later poems-第5章
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L'ALLEGRO
The sock represents the stage； in L'Allegro； for comedy； and the
buskin； in Il Penseroso； for tragedy。 Milton seems to think the
comic drama in England needs no apology； but he hesitates at the
tragic。 The poet of King Lear is named for his sweetness and his
wood…notes wild。
IL PENSEROSO
It is too late to protest against Milton's display of weak Italian。
Pensieroso is； of course； what he should have written。
LYCIDAS
Most of the allusions in Lycidas need no explaining to readers of
poetry。 The geography is that of the western coasts from furthest
north to Cornwall。 Deva is the Dee； 〃the great vision〃 means the
apparition of the Archangel； St。 Michael； at St。 Michael's Mount；
Namancos and Bayona face the mount from the continental coast；
Bellerus stands for Belerium； the Land's End。
Arethusa and MinciusSicilian and Italian streamsrepresent the
pastoral poetry of Theocritus and Virgil。
ON A PRAYER…BOOK
〃Fair and flagrant things〃Crashaw's own phrasemight serve for a
brilliant and fantastic praise and protest in description of his
own verses。 In the last century； despite the opinion of a few； and
despite the fact that Pope took possession of Crashaw's line …
〃Obedient slumbers that can wake and weep；〃
and for some time of the present century； the critics had a wintry
word to blame him with。 They said of George Herbert； of Lovelace；
of Crashaw； and of other light hearts of the seventeenth century
not so much that their inspiration was in bad taste； as that no
reader of taste could suffer them。 A better opinion on that
company of poets is that they had a taste extraordinarily liberal；
generous； and elastic； but not essentially lax： taste that gave
now and then too much room to play； but anon closed with the purest
and exactest laws of temperance and measure。 The extravagance of
Crashaw is a far more lawful thing than the extravagance of
Addison； whom some believe to have committed none； moreover； Pope
and all the politer poets nursed something they were pleased to
call a 〃rage；〃 and this expatiated （to use another word of their
own） beyond all bounds。 Of sheer voluntary extremes it is not in
the seventeenth century conceit that we should seek examples； but
in an eighteenth century 〃rage。〃 A 〃noble rage；〃 properly
provoked； could be backed to write more trash than fancy ever
tempted the half…incredulous sweet poet of the older time to run
upon。 He was fancy's child； and the bard of the eighteenth century
was the child of common sense with straws in his hairvainly
arranged there。 The eighteenth century was never content with a
moderate mind； it invented 〃rage〃； it matched rage with a flagrant
diction mingled of Latin words and simple English words made vacant
and ridiculous； and these were the worst； it was resolved to be
behind no century in passionnay； to show the way； to fire the
nations。 Addison taught himself； as his hero taught the battle；
〃where to rage〃； and in the later years of the same literary age；
Johnson summoned the lapsed and absent fury； with no kind of
misgiving as to the resulting verse。 Take such a phrase as 〃the
madded land〃； there； indeed； is a word coined by the noble rage as
the last century evoked it。 〃The madded land〃 is a phrase intended
to prove that the law…giver of taste； 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 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 poetreproached 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！
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 travel
