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！
Johnson himself； could lodge the fury in his breast when opportunity
occurred。 〃And dubious title shakes the madded land。〃 It would be hard to
find anything； even in Addison； more flagrant and less fair。
Take The Weeper of Crashawhis most flagrant poem。 Its follies are
all sweet…humoured； they smile。 Its beauties are a quick and abundant
shower。 The delicate phrases are so mingled with the flagrant that it is
difficult to quote them without rousing that general sense of humour of
which any one may make a boast； and I am therefore shy even of citing
the 〃brisk cherub〃 who has early sipped the Saint's tear： 〃Then to his
music；〃 in Crashaw's divinely simple phrase； and his singing 〃tastes of this
breakfast all day long。〃 Sorrow is a queen； he cries to the Weeper； and
when sorrow would be seen in state； 〃then is she drest by none but thee。〃
Then you come upon the fancy； 〃Fountain and garden in one face。〃 All
places； times； and objects are 〃Thy tears' sweet opportunity。〃 If these
charming passages lurk in his worst poems； the reader of this anthology
will not be able to count them in his best。 In the Epiphany Hymn the
heavens have found means
'To disinherit the sun's rise； Delicately to displace The day； and plant it
18
… Page 19…
THE FLOWER OF THE MIND
fairer in thy face。〃
To the Morning： Satisfaction for Sleep； is； all through； luminous。 It
would be difficult to find； even in the orient poetry of that time； more
daylight or more spirit。 True； an Elizabethan would not have had poetry so
rich as in Love's Horoscope； but yet an Elizabethan would have had it no
fresher。 The Hymn to St。 Teresa has the brevities which this poet
reproached with his longueurs masters so well。 He tells how the Spanish
girl； six years old； set out in search of death： 〃She's for the Moors and
Martyrdom。 Sweet； not so fast！〃 Of many contemporary songs in pursuit
of a fugitive Cupid； Crashaw's Cupid's Cryer： out of the Greek； is the most
dainty。 But if readers should be a little vexed with the poet's light heart and
perpetual pleasure； with the late ripeness of his sweetness； here； for their
satisfaction； is a passage capable of the great age that had lately closed
when Crashaw wrote。 It is in his summons to nature and art：
〃Come； and come strong； To the conspiracy of our spacious song！〃
I have been obliged to take courage to alter the reading of the
seventeenth and nineteenth lines of the Prayer…Book； so as to make them
intelligible； they had been obviously misprinted。 I have also found it
necessary to re…punctuate generally。
WISHES TO HIS SUPPOSED MISTRESS
This beautiful and famous poem has its stanzas so carelessly thrown
together that editors have allowed themselves a certain freedom with it。 I
have done the least I could； by separating two stanzas that repeated the
rhyme； and by suppressing one that grew tedious。
ON THE DEATH OF MR。 CRASHAW
This ode has been chosen as more nobly representative than that；
better known； On the Death of Mr。 William Harvey。 In the Crashaw ode；
and in the Hymn to the Light； Cowley is； at last； tender。 But it cannot be
said that his love…poems had tenderness。 Be wrote in a gay language； but
added nothing to its gaiety。 He wrote the language of love； and left it
cooler than he found it。 What the conceits of Lovelace and the rest
flagrant； not frigiddid not do was done by Cowley's quenching breath；
the language of love began to lose by him。 But even then； even then； who
could have foretold what the loss at a later day would be！
19
… Page 20…
THE FLOWER OF THE MIND
HYMN TO THE LIGHT
It is somewhat to be regretted that this splendid poem should show
Cowley as the writer of the alexandrine that divides into two lines。 For he
it was who first used （or first conspicuously used） the alexandrine that is
organic； integral； and itself a separate unit of metre。 He first passed
beyond the heroic line； or at least he first used the alexandrine freely； at his
pleasure； amid heroic verse； and after him Dryden took possession and
then Pope。 But both these masters； when they wrote alexandrines； wrote
them in the French manner； divided。 Cowley； however； with admirable art；
is able to prevent even an accidental pause； making the middle of his line
fall upon the middle of some word that is rapid in the speaking and
therefore indivisible by pause or even by any lingering。 Take this one
instance …
〃Like some fair pine o'erlooking all the ignobler wood。〃
If Cowley's delicate example had ruled in English poetry （and he
surely had authority on this one point； at least）； this alexandrine would
have taken its own place as an important line of English metre； more
mobile than the heroic； less fitted to epic or dramatic poetry； but a line
liberally lyrical。 It would have been the 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