later poems-第5部分

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light；　pursuing　wave　that　runs　suddenly；　outrunning　twenty；　further
up　the　sands　than　these；　a　swift　traveller；　unspent；　of　longer
impulse；　of　more　impetuous　foot；　of　fuller　and　of　hastier　breath；
more　eager　to　speak；　and　yet　more　reluctant　to　have　done。　　Cowley
left　the　line　with　all　this　lyrical　promise　within　it；　and　if　his
example　had　been　followed；　English　prosody　would　have　had　in　this　a
valuable　bequest。

Cowley　probably　was　two　or　three　years　younger　than　Richard
Crashaw；　and　the　alexandrine　is　to　be　foundto　be　found　by
searchingin　Crashaw；　and　he　took　precisely　the　same　care　as
Cowley　that　the　long　wand　of　that　line　should　not　give　way　in　the
middleshould　be　strong　and　supple　and　should　last。　　Here　are　four
of　his　alexandrines　…

〃Or　you；　more　noble　architects　of　intellectual　noise。〃
〃Of　sweets　you　have；　and　murmur　that　you　have　no　more。〃
〃And　everlasting　series　of　a　deathless　song。〃
〃To　all　the　dear…bought　nations　this　redeeming　name。〃

A　later　poetCoventry　Patmorewrote　a　far　longer　line　than　even
thesea　line　not　only　speeding　further；　but　speeding　with　a　more
celestial　movement　than　Cowley　or　Crashaw　heard　with　the　ear　of
dreams。

〃He　unhappily　adopted；〃　says　Dr。　Johnson　as　to　Cowley's　diction；
〃that　which　was　predominant。〃　　〃That　which　was　predominant〃　was　as
good　a　vintage　of　English　language　as　the　cycles　of　history　have
ever　brought　to　pass。


TO　LUCASTA


Colonel　Richard　Lovelace；　an　enchanting　poet；　is　hardly　read；
except　for　two　poems　which　are　as　famous　as　any　in　our　language。
Perhaps　the　rumour　of　his　conceits　has　frightened　his　reader。　　It
must　be　granted　they　are　now　and　then　daunting；　there　is　a　poem　on
〃Princess　Louisa　Drawing〃　which　is　a　very　maze；　the　little　paths　of
verse　and　fancy　turn　in　upon　one　another；　and　the　turns　are　pointed
with　artificial　shouts　of　joy　and　surprise。　　But；　again；　what　a
reader　unused　to　a　certain　living　symbolism　will　be　apt　to　take　for
a　careful　and　cold　conceit　is；　in　truth；　a　rapturenone　graver；
none　more　fiery　or　more　luminous。　　But　even　to　name　the　poem　where
these　occur　might　be　to　deliver　delicate　and　ardent　poetry　over　to
the　general　sense　of　humour；　which　one　distrusts。　　Nor　is　Lovelace
easy　reading　at　any　time　（the　two　or　three　famous　poems　excepted）。
The　age　he　adorned　lived　in　constant　readiness　for　the　fiddler。
Eleven　o'clock　in　the　morning　was　as　good　an　hour　as　another　for　a
dance；　and　poetry；　too；　was　gay　betimes；　but　intricate　with
figures。　　It　is　the　very　order；　the　perspective；　as　it　were；　of　the
movement　that　seems　to　baffle　the　eye；　but　the　game　was　a　free
impulse。　　Since　the　first　day　danced　with　the　first　night；　no
dancing　was　more　naturalat　least　to　a　dancer　of　genius。　　True；
the　dance　could　be　tyrannous。　　It　was　an　importunate　fashion。　　When
the　Bishop　of　Hereford；　compelled　by　Robin　Hood；　in　merry
Barnsdale；　danced　in　his　boots　（〃and　glad　he　could　so　get　away〃）；
he　was　hardly　in　worse　heart　or　trim　than　a　seventeenth　century
author　here　and　there　whose　original　seriousness　or　work…a…day
piety　would　have　been　content　to　go　plodding　flat…foot　or　halting；
as　the　muse　might　naturally　incline　with　him；　but　whom　the　tune；
the　grace；　and　gallantry　of　the　time　beckoned　to　tread　a　perpetual
measure。　　Lovelace　was　a　dancer　of　genius；　nay；　he　danced　to　rest
his　wings；　for　he　was　winged；　cap　and　heel。　　The　fiction　of　flight
has　lost　its　charm　long　since。　　Modern　art　grew　tired　of　the　idea；
now　turned　to　commonplace；　and　painting　took　leave　of　the　buoyant
urchinsnaughty　cherub　and　Cupid　together；　but　the　seventeenth
century　was　in　love　with　that　old　fancymore　in　love；　perhaps；
than　any　century　in　the　past。　　Its　late　painters；　whose　human
figures　had　no　lack　of　weight　upon　the　comfortable　ground；　yet　kept
a　sense　of　buoyancy　for　this　hovering　childhood；　and　kept　the
angels　and　the　loves　aloft；　as　though　they　shook　a　tree　to　make　a
flock　of　birds　flutter　up。

Fine　is　the　fantastic　and　infrequent　landscape　in　Lovelace's
poetry：

〃This　is　the　palace　of　the　wood；
And　court　o'　the　royal　oak；　where　stood
The　whole　nobility。〃

In　more　than　one　place　Lucasta's；　or　Amarantha's；　or　Laura's　hair
is　sprinkled　with　dew　or　rain　almost　as　freshly　and　wildly　as　in
Wordsworth's　line。

Lovelace；　who　loved　freedom；　seems　to　be　enclosed　in　so　narrow　a
book；　yet　it　is　but　a　〃hermitage。〃　　To　shake　out　the　light　and
spirit　of　its　leaves　is　to　give　a　glimpse　of　liberty　not　to　him；
but　to　the　world。

In　To　Lucasta　I　have　been　bold　to　alter；　at　the　close；　〃you〃　to
〃thou。〃　　Lovelace　sent　his　verses　out　unrevised；　and　the
inconsistency　of　pronouns　is　common　with　him；　but　nowhere　else　so
distressing　as　in　this　brief　and　otherwise　perfect　poem。　　The　fault
is　easily　set　right；　and　it　seems　even　an　unkindness　not　to　lend
him　this　redress；　offered　him　here　as　an　act　of　comradeship。


LUCASTA　PAYING　HER　OBSEQUIES


That　errors　should　abound　in　the　text　of　Lovelace　is　the　more
lamentable　because　he　was　apt　to　make　a　play　of　phrases　that　depend
upon　the　precision　of　a　commanay；　upon　the　precision　of　the　voice
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