ponkapog papers-第1节

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Ponkapog　Papers
by　Thomas　Bailey　Aldrich


TO　FRANCIS　BARTLETT



THESE　miscellaneous　notes　and
essays　are　called　Ponkapog　Papers
not　simply　because　they　chanced；　for
the　most　part；　to　be　written　within　the
limits　of　the　old　Indian　Reservation；
but；　rather；　because　there　is　something
typical　of　their　unpretentiousness　in　the
modesty　with　which　Ponkapog　assumes
to　being　even　a　village。　　The　little
Massachusetts　settlement；　nestled　under
the　wing　of　the　Blue　Hills；　has　no　illu…
sions　concerning　itself；　never　mistakes
the　cackle　of　the　bourg　for　the　sound
that　echoes　round　the　world；　and　no
more　thinks　of　rivalling　great　centres　of
human　activity　than　these　slight　papers
dream　of　inviting　comparison　between
themselves　and　important　pieces　of
literature。　　Therefore　there　seems　some…
thing　especially　appropriate　in　the　geo…
graphical　title　selected；　and　if　the　au…
thor's　choice　of　name　need　further
excuse；　it　is　to　be　found　in　the　alluring
alliteration　lying　ready　at　his　hand。

REDMAN　FARM；　Ponkapog；
1903。




CONTENTS


LEAVES　FROM　A　NOTE　BOOK



ASIDES

　　　　　TOM　FOLIO

　　　　　FLEABODY　AND　OTHER　QUEER　NAMES

　　　　　A　NOTE　ON　〃L'AIGLON〃

　　　　　PLOT　AND　CHARACTER

　　　　　THE　CRUELTY　OF　SCIENCE

　　　　　LEIGH　HUNT　AND　BARRY　CORNWALL

　　　　　DECORATION　DAY

　　　　　WRITERS　AND　TALKERS

　　　　　ON　EARLY　RISING

　　　　　UN　POETE　MANQUE

　　　　　THE　MALE　COSTUME　OF　THE　PERIOD

　　　　　ON　A　CERTAIN　AFFECTATION

　　　　　WISHMAKERS'　TOWN

　　　　　HISTORICAL　NOVELS

　　　　　POOR　YORICK

　　　　　THE　AUTOGRAPH　HUNTER



ROBERT　HERRICK





LEAVES　FROM　A　NOTE　BOOK




IN　his　Memoirs；　Kropotkin　states　the　singular　fact　that　the　natives　of　the　Malayan　Archipel…　ago　have　an　idea　that　something　is　extracted　from　them　when　their　likenesses　are　taken　by　photo…　graphy。　　Here　is　the　motive　for　a　fantastic　short　story；　in　which　the　heroan　author　in　vogue　or　a　popular　actormight　be　depicted　as　having　all　his　good　qualities　gradually　photographed　out　of　him。　　This　could　well　be　the　result　of　too　prolonged　indulgence　in　the　effort　to　〃look　natural。〃　　First　the　man　loses　his　charming　sim…　plicity；　then　he　begins　to　pose　in　intellectual　attitudes；　with　finger　on　brow；　then　he　becomes　morbidly　self…conscious；　and　finally　ends　in　an　asylum　for　incurable　egotists。　　His　death　might　be　brought　about　by　a　cold　caught　in　going　out　bareheaded；　there　being；　for　the　moment；　no　hat　in　the　market　of　sufficient　circumference　to　meet　his　enlarged　requirement。

THE　evening　we　dropped　anchor　in　the　Bay　of　Yedo　the　moon　was　hanging　directly　over　Yokohama。　　It　was　a　mother…of…pearl　moon；　and　might　have　been　manufactured　by　any　of　the　delicate　artisans　in　the　Hanchodori　quarter。　It　impressed　one　as　being　a　very　good　imitation；　but　nothing　more。　　Nammikawa；　the　cloisonne…　worker　at　Tokio；　could　have　made　a　better　moon。

I　NOTICE　the　announcement　of　a　new　edition　of　〃The　Two　First　Centuries　of　Florentine　Literature；〃　by　Professor　Pasquale　Villari。　　I　am　not　acquainted　with　the　work　in　question；　but　I　trust　that　Professor　Villari　makes　it　plain　to　the　reader　how　both　centuries　happened　to　be　first。

THE　walking　delegates　of　a　higher　civiliza…　tion；　who　have　nothing　to　divide；　look　upon　the　notion　of　property　as　a　purely　artificial　creation　of　human　society。　　According　to　these　advanced　philosophers；　the　time　will　come　when　no　man　shall　be　allowed　to　call　anything　his。　　The　bene…　ficent　law　which　takes　away　an　author's　rights　in　his　own　books　just　at　the　period　when　old　age　is　creeping　upon　him　seems　to　me　a　hand…　some　stride　toward　the　longed…for　millennium。

SAVE　US　from　our　friendsour　enemies　we　can　guard　against。　　The　well…meaning　rector　of　the　little　parish　of　Woodgates；　England；　and　several　of　Robert　Browning's　local　admirers　have　recently　busied　themselves　in　erecting　a　tablet　to　the　memory　of　〃the　first　known　fore…　father　of　the　poet。〃　　This　lately　turned　up　an…　cestor；　who　does　not　date　very　far　back；　was　also　named　Robert　Browning；　and　is　described　on　the　mural　marble　as　〃formerly　footman　and　butler　to　Sir　John　Bankes　of　Corfe　Castle。〃　Now；　Robert　Browning　the　poet　had　as　good　right　as　Abou　Ben　Adhem　himself　to　ask　to　be　placed　on　the　list　of　those　who　love　their　fellow　men；　but　if　the　poet　could　have　been　consulted　in　the　matter　he　probably　would　have　preferred　not　to　have　that　particular　footman　exhumed。　However；　it　is　an　ill　wind　that　blows　nobody　good。　　Sir　John　Bankes　would　scarcely　have　been　heard　of　in　our　young　century　if　it　had　not　been　for　his　footman。　　As　Robert　stood　day　by　day；　sleek　and　solemn；　behind　his　master's　chair　in　Corfe　Castle；　how　little　it　entered　into　the　head　of　Sir　John　that　his　highly　respectable　name　would　be　served　up　to　posteritylike　a　cold　relishby　his　own　butler！　　By　Robert！

IN　the　east…side　slums　of　New　York；　some…　where　in　the　picturesque　Bowery　district；　stretches　a　malodorous　little　street　wholly　given　over　to　long…bearded；　bird…beaked　mer…　chants　of　ready…made　and　second…hand　clothing。　The　contents　of　the　dingy　shops　seem　to　have　revolted；　and　rushed　pell…mell　out　of　doors；　and　taken　possession　of　the　sidewalk。　　One　could　fancy　that　the　rebellion　had　been　quelled　at　this　point；　and　that　those　ghastly　rows　of　complete　suits　strung　up　on　either　side　of　the　doorways　were　the　bodies　of　the　seditious　ringleaders。　But　as　you　approach　these　limp　figures；　each　dangling　and　gyrating　on　its　cord　in　a　most　suggestive　fashion；　you　notice；　pinned　to　the　lapel　of　a　coat　here　and　there；　a　strip　of　paper　announcing　the　very　low　price　at　which　you　may　become　the　happy　possessor。　　That　dis…　sipates　the　illusion。

POLONIUS；　in　the　play；　gets　killedand　not　any　too　soon。　　If　it　only　were　practicable　to　kill　him　in　real　life！　　A　storyto　be　called　The　Passing　of　Poloniusin　which　a　king　issues　a　decree　condemning　to　death　every　long…winded；　didactic　person　in　the　kingdom；　irrespective　of　rank；　and　is　himself　instantly　arrested　and　de…　capitated。　　The　man　who　suspects　his　own　tediousness　is　yet　to　be　born。

WHENEVER　I　take　up　Emerson's　poems　I　find　myself　turning　automatically　to　his　Bacchus。　Elsewhere；　in　detachable　passages　embedded　in　mediocre　verse；　he　rises　for　a　moment　to　heights　not　reached　by　any　other　of　our　poets；　but　Bacchus　is　in　the　grand　style　throughout。　　Its　tex…　ture　can　bear　comparison　with　the　world's　best　in　this　kind。　　In　imaginative　quality　and　austere　richness　of　diction　what　other　verse　of　our　period　approaches　it？　　The　day　Emerson　wrote　Bacchus　he　had　in　him；　as　Michael　Drayton　said　of　Marlowe；　〃those　brave　translunary　things　that　the　first　poets　had。〃


IMAGINE　all　human　beings　swept　off　the　face　of　the　earth；　excepting　one　man。　　Imagine　this　man　in　some　vast　city；　New　York　or　London。　Imagine　him　on　the　third　or　fourth　day　of　his　solitude　sitting　in　a　house　and　hearing　a　ring　at　the　door…bell！

No　man　has　ever　yet　succeeded　in　painting　an　honest　portrait　of　himself　in　an　autobiography；　however　sedulously　he　may　have　set　to　work　about　it。　　In　spite　of　his　candid　purpose　he　omits　necessary　touches　and　adds　superfluous　ones。　　At　times　he　cannot　help　draping　his　thought；　and　the　least　shred　of　drapery　becomes　a　disguise。　　It　is　only　the　diarist　who　accom…　plishes　the　feat　of　self…portraiture；　and　he；　with…　out　any　such　end　in　view；　does　it　unconsciously。　A　man　cannot　keep　a　daily　record　of　his　com…　ings　and　goings　and　the　little　items　that　make　up　the　sum　of　his　life；　and　not　inadvertently　betray　himself　at　every　turn。　　He　lays　bare　his　heart　with　a　candor　not　possible　to　the　self…　consciousness　that　inevitably　colors　premeditated　revelation。　　While　Pepys　was　filling　those　small　octavo　pages　with　his　perplexing　cipher　he　never　once　suspected　that　he　was　adding　a　pho…　tographic　portrait　of　himself　to　the　world's　gal…　lery　of　immortals。　　We　are　more　intimately　acquainted　with　Mr。　Samuel　Pepys；　the　inner　manhis　little　meannesses　and　his　large　gener…　ositiesthen　we　are　with　half　the　persons　we　call　our　dear　friends。

THE　young　girl　in　my　story　is　to　be　as　sensitive　to　praise　as　a　prism　is　to　light。　　Whenever　any…　body　praises　her　she　breaks　into　colors。

IN　the　process　of　dusting　my　study；　the　other　morning；　the　maid　replaced　an　engraving　of　Philip　II。　of　Spain　up…side　down　on　the　man…　tel…shelf；　and　his　majesty　has　remained　in　that　undignified　posture　ever　since。　　I　have　no　dis…　position　to　come　to　his　aid。　　My　abhorrence　of　the　wretch　is　as　hearty　as　if　he　had　not　been　dead　andotherwise　provided　for　these　last　three　hundred　years。　　Bloody　Mary　of　England　was　nearly　as　merciless；　but　she　was　sincere　and　uncompromising　in　her　extirpation　of　heretics。

Philip　II。；　whose　one　recorded　hearty　laugh　was　occasioned　by　the　news　of　the　St。　Bartholomew　massacre；　could　mask　his　fanaticism　or　drop　it　for　the　time　being；　when　it　seemed　politic　to　do　so。　　Queen　Mary　was　a　maniac；　but　the　suc…　cessor　of　Torquemada　was　the　incarnation　of　cruelty　pure　and　simple；　and　I　have　a　mind　to　let　my　counterfeit　presentment　of　him　stand　on　its　head　for　the　rest　of　its　natural　life。　　I　cor…　dially　dislike　several　persons；　but　I　hate　no…　body；　living　or　dead；　excepting　Philip　II。　of　Spain。　　He　appears　to　give　me　as　much　trouble　as　Charles　I。　gave　the　amiable　Mr。　Dick。

AMONG　the　delightful　men