later poems-第1节

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Flower　of　the　Mind
and
Later　Poems

by　Alice　Meynell





INTRODUCTION



Partial　collections　of　English　poems；　decided　by　a　common　subject
or　bounded　by　narrow　dates　and　periods　of　literary　history；　are
made　at　very　short　intervals；　and　the　makers　are　safe　from　the
reproach　of　proposing　their　own　personal　taste　as　a　guide　for　the
reading　of　others。　　But　a　general　Anthology　gathered　from　the　whole
of　English　literaturethe　whole　from　Chaucer　to　Wordsworthby　a
gatherer　intent　upon　nothing　except　the　quality　of　poetry；　is　a
more　rare　enterprise。　　It　is　hardly　to　be　made　without　tempting　the
suspicionnay；　hardly　without　seeming　to　hazard　the　confessionof
some　measure　of　self…confidence。　　Nor　can　even　the　desire　to　enter
upon　that　labour　be　a　frequent　onethe　desire　of　the　heart　of　one
for　whom　poetry　is　veritably　〃the　complementary　life〃　to　set　up　a
pale　for　inclusion　and　exclusion；　to　add　honours；　to　multiply
homage；　to　cherish；　to　restore；　to　protest；　to　proclaim；　to　depose；
and　to　gain　the　consent　of　a　multitude　of　readers　to　all　those
acts。　　Many　years；　thensome　part　of　a　centurymay　easily　pass
between　the　publication　of　one　general　anthology　and　the　making　of
another。

The　enterprise　would　be　a　sorry　one　if　it　were　really　arbitrary；
and　if　an　anthologist　should　give　effect　to　passionate　preferences
without　authority。　　An　anthology　that　shall　have　any　value　must　be
made　on　the　responsibility　of　one　but　on　the　authority　of　many。
There　is　no　caprice；　the　mind　of　the　maker　has　been　formed　for
decision　by　the　wisdom　of　many　instructors。　　It　is　the　very　study
of　criticism；　and　the　grateful　and　profitable　study；　that　gives　the
justification　to　work　done　upon　the　strongest　personal　impulse；　and
done；　finally；　in　the　mental　solitude　that　cannot　be　escaped　at　the
last。　　In　another　order；　moral　education　would　be　best　crowned　if
it　proved　to　have　quick　and　profound　control　over　the　first
impulses；　its　finished　work　would　be　to　set　the　soul　in　a　state　of
law；　delivered　from　the　delays　of　self…distrust；　not　action　only；
but　the　desires　would　be　in　an　old　security；　and　a　wish　would　come
to　light　already　justified。　　This　would　be　the　secondif　it　were
not　the　onlyliberty。　　Even　so　an　intellectual　education　might
assuredly　confer　freedom　upon　first　and　solitary　thoughts；　and
confidence　and　composure　upon　the　sallies　of　impetuous　courage。　　In
a　word；　it　should　make　a　studious　anthologist　quite　sure　about
genius。　　And　all　who　have　bestowed；　or　helped　in　bestowing；　the
liberating　education　have　given　their　student　the　authority　to　be
free。　　Personal　and　singular　the　choice　in　such　a　book　must　be；　not
without　right。

Claiming　and　disclaiming　so　much；　the　gatherers　may　follow　one
another　to　harvest；　and　glean　in　the　same　fields　in　different
seasons；　for　the　repetition　of　the　work　can　never　be　altogether　a
repetition。　　The　general　consent　of　criticism　does　not　stand　still；
and　moreover；　a　mere　accident　has　until　now　left　a　poet　of　genius
of　the　past　here　and　there　to　neglect　or　obscurity。　　This　is　not
very　likely　to　befall　again；　the　time　has　come　when　there　is　little
or　nothing　left　to　discover　or　rediscover　in　the　sixteenth　century
or　the　seventeenth；　we　know　that　there　does　not　lurk　another
Crashaw　contemned；　or　another　Henry　Vaughan　disregarded；　or　another
George　Herbert　misplaced。　　There　is　now　something　like　finality　of
knowledge　at　least；　and　therefore　not　a　little　error　in　the　past　is
ready　to　be　repaired。　　This　is　the　result　of　time。　　Of　the　slow
actions　and　reactions　of　critical　taste　there　might　be　something　to
say；　but　nothing　important。　　No　loyal　anthologist　perhaps　will
consent　to　acknowledge　these　tides；　he　will　hardly　do　his　work　well
unless　he　believe　it　to　be　stable　and　perfect；　nor；　by　the　way；
will　he　judge　worthily　in　the　name　of　others　unless　he　be　resolved
to　judge　intrepidly　for　himself。

Inasmuch　as　even　the　best　of　all　poems　are　the　best　upon
innumerable　degrees；　the　size　of　most　anthologies　has　gone　far　to
decide　what　degrees　are　to　be　gathered　in　and　what　left　without。
The　best　might　make　a　very　small　volume；　and　be　indeed　the　best；　or
a　very　large　volume；　and　be　still　indeed　the　best。　　But　my　labour
has　been　to　do　somewhat　differentlyto　gather　nothing　that　did　not
overpass　a　certain　boundary…line　of　genius。　　Gray's　Elegy；　for
instance；　would　rightly　be　placed　at　the　head　of　everything　below
that　mark。　　It　is；　in　fact；　so　near　to　the　work　of　genius　as　to　be
most　directly；　closely；　and　immediately　rebuked　by　genius；　it　meets
genius　at　close　quarters　and　almost　deserves　that　Shakespeare
himself　should　defeat　it。　　Mediocrity　said　its　own　true　word　in　the
Elegy：


〃Full　many　a　flower　is　born　to　blush　unseen；
And　waste　its　sweetness　on　the　desert　air。〃


But　greatness　had　said　its　own　word　also　in　a　sonnet：


〃The　summer　flower　is　to　the　summer　sweet
Though　to　itself　it　only　live　and　die。〃


The　reproof　here　is　too　sure；　not　always　does　it　touch　so　quick；
but　it　is　not　seldom　manifest；　and　it　makes　exclusion　a　simple
task。　　Inclusion；　on　the　other　hand；　cannot　be　so　completely
fulfilled。　　The　impossibility　of　taking　in　poems　of　great　length；
however　purely　lyrical；　is　a　mechanical　barrier；　even　on　the　plan
of　the　present　volume；　in　the　case　of　Spenser's　Prothalamion；　the
unmanageably　autobiographical　and　local　passage　makes　it
inappropriate；　some　exquisite　things　of　Landor's　are　lyrics　in
blank　verse；　and　the　necessary　rule　against　blank　verse　shuts　them
out。　　No　extracts　have　been　made　from　any　poem；　but　in　a　very　few
instances　a　stanza　or　a　passage　has　been　dropped　out。　　No　poem　has
been　put　in　for　the　sake　of　a　single　perfectly　fine　passage；　it
would　be　too　much　to　say　that　no　poem　has　been　put　in　for　the　sake
of　two　splendid　passages　or　so。　　The　Scottish　ballad　poetry　is
represented　by　examples　that　are　to　my　mind　finer　than　anything
left　out；　still；　it　is　but　represented；　and　as　the　song　of　this
multitude　of　unknown　poets　overflows　by　its　quantity　a　collection
of　lyrics　of　genius；　so　does　severally　the　song　of　Wordsworth；
Crashaw；　and　Shelley。　　It　has　been　necessary；　in　considering
traditional　songs　of　evidently　mingled　authorship；　to　reject　some
one　invaluable　stanza　or　burdenthe　original　and　ancient　surviving
matter　of　a　spoilt　songbecause　it　was　necessary　to　reject　the
sequel　that　has　cumbered　it　since　some　sentimentalist　took　it　for
his　own。　　An　example；　which　makes　the　heart　ache；　is　that　burden　of
keen　and　remote　poetry：


〃O　the　broom；　the　bonnie；　bonnie　broom；
The　broom　of　Cowdenknowes！〃


Perhaps　some　hand　will　gather　all　such　precious　fragments　as　these
together　one　day；　freed　from　what　is　alien　in　the　work　of　the
restorer。　　It　is　inexplicable　that　a　generation　resolved　to　forbid
the　restoration　of　ancient　buildings　should　approve　the　eighteenth
century　restoration　of　ancient　poems；　nay；　the　architectural
〃restorer〃　is　immeasurably　the　more　respectful。　　In　order　to　give
us　again　the　ancient　fragments；　it　is　happily　not　necessary　to
break　up　the　composite　songs　which；　since　the　time　of　Burns；　have
gained　a　national　love。　　Let　them　be；　but　let　the　old　verses　be
also；　and　let　them　have；　for　those　who　desire　it；　the　solitariness
of　their　state　of　ruin。　　Even　in　the　casesand　they　are　not　few
where　Burns　is　proved　to　have　given　beauty　and　music　to　the　ancient
fragment　itself；　his　work　upon　the　old　stanza　is　immeasurably　finer
than　his　work　in　his　own　new　stanzas　following；　and　it　would　be
less　than　impiety　to　part　the　two。

I　have　obeyed　a　profound　conviction　which　I　have　reason　to　hope
will　be　more　commended　in　the　future　than　perhaps　it　can　be　now；　in
leaving　aside　a　multitude　of　composite　songsanachronisms；　and
worse　than　mere　anachronisms；　as　I　think　them　to　be；　for　they　patch
wild　feeling　with　sentiment　of　the　sentimentalist。　　There　are　some
exceptions。　　The　one　fine　stanza　of　a　song　which　both　Sir　Walter
Scott　and　Burns　restored　is　given　with　the　restorations　of　both；
those　restorations　being　severally　beautiful；　and　the　burden；
〃Hame；　hame；　hame；〃　is　printed　with　the　Jacobite　song　that　carries
it；　this　song　seems　so　mingled　and　various　in　date　and　origin　that
no　apology　is　needed　for　placing　it　amongst　the　bundle　of　Scottish
ballads　of　days　before　the　Jacobites。　　Sir　Patrick　Spens　is　treated
here　as　an　ancient　song。　　It　is　to　be　noted　that　the　modern；　or
comparatively　modern；　additions　to　old　songs　full　of　quantitative
metre〃Hame；　hame；　hame；〃　is　one　of　thesefull　of　long　notes；
rests；　and　interlinear　pauses；　are　almost　always　written　in
anapaests。　　The　later　writer　has　slipped　away　from　the　fine；
various；　and　subtle　metre　of　the　older。　　Assuredly　the　popularity
of　the　metre　which；　for　want　of　a　term　suiting　the　English　rules　of
verse；　must　be　called　anapaestic；　has　done　more　than　any　other
thing　to　vulgarise　the　national　sense　of　rhythm　and　to　silence　the
finer　rhythms。　　Anapaests　came　quite　suddenly　into　English　poetry
and　brought　coarseness；　glibness；　volubility；　dapper　and　fatuous
effects。　　A　master　may　use　it　well；　but　as　a　popular　measure　it　has
been　disastrous。　　I　would　be　bound　to　find　the　modern　stanzas　in　an
old　song　by　this　very　habit　of