Thoughts on Spender's "Poems Written Abroad"

There were a few thoughts that I had in my examination of the Spender autograph, Poems Written Abroad. I wondered if Spender created this autograph for the intention for it to be a gift or to be read by others besides himself. Certain details, such as the dedication, the numbering of the pages, the illustration on the title page and the deliberate introductions to several of the poems led me to believe he did. The fact that there was a page torn from the book (as the pagination jumps to page 5) also made me think that Spender intended for others to read this autograph. However, after the poem "The Confession of the Monk Struck Blind by Lightening" concludes on page 41, he writes "FINIS" and there seems to be a shift in the intention of the book shortly afterwards. From this point, the poems seemed to be more obviously drafts, with more written corrections. So after the poem ends on page 41, it seemed like Spender may have changed his mind and used the book more as a journal.

I also noticed that there was were two watermarks on alternating pages. The first one was a script that spelled out "Vidalon" across the lower portion of the page and the second was a picture of a coat of arms in the upper right hand corner. I've been looking for more information about these marks, but if anyone else knows something about them, I'd love to hear your findings.

One of my favorite parts of the autograph was his "Two Sonnets" starting on page 18 which he introduces as: "Two sonnets of indignation on being accused of reading immodest literature with the same intent as the type of youth he dislikes [arts?] vulgar paragraphs out of newspapers."

The sonnets found on pages 19 - 21 of the autograph are transcribed as follows:

I.

I HATE, detest, and ever have despised
False beauty turned to shame by cringing lust;
Nor shall my name be wrongly criticised
And [crossed out: charged with] called doing what [crossed out: it] I least could trust -
Because I have not ceased to mock desire,
And that I find all naked form divine,
And shameless honesty a cleansing fire,
Your thought have found their evil taint in mine.

Youth sickens me when 'tis a growth I know
Corporeal, goors?, and been lust to pursue;
Yet levelling nature makes one half not so
But loving, high-aspiring, and most true;

Then let this witnes what in vain I swear
The loving is my joy, the lust my fear.

May 21st 1927

II.

I SHALL PROTEST against this martyrdom,
For Heaven is Hell if you would make it so,
And my fair state to lower state may come
If in men's eyes my beauty fall so low;
All men are creatures of viciniy,
And to their neighbours' thoughts, react or mould -
To fiery thoughts my mind is turned by thee
Even now, which in my breast had long lain cold,

But if it cease to [crossed out: strike] burn my heart shall say: -
"Condemned to Hell," sin is thiyne only pleasure,
And that sweet thing is lawfullythrown thy way
Now thou art bound within this evil measure"

And so I'd fall, because to sin is better
Than be called sinning, doing no such matter.*

May 22nd 1927

*This line revised reads "Than he called sinning, doing no such matter"