shelley-第3节

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！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



him　intellectually；　shared　his　views；　entered　into　his　aspirations；

and　yetyet；　even　at　the　date　of　Epipsychidion　the　foolish　child；

her　husband；　assigned　her　the　part　of　moon　to　Emilia　Viviani's　sun；

and　lamented　that　he　was　barred　from　final；　certain；　irreversible

happiness　by　a　cold　and　callous　society。　　Yet　few　poets　were　so

mated　before；　and　no　poet　was　so　mated　afterwards；　until　Browning

stooped　and　picked　up　a　fair…coined　soul　that　lay　rusting　in　a　pool

of　tears。



In　truth；　his　very　unhappiness　and　discontent　with　life；　in　so　far

as　it　was　not　the　inevitable　penalty　of　the　ethical　anarch；　can　only

be　ascribed　to　this　same　childlike　irrationalitythough　in　such　a

form　it　is　irrationality　hardly　peculiar　to　Shelley。　　Pity；　if　you

will；　his　spiritual　ruins　and　the　neglected　early　training　which　was

largely　their　cause；　but　the　pity　due　to　his　outward　circumstances

has　been　strangely　exaggerated。　　The　obloquy　from　which　he　suffered

he　deliberately　and　wantonly　courted。　　For　the　rest；　his　lot　was　one

that　many　a　young　poet　might　envy。　　He　had　faithful　friends；　a

faithful　wife；　an　income　small　but　assured。　　Poverty　never　dictated

to　his　pen；　the　designs　on　his　bright　imagination　were　never　etched

by　the　sharp　fumes　of　necessity。



If；　as　has　chanced　to　othersas　chanced；　for　example；　to　Mangan

outcast　from　home；　health　and　hope；　with　a　charred　past　and　a

bleared　future；　an　anchorite　without　detachment　and　self…cloistered

without　self…sufficingness；　deposed　from　a　world　which　he　had　not

abdicated；　pierced　with　thorns　which　formed　no　crown；　a　poet

hopeless　of　the　bays　and　a　martyr　hopeless　of　the　palm；　a　land

cursed　against　the　dews　of　love；　an　exile　banned　and　proscribed　even

from　the　innocent　arms　of　childhoodhe　were　burning　helpless　at　the

stake　of　his　unquenchable　heart；　then　he　might　have　been

inconsolable；　then　might　he　have　cast　the　gorge　at　life；　then　have

cowered　in　the　darkening　chamber　of　his　being；　tapestried　with

mouldering　hopes；　and　hearkened　to　the　winds　that　swept　across　the

illimitable　wastes　of　death。　　But　no　such　hapless　lot　was　Shelley's

as　that　of　his　own　contemporariesKeats；　half　chewed　in　the　jaws　of

London　and　spit　dying　on　to　Italy；　de　Quincey；　who；　if　he　escaped；

escaped　rent　and　maimed　from　those　cruel　jaws；　Coleridge；　whom　they

dully　mumbled　for　the　major　portion　of　his　life。　　Shelley　had

competence；　poetry；　love；　yet　he　wailed　that　he　could　lie　down　like

a　tired　child　and　weep　away　his　life　of　care。　　Is　it　ever　so　with

you；　sad　brother；　is　it　ever　so　with　me？　and　is　there　no　drinking　of

pearls　except　they　be　dissolved　in　biting　tears？　　〃Which　of　us　has

his　desire；　or　having　it　is　satisfied？〃



It　is　true　that　he　shared　the　fate　of　nearly　all　the　great　poets

contemporary　with　him；　in　being　unappreciated。　　Like　them；　he

suffered　from　critics　who　were　for　ever　shearing　the　wild　tresses　of

poetry　between　rusty　rules；　who　could　never　see　a　literary　bough

project　beyond　the　trim　level　of　its　day　but　they　must　lop　it　with　a

crooked　criticism；　who　kept　indomitably　planting　in　the　defile　of

fame　the　〃established　canons〃　that　had　been　spiked　by　poet　after

poet。　　But　we　decline　to　believe　that　a　singer　of　Shelley's　calibre

could　be　seriously　grieved　by　want　of　vogue。　　Not　that　we　suppose

him　to　have　found　consolation　in　that　senseless　superstition；　〃the

applause　of　posterity。〃　　Posterity！　posterity　which　goes　to　Rome；

weeps　large…sized　tears；　carves　beautiful　inscriptions　over　the　tomb

of　Keats；　and　the　worm　must　wriggle　her　curtsey　to　it　all；　since　the

dead　boy；　wherever　he　be；　has　quite　other　gear　to　tend。　　Never　a

bone　less　dry　for　all　the　tears！



A　poet　must　to　some　extent　be　a　chameleon　and　feed　on　air。　　But　it

need　not　be　the　musty　breath　of　the　multitude。　　He　can　find　his

needful　support　in　the　judgement　of　those　whose　judgement　he　knows

valuable；　and　such　support　Shelley　had：





La　gloire

Ne　compte　pas　toujours　les　voix；

Elle　les　pese　quelquefois。





Yet　if　this　might　be　needful　to　him　as　support；　neither　this；　nor

the　applause　of　the　present；　nor　the　applause　of　posterity；　could

have　been　needful　to　him　as　motive：　　the　one　all…sufficing　motive

for　a　great　poet's　singing　is　that　expressed　by　Keats：





I　was　taught　in　Paradise

To　ease　my　breast　of　melodies。





Precisely　so。　　The　overcharged　breast　can　find　no　ease　but　in

suckling　the　baby…song。　　No　enmity　of　outward　circumstances；

therefore；　but　his　own　nature；　was　responsible　for　Shelley's　doom。



A　being　with　so　much　about　it　of　childlike　unreasonableness；　and　yet

withal　so　much　of　the　beautiful　attraction　luminous　in　a　child's

sweet　unreasonableness；　would　seem　fore…fated　by　its　very　essence　to

the　transience　of　the　bubble　and　the　rainbow；　of　all　things　filmy

and　fair。　　Did　some　shadow　of　this　destiny　bear　part　in　his　sadness？

Certain　it　is　that；　by　a　curious　chance；　he　himself　in　Julian　and

Maddalo　jestingly　foretold　the　manner　of　his　end。　　〃O　ho！　　You　talk

as　in　years　past；〃　said　Maddalo　（Byron）　to　Julian　（Shelley）；　〃If　you

can't　swim；　Beware　of　Providence。〃　　Did　no　unearthly　dixisti　sound

in　his　ears　as　he　wrote　it？　　But　a　brief　while；　and　Shelley；　who

could　not　swim；　was　weltering　on　the　waters　of　Lerici。　　We　know　not

how　this　may　affect　others；　but　over　us　it　is　a　coincidence　which

has　long　tyrannised　with　an　absorbing　inveteracy　of　impression

（strengthened　rather　than　diminished　by　the　contrast　between　the

levity　of　the　utterance　and　its　fatal　fulfilment）thus　to　behold；

heralding　itself　in　warning　mockery　through　the　very　lips　of　its

predestined　victim；　the　Doom　upon　whose　breath　his　locks　were

lifting　along　the　coasts　of　Campania。　　The　death　which　he　had

prophesied　came　upon　him；　and　Spezzia　enrolled　another　name　among

the　mournful　Marcelli　of　our　tongue；　Venetian　glasses　which　foamed

and　burst　before　the　poisoned　wine　of　life　had　risen　to　their　brims。





Coming　to　Shelley's　poetry；　we　peep　over　the　wild　mask　of

revolutionary　metaphysics；　and　we　see　the　winsome　face　of　the　child。

Perhaps　none　of　his　poems　is　more　purely　and　typically　Shelleian

than　The　Cloud；　and　it　is　interesting　to　note　how　essentially　it

springs　from　the　faculty　of　make…believe。　　The　same　thing　is

conspicuous；　though　less　purely　conspicuous；　throughout　his　singing；

it　is　the　child's　faculty　of　make…believe　raised　to　the　nth　power。

He　is　still　at　play；　save　only　that　his　play　is　such　as　manhood

stops　to　watch；　and　his　playthings　are　those　which　the　gods　give

their　children。　　The　universe　is　his　box　of　toys。　　He　dabbles　his

fingers　in　the　day…fall。　　He　is　gold…dusty　with　tumbling　amidst　the

stars。　　He　makes　bright　mischief　with　the　moon。　　The　meteors　nuzzle

their　noses　in　his　hand。　　He　teases　into　growling　the　kennelled

thunder；　and　laughs　at　the　shaking　of　its　fiery　chain。　　He　dances　in

and　out　of　the　gates　of　heaven：　　its　floor　is　littered　with　his

broken　fancies。　　He　runs　wild　over　the　fields　of　ether。　　He　chases

the　rolling　world。　　He　gets　between　the　feet　of　the　horses　of　the

sun。　　He　stands　in　the　lap　of　patient　Nature　and　twines　her　loosened

tresses　after　a　hundred　wilful　fashions；　to　see　how　she　will　look

nicest　in　his　song。



This　it　was　which；　in　spite　of　his　essentially　modern　character　as　a

singer；　qualified　Shelley　to　be　the　poet　of　Prometheus　Unbound；　for

it　made　him；　in　the　truest　sense　of　the　word；　a　mythological　poet。

This　childlike　quality　assimilated　him　to　the　childlike　peoples

among　whom　mythologies　have　their　rise。　　Those　Nature　myths　which；

according　to　many；　are　the　basis　of　all　mythology；　are　likewise　the

very　basis　of　Shelley's　poetry。　　The　lark　that　is　the　gossip　of

heaven；　the　winds　that　pluck　the　grey　from　the　beards　of　the

billows；　the　clouds　that　are　snorted　from　the　sea's　broad　nostril；

all　the　elemental　spirits　of　Nature；　take　from　his　verse　perpetual

incarnation　and　reincarnation；　pass　in　a　thousand　glorious

transmigrations　through　the　radiant　forms　of　his　imagery。



Thus；　but　not　in　the　Wordsworthian　sense；　he　is　a　veritable　poet　of

Nature。　　For　with　Nature　the　Wordsworthians　will　admit　no　tampering：

they　exact　the　direct　interpretative　reproduction　of　her；　that　the

poet　should　follow　her　as　a　mistress；　not　use　her　as　a　handmaid。　　To

such　following　of　Nature；　Shelley　felt　no　call。　　He　saw　in　her　not　a

picture　set　for　his　copying；　but　a　palette　set　for　his　brush；　not　a

habitation　prepared　for　his　inhabiting；　but　a　Coliseum　whence　he

might　quarry　stones　for　his　own　palaces。　　Even　in　his　descriptive

passages　the　dream…character　of　his　scenery　is　notorious；　it　is　not

the　clear；　recognisable　scenery　of　Wordsworth；　but　a　landscape　that

hovers　athwart　the　heat　and　haze　arising　from　his　crackling

fantasies。　　The　materials　for　such　visionary　Edens　have　evidently

been　accumulated　from　direct　experience；　but　they　are　recomposed　by

him　into　such　scenes　as　never　had　mortal　eye　beheld。　　〃Don't　you

wish　you　had？〃　a