mind will deepen our reading of the poems, as the full colour of such questions in relation to ourselves will deepen our own lives. The next group consists of poems that complain of the behaviour of men to poets. The complaint is, for the most part, not very heart-breaking. The experiment in Hendecasyllabics is, as towards the critics, only play. The "too many of us" in Poets and their Bibliographies is open to a rude answer from any one in a bad temper. Of The Spiteful Letter and Literary Squabbles it may be said that he who wrote them was not only the better poet, but probably the more successful man. This gives a certain (not very elevated, to be sure) other meaning to the vexation, and makes it that the poet's own conclusion was the true one "Surely, after all, The noblest answer unto such Is perfect stillness when they brawl," or, to put it more tenderly, when they are sore and angry. Of The Flower we may say partly, "Imitation is the sincerest flattery," and for the rest the fable is not true to history. The advice given to himself in Poets and Critics to ignore estimates, favourable or unfavourable, and to "Hold thine own and work thy will," is good, and disposes of the trouble. So it is only in To(You might have won) and The Dead Prophet that matters grow serious. In the former of these poems we have "For now the poet cannot die, Nor leave his music as of old, But round him ere he scarce be cold D mind will deepen our reading of the poems, as the full colour of such questions in relation to ourselves will deepen our own lives. The next group consists of poems that complain of the behaviour of men to poets. The complaint is, for the most part, not very heart-breaking. The experiment in Hendecasyllabics is, as towards the critics, only play. The "too many of us" in Poets and their Bibliographies is open to a rude answer from any one in a bad temper. Of The Spiteful Letter and Literary Squabbles it may be said that he who wrote them was not only the better poet, but probably the more successful man. This gives a certain (not very elevated, to be sure) other meaning to the vexation, and makes it that the poet's own conclusion was the true one "Surely, after all, The noblest answer unto such Is perfect stillness when they brawl," or, to put it more tenderly, when they are sore and angry. Of The Flower we may say partly, “Imitation is the sincerest flattery," and for the rest the fable is not true to history. The advice given to himself in Poets and Critics to ignore estimates, favourable or unfavourable, and to "Hold thine own and work thy - will," is good, and disposes of the trouble. So it is only in To (You might have won) and The Dead Prophet that matters grow serious. In the former of these poems we have "For now the poet cannot die, Nor leave his music as of old, But round him ere he scarce be cold Begins the scandal and the cry: D "Proclaim the faults he would not show: Break lock and seal betray the trust: The many-headed beast should know," " and The Dead Prophet has the same thing put more elaborately. Now for the behaviour above described there could, of course, be no sort of apology. The offence is rank, and, I suppose, increasingly common. But there is a natural tendency of which it is the exaggeration and perversion. There are many people who would shrink from impertinent curiosity, who do yet take an interest in the personal lives and characteristics of the writers who have moved and influenced them. And every one would care to know the essential and all-round character of such a person. Only, who is to report him, and who is to read the report aright when it is made? Who knows his own character? Who then shall presume to know the character of another? The desires, slighter or deeper, remain. If they be kept in check by good manners, loyalty, and reverence, they need not be crushed. But let no one think that the seeming knowledge which he obtains is much to be built upon. Better know a writer by his writings. But, some will say, "At least we need to know that he was sincere; that what he taught he believed; that his life answered, or that he strove to make it answer, to his teaching." The reply is that what we need to know is that the teaching is true and good. What he was is his affair. To know that he was good and true would of course be a joy and a strength. But to build on him is not to go deep enough. We must build on conviction of truth-see truth by its own light, not by his. Truth, in measure, guarantees a man; God, only, guarantees truth. And as for sincerity, a man may believe truth and worship good in the imagination, and yet in large measure, at any present time, perhaps always (only then surely the faith of his imagination would die), fail to live by them. Alas! for him, indeed. Yet truth is truth and good is good, and such a man, in a true sense, writes sincerely. Only clearly it is upon the truth, not upon the man, that others must build. So then it would seem that while we must needs take a warm and reverent interest in those who have helped us and moved our spirits, we are wisest to think that we know them best when we know their best, and if not, to be content with knowing their best. For all other knowledge of them we shall be wise to let it come, or not come, as chances. So the Dead Prophet's beldam will have no place in us. Yet the longing to repose on a Person is deep in us, and when the repose is attained it turns morality and philosophy into religion. |