| Martin Robertson has shaken the kaleidoscope of
Perrault’s traditional tale and formed a new pattern out of the old pieces.
It is the prince, rather than the Sleeping Beauty herself, who is the protagonist
of this long narrative poem. At first as a young forester and companion to
the princess, and later, after she has fallen victim to the hundred-year
spell, reincarnated as a prince, the hero of the story moves against a richly
described landscape. He travels through woods and valleys, across rivers
and seas-each memorably observed. And he is led, finally, by his heart rather
than his reason, up to the edge of the thorn thicket beyond which lies his
prize. The poet deals with the theme of romantic love with great sensitivity and profundity. There is no trace of sentiment or cliché here. We feel what the prince feels; we are with him throughout his long journey. Martin Robertson has turned the fairy-tale stereotypes into creatures of flesh and blood, and their story into a poem of great beauty, subtle wit, and appropriately magical imagery. Adults and children alike will fall under its spell. |