later poems-第4部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！


dreadful　sense　divine。　　At　the　first　reading；　this　sentence　against
inconstancy；　spoken　by　one　more　than　inconstant；　moves　something
like　indignation；　nevertheless；　it　is　menacingly　and　obscurely
justified；　on　a　ground　as　it　were　beyond　the　common　region　of
tolerance　and　pardon。


THE　PULLEY


An　editor　is　greatly　tempted　to　mend　a　word　in　these　exquisite
verses。　　George　Herbert　was　maladroit　in　using　the　word　〃rest〃　in
two　senses。　　〃Peace〃　is　not　quite　so　characteristic　a　word；　but　it
ought　to　take　the　place　of　〃rest〃　in　the　last　line　of　the　second
stanza；　so　then　the　first　line　of　the　last　stanza　would　not　have
this　rather　distressing　ambiguity。　　The　poem　is　otherwise　perfect
beyond　description。


MISERY


George　Herbert's　work　is　so　perfectly　a　box　where　thoughts
〃compacted　lie；〃　that　no　one　is　moved；　in　reading　his　rich　poetry；
to　detach　a　line；　so　fine　and　so　significant　are　its　neighbours；
nevertheless；　it　may　be　well　to　stop　the　reader　at　such　a　lovely
passage　as　this　…

〃He　was　a　garden　in　a　Paradise。〃


THE　ROSE


There　is　nothing　else　of　Waller's　fine　enough　to　be　admitted　here；
and　even　this；　though　unquestionably　a　beautiful　poem；　elastic　in
words　and　fresh　in　feeling；　despite　its　wearied　argument；　is　of　the
third…class。　　Greatness　seems　generally；　in　the　arts；　to　be　of　two
kinds；　and　the　third　rank　is　less　than　great。　　The　wearied　argument
of　The　Rose　is　the　almost　squalid　plea　of　all　the　poets；　from
Ronsard　to　Herrick：　　〃Time　is　short；　they　make　the　better　bargain
who　make　haste　to　love。〃　　This　thrifty　business　and　essentially
cold　impatience　wastime　out　of　mindunknown　to　the　truer　love；
it　is　larger；　illiberal；　untender；　and　without　all　dignity。　　The
poets　were　wrong　to　give　their　verses　the　message　of　so　sorry　a
warning。　　There　is　only　one　thing　that　persuades　you　to　forgive　the
paltry　plea　of　the　poet　that　time　is　briefand　that　is　the
charming　reflex　glimpse　it　gives　of　her　to　whom　the　rose　and　the
verse　were　sent；　and　who　had　not　thought　that　time　was　brief。


L'ALLEGRO


The　sock　represents　the　stage；　in　L'Allegro；　for　comedy；　and　the
buskin；　in　Il　Penseroso；　for　tragedy。　　Milton　seems　to　think　the
comic　drama　in　England　needs　no　apology；　but　he　hesitates　at　the
tragic。　　The　poet　of　King　Lear　is　named　for　his　sweetness　and　his
wood…notes　wild。


IL　PENSEROSO


It　is　too　late　to　protest　against　Milton's　display　of　weak　Italian。
Pensieroso　is；　of　course；　what　he　should　have　written。


LYCIDAS


Most　of　the　allusions　in　Lycidas　need　no　explaining　to　readers　of
poetry。　　The　geography　is　that　of　the　western　coasts　from　furthest
north　to　Cornwall。　　Deva　is　the　Dee；　〃the　great　vision〃　means　the
apparition　of　the　Archangel；　St。　Michael；　at　St。　Michael's　Mount；
Namancos　and　Bayona　face　the　mount　from　the　continental　coast；
Bellerus　stands　for　Belerium；　the　Land's　End。

Arethusa　and　MinciusSicilian　and　Italian　streamsrepresent　the
pastoral　poetry　of　Theocritus　and　Virgil。


ON　A　PRAYER…BOOK


〃Fair　and　flagrant　things〃Crashaw's　own　phrasemight　serve　for　a
brilliant　and　fantastic　praise　and　protest　in　description　of　his
own　verses。　　In　the　last　century；　despite　the　opinion　of　a　few；　and
despite　the　fact　that　Pope　took　possession　of　Crashaw's　line　…

〃Obedient　slumbers　that　can　wake　and　weep；〃

and　for　some　time　of　the　present　century；　the　critics　had　a　wintry
word　to　blame　him　with。　　They　said　of　George　Herbert；　of　Lovelace；
of　Crashaw；　and　of　other　light　hearts　of　the　seventeenth　century
not　so　much　that　their　inspiration　was　in　bad　taste；　as　that　no
reader　of　taste　could　suffer　them。　　A　better　opinion　on　that
company　of　poets　is　that　they　had　a　taste　extraordinarily　liberal；
generous；　and　elastic；　but　not　essentially　lax：　　taste　that　gave
now　and　then　too　much　room　to　play；　but　anon　closed　with　the　purest
and　exactest　laws　of　temperance　and　measure。　　The　extravagance　of
Crashaw　is　a　far　more　lawful　thing　than　the　extravagance　of
Addison；　whom　some　believe　to　have　committed　none；　moreover；　Pope
and　all　the　politer　poets　nursed　something　they　were　pleased　to
call　a　〃rage；〃　and　this　expatiated　（to　use　another　word　of　their
own）　beyond　all　bounds。　　Of　sheer　voluntary　extremes　it　is　not　in
the　seventeenth　century　conceit　that　we　should　seek　examples；　but
in　an　eighteenth　century　〃rage。〃　　A　〃noble　rage；〃　properly
provoked；　could　be　backed　to　write　more　trash　than　fancy　ever
tempted　the　half…incredulous　sweet　poet　of　the　older　time　to　run
upon。　　He　was　fancy's　child；　and　the　bard　of　the　eighteenth　century
was　the　child　of　common　sense　with　straws　in　his　hairvainly
arranged　there。　　The　eighteenth　century　was　never　content　with　a
moderate　mind；　it　invented　〃rage〃；　it　matched　rage　with　a　flagrant
diction　mingled　of　Latin　words　and　simple　English　words　made　vacant
and　ridiculous；　and　these　were　the　worst；　it　was　resolved　to　be
behind　no　century　in　passionnay；　to　show　the　way；　to　fire　the
nations。　　Addison　taught　himself；　as　his　hero　taught　the　battle；
〃where　to　rage〃；　and　in　the　later　years　of　the　same　literary　age；
Johnson　summoned　the　lapsed　and　absent　fury；　with　no　kind　of
misgiving　as　to　the　resulting　verse。　　Take　such　a　phrase　as　〃the
madded　land〃；　there；　indeed；　is　a　word　coined　by　the　noble　rage　as
the　last　century　evoked　it。　　〃The　madded　land〃　is　a　phrase　intended
to　prove　that　the　law…giver　of　taste；　Johnson　himself；　could　lodge
the　fury　in　his　breast　when　opportunity　occurred。　　〃And　dubious
title　shakes　the　madded　land。〃　　It　would　be　hard　to　find　anything；
even　in　Addison；　more　flagrant　and　less　fair。

Take　The　Weeper　of　Crashawhis　most　flagrant　poem。　　Its　follies
are　all　sweet…humoured；　they　smile。　　Its　beauties　are　a　quick　and
abundant　shower。　　The　delicate　phrases　are　so　mingled　with　the
flagrant　that　it　is　difficult　to　quote　them　without　rousing　that
general　sense　of　humour　of　which　any　one　may　make　a　boast；　and　I　am
therefore　shy　even　of　citing　the　〃brisk　cherub〃　who　has　early
sipped　the　Saint's　tear：　　〃Then　to　his　music；〃　in　Crashaw's
divinely　simple　phrase；　and　his　singing　〃tastes　of　this　breakfast
all　day　long。〃　　Sorrow　is　a　queen；　he　cries　to　the　Weeper；　and　when
sorrow　would　be　seen　in　state；　〃then　is　she　drest　by　none　but
thee。〃　　Then　you　come　upon　the　fancy；　〃Fountain　and　garden　in　one
face。〃　　All　places；　times；　and　objects　are　〃Thy　tears'　sweet
opportunity。〃　　If　these　charming　passages　lurk　in　his　worst　poems；
the　reader　of　this　anthology　will　not　be　able　to　count　them　in　his
best。　　In　the　Epiphany　Hymn　the　heavens　have　found　means

'To　disinherit　the　sun's　rise；
Delicately　to　displace
The　day；　and　plant　it　fairer　in　thy　face。〃

To　the　Morning：　　Satisfaction　for　Sleep；　is；　all　through；　luminous。
It　would　be　difficult　to　find；　even　in　the　orient　poetry　of　that
time；　more　daylight　or　more　spirit。　　True；　an　Elizabethan　would　not
have　had　poetry　so　rich　as　in　Love's　Horoscope；　but　yet　an
Elizabethan　would　have　had　it　no　fresher。　　The　Hymn　to　St。　Teresa
has　the　brevities　which　this　poetreproached　with　his　longueurs
masters　so　well。　　He　tells　how　the　Spanish　girl；　six　years　old；　set
out　in　search　of　death：　　〃She's　for　the　Moors　and　Martyrdom。
Sweet；　not　so　fast！〃　　Of　many　contemporary　songs　in　pursuit　of　a
fugitive　Cupid；　Crashaw's　Cupid's　Cryer：　　out　of　the　Greek；　is　the
most　dainty。　　But　if　readers　should　be　a　little　vexed　with　the
poet's　light　heart　and　perpetual　pleasure；　with　the　late　ripeness
of　his　sweetness；　here；　for　their　satisfaction；　is　a　passage
capable　of　the　great　age　that　had　lately　closed　when　Crashaw　wrote。
It　is　in　his　summons　to　nature　and　art：

〃Come；　and　come　strong；
To　the　conspiracy　of　our　spacious　song！〃

I　have　been　obliged　to　take　courage　to　alter　the　reading　of　the
seventeenth　and　nineteenth　lines　of　the　Prayer…Book；　so　as　to　make
them　intelligible；　they　had　been　obviously　misprinted。　　I　have　also
found　it　necessary　to　re…punctuate　generally。


WISHES　TO　HIS　SUPPOSED　MISTRESS


This　beautiful　and　famous　poem　has　its　stanzas　so　carelessly　thrown
together　that　editors　have　allowed　themselves　a　certain　freedom
with　it。　　I　have　done　the　least　I　could；　by　separating　two　stanzas
that　repeated　the　rhyme；　and　by　suppressing　one　that　grew　tedious。


ON　THE　DEATH　OF　MR。　CRASHAW


This　ode　has　been　chosen　as　more　nobly　representative　than　that；
better　known；　On　the　Death　of　Mr。　William　Harvey。　　In　the　Crashaw
ode；　and　in　the　Hymn　to　the　Light；　Cowley　is；　at　last；　tender。　　But
it　cannot　be　said　that　his　love…poems　had　tenderness。　　Be　wrote　in
a　gay　language；　but　added　nothing　to　its　gaiety。　　He　wrote　the
language　of　love；　and　left　it　cooler　than　he　found　it。　　What　the
conceits　of　Lovelace　and　the　rest　flagrant；　not　frigiddid　not
do　was　done　by　Cowley's　quenching　breath；　the　language　of　love
began　to　lose　by　him。　　But　even　then；　even　then；　who　could　have
foretold　what　the　loss　at　a　later　day　would　be！


HYMN　TO　THE　LIGHT


It　is　somewhat　to　be　regretted　that　this　splendid　poem　should　show
Cowley　as　the　writer　of　the　alexandrine　that　divides　into　two
lines。　　For　he　it　was　who　first　used　（or　first　conspicuously　used）
the　alexandrine　that　is　organic；　integral；　and　itself　a　separate
unit　of　metre。　　He　first　passed　beyond　the　heroic　line；　or　at　least
he　first　used　the　alexandrine　freely；　at　his　pleasure；　amid　heroic
verse；　and　after　him　Dryden　took　possession　and　then　Pope。　　But
both　these　masters；　when　they　wrote　alexandrines；　wrote　them　in　the
French　manner；　divided。　　Cowley；　however；　with　admirable　art；　is
able　to　prevent　even　an　accidental　pause；　making　the　middle　of　his
line　fall　upon　the　middle　of　some　word　that　is　rapid　in　the
speaking　and　therefore　indivisible　by　pause　or　even　by　any
lingering。　　Take　this　one　instance　…

〃Like　some　fair　pine　o'erlooking　all　the　ignobler　wood。〃

If　Cowley's　delicate　example　had　ruled　in　English　poetry　（and　he
surely　had　authority　on　this　one　point；　at　least）；　this　alexandrine
would　have　taken　its　own　place　as　an　important　line　of　English
metre；　more　mobile　than　the　heroic；　less　fitted　to　epic　or　dramatic
poetry；　but　a　line　liberally　lyrical。　　It　would　have　been　the
light；　pursuing　wave　that　runs　suddenly；　outrunning　twenty；　further
up　the　sands　than　these；　a