第5章

Thewindsofheavenblew，theoceanroll’dIt’sgatheringwaves——yefeltitnot。TheblueBar’ditseternalbosom，andthedewOfsummernightscollectedstilltomakeThemorningprecious：beautywasawake！

Whywereyenotawake?ButyeweredeadTothingsyeknewnotof，——werecloselywedTomustylawslinedoutwithwretchedruleAndcompassvile：sothatyetaughtaschoolOfdoltstosmooth，inlay，andclip，andfit，Till，likethecertainwandsofJacob’swit，Theirversestallied。Easywasthetask：

AthousandhandicraftsmenworethemaskOfPoesy。Ill-fated，impiousrace！

Thatblasphem’dthebrightLyristtohisface，Anddidnotknowit，——no，theywentabout，Holdingapoor，decrepidstandardoutMark’dwithmostflimsymottoes，andinlargeThenameofoneBoileau！”

ItwastheselinesthatraisedtheireofByron，whoregardedthemasanirreverentassaultuponhisfavoritepoet，Pope。

InthecontroversyoccasionedbytheRev。W。L。Bowles’sstricturesontheLifeandWritingsofPope，Byronperverselyasks，”Whereisthepoetryofwhichone-halfisgood?IsittheAeneid?

IsitMilton’s?IsitDryden’s?Isitanyone’sexceptPope’sandGoldsmith’s，ofwhichALLisgood?”

Inthefirstquarterofthenineteenthcentury，thespiritualflowwhich，asIhavesaid，setinaboutthemiddleoftheeighteenthcentury，andreceiveditsfirstgreatimpulsefromWilliamCowper，reacheditshightideinWordsworth，Coleridge，Shelley，Keats，Southey，andByron。Thesepoetswereall，moreorless，influencedbythatgreatmoralconvulsion，theFrenchrevolution，whichstirredmen’ssoulstotheirdeepestdepths，inducedavaststimulationofthemeditativefaculties，andcontributedmuchtowardtheunfoldingoftheideas”onman，onnature，andonhumanlife”，whichhavesincesovitalizedEnglishpoetry。*

*”Theagitation，thefrenzy，thesorrowofthetimes，reacteduponthehumanintellect，andFORCEDmenintomeditation。

Theirownnaturewasheldupbeforetheminasternerform。

Theywerecompelledtocontemplateanidealofman，farmorecolossalthanisbroughtforwardinthetranquilaspectsofsociety；

andtheywereoftenengaged，whethertheywouldornot，withtheelementaryproblemsofsocialphilosophy。Meredangerforcedamanintothoughtswhichelsewereforeigntohishabits。

Merenecessityofactionforcedhimtodecide。”

ThomasDeQuincey’s`EssayonStyle’。

Wordsworthexhibitedinhispoetry，astheyhadneverbeforebeenexhibited，thepermanentabsoluterelationsofnaturetothehumanspirit，interpretedtherelationsbetweentheelementalpowersofcreationandthemorallifeofman，andvindicatedtheinalienablebirthrightofthelowliestofmentothoseinward”oraclesofvitaldeityattestingtheHereafter。”

Wordsworth’spoetryis，infact，sofarasitbearsuponthenaturalworld，aprotestagainsttheassociationtheoryofbeautyoftheeighteenthcentury——atheorywhichwasanoffshootofthephilosophyofLocke，wellcharacterizedbyMacvicar，inhis`PhilosophyoftheBeautiful’(Introd。，pp。xv。，xvi)，as”aningenioushypothesisforthecloseoftheeighteenthcentury，whenthephilosophythenpopulardidnotadmit，asthegroundofanyknowledge，anythinghigherthanself-repetitionandthetransformationofsensations。”

Coleridge’s`RimeoftheAncientMariner’isanimaginativeexpressionofthatdivinelovewhichembracesallcreatures，fromthehighesttothelowest，oftheconsequencesoftheseveranceofman’ssoulfromthisanimatingprincipleoftheuniverse，andofthosespiritualthreshingsbyandthroughwhichitisbroughtagainunderitsblessedinfluence。Inhis`Cristabel’hehasexhibitedthedarkprincipleofevil，lurkingwithinthegood，andeverstrugglingwithit。WereaditinthespellthewickedwitchGeraldineworksuponherinnocentandunsuspectingprotector；

wereaditinthestrangewordswhichGeraldineaddressestothespiritofthesaintlymotherwhohasapproachedtoshieldfromharmthebelovedchildforwhomshedied；wereaditinthestoryofthefriendshipandenmitybetweentheBaronandSirRolanddeVauxofTryermaine；wereaditinthevisionseenintheforestbytheminstrelBard，ofthebrightgreensnakecoiledaroundthewingsandneckofaflutteringdove；and，finally，wereaditinitsmoststartlingform，intheconclusionofthepoem，”Alittlechild，alimberelf，singing，dancingtoitself，”etc。，whereinisexhibitedthestrangetendencytoexpresslove’sexcess”withwordsofunmeantbitterness”。Thisdarkprincipleofevil，wemaysuppose，afterdwellinginthepoet’smind，inanabstractform，creptintothisbrokenpoem，whereitliescoiledupamongthechoicestandmostfragrantflowers，andoccasionallyspringsitswarningrattle，andprojectsitsforkedtongue，toassureusofitsuglypresence。

BoththesegreatpoemsshowtheinfluenceoftherevivaloftheoldEnglishBallads。Coleridgehaddrunkdeepoftheirspirit。

ShelleyandByronwerefullychargedwiththerevolutionaryspiritofthetime。Shelley，ofallthepoetsofhisgeneration，hadthemostpropheticfervorinregardtotheprogressofthedemocraticspirit。Allhisgreatestpoemsareinformedwiththisfervor，butitisespeciallyexhibitedinthe`PrometheusUnbound’，whichis，inthewordsofTodhunter，”toallotherlyricalpoemswhattheninthsymphonyistoallothersymphonies；andmorethanthis，forShelleyhashereoutsoaredhimselfmoreunquestionablythanBeethoveninhislastgreatorchestralwork……TheTitanPrometheusistheincarnationofthegeniusofhumanity，chainedandsufferingunderthetyrannyoftheevilprinciplewhichatpresentrulesovertheworld，typifiedinJupiter；thenamePrometheus，FORESIGHT，connectinghimwiththatpoeticimaginationwhichisthetruepropheticpower，penetratingthemysteryofthings，because，asShelleyimplies，itisakindofdivineLogosincarnateinman——acreativeforcewhichdominatesnaturebyactinginharmonywithher。”

Itis，perhaps，morecorrecttosayofByron，thathewaschargedwiththespiritofrevoltratherthanwiththerevolutionaryspirit。

Therevolutionaryspiritwasinhimindefinite，inarticulate；

heofferednothingtoputintheplaceofthesocialandpoliticalevilsagainstwhichherebelled。ThereisnothingCONSTRUCTIVE

inhispoetry。Butifhisgreatpassion-capital，hiskeenspiritualsusceptibility，andhisgreatpowerofvigorousexpression，hadbeenbroughtintotheserviceofconstructivethought，hemighthavebeenarestorativepowerinhisgeneration。

ThegreatestlosswhichEnglishpoetryeversustained，wasintheprematuredeathofJohnKeats。Whathewouldhavedonehadhislifebeenspared，wehaveanassuranceinwhathehasleftus。

HewasspirituallyconstitutedtobeoneofthesubtlestinterpretersofthesecretsoflifethatthewholerangeofEnglishpoetryexhibits。

Nopoetevermoredeeplyfelt”thevitalconnectionofbeautywithtruth”。Herealizedinhimselfhisideaofthepoetexpressedinhislines，——”’TisthemanwhowithamanIsanequal，beheking，Orpoorestofthebeggar-clan，OranyotherwondrousthingAmanmaybe’twixtapeandPlato；

’Tisthemanwhowithabird，Wren，oreagle，findshiswaytoAllitsinstincts；hehathheardThelion’sroaring，andcantellWhathishornythroatexpresseth，Andtohimthetiger’syellComesarticulateandpressethOnhisearlikemothertongue。”*

*”WeoftenthinkofShelleyandKeatstogether，andtheyseemtohaveanattractionformindsofthesamecast。

Theywerebothexposedtothesameinfluences，thoserevolutionaryinfluencesinliteratureandreligionwhichinauguratedanewperiod。

Yetthereisagreatcontrastaswellasagreatsimilaritybetweenthem，anditisinterestingtoremarkthedifferentspiritualresultsinthecaseofthesetwodifferentmindssubjectedtoconditionssosimilaringeneral，thoughdifferentindetail。Bothfeltthesameneed，theneedofESCAPE，desiringtoescapefromtheactualworldinwhichtheyperceivedmoreevilthangood，tosomeotheridealworldwhichtheyhadtocreateforthemselves。Thisisthepointoftheirsimilarity；

theirneedandmotivewerethesame，toescapefromthelimitationsofthepresent。Buttheyescapedindifferentdirections，KeatsintothepastwherehereconstructedamythicalGreekworldafterthedesignsofhisownfancy，Shelleyintoafuturewherehesoughtinanewanddistantera，inanewanddistantworld，arefugefromthepresent。WemaycompareKeats’s`Hyperion’

withShelley’s`Prometheus’，asbothpoemstouchthesameidea——

thedominionofeldergodsusurpedbyyounger，forPrometheusbelongedtotheeldergeneration。TheimpressionKeatsgivesusisthatherepresentsthedethronedgodsinthesadvale，”farfromthefierynoon”，forthepleasureofmovingamongthemhimself，andcreatestheirlonelyworldasaretreatforhisownspirit。

Whereasinthe`PrometheusUnbound’wefeelthatthesceneslaidinancientdaysandbuiltonGreekmyths，haveadirectrelationtothedestiniesofman，andthatShelleywentbackintothepastbecausehebelieveditwasconnectedwiththefuture，andbecausehecoulduseitasanartisticsettingforexhibitinganidealworldinthefuture。”Thisproblemofescape——torescuethesoulfromtheclutchesoftime，`ineluctabiletempus’，——whichKeatsandShelleytriedtoresolveforthemselvesbycreatinganewworldinthepastandthefuture，metBrowningtoo。ThenewwaywhichBrowninghasessayed——thewayinwhichheacceptsthepresentanddealswithit，CLOSESwithtimeinsteadoftryingtoeludeit，anddiscoversinthestrugglethatthistime，`ineluctabiletempus’，isreallyafaithfulvassalofeternity，andthatitslimitsserveanddonotenslaveillimitablespirit。”——FromaPaperbyJohnB。Bury，B。A。，Trin。Coll。，Dublin，onBrowning’s`Aristophanes’Apology’，readat38thmeetingoftheBrowningSoc。，Jan。29，1886。