortheplainmilitarystyleofRolleston,hismelicmodewasnotintunewithchurchwardenpipesandbowlsofpunch.
*EverymanRemembers(London:Dent;NewYork:CosmopolitanBookCorporation,1931)pp.
220-I.
E.
H.
Mikhail(ed.
),W.
B.
YeatsMacmillanPublishersLimited1977