study of the king james bible(钦印〈圣经〉研究)-第35章
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each of us。 They told him he ought not to work in Samoa； and he replied
that he could not otherwise be true to the great Book by which he and all
men who meant to do great work must live。 Over the shoulder of our
beloved Robert Louis Stevenson you can see the great characters of
Scripture pressing him forward to his best work。
Not so much can be said of Swinburne。 There was a strong infusion of
acid in his nature； which no influence entirely destroyed。 He is apt to live
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as a literary critic and essayist； though he supposed himself chiefly a poet。
His own thought of poetry can be seen in his protest in behalf of Meredith。
When he had been accused of writing on a subject on which he had no
conviction to express （〃Modern Love〃）； Swinburne denied that poets
ought to preach anyway。 〃There are pulpits enough for all preachers of
prose； and the business of verse writing is hardly to express convictions。〃
Yet it is impossible to forget Milton and his purpose to 〃assert Eternal
Providence； and justify the ways of God to men。〃 Naturally； most poets do
preach and preach well。 Wordsworth declared be wanted to be considered
a teacher or nothing。 Mrs。 Browning thought that poets were the only
truth…tellers left to God。 But Swinburne could not help a little preaching at
any rate。 His 〃Masque on Queen Bersaba〃 is an old miracle play of David
and Nathan。 His 〃Christmas Antiphones〃 are hardly Christian； though they
are abundant in their allusions to Scripture。 The first is a prayer for peace
and rest in the coming of the new day of the birth of Christ。 The second is
a protest that neither God nor man has befriended man as he should； and
the third is an assurance that men will do for man even if God will not。
Now； that is not Christian； but the Bible phrases are all through it。 So
when he writes his poem bemoaning Poland； he needs must head it
〃Rizpah。〃 At the same time it must be said that Swinburne shows less of
the influence of the Bible in his style and in his spirit than any other of our
great English writers。
We come back again into the atmosphere of strong Bible influence
when we name Alfred Tennyson。 When Byron died； and the word came to
his father's rectory at Somersby； young Alfred Tennyson felt that the sun
had fallen from the heavens。 He went out alone in the fields and carved in
the sandstone； as though it were a monument： 〃Byron is dead。〃 That was
in the early stage of his poetical life。 At first Carlyle could not abide
Tennyson。 He counted him only an echo of the past； with no sense for the
future； but when he read Tennyson's 〃The Revenge；〃 he exclaimed； 〃Eh；
he's got the grip o' it〃； and when Richard Monckton Milnes excused
himself for not getting Tennyson a pension by saying his constituents had
no use for poetry anyway； Carlyle said； 〃Richard Milnes； in the day of
judgment when you are asked why you did not get that pension； you may
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lay the blame on your constituents； but it will be you who will be
damned！〃 Dr。 Henry van Dyke studied Tennyson to best effect at just this
point。 In his chapter on 〃The Bible in Tennyson〃 are many such sayings as
these： 〃It is safe to say that there is no other book which has had so great
an influence upon the literature of the world as the Bible。 We hear the
echoes of its speech everywhere； and the music of its familiar phrases
haunts all the field and grove of our fine literature。 At least one cause of
his popularity is that there is so much Bible in Tennyson。 We cannot help
seeing that the poet owes a large debt to the Christian Scriptures； not only
for their formative influence on his mind and for the purely literary
material in the way of illustrations and allusions which they have given
him； but also for the creation of a moral atmosphere； a medium of thought
and feeling in which he can speak freely and with an assurance of
sympathy to a very wide circle of readers。〃
I need not stop to indicate the great poems in which Tennyson has so
often used Scripture。 The mind runs quickly to the little maid in
〃Guinevere；〃 whose song； 〃Late； Late； so Late；〃 is only a paraphrase of the
parable of the foolish virgins。 〃In Memoriam〃 came into the skeptical era
of England； with its new challenge to faith； and stopped the drift of young
men toward materialism。 Recall the fine use he makes； in the heart of it； of
the resurrection of Lazarus； and other Biblical scenes。 Dr。 van Dyke's
〃four hundred direct references to the Bible〃 do not exhaust the poems。 No
one can get Tennyson's style without the English Bible； and no one can
read Tennyson intelligently without a fairly accurate knowledge of the
Bible。
In this Victorian group the last name is Thackeray's。 He is another
whose mother trained him in the English Bible。 The title of Vanity Fair is
from Pilgrim's Progress； but the motto is from the Scripture； and he wrote
his mother regarding the book： 〃What I want is to make a set of people
living without God in the world （only that is a cant phrase。）〃 It is certain
his mother did not count it a cant phrase； for he learned it from the
Scripture。 The subtitle of his Adventures of Philip says he is to show who
robbed him； who helped him； and who passed him by。 Thackeray got those
expressions from the Bible。 Somewhere very early in any of his works he
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reveals the influence of his childhood and manhood knowledge of the
English Bible。
All this about the Victorian group is meant to be very familiar to any
who are fresh from the reading of literature。 They are great names； and
they have differences as wide as the poles； but they have this in common；
that they have drunk lightly or deeply from the same fountain； they have
drawn from it ideas； allusions； literary style。 Each of them has weakened
as he has gotten farther from it； and loyalty to it has strengthened any one
of them。
Turn now to the American group of writers。 If we except theological
writers with Jonathan Edwards； Horace Bushnell； Henry Ward Beecher；
and their like； and political writers with Jefferson； Webster； and their like；
the list need not be a long one。 Only one writer in our narrower sense of
literature must be named in the earlier dayBenjamin Franklin。 In the
period before the Civil War must be named Edgar Allan Poe （died 1849）
and Washington Irving （died 1859）。 The Civil War group is the large one；
and its names are those of the later group as well。 Let them be alphabetical；
for convenience： William Cullen Bryant； poet and critic； George William
Curtis； essayist and editor； Emerson； our noblest name in the sphere of
pure essay literature； Hawthorne； the novelist of conscience； as Socrates
was its philosopher； Oliver Wendell Holmes； whose 〃two chief hatreds
were orthodoxy
