later poems-第6节

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in　reading。　　Lucasta　Paying　her　Obsequies　is　a　poem　that　makes　a
kind　of　dainty　confusion　between　the　two　vestalsthe　living　and
the　dead；　they　are　〃equal　virgins；〃　and　you　must　assign　the
pronouns　carefully　to　either　as　you　read。　　This；　read　twice；　must
surely　be　placed　amongst　the　loveliest　of　his　lovely　writings。　　It
is　a　joy　to　meet　such　a　phrase　as　〃her　brave　eyes。〃


TO　ALTHEA；　FROM　PRISON


This　is　a　poem　that　takes　the　winds　with　an　answering　flight。
Should　they　be　〃birds〃　or　〃gods〃　that　wanton　in　the　air　in　the
first　of　these　gallant　stanzas？　　Bishop　Percy　shied　at　〃gods；〃　and
with　admirable　judgment　suggested　〃birds；〃　an　amendment　adopted　by
the　greater　number　of　succeeding　editors；　until　one　or　two　wished
for　the　other　phrase　again；　as　an　audacity　fit　for　Lovelace。　　But
the　Bishop's　misgiving　was　after　all　justified　by　one　of　the　Mss。
of　the　poem；　in　which　the　〃gods〃　proved　to　be　〃birds〃　long　before
he　changed　them。　　The　reader　may　ask；　what　is　there　to　choose
between　birds　so　divine　and　gods　so　light？　　But　to　begin　with
〃gods〃　would　be　to　make　an　anticlimax　of　the　close。　　Lovelace　led
from　birds　and　fishes　to　winds；　and　from　winds　to　angels。

〃When　linnet…like　confined〃　is　another　modern　reading。　　〃When；　like
committed　linnets；〃　daunted　the　eighteenth　century。　　Nevertheless；
it　is　right　seventeenth　century；　and　is　now　happily　restored；
happily；　because　Lovelace　would　not　have　the　word　〃confined〃　twice
in　this　little　poem。


A　HORATIAN　ODE


〃He　earned　the　glorious　name；〃　says　a　biographer　of　Andrew　Marvell
（editing　an　issue　of　that　poet's　works　which　certainly　has　its
faults）；　〃of　the　British　Aristides。〃　　The　portly　dulness　of　the
mind　that　could　make　such　a　phrase；　and　having　made；　award　it；　is
not；　in　fairness；　to　affect　a　reader's　thought　of　Marvell　himself
nor　even　of　his　time。　　Under　correction；　I　should　think　that　the
award　was　not　made　in　his　own　age；　he　did　but　live　on　the　eve　of
the　day　that　cumbered　its　mouth　with　phrases　of　such　foolish　burden
and　made　literature　stiff　with　them。　　Andrew　Marvell's　political
rectitude；　it　is　true；　seems　to　have　been　of　a　robustious　kind；　but
his　poetry；　at　its　rare　best；　has　a　〃wild　civility；〃　which　might
puzzle　the　triumph　of　him；　whoever　he　was；　who　made　a　success　of
this　phrase　of　the　〃British　Aristides。〃　　Nay；　it　is　difficult　not
to　think　that　Marvell　too；　who　was　〃of　middling　stature；　roundish…
faced；　cherry…cheeked；〃　a　healthy　and　active　rather　than　a
spiritual　Aristides；　might　himself　have　been　somewhat　taken　by
surprise　at　the　encounters　of　so　subtle　a　muse。　　He；　as　a　garden…
poet；　expected　the　accustomed　Muse　to　lurk　about　the　fountain…
heads；　within　the　caves；　and　by　the　walks　and　the　statues　of　the
gods；　keeping　the　tryst　of　a　seventeenth　century　convention　in
which　there　were　certainly　no　surprises。　　And　for　fear　of　the
commonplaces　of　those　visits；　Marvell　sometimes　outdoes　the　whole
company　of　garden…poets　in　the　difficult　labours　of　the　fancy。　　The
reader　treads　with　him　a　〃maze〃　most　resolutely　intricate；　and　is
more　than　once　obliged　to　turn　back；　having　been　too　much　puzzled
on　the　way　to　a　small；　visible；　plain；　and　obvious　goal　of　thought。

And　yet　this　poet　two　or　three　times　did　meet　a　Muse　he　had　hardly
looked　for　among　the　trodden　paths；　a　spiritual　creature　had　been
waiting　behind　a　laurel　or　an　apple…tree。　　You　find　him　coming　away
from　such　a　divine　ambush　a　wilder　and　a　simpler　man。　　All　his
garden　had　been　made　ready　for　poetry；　and　poetry　was　indeed　there；
but　in　unexpected　hiding　and　in　a　strange　form；　looking　rather　like
a　fugitive；　shy　of　the　poet　who　was　conscious　of　having　her　rules
by　heart；　yet　sweetly　willing　to　be　seen；　for　all　her　haste。

The　political　poems；　needless　to　say；　have　an　excellence　of　a
different　character　and　a　higher　degree。　　They　have　so　much
authentic　dignity　that　〃the　glorious　name　of　the　British　Aristides〃
really　seems　duller　when　it　is　conferred　as　the　earnings　of　the
Horatian　Ode　upon　Cromwell's　Return　from　Ireland　than　when　it
inappropriately　clings　to　Andrew　Marvell；　cherry…cheeked；　caught　in
the　tendrils　of　his　vines　and　melons。　　He　shall　be；　therefore；　the
British　Aristides　in　those　moments　of　midsummer　solitude；　at　least；
the　heavy　phrase　shall　then　have　the　smile　it　never　sought。

The　Satires　are；　of　course；　out　of　reach　for　their　inordinate
length。　　The　celebrated　Satire　on　Holland　certainly　makes　the
utmost　of　the　fun　to　be　easily　found　in　the　physical　facts　of　the
country　whose　people　〃with　mad　labour　fished　the　land　to　shore。〃
The　Satire　on　〃Flecno〃　makes　the　utmost　of　another　joke　we　know　of…
…that　of　famine。　　Flecno；　it　will　be　remembered；　was　a　poet；　and
poor；　but　the　joke　of　his　bad　verses　was　hardly　needed；　so　fine
does　Marvell　find　that　of　his　hunger。　　Perhaps　there　is　no　age　of
English　satire　that　does　not　give　forth　the　sound　of　that　laughter
unknown　to　savagesthat　craven　laughter。


THE　PICTURE　OF　T。　C。　IN　A　PROSPECT　OF　FLOWERS


The　presence　of　a　furtive　irony　of　the　sweetest　kind　is　the　sure
sign　of　the　visit　of　that　unlooked…for　muse。　　With　all　spirit　and
subtlety　does　Marvell　pretend　to　offer　the　little　girl　T。　C。　（the
future　〃virtuous　enemy　of　man〃）　the　prophetic　homage　of　the
habitual　poets。　　The　poem　closes　with　an　impassioned　tenderness　not
to　be　found　elsewhere　in　Marvell。


THE　DEFINITION　OF　LOVE


The　noble　phrase　of　the　Horatian　Ode　is　not　recovered　again；　high
or　low；　throughout　Marvell's　book；　it　we　except　one　single　splendid
and　surpassing　passage　from　The　Definition　of　Love　…

〃Magnanimous　despair　alone
Could　show　me　so　divine　a　thing。〃


CHILDHOOD


One　of　our　true　poets；　and　the　first　who　looked　at　nature　with　the
full　spiritual　intellect；　Henry　Vaughan　was　known　to　few　but
students　until　Mr。　E。　K。　Chambers　gave　us　his　excellent　edition。
The　tender　wit　and　grave　play　of　Herbert；　Crashaw's　lovely　rapture；
are　all　unlike　this　meditation　of　a　soul　condemned　and　banished
into　life。　　Vaughan's　imagination　suddenly　opens　a　new　window
towards　the　east。　　The　age　seems　to　change　with　him；　and　it　is　one
of　the　most　incredible　of　all　facts　that　there　should　be　more　than
a　centuryand　such　a　century！from　him　to　Wordsworth。　　The
passing　of　time　between　them　is　strange　enough；　but　the　passing　of
Pope；　Prior；　and　Grayof　the　world；　the　world；　whether　reasonable
or　flippant　or　rhetoricalis　more　strange。　　Vaughan's　phrase　and
diction　seem　to　carry　the　light。　　Il　vous　semble　que　cette　femme
degage　de　la　lumiere　en　marchant？　　Vous　l'aimez！　says　Marius　in　Les
Miserables　（I　quote　from　memory）；　and　it　seems　to　be　by　a　sense　of
light　that　we　know　the　muse　we　are　to　love。


SCOTTISH　BALLADS


It　was　no　easy　matter　to　choose　a　group　of　representative　ballads
from　among　so　many　almost　equally　fine　and　equally　damaged　with
thin　places。　　Finally；　it　seemed　best　to　take；　from　among　the
finest；　those　that　had　passages　of　geniusa　line　here　and　there　of
surpassing　imagination　and　poetryrare　in　even　the　best　folk…
songs。　　Such　passages　do　not　occur　but　in　ballads　that　are
throughout　on　the　level　of　the　highest　of　their　kind。　　〃None　but　my
foe　to　be　my　guide〃　so　distinguishes　Helen　of　Kirconnell；　the
exquisite　stanza　about　the　hats　of　birk；　The　Wife　of　Usher's　Well；
its　varied　refrain；　The　Dowie　Dens　of　Yarrow；　the　stanza　spoken　by
Margaret　asking　for　room　in　the　grave；　Sweet　William　and　Margaret；
and　a　number　of　passages；　Sir　Patrick　Spens；　such　as　that
beginning；　〃I　saw　the　new　moon　late　yestreen；〃　the　stanza　beginning
〃O　laith；　laith　were　our　gude　Scots　lords；〃　and　almost　all　the
stanzas　following。　　A　Lyke　Wake　Dirge　is　of　surpassing　quality
throughout。　　I　am　sorry　to　have　no　room　for　Jamieson's　version　of
Fair　Annie；　for　Edom　o'　Gordon；　for　The　Daemon　Lover；　for　Edward；
Edward；　and　for　the　Scottish　edition　of　The　Battle　of　Otterbourne。


MRS。　ANNE　KILLIGREW


This　most　majestic　odeone　of　the　few　greatest　of　its　kindis　a
model　of　noble　rhythm　and　especially　of　cadence。　　To　print　it　whole
would　be　impossible；　and　one　of　the　very　few　excisions　in　this　book
is　made　in　the　midst　of　it。　　Dryden；　so　adult　and　so　far　from
simplicity；　bears　himself　like　a　child　who；　having　said　something
fine；　caps　it　with　something　foolish。　　The　suppressed　part　of　the
ode　is　silly　with　a　silliness　which　Dryden's　age　chose　to　dodder　in
when　it　would。　　The　deplorable　〃rattling　bones〃　of　the　closing
section　has　a　touch　of　it。


SONG；　FROM　ABDELAZAR


It　is　a　futile　thingand　the　cause　of　a　train　of　futilitiesto
hail　〃style〃　as　though　it　were　a　separable　quality　in　literature；
and　it　is　not　in　that　illusion　that　the　style　of　the　opening　of
Aphra　Behn's　resounding　song　is　to　be　praised。　　But　it　IS　the
styleimplying　the　reckless　and　majestic　heartthat　first　takes
the　reader　of　these　great　verses。


HYMN　（The　spacious　firmament　on　high）


Whether　Addison　wrote　the　whole　of　this　or　not；and　it　seems　that
the　inspired　passages　are　none　of　hisit　is　to　me　a　poem　of
genius；　magical　in　spite　of　the　limited　diction。


ELEGY　TO　THE　MEMORY　OF　AN　UNFORTUNATE　LADY


Also　in　spite　of　limited　dictionthe　sign　of　thought　closing　in；
as　it　did　fast　close　in　during　those　yearsar