HE CAN ELECED CAN CLLECED HRER PEM CLLECED EARLY PEM
Edited Michae Jhn King ELECED PEM 1908-59 HE RANLAN F EZRA PUND
Induced Hugh Kenne PHCLE'ELERA
vesin Eza Pund LERARY EAY F EZRA PUND
Edited S. Eit
ELECED PRE 190965
Edited Wiiam Ckn ELECED LEER F EZRA PUND 90741
Edited D D Paige
A B C of Reading by ZRA OUND
fb fb LONDON· BOSTON
Fst pubshed n 1934 by George Rouedge Lmted New edon pubshed n 1951 by Faber an d Faber Lmted 3 Queen Square London WClN 3AU paperback edon rs t pubsed n 1961 Ressue 1991 Pnted n Great Bn by Cox & Wyman Ltd, Readng Berkshre l rgh reseed
Copyrgt the Ezr Pound Lte Pro pey T 1934 1951
ok so suea t the ntion tht it sh not, w� oft o othee b t, ro hired out othee crted without the publh' pr nst i n n of binding or oth th n tht in whh it is publh nd wthout simir ton in ung th tn ng ios on the suut pus A CIP rcord for ths bk is aviabe from the Brish bra ISBN 0 57 05892 2
Contents ABC OW TO STUDY OTRY WARNING
PtB 9 11 13
1 17
CHAPTR ON
Laboratory Conditions Ideogrammic Method CHAPTR TWO
What is Literature? hat i the Ue of Laguage?
23 26 28 28 29
CHAPTR THR
32
CHAPTR FOUR
36 41
Compass, Sextant, or Lanmark CHAPTR FIV
50
CHAPTR SIX
58
CHAPTR SVN
62
CHAPTR IHT
63 6 66 68 71
Test nd Composition Ex erie Second Set Further Tests Bis Liberty Exercie XIXth Century Study Perception The Insuctor Taste
77
77 78 79 81 83
86
DISSOCIAT
DICT= CONDSA
92
7
J• 95 32 3 5 3
bit Fo Pio x
Style of a Pod Table of Dat Otr Dat To Rcpitulat Wt
TB.TIS OK T
8
8 92 9
AB Or gus ssum, fr thos wh mght k t . h bk nt adrss to tos wh hv rrv t f nowlg of th subjct wtout knwing te fact
H Sudy Py THE present book is intended to meet the need for fuller and simpler explanation of the method outlined in How to Red. Ho o Rd may be considered as a controvers pamphlet summarizing the moe actie or spiky parts of te autor's ealier citial skmising, and taking count of an enemy. Te pesent pages should be ipersona enoug to sere as a text-book The author hopes to follow te tadition of Gaston Pais and S. Reinah tat is to produce a text-oo tat can also be read for pleasu as well as po y tose no longer in school; by those who hae not been to shool or by those who in their college days suered those tigs wih most of my own enera tion suered A private word to teachers and professors will be found toward the end of the volume. I am not idly sowing torns in teir path. I sould like to make even their lot and ife more exhilaating and to save een them from necessa boredom in class-room
1
Warning 1
T longish dull stetch shortly fte the gn• f th ook. Th studnt wi hv to endu it I m tt plc trying by l mns to void mbiguity, in p of sving th studnt's time lter
Glo d solemnity e enely out of plce in v mst igoous study of n t orginaly intnded to ld th hert of mn Gvity, mystius crig of t body t concl th defects of the mnd LAURENCE STRN
3
T hsh tetmnt e ccorded nume f toio wits is not imlss, ut proceeds om :n covictin tht the ony wy to keep th est writng c, o t mk t st poety popu', y tic seprtion f th st o gret mss of witin tt s n long considd f vlu, tht hs v ightd cicul, nd tt to b lmd fo t ve co cnt id t ood k must of cssity dull on c csic us it cfoms t ct 1l uls, r ts r denitons (of whic it 3
autho ha qte poaly nee ead) It s classc e ause o a cetan etenal and epessle eshss Italan state examne jolte y my eton o Caalcant, expessed admaton at the almost ulta oenty o Gudos language
gnant men o genus ae contntly dsoeng laws o at wc t acadmcs a slad o dden he autos concton on ts day o Ne Ye s tat usc gs to atophy wen t epats too a om th ance that poety egns to atopy en t gets too a om mus ut ts must not e taen as mplyn that al goo musc s dance musc o all poety lyc Bach and Moat a nee too a om physcal oeent unc est endum Nunc pede leo Pulsana tells
14
EIN E
Chapter One We live an age of science and of abudance ca and eveence fo hooks as suc, pope to an age wen ook as duplicated unil someone took te pains to copy it out b and, obiousl no longe suied to 'e n of society o to te consevaton of leing Te weede is supemel needed te Gden of e Muse to pei as a gaden T pope METHOD fo uding poe and goo lette s e eod of contempoa biologist, tat is ael st-and examintion of te matte and continu COMPARION of one 'slide o spcime wit anote No man equipped fo moden g untl e a undestood te anecdote of Agassiz and te s: A post-gaduate sudent equipped it onous and di lomas went o Agassiz o eceive te nal and isin touces Te geat man oeed a small s nd tol to descibe it Pos-Gaduae Student: 'Tats onl a suns Agassiz: 'I know tat Wite a desciption of it Ae a fe minues te suden euned wit t de iption of te cus eliodiplodokus, o watev t sed t conceal te common suns om vlg kn• ledge, family of eicteinkus etc, as fod tt ooks of te sbject 17
here was goo deal o care for termnology and the general exacttude n the ue of bstract term may hve een (probaby was} hgher. I mean a mediaeval theologian took care not to dee a dog in terms that ould have applied just a well to a dogs tooth or its hde, or the noise it makes when lappng water; ut all your eachers wl tel you that science developed more rpidly afte acon had suggested the drect eam nation of phenomena and after ileo and others had topped dscussing things o much and had begun really to ook at the m an d to n v€ t means (l ke the telescope) of seeing them better he most useful livng member of the Huxley mly has emphasized the fact that the telescope wasn't merely an idea, but that it was very dentely a techncal acieve· ment. By contrst to the method of abstractio or of denng thngs n more and stll more general terms Fenollosa emphasies the method of science, whch is the method of poetry ' as dstinct om that of phlosophc dscussio nd is the way the hnese go about it in ther ideograph or abbrevated picture wing.
o go back to the begnng of story you robay ko that there is spoken language and witten language and tht there are two nds of writte language one sed o sound ad the other on sight You sak to an amal wth a few sle oise ad 20
e Levy-Bruh ccou o rive a Aic rcord auae that e still ond u i m· c ad ete e Etian ally used reiated ice o rereet onds but the Chiese til e areied ic re A ictures that i to say Chiee ideora doe o t to e the pictur of a od or o e a rite i
ecalin a sound but it is til the icture o a thig; o thin i a ive ositio or reato or of a comiatio o ts It man the tng or he action or situao or qait erae o te severa ins that it ic Gaudier Breska who wa accustoed to oo at he re ae o thgs cold read a certai mot o Chiese wt wit out ANY STUDY. e aid O coe you can see its horse (or a wig or hatever) •
I abes showing prmitive Chinese character n oe con and the preset coventioalied is i aother yoe can see o the ideoram or n or ee or nrise deveoped or wa ipied om or a reduced o te eetia o the t icte o t or urie
Tu
A
a
*
tree
e
n
•
sun tangled n the tree raches as at unrise eaning o he Et
Bu h e the Cam aed o e i ct e 21
something more complcad, or of a general idea, how did h go abou i? He is to dne red. How can h do it in pict that is't paned n red pan? He pus (or his ancestor put) togthr th abbreviatd pictrs of ROSE
CHERRY
IRON RUST
FLAMINGO
Tha, you se, is very much he kind of hing a bioloist does (in a very much mor compicaed way) when he gets togeher a few hunded or housand slides, and picks out what is cessay for his genera saemen. Somethng that ts the case, that app ies in a of the cases. h Chinese ord or ideogram for red is basd o something everyone KNOWS. If ideogram had devoped in Engand, th writrs would possiby have subsituted the fro side of a robi, or something ess exoic han a amingo.) Feoosa was tling how ad why a anguage writ i ths way simpy HAD TO SA Y POETIC; simpy cou dt p bng and staying poetic in wa tha coum o Es t might v w ot sta poetic. H d bfo getting od to puishing and pro c a mtod'. 22
Ths is nvertheess the RIGHT WAY o tudy poet, or iterature, or paintin. It is in fact he way the mor inteignt mmbrs of the general public DO stud painting. If you want o nd out somhin aout pai nting ou go to the Nationa Gale ry, or the Salon Carr, or th Brera, or the Pado, and LOOK at th pictures. For eve ry reader of book on a, 1,000 peope go to OOK at the paintngs. Thank haven! LABORAORY CONDITIONS SERIES of concideces has p rmitted me (1933) to demostra the How to Read thesis in a me dium nearer to poetry than painng is. roup of serious musicians Gerart Mnch, Oga Rudg, Lui Sanso ni), a town ha at our disposition (Rapao ), we prsent ed among oh things the folowng pogrammes: Oct. 10. From he Chesotti MSS. Mnch transcription: Fra· cesco da Milano : Cazoe de U cclli ', rcast om Janquin. Giovanni Trzi: Sui di Bao. Corei: Sonata in La maj., to violins ad piano. J. S. Bach. Sonata in Do maj. dito. Debussy: Sonaa pr piano e voino. Dec. 5. Coezion Chisotti: Svri: due Arie. Rocai: Predo igua, Passacag 23
ence (omitng vaiou intemeiate tep) ence te almot tationa conition of nolege tougout te idle age Abtat agument int get manind apil foa o apil extend te boe of no ledge •
.
THE IDERAMMI METHD R TE METD F SIENE a paintig b alo Dolci beie a omo Tua You annot pevent M Buggin fom pefeing te f· me but ou an ve eioul ee etting up a fale taitin of teaing on te aumptin tat Tua a neve ete o tt te qitie te Tua e nn etent o outide te ope of te pble A gene tatement i valule l in REFERENE to te non objet o fact Een te geneal tatement of an ignoant mn i tue it leae mout o pen itout an geat valiit e oent KNW at e i ag Tat i e doen t n it o mean it in anting lie te egee tat a man of expeience ould o oe Tu a ve oung man que 'igt g onvition to an olcn manbe ong tout an or ma quite el be ong and til no a goo eal tt te unge man oent no ne of te pleaue of dle age i to ou t tat one WAS igt an tat one a mu igte tan one ne at a eventeen o tetee
26
Ti ent n te lt le t t ue f lg o o goo guee of ntuton and total peeption o of eeing o te tg HA T BE It a oeve a goo l to o it te eienc of vebl mnettn an t te tanttablit of a coniion
27
Two What s ltrur, ht u t?? Ltrtr is lagag hargd th mani Grat ltratr is simpl lagag argd wit maig to th tmost possibl dgr (E. P. i How to d). Bt langa Spokn or writtn Spokn languag s nois dividd p ito a sstm of grts hisss t. Th alltitis'artilat Artilat mas that zod ad sph. that a nmbr of popl ar agrd o th atgors. That s to sa w hav a mor or lss appromat agrmet abot th dirt noiss rprstd a b d t. Writtn lagg as I said i th oping haptr n consist as i Erop t) of sgs rprsnting thse arios noiss. hr is a mor or lss approximat agrmnt that roups of ths oiss or signs shal mor or lss orrspond ith som ojt aton or ondito. cat motion pin he othr ind o lnguae strts by bn a pcte o
28
e cat or of somthing movig or bin or of a group o tings whh o ndr crt ain irmstns, or i c partipat a om mon quality. PPROACH I dosnt i or otmporar world so mh mattr whr o bgi th xamat o of sjt so lon as o k p o tl o gt ro nd aga in to o r startig poit As t wr o start on a sphr or a b; yo must kp on ntil o hav sn it from ll sids. Or yo thik of or s bjt a s a stool or tal o mst kp on ntl it has thr lgs ad wll stad or for lgs and wot ti p ov r to o as. WHAT s th USE OF LAGUAGE? WHY STUDY LITERATURE LN was oviosl ratd ad is obviously USED for ommnatio. Ltrat s nws that STAYS nws. Ths thngs ar mattrs of dgr. Yor ommniation ca mor or lss xat. h ITERES in a statmnt can mor or lss dral. aot for xampl war ot m itrst n th Ta Ho of Cofis or i th Homr poms. It s v r dilt to rad th sam dttiv sor ti r lt u sa o a vry good t wl stand r-radin ftr a vr long intrval and bas on as pid eo
29
ltt attto to it that o ha lot oltl for· gott t Th ao ar atral hoa th r a argro or itrt For o to ol ar th ar tal Th rt ho ot a a roal tatt in r art h hlf ha a rl a rlal t H ot a arr bt a ratr of othr rlt to choose. hat hat KRINO to pick out for onesel, th wor a o o o fooh �oh to a to o a hor or atool for h Pallo t hor o that o rr th atg a h D of Mla t h to Boloa to U hor Wh a lar of hor at al i th t of ltratr a ha ala b bo orho Pallo ha to OOK at th hor o wol th that ao at to ko at otr wol oH oofght to thg or both t or lt to t th a otE t ? OOK T f h t a h wol go to oo ho KE othg abot t If o at to kow othg abot a atool wol o o to a a who ha a o a r t or to ma who ha rl har abot t
30
of to ho ha a atool ol o go to o ho ha a a goo o or o ho ha a a both ol o look at th atal ar or ol at t a to? th a of ot thr or to b a goo a l to b look at thr to r fw ah t ato aalal Dat a: • A azo a ooto of or t to ot ko a bttr ot to tart fro Colrg or D Q a that t qat of a 'grat ot rhr rt a ohr bl a a tt xtt or othg of that ort Th ol a or agr o -ot t ro a l tr Dat• tatt th ttr la to bg ba t tart th rar o r harr o hat h atall o r har tahh o f tratg fro that atalt to othg a ol h baroxatl or ojt FROM th atalt a for hh th vdenc a b othg a th atla a lt tt of th atalt
Chapter Three 1 terate does ot exist in vcuum Writers u ve enite scia cti excy proportione t ei iity AS WRITERS T i thei main se Al ther ses are rela ve temrry, nd can be estimte y in reain t e vies f rticul estimtor Pa f particu ie may vlue writers h gree with them more thn writers who do not, the m, nd en do vale bad writers ·of ther own party r religin more than god writers f nother part r chrch Bt there i ne basis suscptble f estimti a nepenet of a question f viewpoint d wrters re thse wh kee the nguge eciet t i t sa, kep it ccute kee t ce It esn't er hether the good writer wnts t e use r eer the bd witer wants t do hm Lnuage i the main means f humn ommuicai
,
H msthervos oe t amt se e nimsystem aphies stimi If 's iterture eclines, the nio phies y Yu e tr c't egite fr the puli g y mmner c't ommn y opuce (if yu be emai y) 't insuct its representtve' ve y guge 32
The fogged language of sndling classes serves ny temporar pups. A limited amount f mmunicaton in re special subjects, passes ia mathematical formulae, a the plastie ts, via dagrams, ia pu muscal fms, but no one proposs sbttutng these for the commn speech, nr des anone suggst that t would b ither possibl r adisable. UCUNQUE NGUA ROMANA, ROMA G and Rome ciz ANGUAGE our nguge is in the cre f our writers. [nsult& o'er dull and speechless trbes'] but this langage is not merel for records of great things ne orace and Shakespeare can proclam its monumen tl nd mnemonc value, but that doesn't exhaust the mtter Rome rose with the idiom f Casar, Oid, and Tacits she dclined in a wlter of rhtorc, the plmats lan guage to concea thought', and so foth. The man of nderstandng can no more sit quet an reigned whle hs cunt lts its literate dc nd let good riting meet with cntempt, thn a good otr ould sit quiet and contente whil some gnorant chid ws inectng tself with tberculosis undr the impressi ht it ws merely eatng jam trts c
33
d the imper• It is vey dcult to make people understan of writig can cause men sonal idignation that a decay nd whereto it who understand what it imples, and the e a y d e gr e e o f leads. It is amost impossible t o epress bittered', or such indignation without being cled em t sort s o m e t h i n g of t h a Neertheless the • statesman cannot goern, the scientist canot participate is dscoveries, men cannot agee on wise action ithout lauage', and their deeds and conditions are aected by the defects or itues of idiom •
A
people that grows accustomed to sloppy writing is a people i prcss of lsi grp on its empire and o itself. nd this losness losiess is not an and scndus as ad arupt ad disordered sytax as siple It concers the relatio of xpression to meaning brupt and disordered syntax can be at times very honest, and an elabratel constructed sentence can e at ts merely an elaborate camouage.
2 an y o n e sum of human wisdom is not contained i E of expres· languge, and no sngle lanuage is CAPABL hension sin� al forms and degrees of human compre e B ut I This i a vey unpaatale and bitter doctin cnnot omit it. co· People occasionally develop almost a fanaicism age. Th e e a e bat the ide• xed' in ingle langu
T HE
•
34
gener speai the prejudices f the ati (an natio) Dieret climates and derent bloods hae dierent need, deret spontaneities, dieret reluctaces, dier· ent ratios betee dieret grups of ipulse ad unwi lnness, deret cstructions of tt, d a thee leae trace i the lauae, ad leae it r read ad more unad for cetai cunicatis ad reistra tio
THE REE AMBITON ma e edicre, ad the ambitos of no two aders wi e idetical The teacher can ony aim hi nstructi at thse who mst want to lear, but he can at ay rate str them wth an appetizer', he can at least hd them a prted ist of the things to be lered in lteratue, or i a ge section thereof The rst bg of inertia may be simple igorace of the extent of the suject, or a imple ugness to moe away om oe area of semi-igorace The greates barrier is probably set up b teachers who ow a lttle more tha the pubic, who wat to exloit ther actiona knowledge, and who are thorughly oppoed to maing the least eort to learn anythg more
35
Chapter
Fou 1
'Geat ltere mpl lge ched wh me to the utot poe dgee Dchte
=
codee
I beg h poey ece t the mot cocetated orm of vel expreo Bl , g about wth a Gema-Il dcoary oud tht t dea o poety as coceao s s old almo st a the Germa lange Dc hte s he Germn vr corrpod to the oun Dchug meag poetry ad the lexco· grph h redeed t by th Il ve meag 'to code. The chargng o languge s doe ee p cp al ways: Yo receve the lguage you rc hs let he words hav meags whch have 'gro w the races sk n; th Gemas say 'w i den Sch nab l gewache as t gow n hs beak Ad the good te chooses hs words for ther mang but that meang s not a set cuo thg lke the move of ght or pw on a ches-oard. It comes up wh roots wth assoctons h how and whr the word s famlarly used o where t ha en d brllatly or mmorly. -
36
You can hardly say 'ncaradne wthout one or mor of your audtors tg of a partcular ln of vrs. Numrals and words refrrng to uman nvntion hav hard cut-o meang That i, megs whch mor obtrusv tha a words assocaton . Bcycle now has a cto mang. But t andem o r bcycle bt for two wl probbly throw the mage of a past decad upon the raders metal scren. Ther no end to the nmbr of qualtes whch som pople ca assocat wh a ve n wod or knd of wor and most of thee vay wh the dvdual. You have to go most exclsvely to Dates crtcsm to nd a set o OBJECTIVE ctegories or words Dante caled wordstted d shaggy bcause o th dr nt OSES they make Or pexa t hirsuta, combed and hiry. H also dvded them by ther derent assocatons EVERTELESS you l charge words wth mean maly n thee wys, cd phopoea melopoea logopoea ou e a word to hrow a vsual mae on to the readers magato o you charge t y sod or yo u e gops o wods to do th Thdy yo tke the eater k o us the word n som specal elaton to 'sage that s to th knd of cotext n whch th e re d e expcts or s accustomd to nd t 37
Thi i he la meas o eelop i a oly be ue y he opicae. (I you wa really o uera wha bou you will hae o rea uimaely Properiu a Jule Laforgue) IF YOU ERE STUDYING CHEMISTRY you woul e ol ha here are a cerai umber of eleme a cerai umber of more uual chemial hemical mo in ue or eaie . A for he ake of clariy i your experime, you woul proly be gi hee uace pure or a pure as you coul coeetly ge hem. IF YOU WERE A CONTEMPORARY book-keeper you woul probaly ue he looeleaf yem y whih buie houe eparae arhie from fa ha are i ue, or ha are likely o e frequtly eee for referece. Simiar oveiee are poible i he uy of liera ure. Ay amaer of paig kow ha moern galere ay grea re o goo hagg , ha i, of puing im poran picure where hey ca be wel ee, a where he eye wlo e cofue, or he fee wearie y ech· ig for he maerpiee o a a expae of wal cumere wih rubbih. hi poin I ca ey well avoi priig a e of caegorie h oierably aeae y own H t Rd 38
2 W you ar earchig for 'pe eleen i lieraure you will ha lieraur ha bee creae by he follow ig clae of peron:
1
veor. Me who fou a ew proce or whoe exa work gie u he r kow example of a proce.
2
The aer. Me who combie a uber of uch procee, a who ue he a well a or beer han he ivenor.
3
The iluer. Me who came afer he r wo ki of wrier, n coul o he jo quie a wel.
4
oo wrier wihou aien aliie. Men who e ore enough o be br when e lieaure of a gve conry i in goo working orer, or when ome parc ranch of wriing 'healhy For exaple, en who wroe oe i Dae me e who wroe hor lc Shakepeare ie or for ever ece hereer, o who wroe Frech nove nd orie afe Fauber d hown e how.
5
Wrer of beelere. a , en who d't eay ve yhngbut wo peczd oe r 39
cua pt of writig, who ould't be osidered as great me o as authors who were tryig to give a complete pesetati of e, or of their epoh
6 The starters of razes. Util the reader ows the rst two ategories he ever be ale to see the wood for the trees' He ay ow what he lies ' He ay be a opleat boolove r' with a large lbrary of beautifully prted boos, boud i the most luxurious idigs ut he will eve be ale to sort out what he ows or to estiate the vaue of oe book i elatio to others ad he will e ore ofused ad eve less ale to ae up his id out a boo where a ew author is reaig with ovetio' tha to for a opiio aout a boo eighty or a hudred years old He will ever uderstad why a speilist is aoyed with hi for trottig out a seod- or thirdha d opiio about the erits of his favourite bad writer Ut you have made your ow svey ad your ow close ispeto you mght at east beware ad avoid aeptig opiios:
1 From e wh have't themseves produced otabe ork (vide p 7)
2 From me who have ot themselves take the risk of pti the esults of their ow persoal isptio a ey eve they ae seriously maki oe
3 COMPASS SEXTANT OR LAND MARKS L the studet brae himself ad prepae for the worst I am oig to y st of the iium that a ma would have to read if he hoped to kow what a give ew book was worth I ea as he would ow whethe a give pole-vault was rearay high or a give tes play at all liely to play i a avis Cup math You mght thik it woud be safe to prit suh a list or that it would be the last thig a reader oud isude stad' But there would see to be alost o lit to what peoptheir le autmo adst to et msuderstad he they are ot doig at a wter's meai With regard to the foowig list oe igeous or geuous attae suggeste that I had iluded eta poes ts list beaus I had myself traslated them T dea that durig twetyve yeas searh I had tras a the poes BUS they were the key positios or th es t ilustratios see s ot to have ocurred to h e surpassd hiself y suggestg that the poem of Bios was a afterthoght metioed out of pae ad hat I ha istake it fo a poem of Moshus which he himself had traslated That is what oes of to bore eople as litte as possi1e ad to put dow oes matter i the least possible spae The Bio s separated by eturies om the ome a Sappho I studig the eie parts of the list the ae1
ion woud, I thi, have gone to the WRITING to the naratve, to the carity of expressio, but wo not have natray focuse itsef o the meodic devices on th ttng of the words, their SOUND ad utimatey their meaig, to the t e. The Bio is put with those troubdours for the sake of corast, ad i order to prevet the reader from thikig tht oe set or a hf-doze sets of meodc devces con stuted the whoe of that subject AT ABOUT THIS POINT te weakhearte reader sy sts down the rod, emoves his shoes and weeps at he is a bad iguist or that he or she cat possiby e l those aguages Oe has to divde the readers who wat to be experts om those who do ot, ad ivde, as it were, those who want to see the word om those who merey want to ow WHAT PART OF IT THEY LIVE IN When t comes to the question of poetry, a great many eope ot even want to know that ther own cony oes not occpy ALL the avaabe surface of the panet The idea sees n some way to nsut them Nevehess the· mamum of phoa howng a ua mage on the mnd] i probaby reache by the Ce, e n p t the particuar n of writen age. I the anguages known to me which do not ncue ersn and Arabc the mamum of meloia s reache i th cean devemets n Proven which 42
are ot in Greek, ad wch re of a deret KIND than te Gree Ad t is my rm covctio that a ma can ear more about poery by reay knowg ad exa a few of he best poems ta by meaderig about amog a great many. At ay rate, a great dea of fase teacg is due to the assumptio that poems kow to te critic are of necessity the best. My iss are a startingpoit ad a chaege This ca ge has been ope for a umber of years ad o oe has yet take it up. Tere have bee geera comaits, but o one has oered riva ist, or put forward particur poems as better eapes of a postuated vrtu or quaty Years ago a musicia said to e: 'But ist tere a pace where yo ca get it a [meaig a of poetry] as i Bch? There st. I beeve a ma wl reay e Greek he can get neary a of it in Homer. I have never read haf a page of Homer without dig meodic vetion, I mean meodic ivetion tht I didt eady know. I have, on the other had, foud aso i om the magary spectator, whch n 198 I sti hougt was Hery James particuar property Homer says, an experieced sodier woud have noicd. The seer iterar quaities i Hoer re such that a physici has write a book to prove tt Hoer must have bee a ary doctor (We he describes cer ta bows d teir eect, te wouds are said to be accurate, ad the descriptio t for coroers iquest.) Aother Frech schoar has more or ess shown that the geography of the Odyssey is correct geography; not as 43
telecual or 'coldy inlcual sigcanc. Th ow much you man i, he how you fl abou manng i, can ll be pu no lauag I ook my criica if in y hand, so yas ago, whe I suggsd a was in som ways a t wrir han Sappho, no for lopoia u fo conoy of wods I don in h las know wh his is u On should sa wih an opn ind Th snois of h naissanc hld ha al Gr ek poy was han ANY Lain po T ost ini gn of h Qua ocn o Lainiss, Basi nio of Pama, roclamd a vry dint thsis; h hld hat you coult wri Lain poy ray wl unlss you knw Gre Tha s, you s, vry dn In h margins of is Lai araiv you can sil s h ags of Homr ha he was using o kp his mlodc sns aciv I don iv ha any Latin auho is i asal disnc of Hor I doub if Caus is frio to Sappho I dou i r is a infrio o h Gk ancdns; Od is for us a so-hous of a vast mass of mar ha w canno NOW g fom Gek H is unvn H is clar His vs is as lucid as prose Micay h is no a pach on Cauus o Popius Paps sudn now gin o s tha I am trying to giv a lis of auhors who ar nsrpassd IN THIR OWN DOAIN, whas is wom I om are deonsraly INFERIOR o on o mo of he wrirs I iclude, and hir infriory can be compud o ome paricuar basis 8
HAVE PATINCE, I am t insising vn no ur laning a muliud of sang languags, I ee tell you, n du course, wa you can do i yu ca rea nly Engis To put i anh way, I a, af ll hs y akin a is of ooks hat I si -ad tha I ke m dsk and look ino now and again.
49
Chapter Five 1 Th ga ak in Eopan lar isor is cae ov o incd o cd languag n a ga al o ciical nonsns as n in popl w did no aliz dinc Gk and Lain a incd ta is nouns vrs an adjcivs hav lil ags o wagging ail and ag ll whh h noun is sujc o pdica indicae a wic acs and a wic acd upon diecl r indicl o ha whic jus anding oun n moe lss causal laon c os hs ags w ogon as ou mdrn conm· pa Euopan languags volvd Grmn e la dvlopd ains mos incion Th s wa o using a langua g wi sin an laels aacd wods is OT es a ue languag whic as o win in a ca er i i i o cla I aks a dinc in Englis w ou sa man ss dog [o] dog ss man In Lain ir canis o canm m omin c co s wihou snnc bein las i ai uus 5
Whn ion wis Hi
wo isos m disos
h i quit ipl doing ong o h oh tgu. H man h di h di
I is prtl a o nand h did it ut hi r prv tht Shkpr d rl d tr n wr ttr pt Milt did it u h a hk a lk h ti had tudid i Eglih t vng ngug ut a s hi hori Who di im, di dosn ak good vs Th oun i whr h idio is d Whn h writig i mtrl d NOT av o xcu i o o n p h aon o prptrtig aw
2 M ls o diaval pos phaps had o jsi I onc go a an o s anlaing h r in ins I ca ou alos dic ino Chins v wh wo oid idogas in ac allin pa o Saa I know no oh Eopan pos o h piod ha o can ang up wth h 'El o o displaing h W on pr ih he Oin 51
There are passages of Aglo-Saxo as good as paragrap of the Seafarer but I have ot fod a hole poem of the ame vale The Spaish Cd i lear arrative, ad the aga of Gt ad tNi prove that arra tive apait didt die out I dot kow that a otemporr writer ould lear athig about writig om the sagas that he ouldt lear bett er from Flau bert , but Skar phed di s jump ad slide o the ie, ad the meetig of rttir, or whoever it was wit h the be r do ot fad e from oes memo r You t belive it is tio Some Ielder o a ledge must at some time have saved himself b loppig o the outside paw of a ber ad so mkig the brute lose its balae This is i sese phopoei, the throwig of image o theThe mids retia deet of erlier imagist propagad was ot i misstatemet bt i iomplete sttemet The dilters took the hdiest ad easiest meaig ad thoght ol of the STATINAY image If o at thik of imagism or phaopoeia as ildig the movig image, o will have to make a rell eedless divisio of xed image ad praxis or atio I have take to sig the term phopoei to get awa from rrelevt prtiulr ootatios tgled wth a partiular group of og people who wer e writig i 1912.
I i mail for the sake of the melopoeia that oe vest ate toado p. 5
Oe might almost sa that the whole lture of the ge, at a ate the mass of the prel literar ltre of the age om 1050 to 1250 ad o 1300, was oetrate o oe aestheti prolem whih Date put it lude the whole ' That whole t osisted i pttig together abot si tophe of poes so that the words ad the tue should b wed ed together withot joi t ad w itho ut w em The best smith, Da te alled a e made the birds ig IN IS WO DS ; I dot mea that he merel efe rre d to birds sigig In the aoe ben aura amara Fals bruoills braut Clarir Quel dout espeissa ab fuoills Els let Bes Dels auels rame Te balp e mut et d haig doe it i that oe strophe he kept them at it repeatig the tue, ad dig ve rhmes for eah of evetee rhme sods i the same order aig doe that he ostruted aother perfet stophe here the bird all iterrupt the verse Cadahs E so us 5
Mas pel us sauc cus Tha again for six srphs WTH h words makn snse The music of hse sns has been los, bu h rdiion comes up again ver hee cenuries lae Cemen Janequi re a chrus wih sounds fr h sngers of he diren pars f he chrus These sunds wud have n ierary r peic vauei yu k he music aay u hen Francesc da Miano reduced i fr he ue he irds ere s in he music. And hen Mnch rascried i fr dern insruens he bds ere si here They ARE s here in he viin pa Tha is hy he nuen uass he rnze casing Aains his craf pu h \ quie denie inenin, he syncpain r he cunerpin f he Syrian Greek Deah of Adonis ih shal e say on's jazz ba runnin crssise s insance f hw he lfe f a wrk f ar is some hi ha us wn naied n ouer a con: Th KennedyFrasers fundsay sme musicdwn n he Herides ha s he Beuf, r a any rae ha some of he Bewuf s. is he Ae. heard i concer and racked my ind o hik here i ed woudn go o he Seafarer T ines ed a i of he Beowuf, hn h nex wuldn skipped a ine of h Bowulf, and wn on The KennedFrasers had oied lin of h u . 54
ha pon bcus i ddn' sm o hm o hav an nhrn musical inr The pon of he foreging srophes r a leas on dimension of heir rkanship, can e asped by any one hher hey knw Prvenal r n Wha is e said fr he quaiy f Vetdor in h bes mens r oforeo where here is nhn u h perfecin f he ovemen nhing saien n he hugh or he rhyme scheme? You have have knn Prvenal long me perhaps befre yu perceive he derence beeen his work and anoher everheless if u are kn he dimensins of ngsh verse melody a fe in cenuries aer mus nd our masures r sandards Prvence. Theyu Miesnrs wre cnemporary; you can cnras he nesse he souh Lain ih he hicker pien f erc von ornenor Von er gi rmans claim ha German pery has deveped sinc h middle ages. My own elief is ha Gehe and Sefan orge a heir lyric es are ding nhing ha hadn lrady been dne beer or as Burchards es verse oda is in his ranslains f he Via Nuva. ung seven cenuries a l f suec maer f n gre resen ineres has been sued n German verse h no vry skilfu can see no reason why a foreign wrie should suy i I se very reason for sudyn Prvenal verse (a ile of i sa h or fy pms) frme de Pocters 55
e o and oeo. o and i ty, o and er in France and England, had their root i Provence: ther rt, ther rtry, d ood de o the hought. European civilization or, to use an bomted word, cultre can be perhaps best undertood a a mediaeva rnk ith wash after ash of cassicism going over it. That is not the hole story bt to understand it, yo mut think of that seres of perception, as well o anyth that ha existed or sbsisted unbroken rom atiquty This book cant be the whole history. pecicay we e oidering the development o lgage a mea o egistration. The Greek ad Romas sed oe set of device, oe et o technique. The rovenals developed a eret oe, not i respect to phanopoeia, but n respect to melopoei AFTER a change in the anguage ytem (from nected, to progreively les inected peech) The quantitative verse o the acient wa repaed yli ere, a they ay the hool ook. t woud etter to ay that the theorie appled by grammr to Lati verse, a the decendant of Greek, wer dopped Ad that tting tz n o word to tue reped the posedly regur pondee, dacty, etc The quetion o the reative duratio o yllbe h ever been neglected by men with uceptible er.
I particularly want to keep o these techca deta. The way to learn the msic o verse i to ste to it 56
Ater that te tudent ca buy a metronome, or stdy oge to perfect hi ene o relative duration and o pitch. The preent boket is cocerned wth lnguage. For the specic dierence betwen rovene and ta or the progress ' om at Daniel to ordello, to Cava· cnti and Dante, the reader who cannot andnot read Italian, can if he like refer to y dscriptive criticism. Without knowing Dant Gdo Cavalcanti and Vilo, o one can jdge the attained maxia of certain kind o iting ithot the oregoing MIIMUM of poetry in other anguages you implynot ko where Englshpoet me'.
57
Chapt S For &hs wh rd y gh,I have done what I can. have transated the A HIO so that they can earn where to start HINKING. And I have transated the Sefarer; so that hey can see more or ess where Engsh poetry starts. I don't now how they can ge an dea of Gree. There re no satsfactory Engsh transatons. Lti crb can do a good dea. If you read rench you n get the STORY ofthe Iads and ofthe begnnng ofthe dssey om Sae andJ or rather you coud ther ook weren' out of rnt. (I now no eton more recen 1590.) Chaman s somethng derent. See my notes on e Ezabetan transators. You c ge Ovd, or rather Ovd's stores n Godng's mrhss whch s the most beautfu boo n the uage m oon and I susect t was Shaeseare's). Marowe trasated theAmrs d before that Gavn Dougas hd made somethng of e eneids ha , any rate, e better than Vr . ro Cher ou can e (1) whaever cme over o he earie Engsh that one can read wthout a di· on, bu for whch a gossar needed (2) and he el GLIS qui or oonen Lo 5
diaogues of Chaucer, Petrarch and Boccacco, are the bes rea crticsm of Chaucer we have. There are anthooges of eary Engsh verse. Sdick has made the best one I haf remembr. After Chaucer, come Gavn Dougas, Godn and ar owe wth ther transatons. Then comes Shaeseare n vson: the sonnets where he s, I thn, ractsng hs craft. The yrcs where e s earnng, I beeve from Itaan song-boos in whch the WORDS were rnted WITH the musc. Thethe ays te seres of hstory ays, whch orm true esecay Engsh POS, as dstnct from te bastard Ec, the taton, the constructed counterfet. It woud be artcuary aganst the gran of te whoe deogrammc method for me o mae a eres of genera statements conceng Ezaethan atachrestca an guage. The way to study Shaeseare's anguage s to study t sde by sde wth soethng derent and of eua extent. The roer antagonst is Dante, who s of eua sze and DIFFERENT. To study Shaeseare's nguage mere n comarson wth the DECADENCE of the sae thg doesn't gve one's mind a everage. There Shaespearan song. There s the anguage ade o be SOKE, perhaps eve o be rted. 5
elx Schelli has evolved o quoted the theory that espeare wated to be a poet, but that whe he could't mke a caree of it, he took to wti tae pla, ot toether lii the form. f the student can't measure Shaespeare aaist Date, te ext alteative possibl to measure is lauae aaist the prose mafestatio of Voltaire, Stedhal, Flaubert, or of Fieldiif ou canot read Frech. You ca't judge a chemical's actio merel b putti t with moe of tself To kow it ou have got to now its mits, both what it is ad what it is ot. What substaces e harder or softer, what more resiliet, what moe com act. You can't measue it merel b itself diluted with some eutral substace.
O BRE UP THE BOREDOM, have suested the reat translators for an anthology, shall e sa, of the poems that do't put me to sleep. The are passages of Marlowe. Doe has writte the ol Englsh poem The Ecstas') that ca be set aainst Cavcati's Dona mi rega. The two ae ot i the least lie. Their prblems re uttel dieet. The reat lc ae lasted while Campio made ow music, while Lawes set Waller's verses, while verses, ot
actuall 1ung or 1t to music, wee at least made t he ntentio of going to music. Music rots whe gets oo fa from the dae. Poet atrophie hen it gets too far from music There are three inds of melopoei, that, verse mae to sing; to chant or intone; and to spea The older one gets the more one beleves i he rst One reads prose for the subject matter Glance at urton's anatom ' as a curiosit, a smple o NON VR wich has qualties of poetry but that c ot be confounded wth it nglish prose is alve in Florio's Motagne; Uquht's Rabelais ; Fielding; Jane usten; the ovelists that eveone reads ; Kiplng ; H Jam es James' prefaces tell what writing a novel' meas.
1
Chaptr Svn t doesn't matter which leg of your table you make st, so long as the table has fou legs and will stand up solily when you have ished it. Mediocre poetry is in the long run the sae in all coun· es The decaence of Petachism in taly and the rice powder poey' in China arrive at about the same level of eness despite the dierence n idiom
62
hapter Eigh Comn round agan to te startng-pont Lanuage is a means of communicaton To charge Ia· uage with meaning to the utmost possble degree we have, as stated, the thee chief meas :
I
towing the object (xe or movng) on to the vsual mainaio
correlation by the sound ad II inducin hytm of te emotiona speech
III
iducing both of the eects by timating the associaton (intellectu or emotioa) ta have remained n the receiver's consciousness n eltio to te actua words o word roups eployed (phanopoeia, melopoeia, logopoeia) competence wil show n te use of too many words The reader's rst and mplest test of an author wil b o loo for word that do not function; that cotibute othin to the meann OR that distract from the MOST importt factor of the meanin to factors of minor impor· ce
63
One denn beauy s aness urse Wheher s a gd denn r n, yu can read see ha a gd de D ccsm has been en men wh asume ha an auhr yng d wha he NO yng d Incedbe as nw seems he bad ccs Keas m und wrng bscure, whc mean ha he cudn undesand WHY Keas e s human ercens dae m a ng me ag, r are devabe m ecens ha ged men have had ng bere we wee b he race dscves, and red cvers
SS ND COPOSIION XRCISS I
1
Le he us exchange cmsn aers and see hw many and wha useess wrds have been usedhw man wds ha cnvey nhng new
Hw many wrds ha bscure he meanng
3
Hw many wds u her usu ace, and heher aeran mes he saemen n an way mr neresng r mre energec
4
Wheher a senence ambguus wheher rea ean mre han ne hng r me han he r n
ended ; hehe can be s ead as mean smehng feen
hehe hee s sehng e n ae, bu a· bgus sen aud
II I s sad ha aube augh De Mauassn e When De Maassan ened m a wa aue ud as hm descbe smene, say a cnege hm hey u bh ass n he nex wa, an descbe he esn s ha aube wd ecgze, say, he cncege an n msae her r sme he cncege nd n he ne De Mauassan had descbed
SECOND SE
1 Let the u te the desrto of tree 2 Of tree thout mentonng the me of the tree (rh ne, t so tht the reder nomstet fo the desrto of some othe d of tree 3 r some obet n the ssoom 4 Desrbe the ght d shdow o the shooroom o or some othe objet
If t n e doe wthout breh of the ee the pu oud rite desrtons of some othe u The uthor suggests tht the u shoud ot dsbe the istrutor otherwse the desrto mght beome ehe of emotio d subet to moe omted uJes mosto th the ss s yet dy to oe wth I al these desrtos the tst woud e uy d iidess the u reeg the other's per oud e he guge He woud eoge ot eogze the bet or peso desrbed Rodof gro i edto dtg om ftee hu ed d somethng sys oe wrtes ut dt, ut mvt u tt to teh to moe o to deght 66
gret de of d rtsm s due to me ot see whh of these thee motes underes ge ompostio he onerse roeses not osdered by the pio tehers of ntuty woud e to obsu, to bmboze o msed nd to bore he reder o utor s t berty to rem pssie nd st to these oertos he so hoose
67
FRHER ESS t u ean a vn c of rtn ay, te ay tra n atn nartotoeter trt rtr tryn to conca vn ann tr ara t a at tn tr e tryn to aar to tn toutray on any tnn. etca rtng
1 t t u try to rte n t tre ofany o
2 t wrte or to a enon tune t try to rte or o t a tun n uc a ay tat t or ot b torte n one ng them t te u rte a oem n oe tro form e 4 e
5 t m aroy o m n rcuou, the bcau of faty n t tatnt, or faty n t oton of te rtr, or fr rtentoune of on n o anot r f any otr raon tat tr rbe facut, n of rony. 68
The gaung u ho be ake o ecognze wha autor aroe. An wheher he oe i on te ao e o he arot. Whetr the aroy eo ara fect, o mery ma ue of an autor' can o oe a moe trva conten Note No har ha ve yet been one a goo em by h oce. FtzGea' Rbaiyat ha urvve hunre ar or of aro, ta are no reay aro tr of Om FzGera, bu ony oem rtn n tat form of troe Note Tre a taton ta n ovnce t wa con· ere aarm to ae a an' for, ut a t now o. conre aar o ta h ubct attr or Poe fany wrn o anoter an' troeform o une ee ca Srvene ', an wr uuay atrca FURTHER TESTS
1 Le he u n echangg teme uge whehe he teme bfoe tm ray ay anytng.
2 Le hem uge whethe t e tem anhg o mae hem ee anytg' they han't notce befoe ecy n regar o ome fama cne or obec
Vaian whether he wrte eay ha toKNOW omethg abou e ubec o cene befoe beng abe o wrte h age e coeaon. The eon of a wor or hrae beig uee' no meey nmec obm 9
natole France in crticzng rench dramatists pointed out that te ste the words must give tme for the cto; they must gve tme for the uece to tae co f what is gog on Even on te prnted page there s an anaogous ease. Tactus in writng Latn can use ceran forms of con densaion that don't ecessar transate advanageousy into Engish er by The reader wi ofe msjudge condensed wr trng toread him too fast The secret of popuar writng is never to put more o give page tha the common reader can lap o t wh no strain WASOEVE on his habua sack atteion. natoe Frnce is said to have spet a reat de of tme searching for eleas possibl varant that woud t he most worout and commoest phrases of journaism into somethig distguished Such research is sometimes termed cassicsm. ual This is the reatest possble remove from the us gsh stists trend or urge oward a ste dieren from everyone elses.
70
BASIS HR is no use, or amost noe in m pubser's asking me to make Engsh Lterature as promnen as possble.I mean not i am o pa far wh the studet. You canot ear to write b readng Engsh. If ou are aeced erpoes ou produce costume of he period. Chaucer s incomprehensbe wiho ut a gossar Ezabethanisms re easi recognizabe as ancet ery t haucer did ot MAKE hs art hs doest detrac from hs glor as a great ad ver huma wrer e too over his ar from the French e wro te about the stroabe. Dnte wrote On the Common Tou, treatise o a uage and versicatio he aguage of the Elizabethns is uphostered. The ge of Shakespeare was the GEAT AGE par excelece it was the age whe the laguage was ot cut nd dre whe the audtor liked the WODS he go probay a much kc out of tituos ses icarade the readers of the Yellow Boo go out of twisted epir. Th wst a cass iterest in Spai t tht time the most eective critic of pl ays was cobbler. But the la guage was made-up rtcialspeech it s the age o Euphues n Engla� nd of Gongora in Spa. •
ow dd it get that ay? The cult of Latin ter the thiness the raparecy f medeval uthors the readin worl d a oce agai 71
dn on
antquty Geece and Rome ; the most educated ote n Latn; each wte wanted to show that he knew moe Latn than the othe; there ae bales of th e Latin poems ; the Italans took ove the style and extendedthe vocaulaly, the Spanads and Englsh mtated the Italans ; Camoens ted t n Potugal It was the gold ush fo the lagest vocabulay I suspect that Malowe staed to paody hmself n H eo and Leande He had begun with seous ntentons I ecognze that ths suspcon may be an error. The next phase n Fance and England was to atempt to squeeze the katachestcal hetorc nto a sritwast· coat.
Ths doesn't mean thaof t the reade can to for be ignoant of the best wok ethe peod Heaord an look en IF e real speec n Shakespeare and d it in pl knows what to look fo The so-called pose of seveal centures s conceed wtho at least you teacheswl recommend t for sentence stuctue . I f you can ead oly Englsh, sta on Felding. There o have a sold foundaton. His lanuae is ether sait laced no al Afte whch I suppose one should ecommend Miss Jane Austen And that makes almost the list, ie .: e lst of thins safe to read an o befoe o sta 72
tng, as dstnct from the boos a nowtin reader can pese fo enjoyment But aent thee wellwtten books and poems in Enlsh? Thee ndubtably ae But can anyone estmate Donne's best poems save in relaton to Cavalcant? I do not beleve t. Thee was a peod when the Englsh lyc qualty, te junctue of note and melody wasvey hh But to aue hat heht, a knowledge of Povence s exemely useful. If yo want to te stc couplets, or ambc coup lets yo ndubtably can learn a ood deal om ope and Crabbe. Wordswoth got rd of a lot of timmins, t b here are vast stetches of deadness i hs tn Atsts are the antennae of the ace Wodswoth vbates to a ve lmted rane of stmul, and he was not coscios of te flpoblem of witn. Te problem of setene stctre was ndeniabl dis cssed durng seveal centuries A carpenter can put boads togethe, but a good ca pente would now seasoned wood fom een' The mee questons of consructng nd sembl clauses, of pasng and gammar are not enogh. Sch sdy eded i a ame of oao, now paroded in detecve oris when they gve the leaed cousel' 73
that post hoc means propter hoc, t any rate the composition of books iten in 1830 cant be due to those writen in 1933, though the value of old workis contantly aected by the value of the new. This is true not only of single works but of whole categories. Max rnst's design send a great deal of psy chological novel wriing into the discard. The cinem supersedes a great deal of secondrate narrative, and a great deal of theatre. A lm form may perfectly well be a better form (intellectualy) than a stage form. lm may make better use of 60 per cent of al narrative ramatic material. ach case can be decided on its own merits. n all cases one test will be, could this material have been made more ecient in some other medium?' This statement is simply n extension of the 1914 orticist manifesto. A distinguished novelist compained that no direction
for major form were given inHow o Re. In pology It is wste of time to lsten t people talkng of things they have not understood suciently to perform. You can study part of the of novel consruction in the novels of Trollope. You can lean something of great writer's ttitude toward the of the novel the prefaces o Heny James' collected edition Hd I written a dozen good nvels might presume to dd somethin. 76
The Goncours preface to Germinie Lacerteux gives the mos succnc satement of the views of the nineteenh century realsts. t is the declaration ofthe rights of men tryng to rcord Lhisoire morae conemporaine, the hsory of contemporary moral disposition, te history of the esimaion of values in contemporary behaviour. n an inroductory work like the presen, you are not being asked to decide what theories are correct, but to what degree dieren writers have been ecient in expressing ther though. LBRTY liberty of the textook (as a form of writing) is that i permits refrain, repeition. Bu, teacher, mustnt we read . . . Wordsworth? Yes, my chldren, you can and may read anything you like. Bu instead of having me or anyone else tel you what is on the page, you should look for yourselves. Does Mr. Wordsworth sometimes use words that express nothing n paricular? Mr. Swinburne is famed or infamed for having used a E
great many or splendour' It hswhich been express said thtnothing he usedbut thecolour' same djecives to descbe a womn nd sunet XRCS woud very good exercise to take paallel passges of these two poets he st so very famous and the second 77
one so very much dcried at th preent time, and see how many uele word each ue hw many which contribute nothig how many which contribute nothin very denite A simila exercie cod be performed on Swiburne and Milton. XIXth Centry NG neer or own time, te tudent who can read French i iited to veri my upicin that the technique autier' early workAlers i about as ood as that of the bet Engli vere in the 1890' The Enlih of that erid added ttle to the um of knowledge in poetic ractice o udestand what was nvented afte 1830 I eco mend: hopie autieEma e Cams obie Rimbaud Laforue o see ow a man cod rte a gle ne or a brief ara rah of verse. n Eland Robert Brownng refreshed the fom of monologue or dramatic monoloue or �Perona, the ances· try of which goes back at leat to Oid' Heroides whc re maginary letters in verse, and to Thecritu, and is thence lost n antiquity.
7
STUDY FN very brief narrative pem of thi perid in the authors lited autier, Corbire, Rimbaud afrgue. Character prented Brwing H mch of Walt Whitan i well ritten ? If you were cmpiling an antholoy of Englih what etter poet cld yu nd than Chaucer. ain Doula 12 Buke of Aeneidos olding's Meamorphosestranated from Oid Marloe (mores) pasages of hi plays Shakepeare (Hitories, and the lrics as tecnic masterwork) Doe The ctas Song writers errick amion aller Dore Rochester. Wites in native couplet ope, be. Pick out the dozen best old baads. Pick out the twenty-ve bet lyrics ritten between 50 and 1700 om any of the avaiable anthologes ry to nd a poem of Byo o Po thout sevn serous efects y to nd out why te FitzeradRuya as on 7
into so many eitions afer havig ai unnoiced unti Rossetti found a pie of remaindered copie on a second han booksta. Di the 90s� add aying o Egh poery, or did they merey prune Swiurne? and borrow a ie om the Frech symboites? What was there to the Ceic movement? Apart from, et u ay, the inuence of rih baad rhythm on Yeas metric? I no case shoud the student from ow on be TOLD that such and such thins are facts about a given body of oey or about a iven oem. e qestions i this exercise o not demand the same ser om any two puis. They are not asked in orer to ra out pain yes and no answers hy isnt Water Savage Landor more read? Did he write poetry as we as Robert Browning? Ho uch of his poetry s oo? Hs nand ever roduced an l -roun man o etters o equa statre? If you are to nd a summary of the conscience of a ive century, where woud you o to n it? I eary period you might we seek it in the try. For the centuries after the reaissance you miht per· has have to n it n the prose? 0
If so, that woud mea that roe of those ties was in some way more ecient than he poery? You have, probaby a of you, your favoure writers. Wha woud hppe o you you arted riig im mediatey afer yu had been readng A, B, or C? Do hey ue a diaect? and wod you ' cach i? f you waned to ay omeing they hadt said, or somehing of a dierent kd, woud their manner of riting make your statement more accae? more interesting? Do you know why you ike
A B (upi canthe bank n at hi own discretion). Do you in any way distinguih btween iters who you ike and thoe whom you repect? Why, and how? PERCEPTON 'TISTS are the antenae of the race.
Can you be interested in the writins of men hoe eera ercepions e beow he average?
I am afraid that even here the answer is not a straight 'No. There is a much more delcate question: Can yo b interested in the work of a man who is blnd to80 per cen of the sectrum? to 30 per cent of the spectrum? Here the answer is, curiously enough, yes IF h perceptions are hyernormal n any part of the spectrm he can be of very great use as a writerthogh erhaps not of very great 'weight Ths is where the so-ce crackbraned genus comes in The concept of genius as akin to madness has been carefuy ostered by the iferor· ty compex o the pbic .
.
•
graver isue needs biological anaogy: artists are th antennae ; an anima tha neglects he warnings of its per• i it is ceptions needs very great powers o resistance svv Your ner senses are protected he eye by bone soce A
etcA nation whch neglects the perceptions of isat declines Mtr a whie it ceases to ac an merey svs There is probably no use i g s p w cant see it wihout being told Artists an pets obted ge excited an vr xcited abot tings ong before h genera pbc 82
Before decidng whether a man is a fool or a good arist, it would e well o ask, not onl: is he exced unduly , bu: 'does he see somethng we do? Is hs curous behavour due to s feeling an oncoming earthquake, or smellng a forest re which we do not ye feel or smell? Barometers, ndgauges, cannot e used as engnes
THE INSTRUCTOR
I The eacher or ecturer is a danger He very sedom ecognizes his nature or his position The lecter is a man who must talk for an hour Franc may possibly have acquired he intelecta eadership oope whn heir academc period was c own to orty minutes I also have ectured The ecturers rs probem is to have enogh words to l forty or sixty minutes The professor is pad for hs me, his resuts are mos im possible to estimate The man who really knows can tell al that is rans missble in a very few words The economic problem of the teacher (of voln or o language or of anthing ese) is how to string it out so as to be paid for more essons Be as honest as you ke, bu the danger is there even when on knows it I have elt the chll even ths brief booklet In pure good wll, but because one must make a rough estimate the publishers sent me a contract : 40,000 5000 words I ma over it, but it introducs a 83
I believe the ideal teacher woud approach any master· iec that he was presenting to his class s as i he ha eer ee it befre. TASES ER is rea why the same man should lie the
me books at eighteen and at forty-eight here are certain divisions and dissociations that I reain om making because I do ot think that at my ge I should try t force the taste of a middleaged man the yunger reader. hank heaven there re books that ne enjoys MOS before one is twetyve an that there are or bos that one can STILL read at fortye and still hoe to be ble to read in the sere and yellow Realism romaticism men as they are seen men as they are imagined or dramatized' men as they re quite smply know NO to be nsider the ecdote f Jck Dempse. Whe ue as being touted as the educated boxer a reporter ap I
. Demps roached ey n the urbjesome ct of liter atur thin the he metioed Cashel Byro ovel ie hich ng ppea Dempsey wudn't hae it: Agh it tain't LIKE t Te repter berved that Demsey had lurid ovel ut Russia Grad Duke He suggested hat i Demp e h bee Grad Duke he might hae fud s crecies i he pyal f l Russian hh ife
Demsey : I eer z Grn Due ' Perfecty sincere peope say ou cant teach literate , ad what they MEN by that statemet is probably rue You an qite distinctly teach ma t distinguish betwee ne kind of a bok and another Certin erbal manfestationsan be employed s measures sqares voltmeters r ca be used fr com parison ' a familiarity with them ca indubitably eable a man to estimate itig i general nd the relative forcs energies ad perfections or imerfections of bo You don' fh huse enirely th yard tck weighing machines he uthr d b recmmed i tis inruc to the tudy of letters ae t be cnsidere AS measug rds ad vltmeters he oks isted are boos t hae min BEFORE you r to measure evaluate e os e e most emphaticly NO all the bs r great deal tht yu e u simly ee t both bout
On the other had u t f it the si bism that has ruined hle hs of fc ters pte essaysts rened yung gents memersltryccle nd so weiter
DISSOCIATE ' M a shou d be prouder of havng vented the hammer an nal than of havng created asterpeces of mtton Hegel quoted b ernand Leger 'The ntellectual love of a thg conssts n understandng ts perfectons Spoza A GAT deal of crtcal rancour has been wasted through a falure to dssh between two totall dierent knds of wrtng
A
Books a a reads to develop hs cpactes : n order to know ore and perceve ore and ore quckl, than he dd before he read the
ad
B
Book that are intended and that serve as REPOSE, dope, opates ental beds
You dont sleep on a haer or lawnmower, ou dont drve als wth a mattress Wh should people go on applng the SAME crtcal standards to rtgs as derent purpose and eect as a lawnmower and a sofa cuhion?
There s one technque for the attres-aker and oe for the bulder of lnotype achnes A technque of co· ucton appes both to bedsteads ad autoobl. The drtest boo n our language s a qute astute anul telng people ho to earn mone b wrtng The fact that t advocates the maxmum possble ntellectual degradaton should not blnd one to ts costructve erts Certan parts of the technique of narratve wrtng ARE comon to Hoer Rudard Kplngand to M Kplngs star dscple, the late Edgar Wallace The onl ntellgent advere crtcis of Hw Read was not an attac on what was t, but on what had not been able to put there One cant get everthng nto fortve pages But eve I had had 50 at m disposal I shod not have attepted a treatse on major for n the novel I have not wrtte a good novel I have not wrtten a novel dont expect to wrte an novels and shall not tell anone ele how to do t untl have If u want to stud the ovel, go READ th best you can nd All that kow about t have leed by readng
Tm Jnes by Feld Trsram Shandyand The Senmenal urn b Ste (and dont recoend aone ELSE to try to do anothe
Trsram Shandy The novel of Jane Ate and Trollope
9
(Note : f you ompe the realism of rollopes novels ith the realism ofRobert MAlmons stories you wlget fair idea of what good novelist means by constrtion Trollope depicts sene or a person and you can lery see how he leads up to an eect] Contining: he novels of Henry James AND especily he prefaces to is olected edition; wch are the one extant gret treaise on novel wring in English n French you an form a faily good ideogram from Benjamin ConstantsAdolph. he rst half of StendhalsRou t Noir and the rst eighty pages ofLa Chartrus d Parm. Madame L£ducation ntimntal Trois onts and the unnished Bouvardt ofFAUBER with Gonourts prefae toGrmini Lacrt. Aftr that you ould do wel to ook at Madox Fords all When you have read James prefaces and twenty of other novels you wold do well to read Th acrd Fount There or perhaps the rst time since about3 riter has been able to deal with sort of ontent where· ith Cavalcnti had been conceed You an get very brillint rosslight via DonneI en the dierenes nd nuanes between psychoogy in Guido abstract philosophi statement in Guidothe blend Donne and againpsyhology Henry Jamesand in o f them the underlying onept of FORM the struture of he whole work ncluding its prts
is is a long way fom n A C n fat i opens te vista of postgraduate study
. Jealousy of vigorous-living men has perhaps le d in times to a deformationof crticism and a distorted glori· ation of the past Motive does not concern us but error oes Glorers ofthe past ommonly err in their computa· tions bcase they measre the work ofa present DECADE against the best work of pst centry or even of a whole group of centies Obviously one man or six men cant produe as mny metrical tiumphs in ve yers or in twenty as ve hn· dred trobdors with no cinema no novels no radio to distrat em produced between1050 and 1300 And the same appes in al departments he honest ritic must be content to nd a VERY E ontemporry work worh serious atenion ut he must also e ready to RECOGNZE that tle and to demote work ofthe pst when new work srpasses it
91
CHTEN CONDENARE chapter heading is Mr tigs discoery and his prime contribtion to contemporary criticis bt the idea is far from new t is as we hae said ngranedin the ery angage of Germany and it has magnicntly UNC ONED billiantly fnctioned isistrats fond the Homeric texts in disorder we dont qite know what he did bot it he ible is a compendim people trimmed it to make solid t has gone on for ages becase it wasnt allowed to oerrn al the aailable pachment; a Jpanese emperor whose name hae forgotten and whose name yo neednt remember fond that there were OO NY NOH AYS he picked ot 40 nd the Noh stage ASED from400 or wheneer ight down till the day the American nay intrded and that didnt stop it Umewaka Minor started agai soon as the reotion wore o Oids Meta mophoses are a compendim not an epic ike Homer's ; Chacer's Cnterbry aes are compendim al the good y Chacer knew he aes hae lasted throgh centries whle the longwnded mdiaea narraties went nto mms 1 A Jnee tent in Ameic on ein ke the ee etween oe n oety i: Poety conit of it n it
9
SECTION TWO
EXHIBITS deal way o prese he ext secto of ths ookle ould e o gve he quotatos WIHOU ay comme haever I aad that would e too revolutoary By ong ad wearng experec I have leared that n he ree mperfect sate of he world oe MUS ell the ader I made a very ad mstake my INSIGAIONS e ook had a pla I hough the reader would ee
I he prese cas I shall o ell he sude everyg mos tellge sude those who mos wa o EARN however ecompass ha ed ad edear emselves o he sruggl auhori hey read h EXHIBIS ad o look a my fooot utl hey have a eas red o d ou WHA HE EXHIBI IS ad o ue hy I hav pred For ay rader of uce c hould a goo a gam a orqumada ros-ord aomaos I do expec t o ecom ve opr u a dal REPUBIC would
9
EXHIBIT
ra gia lore che volge l dso A naviganti. Purgatorio VIII, I.
Perch' io non spero d toa gi mai Ballatetta in Toscan Cvci
S'ils n'ayment fors que pou !'argent On ne les ayme que pour l'heue. Villon
he re that tr about her, when she stirs. Yets
Ne maeg wergmod wyrde dhstonda ne e e hyg helpe geemman for dhon domgeoe dresrcne oft n hyra breostcofan bindath faeste. Th Wnderer
xample of deogrammc method used by . P. n Th Serious rtis& 1913 beore havg access to the Fenollosa pers I wa to ndcate derence between prose mplcity of ttement, and an equ lmpidity n poetry, where the pefectly smple verbl order s CHARGD wt a much hher potent, an emotonal potential.
96
I that essay I also cted Stendhal's: Poetry th t
obligatory comparisons, the mytho1ogy the poet don't bleve m, his so-called dgnty of tyle, a l Louis XI V nd all that ta of what they cal poetic ornament, s vastly inferior to prose if you are to give a clear and exact dea of the uvements du cur' ; i you ae to show what a man feels, you can oy do t by clarty. •
hat was the great t. The great separation of the roads. Aer Stendhal sa w that, and sad t, the poetc bunk o the preceding centue gave way to the new prose, the creation of Stendhal and FJaubert. Poetry then remained e nfeor a unti t caught up with the prose of these wo wrters, whch t ultimately did qute largely on the basis of DICHTEN CONDENSARE. hat dd NOT mean it was omething more waty ad mbecl than prose, but omethng charged to a higher =
otental
97
CUR 1414
EX
But Chaucer though he kan but ewedy1 On meres, and on rmig cr iy Hath seyd hm, i sich ngissh as he kan O ode tyme as knowe many a man And he hve noght seyd him, eve2 brother, In o book, he hh seyd hm in anoe For he hath tood o overi up and doun Mo' Ovide made o mencioun n Epistees youthe he made5 o Ceys nd Acione l
3
M t p
Chaucers se-criticism paced the mouth o e M o Lawe. He proesses himse untaught n metre mea robby quanttave verse. Skied n �hyme. The me o a compendium comparbe to Ovd. He oows mediaev custom and goes on to give a catoge o taes Dio Aiadne Hero and Leander Laodamia, etc. 9
Soth s the root o much bad opinion. It is at fcut or the author to ret speech within decoo ounds. once heard a man, who has some standing as rter and whom Yeats was wont to deend, assert that Chaucers it nguage wasnt gsh, ad that one ought not to e s basi o dicusion, TC. Such was the depth o London n 1910 Anyone who is too ay to master the comparativey smlgossary necessary to derstand Chaucer deserves to e shut out rom the reading o good books or ever. to the reative merts o Chaucer and Shakespe ngish opinionhas been bamboozed or centuries by a ove o the stage, the gamour o the theae the ove o bombastic rhetoric and sentimentg overun actors nd acesses; these, pus theonation ziness and ess to make the east eort have competey obscured the vues. Peope even read transations o Chauce nto a cuiou compost which is not mode anguage but which uses a vocauary comprehended o sapheas. Wat se th kennath Chaucer had a deeper knowedge o ie than Shakespea. t the rear contradict that aer reading both authors he then chooses to do so. He had a wide knowedge o ie, pobaby, he had at any rate a better chance. We can eave the question o the reative chances to thei bioaphers. Let us ook at the evdenc. 99
Chaucer wrote when reading was no disgrace He hd ory book gahered probbly at coniderable trouble and expene Shkepeare had at leat si good ones Chaucer cite h sources. There wa no contemporary snobbsm to ihbi hi BUT Shkepeare OWES e a much to his reding s Chaucer dos Men do not undernd BOOKS until they have had a cerain moun of life Or at n rate no man ndersands deep book until he has seen and lived at leat prt of its conens The prejudice again books has grown from oberving he upidity of men who havemeeyread boos. Chaucer beyond thi wa a man th whom we could have dicused Fabre and Fraer; he had thought conider· bly about many hing which Skespeare has no vey deeply conidered. Chaucer relly doe comprehend the hought s well a he life of hi time The Wife o f Bath's heology is no a mere mear Her attention o the meanng of terms i greaer than w e nd in Lorenzo Medii' imaginary dialogue with Ficino abou platonm. T i, in Chaucer he remain of he middle ges when men took some care o their ermin?logy. When he sys : coneillng na comndement. she has a meing in each o her terms. Chucer wote while Englnd ws still par of Europe There was one ue o Fer o Paris nd i een· 10 0
ded o England Chaucer ws the greaes poe of hi day He w more comp&dous han Dane. e patcipated n he ame cuure wih Froiar nd Boccacc the grea hmane clture that went ino Rimini ht spoke FrancoVeneo that is in the rondels of Froissar and in he doggerel of he Malet. In Shkespeares ime England is alredy nowing. Shakespere as supreme lric technician is indebed to he Ialian ongbooks but they are already an EXOTIC. Chaucer ues French ar he ar o Provence the erse come rom he robadour. In his world here had lved boh Guiaume de Poictier nd Scotus Erigen. Bu Chucer ws no a oreigner. I wa HIS civiaion. He mde fun o he mm hramm ru he decdence o AngloSaon allteration the erse wien b hose who had orgotte he WH o the AngloSaon rdi narration d been o inslr to learn French. Tre Chaucers name s French and not English his mind is he mind of Erope no he ind o n nne or n ouyng prone He i e Grand Trnle. He hd ond new ln gge he had i largely o himsel wih the gand oppor un. oting spoiled noing worn ou Dane had had a simir oppotni and en i wh loo oer shoder nd ew Lti epens Chauer el hnce. The gl bewee Chuer d Gower c e mesed Gower hesttion s proed ungnes o ae a chnce. He had go ecal eerises in all hee o he c en ones 101
English, French and Lain. Books used in the wrong way The hunt for a subject etc. He was the perfect type of Engish secondy r condemned recently but forltime by Henri avray with hs: 'Ds cherchent des sentiments pour le accommoder leur vocabulaie They hunt for sentiments to t into their voculay. Chaucer and Shakespeare have both an insuperable coge tackling any but absolutely any thing that arouses their interest Noknow one gauge measure ntl they howeer much of itorhow full a English gamut ofpoetr its qualites s already THERE ON THE PAGE o Chaucer ogopoeia phanopoeia melooeia; the Enlish tech que of lyrc nd of narative, and the full ich ow of uma contact. s last term has been degraded and demoted or arowed dow unt t excdeslthe more complcated, the less sa acivites of hman fel and der stand. i sd almost as t coud refer only to low lfe. hacei aware of fe aty wth Shespeae. He omed, d nderstands the ntellecta conqest of Erope a way that W Shakespeae robaly dd not. He oen mnded, let sa to fok-lore, to the rob 102
lems Fraze broaches n a way that Sheseare cetay was not. Shakeseare ws eatly ndierent. He was fanu He was a techc master. The gross and tter stuty and obtuseness of Milton was never more apparent th oodnotes wld . n h supercilous reference to W The best tng I eer heard n r Schellngs class-room was the theor that Shakepeare wanted to be a oet bt that he hd to take to the ·ing of plays. He is, probably i term of magntude mean anythng, 'the worlds greatest damatst. ong th Ibsen and Aeschyls. But t would be very rash to say that he a better oet than Chacer or that he knew more (or ? a mch) abot lfe. Cacers culture was wder than antes, Pearch s mmeasuably nferor to both. Yo wold not be fa ot you chose to consder Chaucer as the fater of litterae humanores for Europe. Not that the continent fond t ot. t for oses we can perfectly well base the whole of ou study of the renaissance on Master Geoey, the savant who knew a much of the hostler as dd the deersnatcher of Stratford, who knew probably a great deal more of the merchant ceraly more of diplomacy and the ways of the world of oer Wic doesnt mean that he has le a better record, or anticipated the reolt of later time.
103
VIONb ntrt and the dawnof represents the great melowng new paideuma, Vion, the st voice o man broken by bad econocs, represents also the end o a tradtion the end o the mediaeval dream, the end o whole body o IF Chaucer
nowledge, ne, subtle, tha had rom Anaut to Gudo Cavcanti, that had lain n the secret nd o Europe or centres, and wch is ar too compcaed to deal wth n a prier o readng. The hardest the most authentic, the most bsolute poet o France The under dog, the ealist, lso a scholr But wth the medaeval dream hammered out o h nsuperable techcian Whose art so cme rom Provence
I have scamped tis pragraphI have used medaeval dream to avoid witng a olo in900 pages I don't use the term to mean merely ancul ornamenta tion wth dasies and dckey bds ; I don't mean n escape mechanism I mean vey complicated sucture o now edge and pereption, the pardse of the human mind under enlightenmentAl o whch, I repeat, cannot be dealt wth in a rst book on edng Technically speaking, translation o Vllon is extremely dcut because he rhymes on the exact word, on a word meang sausages, or example The gand ogies or yong men who wnt really to earn strophe wtng are Cat us and VlonI personally 1
e een edued to etn them to ic s o anslte them Swinbune and Rossetti have done some o hei own best poems ng Vion s starting-pont Te net eslt is more lie Mre de Frnce, Cesten de Toyes or Froissrt '
105
CUR 000
m
I have of sowe so gete woon1 That joye gete I neve noon Now that I see y ady bght Wch I have oved with y yght Is o e deed and is a-goon.1 Aas, Deeth, what ayeth thee That tho nodest3 have taken e an to toke y ady sweete That was so fa, so esh, so fe, So good, that en ay we se goonesse she had no eete� f x
l
&
l
Engish c, the techniqe fo s aeady copete no agentaon of singabity o Chace's day to o own The Fench foteenthcenty ic ode, coon to l Eope Iio has changed bt no geate has been attained Not even by Shaespeae wi the ad o ate Itaian songboos 0
Exum
CUR 000
Bt as I oed p and don I fond that on a we the was Ths witten on a tabe of bas: I wo now synge, gif that I can The aes and aso the an That st ca, ogh his desnee Fgitif of Toy conee In taie The saw I how the tepest stente And how with a pyne he ente And pevey took r vage In the con of Catage And on the oe, how that he And a nyght hght Achat Metten with Vens tat day Goyng a qeynt aay she hadde been an hnteesse Wth wynd bowynge pon esse
Chace givin tentative ipession of Vi 07
Ccer derivig from Liis possily ookis He er we rec, e is greaes i drwig he Prdoer, Wife of Ba d live people, pig oe � e resls o is ow REANG io heir mos, d drwgheir carcer i he wy hey mke se of i. Te prdoer kes wo hudred lies o ge his sory By ime e reader is very mc srprised h e s sory l Chcers oered chrcers re perps more rel o s ha Shakespeare; drmaize gres, or come a oe mor sddely from he page s lvg, wheres he cor iervees or eeds o iervee, o recreae e Eliz eha dramaic persoge. This ms e ake s eive seme, wihl gres of fiess ad vividess impied
XIT
ER 13401400
Hy, Aslo, hye gile resses clere Eser, ey ow hy mekeesse al do, Hyd, Joahas, al hy fredey mere Peeope d Mcia Co, Mak of youre wyfhod o compriso, Hyde ye yore eeis, Ysode ad Eee, Alcese is here h h may desee1 Ty fayre ody l i peere, Lveye, d how, Lucresse of Rome ow Ad Polexee ha oghe love o dere Ek Cleopre wih hy pssiou Hide ye yore roh i love d yore reo Ad how Tyse, a hs for love swich peye, Alcese i ere l my eseye Herro, ido, Lodamy le i fere2 Ek Phills hagyge for hy emophou A Caace espied y y cere3 Ysiphie eraye w aso Mak of youre rohe i love o os e so Nor Ypermysre, or l Adrie e pleye Alcese is here my deseye 1 overhow
comny
3
fce
Provel rdiio, i rce, he mediaeval, h sed o Vilos ime. Cf Neiges dAa; d oer lldes Villo or over cery fer Ccer, Egd o lggig eid rce 0
You do not have to apologze for Chaucer or say that e was an Engshman o oly an Englshan, you can cast about n your mnd �ithout nhbton when seekng cm• asons ether forh sngableness o foh chaacte dawng. Where, for exple, n anterr lterature can you nd bette o as good? There s some such rawng n the sagas, less n Boccac· co less vaety n Petronus,i you y to tk of some thng ore r less 'lke t you ay be reded of Plats huour, for exaple n delng wth the apoplectc am aptn (colonel) who so annoyed wth Socrates because the old nqrers nd happens to functon Pardoner and host do not suer by coparson Daphns and Coe evnces but probably a hgher degree of czaton a ore ened not a ore acte percepton Thee no need to nent or take fo granted a sp and specy lenent set of LOCAL crtera when vng Chaucer. r raing. W. the convesaos f Chauce Petrach and Bccacc.
10
El
CUR 1341
Lnv to Ki Rhr pnce dese for to be honouable Chersh thy fok and hate extorcoun!
Sue no tng that may be epevle To thyn estat, don n thy egoun Shew forth thy swed of castgacoun Dred God, do law, love trouth and wthynesse And dyve they fol ageyen to stedfasesse.
ven adon mtaed
h de Thu gan he mae a ro f In whch he saw al holly her ge, 1
wl
ven adon we 111
XHIIT
HAER 3401400
Madame ye bn of beaute sryne As f as cerced is the mappmounde For as the crist gorious ye shyne And yk ruby ben your cheks rounde Therwith ye bn so mery and ocounde That at rve whan I se you daunc It is an oyntement unto my wounde Though ye to m n do no daiaunce
Ag t dubtf ps e d: You yn two wo sye me sodeny Tat might e by Froisat d h written n Engish Chaucers work has ben ft us amost unsortd The perspicacious adr not fa to tg it is a of equa vau Having ft th bst it is probaby advisbe smpy to browse and read wat on njoys ; there are parts h mght have cut ad he ben u sd to the mutipica· tion of books by the printing prss; parts that he coud av rewritte had he thought it worth wie No good purpose is served by merey fing ito an ecstasy ove caic forms of the anguag 1 1
ug division might peraps be trid
1
es magnicnty maintiing Proven4a tdt
2
oems akin to those f s Frnch contempories
assags showing 3 met o umanity
the particua Chaucrian erch
4
Infior passags whre he hasn't bothered to do me tan a rough transation or as ft inective is scuttrd ovr ss interesting atter Intening writers can rad with fair safety n so f as no one now can possiby use an imitation of Cauces mnn or the dtais of his spch Wereas hoib exampes of peope wearing Eizabthan od cotes pro ect om whoe dcads of atr Engis and Aeic wing Te mod writr if h arn from Chaucer can e om CHAUCER'S art its fundamentas T qstion of using otr man's mnnr r sty fairy simp Good witing is cotrminous with te writes tught it has ths form of th thought th form of te ay the man fs thought No to mn think in precisy th same ay M. Wyndham Lwis may hav an xcnt coat but it oud not give satoria satisfaction on te back of M . Joyce or M Eiot and so in varying degree ti a writr uses a spch of h own there be odd bugs sackness ovr narror shoudrs 3
The partcular Enlh component n Chaucer From now on the tuent n computn the later poet an pro wrter can ak hime What have they tat wa not n on Georey? ou can k thi o Shakepeare you can ak t o Feln.
XIT
The battel the I ill crue Fra Troy boundi rt tt futie By fate to tale come an cot Laune Ouer lan and e cacht wth meikl pyne Be force of od aboue fra euery tde2 Of cruel Juno throw aul remembrt e3 Grete payne in battele uert he alo Or4 he o brocht n Lato An belt the cete fra quham of nobl fame The Latyne peop taken ha thare name And eke the faer prnc of Alba Come an the waler o rete Rome alua 0 thow my mue eclare the cau quhay5 Qyha maety oent ; chaw quham by Or zt quhareor o o the rcr8 Quene So fe daner c trawell ma utene e worthy man fult o pete I thare c r£ n hene mye on he? che t le 8 oi Sx. mn
3 f r Er 6 q fo " 8 if innion f
7
oence
1474 to 152 or 22 Gan oula et o a partcular labour th h m ull of Latn quantate metre attan robuter er ato than you ar lkely to n n Chauer It ot fa to compare thee partcuar paae to Chaucer rla met f Chaucer ha oe nothin ele But the etre of Gan ere troner the relience rete hucer 5
V oAS 474522
xT
With wappinnis ke the Vgins of sarha For enus efter the gys and maner thare Aneshe active her schuder As hadbow, beneapoun ane wde hntereisare ith wind wang haris owsit of trace And on this wise with hart burnng s re Musing aone fu of maice and yre To Eus cuntre that wyndy regioun Ane rudy nd of furious stormy soun This goddes went quhare Eous the King In gousty cauis the windis oud quhising And raithe tempestis by hs power refranys I bandis hard, schet in presoun onstrenys fee
fo t
he transation was made durin the eihteen onths, eginnng in January, 52 and endng on the 22nd o y 153, with two months' interssion, the work oin ter as he proceeded, 7th book begun Deeer 12 Prnted at London' by 1553 1
xT
V ouAs 4741522
Thay meset the seys ustuousy Quhi fra the depe ti euyrye oist fast b The huge wais wetres apon hie Rowit at anis with stormes and wnds thre Eurs, Nothus, and the wynd Aphrius (Quhik Eist, South and West wyndis hate wth us) Sone efti this of men he amour rais, The takiis grals, cabis can ate and as With the coudis, heuynnys son and dais yht Hid and brest out of the Troianis sycht Derknes as nycht, beset the see about, The rmament gan rumyyng rare and rout The skyis oft ychtned with fyry euyn And schortie aith are, see and heuyn And euery thyng manssis the men to de Schewand the dede present before thare E wve
6 e
Roe one 3 e e 6 ga = ga et n n
4 oe
Go sow, manissis = menaces, the key to ost of the famiar-ooking word in the sound. on't afraid to ess Rare = roar, rout = beow, E = eye 117
GN Do LS 144122
ExHT
Bis HoP o F NLD ND UNKL AR oF us
nd all in van hus quhl neas carp1 n blasernd bu2 ou fra he narh brayng Gan ur h freschp n h ak sal dng nd o he sernes up he ude can cas3 The ar,4 hachs and he aklls ras5 The schpps seuyn hrawar hir wen can wryih6 7 nd urni er brad sde h wallis swyh Hi as ane ill e jaw f h waer bra 1 ce 4 o
2 ltein tom
3
(ol hi hhe t ten)
5 t
6 ? lo technicl ntiw ' Cie vie e to tn. Poily
textl eo I ont ke ot whethe the hi te min keel
me twit fo ie wy o wythin looe fom the i o whethe it i meel twite fow lh of the hi 7 qickly
a n ra sas as a Lanis, b ra Lain fr and a rad a gd da, d a ssi lg sra ualiis fPrris' ii · i rfessina ainss ha ignrd and in s assags as is I g csidrably mr pasr fr f an fr rigin ig nn-safarg ar 11
EXHIT
AVIN ouAS 144122
reigis man am a s Bi nsera Dian and Pbs Hai1 Depb, th dr f Gacs, Qhilk he King sn spake a is wis : is i (qud sch) sar an dus and n gurs, is n nssary. Mare needful now war bu3 langar ary Sn zung sis5 ha zk6 bar nuer nan Brc fr e bw7 in erand bri8 ilkan d as ny wynrs,9 as is gis Csin and ganan 10 fr sarice On his is i Enas sa Siy. ouAS
GAYIN 144122 ll idway is idernes an Or wils frrs and h aihi cyus wh hs drry bs nrd Flwis enurun rnd ab a lac B gf fa gre es and f h has Tyis il wr sal1 f Syx h dly3 a nd wyis behad bak ells i f wrakeu Or fa huge aubur delis h, qud s Harkn quha rs hus he d. ddis an rank re, lurkis a gdin ech 5 Wi aura eus and b wsis ch 6 llok ' fo y 3 withot 8 ek ein = cce hee 'two winte ol 0 oitio nnt)
1 Ne
8 yoke
Gzin
7 ow-fol
11 the intenive not netive 2 ? hll o ilin le 3 oloo 1 evene 5 My loy ive bu = bug t h wo ml ht
Gn took it fo tletoe
16 toh 19
Unto Juno inerne consecrate Tht standi loukit1 about and obumbrate With dirk schddois of the thik wod chaw. Bot it is n yse lesum,2 I the shw Thir secrete wayi under the erd to went Quhil ofthe tre this goldin grne3 be rent: Fare Proserpyne hs institute and commnd To oer hir this hir in proper presnd 4 ne uthir goldin grne, to the ik eeck, Thou sl not mys, thocht the rst be doun brek Incontinent euer of the samyn etl Sic ne lke brnche sl burgeon furth wthl. The nedis therefor, til hld thine ene on hicht It for to serche and seik al at richt Quhen it fnd, thou hynt5 it in thy hand For gifit list esely tht amyn wand Of the aw 8 wi l follow ti rp fute hte7 Gf o the ftis wlthou pas tht gate; Or elles8 be na strenth thou sl it ye8 Nor cut n twa with wappin swerde nor knyfe 1
encod
awful, pertted
the glossay now gvesboh grain,the atte cetainly themore key, nd agan ponng to Gavn's havng the sletoe nd. The glose-Jaker poby tnkng ore of the orgna Lan than of 6 snatch 4 present he word before ? Chaucer foothot straghtway 6 ts own 7 easy 8 dvnaon accordng to whether the bough coes o =
he omission o Dougla omTh Oxord Book of X Vlth Centu Verse sheds no credt on either the press r the thologist Blind prejudice aganst tanslation cannot xplan it, a Dougls wote a quantity of orgnl oet art of which is ndubitably upeor to a good deal they ave ncluded 120
EXHIBIT
GA DOUGLS
1474-1522
Behldnd the lrge wod on thi syde : Thre s he stude thus mkand hs pryer : W ld God zone goldn branche list now ppere Skars wr thir wordis sid quhen in that place ne pr of dois a heuin come with ne ycht nd richt forgne the manns face did lycht This ril pricea sone as he thaym sw His moderis birds knew nd blythle thn His vrisoun1 ha maid and thus begn: 0 hly foulis, gif the way my be went Be ze my gidis to complete my en tent; ddres zour cors towout the are in hy Unto tht haly schaw2 •
•
•
•
•
nd ze my blissit moder that oure beild Int this doutsum cai .••
1 3
orson I grove gossary gves efuge, but I t t s ore lkey to ba
suey
Dstnguish beween Vigil' new matter tat the folk-lore that i dstinctly Italian not Greek and the at f the eneid due to literay tradito 121
AVIN DouGLAS 1474-122
EXHIBIT
Like as full oft in schi wyneris yde The gum or glew2 amyd the woddi yde Is wount to schene zallow3 on the grane new Quhlk never of that treis substance grew With saroun ewit5 frute doing furth sproute Cirkilis& and wympillis7 round bewis abou Sic lik was of this gold the cullour brycht That burgoni fare on the rak aii8 hicht Euer as the branche for pipand wynd reboundit The golden schakeri9 ratlis and reoundit Eneas smele hynt he grane th schoe And but10 delay has rent i doun anone viN DoGLS 1474-122
1
Enee hymself ane zow was bla k of eece Brynit wth hi swerd in sacrice ful hie Unto he moder of the furie thre And hir gree ier and o Proserpyne Ane zeld 12 kow all o trinci, and eftir yne To he infernale King quhilk Pluto hate1 3 Hys nycht alaris begouth1 4 o dedicate The hae boui o fb eii bane and lyre Amyd he ambis keit1 an d haly fyre The fat olye didhe zet and pere17 Apoun the enei o mak thaym birne clere 2 gum, vscous humour chll 3 yellow 4 newly
6 hued
9 13
16 17
6 rle d kks 8 oak's 7 around the bughs 10 without ker lbel thi plte of gold rttled 2 barren, hacked ASx brt brek il sacrice 14 hght clled began The holy buks (carcasses) of beast, bone and esh 16 cas pored =
Srs nothini compared to wich passages in Macbth. 122
ExHIBI
VIN DouGLS 14715
The byinig ei the erpen Lea Horrbill quhissiand and queynt Chimera, With re enarmyt on hir toppi hie, The laiye Hrpie and he Gorgonis hre Of thrinfald gaily form e did grone Baih of Erylbodyi us and of Gerione And wih his biand brycht brand a in vane The ume1 schaddois mityng o hae slane Awounderi of thi erage and the preis Say me, virine ayd Enee or thou ceis, Quhat meni sic couence on this watr yde? Quhat wald ir sauli? quhay will they not abyde? The o� anueri with ane pietuous pepe, Maist wourhy Duke chies' son mais dere The elmstok or gubernail of tre Quharewih I rewlit our ours c throw the se Lennd thereon sa fas, percase it hrew And rent away oueru:d wih me I drew. The waly seyis to wtnes draw I here Tha for myself tuke I nane sa grete fere As of thy schip 1
empty
A noe which I ake o be Gavins own indicaes the deb to Homer ; as thoe who do not read Lain can ge thei Vig i olde Sco, he Romans who ne no Gree ot thei legend of he NKUIA from V. 12 3
EXHIBIT
ARTHUR GoLDIN 536-605
The Go now hng lade sie his borrowd shpe of Bull, Hd n hs lkenesse showed himself: And with his pretie trul Tne lnding n the Isle fo Crete When in tht whle her Sire Not nowing where she wsbecome sent fter to enqure chrging him his sister H brother Cdmus, home to bring, wherein he Or never for to come gne did thng For which e might both justlie nde nd cruel cle e Wen Cms over all th world d sught (for wo is he Tht cn etect the thefts of Jove) nd nowhere coul her see Thn s n otlw ( to voye his fther's wongl e) He went to Phebs Orcle most hmbly to desire concil His heveny were he wold ssigne h plce to well
ole forgrowne nfeUed woo stood ne t han tereb And in e mides qecie plot wth Sedge nd Osier e A
124
Where cobde bout ith pebe stone in lenesse of bow There ws sprng wth silver stremes tht forth thereof dd ow Here lured n his lowrng den God Mrs his griesly Snke With golden scles nd rie eyes beswone with poyson ble Three spirtng tongues, three rowes of teeth wtin his hed did stice No soone hd the Tinfolke set foote within this thce And quechie plot, n deped down the bucet in the we, Bt tht to buscle in is den begn tis Serpent fell 1 hed ght hobly And peering with mrble to sse. The specled serpent straght Comes triling out n wving lnkes n knottie roUe of scles nd endng nto nc ohts s ot he hles An lftng p above h wt the Skie He overlooket all the woo;
A
hmelf nto
With tht he rghtn fst t the Sne wth ll mightie Milstone is might it cst 1 mable
15
Wile Cadmus wondered at the hugenesse of the vanqiht foe, Upon the sodaine came a oye: om whence he old not know B re he wa he heard the voye, whih said Agenor' onne ha aze h pon thi Snake? The ime ill one da oe He Tha tho th ele hat ba a Snake pale and wan for feare stie Had lost i speech and rued up saring stood heare Behold (m ans helpr at s neede) Dame Paas gliding troh was raight at hand and The vaant Ayre bade h take a plough And ast te Sepent teeth n gound of the wih should sprig Another eople ot of hand. the clods began to move nd fro the foow rt of the pies ap• pearde above, ethen rosehe up Poldren hees wth ehered crests and bright, Sesively he Cret whole and al the armou right Th rew up men ike orn in eld in rank of bate ray apologize for the cus in the story bt I cannot give a hole book of the Mamorphoe here and do no 12
honel ink that anone anknow anh aot he ar o lid narraie in Enlih or let s sa ao he or o he developmn of nlih narraie-riin (rse or pro iho eein the hol ohe olme (he xv Booke o P Oi Nao ntled Mamor phoi tranlaed oe of Lain ino lih meer y Arh Goldin Gnleman ' Firt eiion o ar a I kno Imprined at London illam Sere 67, ih he mark o bear standig a po inide he garer oni oi. Shakepeare b 64 d 166. Thogh i i he mos beail ook in th lanae I am not here itig i for deoratie prposes or he naative qality read a natural lanuage mere admi be suepil to badpoken reaing A ad h reader of i, ItI hold oeeners amost cetai o tubthump The readewl e wll advied to read aording to sene and ntax eep from thmping oberve the syntatal pae and ot sop for the line nds save where sense reqire ro a comma iniaes Tha i the a o ge the most ot of it, nd ome nearet o a sense of th timeelement in the mrial pln
27
LING 5-
e al id nd n Me d l ei biee pie In pig o Bcc woe fea e bek contepol. Wen on e ode (eeing gt) e ea bo e od O bbi Tibel pefecl oe n jrond Wi ale inging bell fo fl A cen of Son nd of M vi ol el (wic n wol belive wb e b Iil wax e en ax wic p Did oi ful of vie lve. Ad pa eeo dd Abode in Vie. e de it elfe in be fo d p. Young bugeon f of clued gape fo id bin Ande a teDitave web ey wo wa dey'd a deep dake pple ew Even o upon e paine pe elfe me colo gew. Te day wa pent. And now w come e me wic neye nig 2 8
No day, hut mdde hond of bo may tm o igt. T ouse at sodan eed o a nd l aout t se t bung ams ad gtteng e o s foe t y. nd sss o oy ast wt gatfl oyss yd Fo ae of n smoke ole te t e comld To de t ad one e nd t anot o o un Te gteng lg And wl e in con ndly un Uon t itt ete imme ne csp m te go d sled n stea o n e sotnd ames encoe. ut ow ty los tei foe ape of ctat o know Te danse wold not e em No at o w d yt t see ad velume ng ty ov goun d o nte tey goe aot to eake ma but ltte ound ccodg a t bode �ve bewayng e dsgt By cg y o temelve. n ou ty dgt detestng d nd not oode : e tt owad g 29
eretroug tey of teEvening late i Lati take their name d we in Engls language Backes orReermce call the same
Now while I underneath the Earth the Lake of Styx did passe I saw your daughter Proserpne with these same eyes. Se was Not merie, neyther rid of feare as seemed b h cheere But yet a Queene, but yet of great God Dis yet staely of thaFeere samedroupie Realme the ciefe But the nd soeeigne Peee
And came of migtie Marsis ace, Pandion ought of joe iance withh by and by, ad gaveh o is Feee His daughte Pogne At tis at (a fter wl appeare) as neiter Juo, Presiden of ariage, won o bee o Hymen, no no any one of all e gaces tee 1
companion
1 0
The Furies snatcing apers up that on oe Herse did stande, Did ligt them, and before te Bide did beare them n her ande
As both Progne and selfe should joy and confort bring, Wen bot of them in verie deede should afterward it rew To endward of is daily race and trave Poe drew And on the soring side of Heaven oe downewad ew In open face of all the word: o i o eee me still As prisoner in these woods, my voyce e verie woods shall ll Ad make te stones to ndersnd
wl
that up to are nowaying, e ites exhib ey re arestudent all intent note on wat ey t ede conscious of avng someting to tell e t eade, sometg e does no reay kno, and tei an eo peni ELLING h e next pase appeas i auto wo e grdualy y ey e yi i oe and oe concerned wi e wa .
131
Smlr che pt : Sm Mmmi, th pantr the Quttrcent, intet thir MAIN subjct, Vrin itt bd t ch, tc utyi pctur Renaisane c ece : pters tet n pnt a bt rper, th or tht bt of pcre r chrcr r wht nt Contrast
Shkespear the Eishmn.
Cucer the Eurpen
FOUR PERIODS I. When Eln w prt Eurp II Wn Enl ws Eln, ntainig r w best witer, r wn mst ntellgent men. II I The pr en Engla n lgr r r, r lme er bst wtr. Lar i Itl Bes i Germa. Brn, Kat, Shll tl. Brwng Ital, Tnns te il tera· tre Enla . T eri xtic injti. A tt te lai atinLati a elge t all Erpe. Tere are a Latzati Engls, but te injtin i eting ert. Wrrt a Slle ere t iu tig Ialia anzne . ire Grek njeti. 132
Brng, n a iernt a, e talia ubjet atter Fitzgra' Rubaiya' (Peria). W Mi re a, an l Frn atter R s tti : Itlian pe ts Pr-Rapaelite eievalsm. Vitrian mnr lng wit slitr Fren m. T lt ie Frnch syblst tencie ixe t ubjt mattr rt rm Celti mt, te m e Irla. Te Arian lizati Hn Jams (Whistler, W. H Husn), et.
33
XHIIT
MRK LEXANDER BoYD 5
Fra hak t hak fra wd t wd I ri Oaiit wit my feebe fatasie Lie t a eaf tat fais m a tre Or ti a reed rbawi wit te wid, w gds guid me te ae f tem is bi, ea ad a bair hrct up i vaitie, Te ext a wife igerit f te sea Ad icter r a daupi wit er Uappy is te ma fr evermair Tat ts te ad ad sawis i te ir, But twic uappir i ,I , Tt fedi r r Ad fws a a r d by bid d c y ar prpery iiddi ct t r i it f C r ; oe w Prui d, w • u t mpr i prdcsr T r f fec ipe t r t d y r pi ic c a cdce y ay it i uiu ay p cee fr f dy r k fr , rip ; it is i ce fr fw dy pad pi f tuit I up utifu st i · , rt i
xHIT
CHRISTOPHR MRLO 59
N t r de u ce Tat drawes te day m eave's cd axe-tree, Aurra iter sidst tu dw agaie, Ad brydes m Mm yeery sa be saie. N i er teder ams sweete bid f ver, w we ies e by my side Te ayre is cd ad seep is sweetest w Ad byrdes sed fr sri tes frm every bw Witer rust tu, tat m ad wme ue t? Hde i ty rsie re tat tey me t! Er tu rise stars eac same were t sae But we tu cmst tey f teir curses faie. Pre raiers tug tired rise at ty sigt, Te plHide y tee t d is set Sw xe eary i te y ar pet Tu cseest by f seep ad dst betray tem T Pedat tat wit crue ases pay tem 1 F. hmm d pone who mt wok
e ex perid f mmum wer i Egis versca i, t igur fu ad uspet te fu eect f study f ati er T Eizabeta age was ccered wit ti prem Te me trid t t Egis t rues ty fud Lati rammaias av bee argey frgtte, u t me w ed tir mids wit t fee f ai ave eft u te dates criteria arws versi f Ovid's Amres prited HOL LD Puri ps dy en 13
e ay reae an se these exhbits as signposts or rther readin. Where the bookis sed or class work the teacher wl natally make his own additions andampi· ation rom easly obtainable texts or ik p the sond work om the eneral welter o medocre performane exhibite in the crent anthologies where the best is often obsre. I te it tha t texts o Shakespee, Mlowe FitzGerals Omar are so easily obtainable as to make it eeess to print seetions romthem in this brie book an that the aitional mselanies opie one rom another with o ritia plan, smal honesty, and almost no ersona estimate or re-examination otheir matter ontain air testimony as to the vae o many writers o shor poems lyris etc. and that tis setion entitle exhibits serves yo might say, ot tace the orse o Enlih poesy an to inicate in a general way the eeomet o at any rate th trasmtation ofstyle in he writin o verse. ae pointe ot in a longer essay that o old most trae the hanges in British manner wihot wide i ta the serie o ttemts to ive an Elis ersion o Horae I
136
JoHN DoNNE 153-1631
THE CSTASY Were e po on a bed A pren n seld up to rest Te ole's recn ed St e to, one anoer's best. ur hnds ere rl cented a fst lm hich tence didspng, ur eebems tisted and did tead Our ees pon one double strig So to engaft o hands as yet Ws l te means to ae us one And pictures our ees to get Was all our propation As twixt two equal armes Fte Sspends ncertan vto, Ou sos, hch to advance ther state Were gone ot, g tixt her and me. And whilst or souls negotiate there We ke seplcral statues lay. Alay the same or postres were And we sai nothn all the ay. any so by love rene That he sol's langage nderstoo An by good love were rown all mid, Withinonvenient dstance stoo 1 37
He, though he knewnot which sou spae (Because both mant, both spoe the same) Mght thence a new concoction1 te And part far purer thn he came This ecstasy doth unperpex, We sad, and te us what we ove We see by this it was notsex We see, we saw not what did move, But as al sever sous contain Mixtureof thngs they now not what, Love these mixed sous dothm again Ad mae bothone, each this and that A singe vioet transpant, The strngth, the coour nd the sze Al, whichbefore was poor and scant, Redoubes sti and mutipies, hen ove wh one nother so nternaimates two sous That aber sou which thence doth ow Defects ofoneness contros, e then, who re this new sou, now Of what we are composed and made, For th anatomes of which we grow Are sous whom no change can inade 1
Technical alchemical term 138
But 0 aas so ong, so far O bodies why do we forbear? Tey are ous though theyre not we. e are Th' intelligences, they the spher es. We owe them thans because they thus Did us to us at rst convey; Yieded their forces to s Nor e dross to us, but aay. On man heavens inuence wors not so But that it st imprints the air So sou into sou may ow Though t to body rst repair As or bood abours to beget Sprits as e sos as t c Becuse such ngers need to t That subte not which maes us ma So must pure over sous descen To aectons and to acutes hich sense may reach and apprehend •
Ese a great price i rson ies. To our bodies t we then thatso ea men on ove revead may oo Loves mysterei sous do grow But yet the body s hioo 1
alloy, i.e that makes metal t for a given purpo 139
An i som lovr such as w Hav har thi ialogu o on Lt hm stll ark u h hl mal hang whn w'r to bois1 gon. robbly al o aom1.
Platonsm bliv Th canc o tying to ak prtty spchs an o hunting or somthing to say tm porarily chk Absolut bli i th xstnc an xtracorporal soul a ts ncarnaton Donn stat a thss in prs an vn tchnical trms. vial hal wits always lookng or th irlvant oggl ov Donn' languag. ou hav hr a clar statmnt worthy to st s Cavanti's Donna Prga' or its prcson lss itrsting mtrially but crtainly not lss intrstig ontnt It woul tak a bil spcialist o sovr why th Oxfd Bookof Vee inlus th rst v o th stroph an thn tunats th pom wth no ndon h nhn h been med Donn's work is unvn thr s a grat a o t ut h s th on English mtaphysical ot who towrs abov all th rst. Ths os't man thr wrn't othr larn an convin Platonists who hav lt bautiul poms ithr os t man that Don at his lowst po tntia osn't marh otrminous with his alying contmporars. In Do's bst work w n agai' a ral author saying somthg h mans an not smply huting or sntimnts that will t his vocabulary' It might b wll to mphasiz th irnc btwn a xprt an inxprt mtaphysiian. or cnturis a sris
mn thought vry thoroughly an intntly about certin problms whh n unsusptbl to laboratory roo an xprmnt. Th rsult o suh thnkng can b known an mpar gros ois an slontration can b lmat. Th rn btw a mtaphysial trats that oul satsy my lat ri th Fathr Jos Maria Eiono an otmporry rigious works whos authors cit Mr. Wlls an Mr Balour is vy consirabl. Equations o psyhology work out by knowrs o Avicnna may not b wholly onvning but a numbr o suh quations xist a annot b ispro by xprinc vn though bi a prilction must pn on th introspctiv analysis o hghly sitiz prsons. Btwn 2 an th Rnassanc popl i manag to commuat with ach othr in rspct to such prcp tons an suh moaltis o ling an prpton.
R. HK 1591-1674
Ex Violet
By compaison th toa dous te hymng nfnle. Tt ds not man hat a mximum of ngablity ttined Te numbe of hyms tha cn h used to dvantage lon lnguge is NOT h t nm mesue fo any oth In an ineted lngag Latin thee sch a eqenc of -aum,o and that dntca on wod ntoleabe i th ee sck nto pominence, o epatd a egul nstead o r
Wecome mad o honour You do brng In the Sprng And wat uponher. She ha vrgn many, Freh and ar; Yet you are More sweet thn ny You're the maden poes And grced To beopaced Fore damak roes.
inteva
Yet though thu repected, Byand-by Yedod e, Poor r, egected
Rhyming can o zone sounds as tone a eapd nto wall moa ploghand
a Verses o proby no terary aue, but us l knd o rhythm meodc nnovat on that you wl o nd in Chaucer though there mpe precedence Provence.
142
In the cae o the madrga wrter the words were not pubshed apart om the muc n ther on day and one suppoes tht ony a ong-eared ·eared epoch woud hvethought o prntng themapart romther tune a hs been doe n our tme. We oberve that Wm Young musc ha just been edted by Dr. Whttaker nd that John en wa t MSS. on January1, 1934. Herrick a you observe ived to arpe od ge. It s ey tht the bove bre mouth meody o ws ry eort.
EXERCISE
I Let the tudent try o decde whether there are100 ood poems n whatever genera anthoogy he po ee ; or ty, or thrty
I
How mny o the poems he rt thnk o wl b poems havng oe good e or two or three ne that tc the memory, but whchhe wl hae gret f cuty redngo the end or om whch he canremember oth e th pe ne?
Il How oen wl he remember ne nd be uttery e to remember the ubect o the poem s who e? 143
IV
h fing pem : T ar Aiun, Wainghm, Wa' h m m' P Bab ng, Hnr VIII Pim nd gd mpan' nain an emen n rpreend n he prn e f xhibi'. Le h udn hun fr dzn pem ha r V dern m n f h xhibi r ha nrdue m nw mpnn, r narge hi npi f pry b brngg in m kind f maer r mde f xprin n uhd n
M L HSTER 1 7 r 48)80 Were I m aea am On f e ange piiu Creaure Man) a ha F an <d ar I b a Dg a Mnke r Bear Or anng a ain Anim Wh i prd eing Raina
h me e nn 1696, edin nen hime wih a xpage prefae an fr h ak f m· pain giv Beau ureen ne A Mnie M . . . Deur e SORB ; Odam' Eng verin h n evneen nd e abve b Ree � eain ha I mg ex a paien Reae u I g a ve minue he h erne e ei e Auh i uen e em gee. I ie i eae a inegen iiim i n m pen inenn. G ae ke B. d S. X.ZQ.K. . han e ee e n having een deen Engi rim r enigened mde i man fr hem ean m en e e pei i g i p e ie de a gd wrier hd an ae eier apae kning g m buzzrd 15
Jo RL oF ocETER 14880
0 aged 12 Sacred MJEST On His Restoration. ertes triumhant Shrine! who do'st engage At once three Kingdoms in a Pgmage Which n xtatic Dt strie to come Out of themsees as we as from their home Whst nd grows one Cam andLondn is It sef the ation not Mtroois And Loa Ken enews her rts agen ecng her was with moing Groes of Men orgie this distant Homage which does meet You est aroach on sedentar feet d though m outh not atient et to ear he weight of Ams denes me to aea I stee efore ou et Great SR aroe M Man Wishes and more gorous Loe I whom cod Resect were Treason to A athes Ashes geate tha t You Whose oe Amition tis for to e know B daring Lot oWmo's So.
146
OYOS ewee 1680 ad
169
A PASTORAL I Imittio f the Grk f Bewaing the Death of the Ear of Roheser our ale Groes n dker Shades e see Let Grons e hard where gente Wnds hae ee Ye An Riers wee ou ountis dr And a e ants our Moisture send ad die Ye meanho owers which once were Men Lament uni ou e transformd agen Let eer Rose ae a the Li e And Winter Frost seie the Anemon: ut tho 0 ycn,more goros gow In mofu Letters th s ad Gor show Enarge th Gief and ourish n th We: or Bn the eoed Bons dead His Voice is gone his tunefu reath is ed.
Come, a ye USES come, adrn th Seperd's Herse, Wi ever-fadng Garlan, n dyg Verse. The rst eort of misguded nk-ge scoas d to IND THE UTHOR. Note that the authr ticu ar refrained from signing the oem. As the gret med aea architects and stone-cutters re&aied &om signg thir work. One of the great maadies of mode ctcm is this st rush to ook for he erson an the cres faire EVER to ook the tng.
147
urn, e weet Nghtengae& n the tk Te the a Ne t a te : See t t a t e T e t e an t tt ee: An te at te te Hw 01� e e Sa gne A wth a t t gae Sn
Come, a ye com adorn th Sheperd's Hese With nvr-fading Grlnds ner dyig Vers. Ye gele Swas, that aunt th Bo oks and Springs Pine wit sa Gie a oop yor sicky Wings : In dolef Notes the eav Loss bewai ; Such a s you sing t yor own Funeal , Such as you sun e yo lov' Opheus fel Tell it to a te Rivers, Hi , ad Pais, Tel it to all te Btsh Ns an Swins, An bi them too te isal is spread, O Bions ate, o Eland's Orphes da.
)
Com l ye S com aorn th hehds Hrs ith eer -ading Grns �er dyin rse N re, aa n re tat e Swan Chr wth tunefu Ppe the neng Pan: 18
Ceat are the a, eat are the prght Ayre, That w' ur Su nt ur rah'd Ear : r whh the tng Strea frgt t run, An Tree ean' thr attentve Branhe dwn Whe the gad H th the weet Sund t e, ngthend n Ehe ev'r hea'n e wn t the meanh Shade he' gne, nd there t Lee ank reprt h man thng hear upn the untan nw, ut pee He that fr ther ater we : Stragng and frte aut the rve, Unndf f ther Pature, and the ve
Cme ll y M USES com orn th Herse JthShehrs nring Garlns nr yin rs.
Whm thu et ehn thee, ku Swan, That are apre t reah th athe Stran Wh there ater that are petend Rah t take tthee warn Ppe han Th Nt rean et e n er Ear An ge u a Det and Dea: Pea cc t e n the eta An t the tg Re te un repeat P n eer a equa te i n ng That ta e n t geat P eng: 19
ut Pn hmelf perhap fear to ry Wlfe perhap to be out-done by the
, l y MusEs, c, drn t Sprds Hrs, Wt nvr-fadng rlnds nvr dyng rs. Fair e to o lament thy eath ament the ceag of thy tunefu Breath : O he kind Nymph reorted heretofore To hea thy artfu Meaure &om the hore : o harh like the rude yclop were thy Lay Whoe gratng Sound herant oftng aT rongue dleae: Such wa the fo ce of thdd y ench That he for eve could have heard thy Song A chd the Hour that do o wly An thought the Sun too haty to go down o e that lovely Need for thy ake Th Sea and alhe Fellow foake Pnve upon the eech he t alon And kindy tend the Flock &om hch ourt gone
ll MusE, , rn t phrds Hrs t nrfdng rln nr ng r. o o to ften ae
Applied oament? A ew bt of oament appe by Petro Lmbardo Santa Mara de Mracoli (Venice) oth fa moe thanal the culpture and culptu eatio produced n Italy between 1600 and 1950. Rococo by tomorrow you may be unable to remembe a lne of t BUT try to nd n nglh another paage of melody utaned for o long e vere t SING I hav on for fteen page gven oly x trophe the elegy You can hardly read t wthout ngng there no lt up the cantable qualty unle t be n one trophe con tanng a condened htoy of Brth poetry The wter ha more dculty n toppng than n co tnuing to ng It with dculty that he nd a con cluon ompare t with the regular tar performance of Spener that you can nd n any anthology: Sweet Thame run ofly tll I end my ong By coparon the Spee declamatoy that t b poken rhetorcally rather than ung ou nd t very hard to mae a atfactory tun forh poem It ng along and then there a clog The prent vere wouldnt erve a inteenthcentuy compoe nor a compoer of the t decade of th teneth They contran one to muc of the type of the tme ng oland Lawe Young Jenkin the perod of land mucanhp 5
The advantage of haing decent musicians ough to be pparent. Thi composiion i notreadig matter, i i ining mater. Try to nd anoher veral manifestation that perit one to make music for halan hour n order o et it. I reain om indicating the chie deice here employed o induce clear melody. he tudent should nd it for imsef. He can ony nd it by litening and looking. I h can't nd it for himself no amount o teling wll make him nderstnd it. There i a sgle cler principle employed It ha been perceived that French vere went oggy and eaden and that it tumeed when some literary lump wa oo dull to ger the lute; too inarticulate th basic ene of the ord. It not a man' ngers that stop him lag an instrument but hi mind hi inabiity to grap enall he ixt or the elve or ix hdred it of a hole, and to perceive their relaions The true imginaion whether isal or acoutic hold a piece o muic atchmaker woud mentally grasp a atch. The dl and peechle tribe or the inarticuate man ha only an ndierentiated dumpln, a general ene of ther bein certain m or bk of omething or other before him. Th value of muic as elucidation of ve com om h ttetion it throw n to the detail. Every opular o ha at leat one line or sentence that i perfectl r Thi line FIS HE MUSIC. It ha uually formed music. Pope falls ack into the very fauls of Boileau which Rchester had prged. he wter doe this not the singer
152
Look once more at our anonyou eleg : it i &on Note how few usele words there e in it. ry the ame test on any •ries poem. On any et of couples rien a garet y an unmuic man whose inds erent in he habio payig good music.
153
We now come pon a SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC PROBLEM
ADVANTGES ACCRUING FROM HERE BEING A STYLE OF HE PERIOD Il 'exsep, leur am iece leur confer une e�sece.
N soci orderwlae a drauhts like Picass. Note (a recet bureaucra hasr u a fag bai cubists ad hereby show hisel t to couc a os d epor
Bt he se of havig a style of he eriodought to be aare bh ou aoyous eley ad fr Rochesers Welce to Charles, ritte a the ae welve. Both of these oes are ade yb 'k prcess. Their riters di have to star by refri aythi. The usiccriteia of the ties ere f re rder. aler, ho was a tirese fel, is rbably teli the ruth he he says hat h oes ere ad e fr his o pleasre ad that fhis frieds, ad tha he oly ublished he he (or because?) bad cies had be shed o ri ithu his hai see the. aural alei fathos belw My Lord Rchesters. 54
BUT whe he ·rites fr usiche i ' fed ; he w as ver possibly HOISED either by the coser or by geera usical ercetiity f the te ad of his acqua aces. H ibo lack f eldy, f o y care it wit Rochesters, is eeded he ays his ebt the quie erfec e o Laes. Verse akes Herick Virtue ve B yu ca Life o Verses give. Yu, by he hel f Tue a Tie Ca ake tha Sg ch a s but Rhe Ny1 leai, o a dobts the Cause, Or quetios verses set by Lawes. As a Church-dow, thick with a, Les i a Liht bu ad fai, So ohers, with Disio, hide he lih of Sese, Bt yo ale ay uy boas a o a syable s los; The Writers, ad he Seters, Sil At oce the raishers do. L thse hich ly warble lg Ad garle itheir Thrats a Sog, Coe heselves ith UT, RE, wods ad sese be set by the. 1
MI ;
an advocate
gh be noed passg a we aw se 'G lovely Rose he d not so faas I know bother th 55
above bit of rst criticsm whereom I have omitted ser• but not a of its encumbrances. Note-on the tate o the times . . that in the midst of their Discoure a Servant has come n to tell m that uch and such attended ; upon which Cromwell woud rise, and stop them, talg at the Door where he would overhear h say, The Lord wil re·ea The Lrd ill help, and severa such Ex resio�s which when he return'd to M. Waler he excus d sayg Cousin Waer, I mus alk o hese Men afer heir own
l
�
Way. '
Campon et hi own ord. Lawe not contnt wth what he ound Engih, set i I remebe rghty a number of Greek ad Latin poem. Thu iustratng the advantage the arts may take fro a ocet havng a ocu. In an age o musca ibeciity we nd the apiring poet in hi garret, he never goe to a concert ether from ak of cuiosity, or because he can't aord to buy concert tckets, that being the fault of a caiou and hoy th system of economic, but in any case the eve of genera culture is so ow that the poet's mpecunou frends are not mucan, or are accustomed only to an aggutinou or bana ubtitute for good meody. Poery AND music rom Henry the Eighth' tme own t at Anne' were very generayan accompihment I ue te inguar, because the were so oten united. No one approach ha the advantages Rochester IMPROVES on Boieau by his Engih ver· sn but he does nt mpove on Seneca's 156
Pot mortem nihi et, ipsaqu mr nih or which on severe nteectua appicaton uch a Done's cou ave tted h Bt, a ou can ee from an exhiit hown ater out of its there is nothng a .goo a oches· terchronoogca even wen he oer not wrin g y rc, unti . . ? (Let the tuent deterne when.) In a t matter the sonnet is the dev. Aready by 1300 the Itaian onnet was becong ineed had become ecamator, rt becaue o ts havng a t lne the same ength whch was itef a resut o dvorce from ong. The art of song, the Proven«a art, ubimated by Soreo, stns when you get an habitua form. The sonnet was next used for etter writing, used for anyhing not neeing a new tune perforce or every new poem. You had to have a new tune when the strophes of each poem wre derent rom those of an other, or were ee regarded a pagiarim, or frank ung to the precedent music and denitey abeed Sirente ' a poem akig use of' the tune of ay L Aemanda'. '
The sonnet was rst the litte tune' the rt strophe of a canzoe the form foun when some chap got o far and coun't proced Steaiy n te wake of the onneteer came th du poets. Arrvg by another decivit: Time and again ou will nd the tatement The iambic 157
ws the metre of stire . And it wod seem as huanity cn for centres red certain perfecly intellgent state· ments without gurgtating theleast drop o their meang. The Latin iambic pentameter descends int the modern ten eleven-sy lablereproof. (so-caled) iambi' pentameter. I i heormetre of moral It came handy or natural to Poe n misborn world. Rochester, who had less moral urge, uses it better, mosl ecause he is used to singing. There is nothing to be said against moral reform. Born i town wth bad sewrs, the m wth a good noe certiy gitate for eir improvement. t I is o the leasntest occupton, or the ghest use of umn cultie. Bu te mn wo gtates is n nnitel ber ello hn the prasitewho abotages the work, or wo wi ti e cn get a percentge on the conrct or new loace. There is someting o be said ginst moral fervor t damges music. I probbly a ervou based onmpefect thcs, or on ethcs not truly undertood. Confucius sw ometng better nd beleved that the nstiness n mns hracter would damage is music. Ineluctably song lares writing as lon g as they stick ogether. It forces the listener to attend to the words, oly by repetition, that untl you get to the last deliques· cence, where the musician, desparing, possbly, of nding n intelliget uthor, bandons the words altogether, nd s nticate ound. 158
i Ti ocs n moder oper. The fac t tere inted lbretto, mean noting.
�
T� wtng my be on pper, but it i not used by the musCan. he words aren't set. If examined they usuly ave no terest. he musician wold probbly be unabe o set ny words th had n interest. You wllow wt Puccini nd Giordano, etc
.
.
.
•
In decent peiod you nd : Qui perd ses mots perd on on, as n xom. Who oes his words lose i s note. Wile on the subjec of Rochester' technque he tuden cn by nspectin of the complete tex consider ow litte how muc h nce out, beenhe added. greatfond de t Yetsorhs infully worked mighAve ere edy. The bes of Heine's echnque is n pted by Rocheser d Dorset It old srise me etly FitzGerd hd not red te ddes to Nothin nd ndeed the wole of oe. Ingeos cmer c enoy temelve o e robem
!
� I A B"
SENECA "ROCHESTER/FTZGEBL
159
'Hudras by SAM BULER 60 s if Divit hd ctched he itch in order to be crtchd Or like mountebnk did wound nd stb hiel ith doubts profound Ol to how with how sall pin The ore o ith re cured gan lthough b woul proof we nd The alwas leve a scr behind He knew the set of Pardse Could tel in wht deree i ies nd as h was dp os d coud prove i Below the oon or ele above it : Wht d dret of when hi bride Ce ro her cloet in his side Whether the devil tepted her By n High-Dutch interpreter If either o them hd a nvel Who rst mde uic mleble2 Whether the serpent t the fl Hd coven feet or none at all Althi without glo or coment He could unridle in a oent In proper ters uch men smatter When the throw out nd is the mtter or hi religion it ws t To mtch hi lerning nd his wit ws Prebterin true blue For he w o tht stubborn crew 1 r o Ba' oo aiq o Tuocaa I Paoa• a backm
60
Of errnt snts whom almen grn � To be the true chuch itnt Such a do buld their fith upo The hol text of pike nd ; Decide ll controver b Inllible rtiller, nd prove their doctrine orhodo B potolic blows nd nocks; Cll re wrd nd deoltion godl-thorouh reformtion Whch lwys mut be crried on nd till i doing but never done eligion were intended For nothng ele but beng mended. sect whose chef devotion les In odd perverse ntipthes In ing out wth tht nd ths n nding somewht till miss ore peevih cro nd plenetic hn dog ditrct or monke ick ht with more cre keep holdy he wrong thn ther the right wy . Copound or in the re inclind to B dning thoe the hv e no mnd to Still o pervere nd oppoite if the worhipp d God for pite Technique of tiric brleque lredy t its bet WN.'s ntroductory note to the edition o 185, rerks: a mrrour in which n nglihn might hve een his fce 1 Xa a odd i1645. aqt o Cow o A W-
da
6
without becoming, Narcssus-ke, enamoured o i ' Buer's egh-syableverse has been owed but ne surpasse ehe by Pope's nyae coupe or b Bn' stphe m n Dn Juan. The n o rhyme enj}ed by ue, Dse, and Rcheer aans i known mamum ne be r Tm Hd's ecacker cace n Kmanegg. Gbe and Svan nven nhin ha n aeay here (mercay) n a poem ke ore's o a yu ade now n and e men a ea nde er was he sn a chchwaden. Hs es edtor a he Re T. R. Nah D.D. In ha I ae be Nash' ne n . I . , he eang he en aded in ach he ema : Many ga and smenecent hrases, wee aera ceced by Mr uer d deed, as M Cowey bsees 's just The auhor buh,here whee hi reade mus. he Rev N eaves us o choce
162
HA 1662 Whaeer men spea by h new gh , S hey ae e b e h gh, T a a anhn he , hch nne ee y he ha ea . a ang eqed. The mecan New Egand aec an many her m caed mecan acce, ae accen een Engh cne and dc. The ke a e he pee .
gh ha a n m n hgh F a ae czen y g a ha eche a men n p an che T ma hem hemee an un F henm n y pn T e e aan d h cach egenean.1 Rc c of m g od ory c o Mc nvs a v g ch, urg hm hy wr rwy cs o hvn
The be h h nd vee a readi maer cme m he ac ha e n cmc hmng ead he ahr n epen and n cng nneces· sary mae. Then agan, he ng n han negence is me neeng, and me myerus han human supdy an say new r ne 16 3
uE BuTER 620
n r tl br-gd \hr ldr du hh-wrdn nd othr br o th ort g th Bblonih ort or proloutor rb nd brrd r ol n r ord Bth r bu t vrl ngogu rnl n n br nd dog
h o wh n th othr bt Th drn th on ght th Th tongu th othr wth th tth
xpo to rb nd prbytr Int of t dog d ur hn ho thv l uty.
Wht orty ri Th o t notor o ou orty whihou both thr t nt nd d too ry out gnt?
T t o rtor with or rty bllion to t nnt purty nd Chrt lbrty rdu
To th ldr prt o th Jw For lrg onn alo nd gn th wth on
h unxptdn o vn vry good jo bound to wr o n th th or xth rdng Th huour of Hr rr to Clo lwy thr prtly old : 'You Godd of ho God vrthl I wll tll you th truth Th huour of Btlr d o Pop wr o n just th ur tht t btr t gnr ttnt or o· nt n not prtulr prtton Th root wn o ghtnth-nt ltrtur I thn b found n th fur to th fundnt doton of ds 165
ALEX. PoE 168144 'Tis had sa, er n f s Ae in ig n jdgnil, B f , ess dnes is nce ie e atince n md e sense such ech he s emsees exc
Nue ards at es gmme t S fs an is gd sns dfcd Sm e edeed mz f scs And sme mde cxcms n meant t fs Sme he s fr s, hen es pssed, Tnd ccs nex, and d pn fs t Pride, maice, fy, Dryden rse In vaius shes f pasns, crics, eaux : T err is humn frgve, diine. Js ruld h s nd ssmn fcesw w. N ws had pensins and yung lrds had Cmmen absc saemen he mee realy o sy There isals n aricular semen. The te he lnes sen be rse xure as sn as rhyme dzzle s remved. I caed 'Pes pshe v' but c t to the n rady vn
There are scres f linesi Ppe h hueds ele n que each persn mang thereby smethi feren r smeng s vague nd gener that it has ms n meag whatever he age f pitics he cied Ppe cmes neaest t being admile hs mntin f Dyden, herehs smn f the sitatin is cect, ut when he sas i
And such as Chace is, hl Drden e the stement smy s't s, nd the hiu expressr f n is seen t hv pn itsef as hs cntents.I man as disinct m Chucean knedge f men r Dne's knledge f wht had een at est thrugh thught Nte that fr a is sh if uy rad a fu age f the cuets, " nd mny ecessay wrds, and cnnu endency reetiin f sttements aeady que cear us. Hs gp is rme n he nciad
PE : DVNCI
The mghty mothr, ad her on who brins he Smiteld mue tothe ear of king, I ig. In eldet tme e'er mortal wit or read,
Ere Palla iued fro m the hunderer hed, Dule oer all poeed her ancient right, Daughter of Chao and eternal night, Fate i their dotage thi fair idiot gave Gro a her ire, and a her mother grave, Laboriou, heavy, buy, bold and blind, She rued i native anchy the mi nd
Great Cibber brazen braile brother tand
Sepucra lie our holy wall to grace
eat e ha been written about ope bittee i c, by people who neglect to note, or at ny rte elect to mention, that thee attac coincided wth e· preon of repect to the better author (a Dyen and ft for example) who m he attempt to weed out om wter who ere nuiance n day and who re now o foroten thth wor need footnote longer than the te telf 168
NI 1726
How here he ipped, how here he plundered n And uked all oer like an indutriou bug. Here lay poor Fletcher' half-eat cene, and here he friey of cruied Molere here haple Shakepeare, yet ofibbald1 re Wihd he had blotted for hmelfbefore Proe eled to vere, vere loiter it proe, Ho random thought now meanig chance to nd, Now leave l memory f en e beind, How prologue ito preface decay, And thee to note are frittered qute awy, How ndex-le tun no tudent p, Yet hold the eel of cience by the tail, Ho "th le reading than makefelo cape, Le human eniu than God ive an ape, Sml than to France, nd none t Rome or Greece A pat, vampd, future old, revve, new piece ix Plautu, Fletcher, Shakepeare and Coelle Can mae Cibber, ibbald or Ozel •.
an editor Deite criticim, at let Pope min he Duncia i large chuk i vey hard reaing imply becauewe have the vey gretet poible icuty in beatin p AY interet whateveri the bore he riting abot Even i one doe remember aprticuarly lively crac ti 19
most too much oubto nd t n {consso o prsnt autho oo or w ns h would to uot) NvrthPop shoud b v cdt or hs ort dranag H s cnsntly shn out th btt wrs unc II 124: ngee As nPo. 12 y ev u sven uhs cpey ftn
U 12 A cn piswhr monky wr th od y es unpense wh hu en
Bk ng u 270 ges up mmenum n I n psse un n f hu skppi Bu with I m specs geng my feh y pcul n ure nees in wg n ven ey ccsmI k u be sheocy to to c hs kn f eg n he gene e hng y up heheees f yung sun qukly cul hn eig us, shu, ugh B NTRSTD in suh pges Such eg s n eve t f es I spcze f f hgy Th f h ullness s i he fc h g el f Ppe sn' fme ! W e n' ey kn nythn u hs dd u tht sinks n sngs fe
ts ng f hm, hn e efe We ge fe p n he se f shsp, junsm, e
Ge up e K
Hen hy fe Sf, s An Ppe's,ps, en yes cmmen Pefecy uc esm u ms pphe ncpn n Pcee, ge ys, eg y h she Tl h sh ush wh ne n me Tl Thmes see ns sns f ee py
1
XHIIT
Out of conolocl sequence
Wen my young Master's Worsp os to To Fro Pedagoue and Mother just set ree; The Hei nd Hopes o great Fmly : Who wth strong Beer and Beef the Counry ules ; Ad ever sce the Conquest hve been Fools Ad no h careful prospect to antain Tis Chaacter lest crossing o the Strain Shou'd mend the Booby-breed; is Friends provde A Cousin ofis ow to be hi Brde:
Rochester Fro A etter o Artemis in the To to Coe the Ct' Rohester 638168 ope 6887 Rochester's oe contains so the lines : D Arte! Poetry's Sne edlm hs many Mnsio hve ce : Your Muse diverts you kes the Reder sad : Observe tht Hudirs Pope even Crabbe all tae us o DATE orld to past ste of Enland heser is ondon 1914 Not only by the modey o his language ut by is whole disposiion (Anschuung) or point of ie' Pope's heavess my quite wel e due to is desire or pit due uliaely to economc srain r say tht uder e Dciad is hs desire for specic imrovement of ondition dissociaion o two gdes of wriing whereas Rochester is ee of specc social ge and his eye lighs n the eternal sliness persising fer the robem of eisue hs been solved 7
Seuene o ahrs hrough whm he meamorphosis o Engsh r wrin may be trced. Chacer Vilon
Gi Du G
13401400 1431someime er 1465 1741522
e Shaesere Mar lex Boyd Jh n e hs Camion erri aer Sam Buler Ear rse Roheser Ppe Crae Lndr Browing FizGerld al himan
15361605 156493 1561616 15631601 15731631 1567?1619 15911674 160687 161280 16381706 164780 16881744 17541832 17751864 181289 180983 18199
Tho Gutir Crire Rimba aorge
181172 1805 8591 18607
It is o he teacher plae o enore n opinion The bes he n d or himse or his ppi is to tke cerain 17 3
smple precautios or to put the ppl in poiton to k tem. For exampe, it unwie to etimate a given uto o perod without oog at some work of h period jut precedent; thu beore comig to an abolute xation about 'the eighteen ninetie ook at a little Rosetti beore decig about Roetti read a ew pags of Brownig, and tence i e maner. The goo witer uer nothig whatever from suc compao A criic igorance is apt to ie cruey open e reue to make uch experimet or negect to make fir inpection Ditiguh ceary between te two ort o reagent A Work o the period or decade jut precedent
B. Work of a remote period so derent that it may show up none o the aut very cleary. Bad poetry i the ame i a anguage. What the Chinee ca rce-powerpoetry ier very tte om wa wa caed n Euope art e Ptraquer. The nearer you approach the amoeba the e ierence ognzaton.
E CE 82
To wat fmed collee w o vic ow To what fair conty lehistorians show : Few now remember when th ild young mn Ruy and ar his Sunday tak began; Fewcast veond to speaksof softedsoothn He ha pep his boolook It was a kind of supplicatingsme But notng hopeles s of applase the wle; d when he nshed his corected prde Fel the deset ad yet the praisedenied. Thus he his race began and to he end consnt c w o man to oend ; No haughty virtue strd h peaceul mind No uged te prest to leave the ock behnd He w hs Masters soldier but not one o ead n my of hs mtyrs on: e ws hi uling pssion : yet was love Of imid kind once known her o move It led s patiet spiit where it paid Is nguid oeings o listening maid Sh with her wdowd mothe heard speak And sought a whleto d wa he would seek: Sing h cme e miledwhen e withdrew And pid the same tention to the two Mein nd p whout joy or pan H seemd to com ht go gin seaon descripo plac o open comment
C' Te Boo 181 Lo ! yonder shed ; obseve i ts garden-ground , With the low paling, form'd of rec, around: There dwlls a sher if ou iew is boat, With bed and barrel 't is his house aoat ; Loo at his house, where roes, nets, blocks, abound, Tar, pitch, and oaum't is his boat agroud: That space enclosed, ut little h e egards, Spread o'er with relics of masts, sils, and yards : Fish by the wl, on spit of eldr, est, Of l his food, the cheapest and the best, own labour caught, for his on hunger dress'd. Here our refomers cme not; none obj ct To paths polluted, or upbraid neglect ; None care that ashy heaps at doos are cast, That coal-dust es along the blindig blast : None heed the stagnant pools on either side, Where new-launch'd ships o ifnt sailors de : Rodneys inrags here Bitish valour boast, And lisping Nelsons fright the Gallic oast Thy the uddr, set the swellig sail, They pont and theyaway blow, the gale Tru e to her the portbowsprit the frigate scuds Change from ope to Crabbe, cange from Voltaire to tendhal nd Flaubert Crabbe conveyg iormatin, not et escheng comment on priciple, though much more ective where he doesn't sert it Perfectly clear ven from these two excepts tha he is 1 76
doing the novelist's wor, Dicens, Disraeli, etc Hitor of the tate of England at the start of the nineteenth century, Michelet's method already use That indow view!oil'd paper and old glass Stan the astrong which, though impedd, And give dustyrays, warmth to that huge room, pass Pale and faint upon the oor they fall Or feebly gleam on he opposing wall, The oor, once oa, now piec'd with unplaned Crabbe' dates 174 to 1832Jane Austen's 177 to 1817. But Te Boogdid no t appear till 18 1 t would e fa easier to counterfeit Crabbe's poem than to rite a Jane Austen novel nd these novels are, with perfect justic, the more idely read a century after Crabbe's death. Crabbe is undeniably readig matter, not siging matter, and he is ell woth reading though dont iagne he is geatly re read Jane's noels don't either replace him or pe him from the map Rhymed couplets are ulikely to compete ith De Maupassant, let alone ith ollwood If one is conced that the lm ors, in the present century, a better form han th � stage, he is unlkely to advise anyone to ite anymo rhymed couplets On the other hand, given a ciosity about the ocia condition of England in 181, can you nd a more con dened account than Crabbe's of the whole social order? 17 7
The Bitish noit' dat ar (for compion) Ricardon1689-1761 iding1704 Smott 17211 St 171368 Rang Cai a it i tyig to go omwhre on Futon t tmoat; h do, nth, gt you somwhre, and on th whoi you compar h with h re i as Engh po ction of an a dat, om ada a anything a oy th t part of Jones, Strn Senimental our, and Tristram Shandy a f a that intrn rmon whrin many radr ut afo now ha n oggit. Th R. C had, y contat to Landor, no G, he t u in Th Boough' (Prson). Homr, ny Po! (for nwlI Appau fo g-naught ha I wth Gre) Gi us th crt of h pagan h Whr ghot with ghot in ad commion dw Whn a nw pt that wod wa found A thouand hadowy fom cam ttng round But h ary mdca taig cam in handy at at nc whn h wa iting a conty hou and th d· f fad to arr. . Landor woud not n uch case v ben of igna aitan. .
•
chd was cad Lmu n frnc to ntentio f havn, t at to an ordaind t
o
178
WATER S LNDOR 17758l
From Alcaeus
Wmwood and u onh tongu And ah onh had, Who ch th at With mm of and th chck dad ! the ong oung and ji, w ad a, Such mmm a didd. i acd t h acchu ha Unad and undiidd. Caught y my find, I far no ma Imnding from ao, I oy fa th a a hat hd m fom my .
UNDOR 1775186
Epthaamum
Wp Vnu and y Ada Who Vnu fo nron. Pound, lg and pnc And hwd n Ha capt th tait watcoat on• • • At ft y th author and concing nothng. 17
O Lanot an Tr With stol an r Nor lce nor nac set re o The cors fatl jer H one ts lst wor n the noose s o sle on Asterss left by the athor n conceling nothng.
LXXIV Go's lw eclare Tho shlt nt swer By ght heen boe or erh below.
Upo oo ! elille cris H e swer ls Does Mellle the brea Gos commament? No. L: Poems an Egrams probbly etion of 1846 CLXIX Does it become a gl so wise So exisite in hrmonies To as me when I o inten To wrte sonnet ? What ? my en ! A sonnet? Neer Rhyme oerows Italin which hath scarely rose An I he lare fll thre-sore With o or cor aor_ 18
Bt why shol we atho we have Enogh for all thngs gay or grave ay on yor osine why sho we Who raw eep sans aong the sea Ct them in piees to eset The shallows with a aage-net Now yo ever ask aga A thing so trolesome an vain By all yo hars ! efore the mo To show my aner an my so First I wl wite yor name atop Then from this very ink shall rop A s core of sonnets every one Shall call yo star or moon or s Tll schsicken warm-water Eenswlowing sonnetsipers worse ver CC Sine Chcer wa aive an hae No man hth walt along or roas with step So actve so enng eye or tonge So vare in scorse. B t warmer cles Give brighter lmage stronger wing the reeze Of line heghts tho playest with orne on Beyo Sorento an Ama where The Sien waits thee snging song for song (Fro hs lnes to Robt Browin) 18 1
UDOR 17718
D of Yoks Su Enduring is the but f brnze, And thine, wer f Gerge's sns, Stand high above a aw and dun. As honest men as ever cart Convey'd t Tyb, tok th part And raised thee up t where thu art
IV
Frm Lat ruit an od te Ireand never was cntented ay yu s? yu are dmented Ireand was contented when cud use the swod and pen, And when Tara rse high That her trrets spit the sky, And about her curts were een Livried Anges rbed in green, Wearing, by St Patrick's bouy, Eerads big as haf a cunty
18
o D
u's Macauay is beoe a per A coronet he we may wear But there n one to ig Nne : then i ert wat the g
Heroi dys th Addiona Po& X Twas far beyond he idigt o And mre than haf the st wee l , And jovia eds, wh'da ostraw he power Of sitg, nder chairs Not Porson so his stronger pate Coud carry mre f wine and rek Than Cambridge hed; erect he sate He nodded, yet coud smehow peak 'Tis we, Bacchus ! the e gne, Unworthy to aproach thy atar ! The pious man prays best ane, Nor sha thy sevantfater' Then Bacchu to, ike Porson, ndded Shaking the iv on his brw, And graciusy repied the godhead: I hve o votr tauc ' 1
NDOR 175186
ast rind Iion Helenlive Acestis rises om the Shads ; Verse c them forth ; tis Verse that gives Immortal Yoth to mortal Mais Soon shll Obivons deeening Vei l Hide al the eole His ye see The gay he rod while Lovers hai These many smmers yo nd me The er for fading Beatych or assing Glory cease o sigh One orm shl rise above he Wrec One ne Ianth, shall no die
18
NDOR 775186
Old yl
Areis Sire of Hngrincsses ! Thee thy ol ien ats blesses And sens thee six ne watercesses. There ae those who wol not thin me qite (Unless we were ol fiens) oite To ntion who yo shod inte Loo at them wel; and trn it oer In yor own mnd Id have bt for . • Lcs aesar and two more
the man letes say invoe as moelThe of heLanor laidry styleofor of he weltrne verse eec of his severe classical sdies never esers an he cntabile qaity never wholly deserts he verses of his shorer oems even when hey re mnifestly rbd DIRCE
Sn close rn e Sygian se With Dirce in one br convey Or hron seeng may forge Tha he is old n she a shae Morl : a mn wning o consee a raiton wol always o well to n ot rs what it is A ma eferring a manner of wrting o he vn angage consierabe danger if he have not a cle thorogh as anors and a grea ar of Lnor longer oems re still inaccessible becase he langage so fr removed om ny seech ever sed nywhere 18 5
Yu g t Crbe fr Englad f1810 yu can g o Ladr fr a epitm; l ctre f the ecycle educed t magele sze, in the Imina Conversao nd ful f hman lfe ventated, gv a human bdy, nt mrely ndexed. A gure t put agant Vltar BUT fr th Chrnlgy ltare was at WORK shvlng ut th gabage, the Brbn, te really lthy cay stat f Frnch sc thught ltar : 1641778. anr 177184 Ty are mntal cntpra andr cm aftr the wrk n, Rbl, Petr Bayle, Vltae, Ddrt, ba, r fthr bak Bud, rz Vaa, ad gatr t up an yu want a any ntrutn yu av t n Cnveratin ; wrtten n Stnh's time (1781842). Vlta' En cntmprary was hnlgicaly Samul Jnn (17084) t a mrlt, saist and lerapr', a f fn, an abrdty, the stage Engman f Gldn, 1707 admrabl becaue he t k bts, but tllctually fur del mnd' ving n th evtenth etry, s fr a Epe s c• ed y psbly te bet mnd n Englan f s day, sae thse mnt that ltare spnt n nd
1
andr's Dgue are rr than Ftene's, but Ften w brn n 167 an ed n 177 anr' atn dr tat w Caur fued t cntntal mattr, but t paal s rth nspectn In anr' ca t tm la ut be cmputd He wa far aea f Brt tme tat the cntr cldn't tan an natle Fran was stll n a crtn sne gng n n ak f anr, wt lvng mr, and ned wn t t ay f dat, a man f much ghtr prtanc
TO RECPITUTE AUCER cntemprar, patcpant n the cntnental e f s tme, n the mn f te cntnent, tug echnque was n part cntures ld SHKESPEARE (Jaces Pre, pelng t Shaxpear, ecaue J s thr prnnced hard r nfuse wth I) akg sxteent-cntury play ut f ftenth-centry Itaa news The Italan tage a gvn the cmmea ll' rte, an Italan rat, law crt stu, t exaple f rte sphes Shakspare alread lkng back t Eurpe frm te ut NDOR 80 pr cnt rerspctiv, thugh ts mutn' e taken t ma that he asn't drng ple int te mud, and prparng fundatnswch have bee largely use by h succ
18
EXHIBT In Mntua terrtory half is slough, Half pne·tree forest, mples, scarlet oak Breed o'er the verb eds, even Mnci chkes
With sand the summer throuh, but 'ti mas In wnter up to Mantu wlls. There was, Some thrty years before this evnin cl, One spot reclamed fro m the oundng spl Git just a castle bult amd A fe lo mountains ; rs and larches hd Their mn deles and gs of vneyrd bund The et Yu gn the nmst chmbes, gn at last hze hch A mple-pelled roo tht seems t Flo n bout the pnl f there glems to gold A sunb em over it ll turn And in lghtgrven chrcters unfod The Arb's sdom everyhere ; ha shde Mrred tem a moment those sl pllars mde 18
ut lke a cmpn f plms t pp The f, ech kssn tp entned th tp, Lenng tgethe ; n the ce's mnd me nt f bcchls, ushed cheek cmbned Wth stanng fehed, shulde pupled, h Dued beteen h in a t skn bea ntge ; gceful ssteplms ! ut quick T the mn nde, nw alt, see thck lc shde abut the celing thugh ne the slts buttes sue lght b ts Acss Upn a el in the idst Na, stp dullsh ge-steaked cumbus fnt, gup Rund teach side f it, where'e ne ees Uphlds it ; shinkng rtdes Of
justtinged mable lke Ee's ed esh eneath he kes nge when the fesh st pulse f lfe sht bghtenn the nw, The fnt's edge buhens ee shulde, s The muse upn the und, eelid hlf lsed, 18
Some, wth meek arms behd thei backs disposed, Some, crosse bove their bosoms, some, to vel Thei eyes, some, propig chi ad cheek so ple, Some, hgig slck uttr elpless legth Dead as a buried vestl whose whole stegth Goes, whe th grte above shuts hevil, So well these oiseless girls, patit to see Like prestesses because of s impure Peaced forever, who resiged edure, Havig dres.that oce dr sweetess to the eey eve, Sorello's visit begs Pardo for them; costat t eve he cme To sit beside each i he tur, the sme As oe of them, a crti spce ; a awe Made a get idistictess til e saw Suset slat cheerful through te bttress chis, Gold see times globed; surely ou maie shriks Ad a sme stirs her s i oe fit rai e loa ere ghteed, oe sae les te sta 9
Obsce h oeead, yet oe ore bea slpt Fom o te osa whereby te cypt Keeps cout of the cotitios of it chare? oT BROWIG 18128
Victoia af-ts clamed that this poem as obsce the preecessos ofZ Y , Q N a ompay sed to pie teseles o n tro te orsecoa : Oy to es of Sodelo ee tele. Reae ase emake, I y a qe Ia b�tise hae Asoe e l Bo a attaie ts impity of aato ise Soeo at the ae of 28 ( 8) ee ee a cea uciy o so tat t yo t ctyelsee Elish, a yo e a ae to ee saa a te Da Coea o cote aate a sc claity of outi itot clo a erb mpeet t wil be see tat te ao is tellg you somet, ot merely mak a oise, e oes ot p the so e beaty' o appe oamet, but makes te me ta mae oe ete e ato s ot hutg ao o la soors, tee s a ery reat ae te yme bt te eae o aare Aa as the case of Gol, the eaer must ea pose ps o te sese ad ot amer te e· ao 9
TA
an eaination of alt madetwelve yer ago he pren rier carried way the impresion ha ere are iry well-riten pages of Whitman; he i no nble o n hem. himns faul supercial he doe convey n iage of hi me he has rten hiore morale a onaigne oe he hisory of his oc You ca le ore of nineeenh-cenury Amerca from Whitman an om any of he rier who either reraine from per eing or imie her record o wha hey ha been a o onidr iable lierry epresion The oy ay o enjoy him horoughly is o oncentrae on hi amen meng. If you insis howeer on disectig hi anae you will probably n considered ha it is won beaue he broke l of wha were in hOT ay • h e bu becaue e is asmodcally conori o th, ha or he oher sporadcally dragg in a bit of reur mere using a bit of iterary language an uing hi adjecive where in he soke ongue they re no. i rea wriin occr when he e ree o all hi rbe e. Ceraiy he las auhor to be red in a classroom. n he mai I o ee tha eachig can do muc more an epose counerfei work thus graduall leadg e uen o he valid. The hoa e ham e falsication ecome so habiual that the as unnoiced ; all h i aer or education. Te uent can in his eld prot by i ror eperience. naural desructiity o
2
he young ca functio o advantag citemnt o has t u o dtcton could undr avourable crcum tanc vn t stud. Wras t is ol maturr atce tat can swep asid a ritrs onst error ad overlook uaccomlishe lumsiss or outladsnss or oldasiondness for e ak of th sold cnre. us ma clvr ole av overlookd oma Hards vrss ev toug e autor o te Mo of g lurks bind hm. arrave ense narrative owr can srv ANY rn caion. If a man av t al to tll and can ke s mn on tat ad ruses to worr aout s own lmtatios he radr th long or sort ru nd hm ad no amout of rossorial abus or ortcal sig w have an ral ct on e auors civl satus. Brrls of have od to accuse Kg of vulgarit (ta was eras bor t res radr was or) to accuse hm of beig a ournalst . . . tc. . . . omas ard's Nol Dams ad tl ros ill nd radrs dst al Frc toris n t orld. Mor rs fa from lack o caractr ta ro lack o tllgc ccal solt is not aad out at last some rssnc he ch caus offals rg i s coomc Man itrs 193
eed or wa moey. These wriers could be cured by a pplicaion of banknoes The ex cause is he desre men have o ell wha hey on' know or o pass o an empiness for a fullnes The re dsconened wih wha hey have o say and wan make a pin of comprehension ll up a gallon of verbiage auhor having a vry small amoun of rue conen can make it he basis of formal and duale masery, proided he neiher inaes nor falsies : Vide he Aucassin he Canzoni of Arnau he Daphns and Chloe. The plenum of leers is no ounded by primaeval xclusiiy functoning agains anykind of human being or A
alen, but oy a gain lse c oine me n whofac ill o di heir meal in he acdsoffaknow orrs, accessible
19
REATSE ON METE
I I HER a fair lady igh : I h omeone would write a good treatise on proo dy he had been a famo actre of Iben thi wa not imple dilettantim but the ncere wih for omething whereof the lack had been nconvenient. part om ante De Vlgai qioI have encoutered only one reatie on metric whch ha the lightet value. It is Italian and out of prnt ha no or of he confuion in theand pbc mind hacelebrity. a very imple caue : the deire to get omething for nothing or to learn an art witht labor. Fortunately or nfortunately people CAN write tu that pae for poetry, before they hae tudied muic he quetion i etremly imple. Part of what a muician AS t know i emloyed in writg wth word there ae no peci law or derence in repect to a pa here i a grat laxty or vaguene pertted the oet in regard to p e ay e a great a oet a Mr. Yeat and tll hk he oent know one note fo another r Yeat robably would ditnguh between ag and a b a ut he i hay to thnk that he doent and he would crtaiy e icaale of whitlng a imple melody in tune. 97
Neerheless efore wriing lyric he i pt t get chune in his hed H e is ery seniive t o limited gmu of rhyth hyhm is form cu ino TIE dein deter· mined SPACE A melody i rhyhm in wch he pich of ech emt ed y he compoer (Pich he numer of virions per econd) id t riint compoer d pup f Koy These people cn me meody they cnt melody four r ong He rored W O r longin! eply Four r they ct mk n Music i so dly ugh ht I dont ugge ve ntending poe hould ury himelf in cnerto he Lareie et Lavig opdie a Ditioaire d oservatoire' 3 hs howeve n ceen ecion on Greek merc eter hn one i ey t n e i the Gree nguge deprmen of your unirit n ming e of vere (n thence uiding te nto psge) you he cerin pim eement Th i to y you hve he viou ricute u ' of the lnguge of it phet tht i th roup of eer in ylle
1 c, Neo-Celtc fo 1
a Pub. Delagrav, Pa•
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8
Tibor Serly
hee yllle he diering weight durtion A originl weighs nd durio B. weight nd uton ht eem nury poed on hem y the other yllle group round hem Thoe re the medium wherewih e poet cuh eign in TIME f he hn ee of time nd of the derent qlite f ound his deignw e cumy nd uintereting ut drughtmn drwing e wihout diic on The d drughtmn i d ecue he doe o per ceivewith pce nd pti eions nd cnno therefore del hem Th witer of d vr or ecu h o perceiv time n ime relion n co herefo deimi hem i n inereing mnner y men of onger n hoter hevier n igher ylles nd the vryg qlitie of sound insepre from the wod of hi peech He epecs hi fcuty to escend om heven? He epec o rin nd conro ht fculty without the ou th even mediocre muicin epend n q to ply fouh tin ho in n orchetr d the result i often nd quite uy eteemed erious memer of hi profeion Symmey or rophic form ntur HAPPND yric poery when mn w inging long poem to hot 9 9
HE reader who has understood the rst part of this chapter has no need of reading the second Nothing is mor boring than an account of errors one has not commtted Rhythm is a form cut into time The percption that th mind, either of an indivdual o a naton can dcay, and give o all the displeasing vapous of decomposition has unfortunately gone into desutud Dantes hell was of those who had lost the incremnt of intelligence with th capital Shakespeare, rady rnng the tough old catholic concept, rfers to ignoanc mrel as darness From the tme Thos Jeerson jotted down an amaturs notes on what semed to b the current practice of Englis vrsication, the gneral knowledg, especially amo hacks, appears to hae shd to zro, and to hav passed into nnt negativ I suppose the known mama occurred in th Nh can Reve during Co Harveys intumescence Duing that era when the directin mnds and chaactrs in Amerca had reached a cellarag only to be gazed at across the barriers of libel law, th said editorial bureau ebuked some allitrativ verse on th · rounds that a consonant ad ben repeated despit Tennysons w A parallel occs in a recent professorial censure of M Binons Info t cnsor beng, apparntly, n utte
ignorance of the nature of Italian syllabic verse, which is composed of various syllabic groups, and nt merely strung along with a swt on syllables two, four, six, eight, ten of ach line You wod not expect to create a Mozartian melody or a Bach theme by the procss of bumping alternate notes, o by merely alternating quavers and crotchets Great obfuscation spread from the failur to dissociate eavy accent and duration Other professors fled to comprehend the reglarity of classic hexameter So called dactylic hexameter does NOT start from ONE type of verse There are, mathematically, sixtyfour basic general forms of it; of which twenty or thirty were probably found to be of most general use, and several of which would probably have been stunts or rarities But this takes no count either of shifting caesura (pause at some point in th line), nor does it count any of the various shadings It ought to b clear that the varity starting FROM a colony of sixty-four dierent generl rhythm shapes, or archetypes,be vastly more compndious,naturally accommodate a vastly greater amount of eal speech, than a st of variants starting from a single type of lin, whethe measured by duration or by the alternatin aviness of syllables, specically: ti tum ti tu ti tum ti tum ti tum 3
om hich eve depatue is eaed as excepion he legal nume of slaes a cassic hexamee aied fom telve to eighteen. Whe he Geek damatists deveoed o poceeded fom anteio Geek osod, the aived at chous foms hich ae to all exents fee', though a suestucue of nomenclatue has ee gumed o to them analses hom neihe Aeschlus o Euiides ould eve have oheed to ead hese nomenclatus ee poal invented eole ho had neve LISENED to vese, and ho oal ouldn't have ee ale to distiguish Date's movee fom Milto's had the head it ead out aoud elieve Shakeseae's lank vese' us fom e to evetee sllales, u have o itetion of tig o cou it agai, o make a cesus Noe of hese pofessoia in pts ha athing to ith the questio Home did not sta thiig hich of the sixfou emitted fomulae as to e usd i hi xt ve HE SRPH
eason fo stohic fom has alad e stated he ediaeval tue, oiousl deand a aoximae ven nume of sllales i each stohe, ut as the dua2
ion of the noes as not stict maked, he un iself as oal suect to vaatio ithi limits. hese limits ee i each case estalshed he auditive e cision of the touadou himself n Fla uet's hase Pige moi le t ! ' Fid me the gu tha ll set out th sixtfou geeal matices fo hhm ad havig notg to sa, o moe escil nothig gemae o kd to the oiginal uge ich ceaed those matices, ad ho il theeth utte etenal mistes, o kee the eade aake As the case of Pof Wu o hateve his ame as , he igoat of oe geeatio set out to make las, and gullle childe next to oe hem
III oulace loved the man ho said Look ino thne oe heate ad ite ' o po ve Uc St ic o hoeve as ho ecoed : He ade sons ecause he had a ill o make songspaid ad much no ecause loveomoved And nood attention eithehim himheeto o his poet Al of hich is an ite emove fom he suestition that oe is't an at, o ha osod isn' an a WIH LAWS Bu lke the las of a a he ae no las o e lea ule of hum La scultue n'es as ou les
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jeunes homme ', said Brancusi. Hkuai and Caucer hv borne imilar wtne Pretended treaties ging reipes for meric are as silly would e a ook ging ou meaurements for producing materpiece a Ia Botticelli Proporion, laws of proportion Pier della Francec aing thoug longer, knew more than painter who ha o taken te trole La ection d'or' certainl helped maer architects. But ou learn painting ee, not algera rosod and melod are aaned the lienng ear, no an index f omenclature, or learning that uch and such a foot is alled spondee Gie our draughsman ix-our stencls of Boicel mo uual cures' ? And he wll make you maerpiece Beond wich we will neer recoer he of wriig to be unil we egin o pa ome atenion to h sequence, or scae, of owe n e lne, and of e owels erminaing the group of lne in a seres
1 Taditions of achitectua popotion
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