ponkapog papers-第18节

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poetry。〃　　Yet　it　is　strange　that　a　public　which　had　a　relish　for　Edmund　Waller　should　neglect　a　poet　who　was　fifty　times　finer　than　Waller　in　his　own　specialty。　　What　poet　then；　or　in　the　half…century　that　followed　the　Restoration；　could　have　written　Corinna's　Going　a…Maying；　or　ap…　proached　in　kind　the　ineffable　grace　and　perfec…　tion　to　be　found　in　a　score　of　Herrick's　lyrics？　　　　　　The　〃Hesperides〃　was　received　with　chilling　indifference。　　None　of　Herrick's　great　contem…　poraries　has　left　a　consecrating　word　concerning　it。　　The　book　was　not　reprinted　during　the　au…　thor's　lifetime；　and　for　more　than　a　century　after　his　death　Herrick　was　virtually　unread。　　In　1796　the　〃Gentleman's　Magazine〃　copied　a　few　of　the　poems；　and　two　years　later　Dr。　Nathan　Drake　published　in　his　〃Literary　Hours〃　three　critical　papers　on　the　poet；　with　specimens　of　his　writ…　ings。　　Dr。　Johnson　omitted　him　from　the　〃Lives　of　the　Poets；〃　though　space　was　found　for　half　a　score　of　poetasters　whose　names　are　to　be　found　nowhere　else。　　In　1810　Dr。　Nott；　a　physician　of　Bristol；　issued　a　small　volume　of　selections。　It　was　not　until　1823　that　Herrick　was　reprinted　in　full。　　It　remained　for　the　taste　of　our　own　day　to　multiply　editions　of　him。　　　　　　In　order　to　set　the　seal　to　Herrick's　fame；　it　is　now　only　needful　that　some　wiseacre　should　attribute　the　authorship　of　the　poems　to　some　man　who　could　not　possibly　have　written　a　line　of　them。　　The　opportunity　presents　attractions　that　ought　to　be　irresistible。　　Excepting　a　hand…　ful　of　Herrick's　college　letters　there　is　no　scrap　of　his　manuscript　extant；　the　men　who　drank　and　jested　with　the　poet　at　the　Dog　or　the　Triple　Tun　make　no　reference　to　him；　　and　in　the　wide　parenthesis　formed　by　his　birth　and　death　we　find　as　little　tangible　incident　as　is　discover…　able　in　the　briefer　span　of　Shakespeare's　fifty…　two　years。　　Here　is　material　for　profundity　and　ciphers！　　　　　　Herrick's　second　sojourn　in　London　covered　the　period　between　1648　and　1662；　curing　which　interim　he　fades　from　sight；　excepting　for　the

　　　　　　With　the　single　exception　of　the　writer　of　some　verses　in　the　Musarum　Deliciae　（1656）　who　mentions

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　That　old　sack　　　　　　Young　Herrick　took　to　entertain　　　　　　The　Muses　in　a　sprightly　vein。　instant　when　he　is　publishing　his　book。　　If　he　engaged　in　further　literary　work　there　are　no　evidences　of　it　beyond　one　contribution　to　the　〃Lacrymae　Musarum〃　in　1649。　　　　　　He　seems　to　have　had　lodgings；　for　a　while　at　least；　in　St。　Anne's；　Westminster。　　With　the　court　in　exile　and　the　grim　Roundheads　seated　in　the　seats　of　the　mighty；　it　was　no　longer　the　merry　London　of　his　early　manhood。　　Time　and　war　had　thinned　the　ranks　of　friends；　in　the　old　haunts　the　old　familiar　faces　were　wanting。　Ben　Jonson　was　dead；　Waller　banished；　and　many　another　comrade　〃in　disgrace　with　for…　tune　and　men's　eyes。〃　　As　Herrick　walked　through　crowded　Cheapside　or　along　the　dingy　river…bank　in　those　years；　his　thought　must　have　turned　more　than　once　to　the　little　vicarage　in　Devonshire；　and　lingered　tenderly。　　　　　　On　the　accession　of　Charles　II。　a　favorable　change　of　wind　wafted　Herrick　back　to　his　former　moorings　at　Dean　Prior；　the　obnoxious　Syms　having　been　turned　adrift。　　This　occurred　on　August　24；　1662；　the　seventy…first　anniver…　sary　of　the　poet's　baptism。　　Of　Herrick's　move…　ments　after　that；　tradition　does　not　furnish　even　the　shadow　of　an　outline。　　The　only　notable　event　concerning　him　is　recorded　twelve　years　later　in　the　parish　register：　〃Robert　Herrick；　vicker；　was　buried　ye　15〃　day　October；　1674。〃　He　was　eighty…three　years　old。　　The　location　of　his　grave　is　unknown。　　In　1857　a　monument　to　his　memory　was　erected　in　Dean　Church。　　And　this　is　all。



II

THE　details　that　have　come　down　to　us　touch…　ing　Herrick's　private　life　are　as　meagre　as　if　he　had　been　a　Marlowe　or　a　Shakespeare。　　But　were　they　as　ample　as　could　be　desired　they　would　still　be　unimportant　compared　with　the　single　fact　that　in　1648　he　gave　to　the　world　his　〃Hesperides。〃　　The　environments　of　the　man　were　accidental　and　transitory。　　The　significant　part　of　him　we　have；　and　that　is　enduring　so　long　as　wit；　fancy；　and　melodious　numbers　hold　a　charm　for　mankind。　　　　　　A　fine　thing　incomparably　said　instantly　be…　comes　familiar；　and　has　henceforth　a　sort　of　dateless　excellence。　　Though　it　may　have　been　said　three　hundred　years　ago；　it　is　as　modern　as　yesterday；　though　it　may　have　been　said　yesterday；　it　has　the　trick　of　seeming　to　have　been　always　in　our　keeping。　　This　quality　of　remoteness　and　nearness　belongs；　in　a　striking　degree；　to　Herrick's　poems。　　They　are　as　novel　to…day　as　they　were　on　the　lips　of　a　choice　few　of　his　contemporaries；　who；　in　reading　them　in　their　freshness；　must　surely　have　been　aware　here　and　there　of　the　ageless　grace　of　old　idyllic　poets　dead　and　gone。　　　　　　Herrick　was　the　bearer　of　no　heavy　message　to　the　world；　and　such　message　as　he　had　he　was　apparently　in　no　hurry　to　deliver。　　On　this　point　he　somewhere　says：

　　　　　Let　others　to　the　printing　presse　run　fast；　　　　　　Since　after　death　comes　glory；　I　'll　not　haste。

He　had　need　of　his　patience；　for　he　was　long　detained　on　the　road　by　many　of　those　obstacles　that　waylay　poets　on　their　journeys　to　the　printer。　　　　　　Herrick　was　nearly　sixty　years　old　when　he　published　the　〃Hesperides。〃　　It　was；　I　repeat；　no　heavy　message；　and　the　bearer　was　left　an　unconscionable　time　to　cool　his　heels　in　the　ante…　chamber。　　Though　his　pieces　had　been　set　to　music　by　such　composers　as　Lawes；　Ramsay；　and　Laniers；　and　his　court　poems　had　naturally　won　favor　with　the　Cavalier　party；　Herrick　cut　but　a　small　figure　at　the　side　of　several　of　his　rhyming　contemporaries　who　are　now　forgotten。　It　sometimes　happens　that　the　light　love…song；　reaching　few　or　no　ears　at　its　first　singing；　out…　lasts　the　seemingly　more　prosperous　ode　which；　dealing　with　some　passing　phase　of　thought；　social　or　political；　gains　the　instant　applause　of　the　multitude。　　In　most　cases　the　timely　ode　is　somehow　apt　to　fade　with　the　circumstance　that　inspired　it；　and　becomes　the　yesterday's　edito…　rial　of　literature。　　Oblivion　likes　especially　to　get　hold　of　occasional　poems。　　That　makes　it　hard　for　feeble　poets　laureate。　　　　　　Mr。　Henry　James　once　characterized　Al…　phonse　Daudet　as　〃a　great　little　novelist。〃　Robert　Herrick　is　a　great　little　poet。　　The　brev…　ity　of　his　poems；　for　he　wrote　nothing　de　longue　haleine；　would　place　him　among　the　minor　singers；　his　workmanship　places　him　among　the　masters。　　The　Herricks　were　not　a　family　of　goldsmiths　and　lapidaries　for　nothing。　　The　accurate　touch　of　the　artificer　in　jewels　and　costly　metals　was　one　of　the　gifts　transmitted　to　Robert　Herrick。　　Much　of　his　work　is　as　ex…　quisite　and　precise　as　the　chasing　on　a　dagger…　hilt　by　Cellini；　the　line　has　nearly　always　that　vine…like　fluency　which　seems　impromptu；　and　is　never　the　result　of　anything　but　austere　labor。　The　critic　who；　borrowing　Milton's　words；　described　these　carefully　wrought　poems　as　〃wood…notes　wild〃　showed　a　singular　lapse　of　penetration。　　They　are　full　of　subtle　simplicity。　Here　we　come　across　a　stanza　as　severely　cut　as　an　antique　cameothe　stanza；　for　instance；　in　which　the　poet　speaks　of　his　lady…love's　〃win…　ter　face〃and　there　a　couplet　that　breaks　into　unfading　daffodils　and　violets。　　The　art；　though　invisible；　is　always　there。　　His　amatory　songs　and　catches　are　such　poetry　as　Orlando　would　have　liked　to　hang　on　the　boughs　in　the　forest　of　Arden。　　None　of　the　work　is　hastily　done；　not　even　that　portion　of　it　we　could　wish　had　not　been　done　at　all。　　Be　the　motive　grave　or　gay；　it　is　given　that　faultlessness　of　form　which　distinguishes　everything　in　literature　that　has　survived　its　own　period。　　There　is　no　such　thing　as　〃form〃　alone；　it　is　only　the　close…grained　material　that　takes　the　highest　finish。　　The　struc…　ture　of　Herrick's　verse；　like　that　of　Blake；　is　simple　to　the　verge　of　innocence。　　Such　rhyth…　mic　intricacies　as　those　of　Shelley；　Tennyson；　and　Swinburne　he　never　dreamed　of。　　But　his　manner　has　this　perfection：　it　fits　his　matter　as　the　cup　of　the　acorn　fits　its　meat。　　　　　　Of　passion；　in　the　deeper　sense；　Herrick　has　little　or　none。　　Here　are　no　〃tears　from　the　depth　of　some　divine　despair；〃　no　probings　into　the　tragic　heart　of　man；　no　insight　that　goes　much　farther　than　the　pathos　of　a　cowslip　on　a　maiden's　grave。　　The　tendrils　of　his　verse　reach　up　to　the　light；　and　love　the　warmer　side　of　the　garden　wall。　　But　the　reader　who　does　not　de…　tect　the　seriousness　under　the　lightness　misreads　Herrick。　　Nearly　all　true　poets　have　been　whole…　some　and　joyous　singers。　　A　pessimistic　poet；　like　the　poisonous　ivy；　is　one　of　nature's　sar…　casms。　　In　his　own　bright　pastoral　way　Herrick　must　always　remain　unexcelled。　　His　limitations　are　certainly　narrow；　but　they　leave　him　in　the　sunshine。　　Neither　in　his　thought　nor　in　his　utterance　is　there　any　complexity；　both　are　as　pellucid　as　a　woodland　pond；　content　to　du…　plicate　the　osiers　and　ferns；　and；　by　chance；　the　face　of　a　girl　straying　near　its　crystal。　　His　is　no　troubled　stream　in　which　large　trout　are　caught。　　He　must　be　accepted　on　his　own　terms。　　　　　　The　greatest　poets　have；　with　rare　exceptions；　been　the　most　indebted　to　their　predecessors　or　to　their