out "MAIDEN
MEDITATIONS,
FANCY
,
FREE."-Shakespeare.
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VOL. II.~
NO. 8.
S
RICHMOND,
VA., MAY, 1877.
YEAR 60 cts. T erms. i5ONE SINGLE OOPY,10cts.
We might go on into the examination of other languages, but enough have been cited to furnish abundant illustration of our point. THEINDIAN MOTHER. IS THE NINETEENTHCENTURYFAVORA•And now, since the ancients all excelled in BLE TO GREATPOETS1 poetry thus early in their career, we ask the rhe author of the following, one of Ten"As lnrnginationbodiesforth question, Can we, the enlightened races of the The formsof things unknown,the poet's pen • h t d t 1t nessee's gifted sons, t'Llough unknown to the Turnsthem to shapes,and givesto airy nothing mneteent cen ury, pro uce poe ry equa o A localhabitationand a name." theirs? literary world as an aspirant for honors, may The greatest of poets has well described We read a short sketch from the London Jay claim to no little merit for this gem of l),is art in these lines. Here lies the secret of Eclectic Review not long ago, in which its poetry.-En. our poverty in this branch of literature. Men author ridiculed the idea that the age of (Therewas a legend among the Natchez that the de- in this age have not the opportunity to give poetry was over, and declared himself confiparted spirit always sent a token of its weal or woeto ,thenearest relative, who watched anxiouslyfor the first free play to the imagination that our prede- dently expecting the "Tenth Avatar of Geliving thing that appeared near the grave. If It was a cessors had. We know and think a great nius'. to establish the Muse again upon the reptile or any creeping thing, it was consideredthat the deal more than they did ; and our knowl- throne. His chief ~rgument a:ppears to be ,dead was in a state of punishment,if a bird or any walk· edge has tended to make us value hard, com- this : men's passions are the great motive ing animal, It was regarded as a token of the perfect mon sense above high imaginative powers. power in the construction of poetry ; the anhappinessof the departed friend.] We do not pay much attention to the cultiva- cients loved, hated, feared, and wrote poetry; The mother knelt by the fresh-heapedmound, tion of that faculty which is mainly instru- we love, hate, and fear : e1·go,we can write Alonein the dim and dark'ningwoods, For the red sky tinged with the sun's last ray, mental in giving pleasure, but, instead, give just as good poetry as they did. Seemedhued with the bloodof a hero slain, all heed to what is more practical and useThe fallacy in this argument is in the conAnd the taper flamesof the woodland'sGod, Beamedflickeringforth o'er the concavevault; ful. clusion. We graut that the p'assions of men And night as a dark-robedmournedcame It is generally conceded that our age is un- form the great moving power in poetry; we With a silent step and clarkenedbrow, While nature stole away tp wee,P, · favorable to the production of the best poe- grant that these passions were prominent in And the flowers,tho' closedtheir petaled eyes, Awoketo catcheach pearlv tear, try, yet there are some who maintain that we the ancients, but the argument no longer Whilenature wept; her minstrel mates can nave as great poets now as well as in other holds. We do, indeed, possess the passions Fled each away to their leafy homes. Naught was heard but the savagehowl ages, and that their scarcity is owing not to the of love, hate, and fear ; we write poetry, soOf the prowlingwolf as it rent the air, character of our times, but to some accidental called, but we assert that these passions were Or the ventedsobof nattu-e'swoe, As it rustled the leaves and boµghsamong; causes. It shall be our object in these pages much more strongly developed with the anYet still, by the grave the mother kneltWaitedwith unweariedhope, to enquire into the actual state of affairs, and cients, and acted under much more favorable The token from the spirit land. to present a few arguments why the nineteenth circumstances with them than they do with us • .Albeit,her heart was sick and faint, And weary of Its own sad beat; century should be unfavorable to great poets. They had no high state of ci,vilization to keep Yet for the \okenwhich might tell If we glance backwards in the history of them in check. Unrestrained by the curbing Whitherwardwendedthe lovedone's flight, 'TheseJone,dark hours sbe still kept watch, any nation, we will find that its first attempts influences of refinement, these passions were And wokethe echoeswith her chant. at literature have invariably been in verse. allowed free play, and naturally sought expres... Light my wigwam, bright-eyed Our own English commences with the Beowulf, sion in poetry, as the garb ,most suitable for -Ohlla ofof bosom, where art thou goneone, ? .Art thou now in th~ spirit land? an epic of over six thousand lines. Latin and the portrayal of passion. On the other hand, .Say, hastthe thou joined band, Gree k l'1terature ex h'b • d race h ave Chasing deer, andthe thehunter's swm wild roe, 1 it the same poetic b e- the passions o f a h"1ghl y cu l tlvate th e Great SI!i!'ltgleaming thY brow1 ginnings, and the classics furnish abundant become a subiect power. They are held 'The smile of :Sadly I wait by thy coldffithly bed, J 'The token which tells me where thou hast fled; testimony to the excellence and purity of the within certain limits by the check which a. Ohild of my bosom, journey is Jong, • poets. G omg • b ac k h'1gh state of re finemen t imposes • May the Good Spiritthy help thee, Joy of my songI ear 1y Gree k an d L atm _upon th em. 'Tis a fearful path for thine untried wing, still further, and prying still deeper into the Social laws have been enacted, and every inBut falter not-to thine helper cling-O'erthe misty vale the blue hills shine, secrets of the dark ages, we find numerous fluence is brought to bear upon them in order Bear on bright bird, th ~ haven is th tne. monuments which prove that the literature, his- to keep them ,vithin bounds. "Hark 1 'tis the token,the nightingale'svoicet toric, dramatic and devotional, of these primi• Hence, since these powers which develop d, and thY friends rejoice, t·1veraces, was altogetl1er poet1'c. Full 2,000 poetry have been kept in confinement so long, art happy mvthe chil ''Thou Thou hast goneto land of the·happy dead, Gone where thy fathe1·•sconchis spread, vears before the advent of a Saviour on earth they have become dwarfed, to a certain exHe has foldedthee now on his lovmgbreast,1 ww1e thy mothermournsin her lonelynest; proclaimed the salvation of man, the mighty tent, and man no longer soars in the wild and rd For areme thy notes sweet song-bi spirit Ormuzd was worshipped through the sy11.- fanciful nature of poetic imagery , but descends Andhushed hid from thy beauteous brow, now, .Dark ts my wtg.,...am, coldand lone, bolof fire, and the hymns of the Zend Avesta, to plain, matter -of-fac t prose. "OAPHON ." rich with poetic and religious fervor, record Another argumen t on th affirm!J.ti"-e, " ,sid e· Sunbeam,Joyand bird-all gone1" t:..fa n ,. ----••·•---the mystic rites and ceremonies performed by of the question is bas ed on the old c1uo BUDDING H.EAnTBREAKEn.-Dea.r little thing; she is their priests in their sacred capacity. The from Horace, " Poeia nascitur, non flt ." If onlyha1boutthfouryetarsiold.f tShhe wasltwatlktihnegg!~:" language of the Vedas, the sacred dialect of the poet is born, not made, then, according to pat rom ewes w ng o e on.p o1 0 • • S . · · h h h' · 1 h h f ~ress was only an inchor two belowhe.rknees. She came Brahmamsm, the anskr1t, both show t e same t e laws w 1ch r.tguate t e growt o manto a wet spot and with what grace she threw her little • h t · t' d • t th p k' d th h ld b ts • right hand around and grnsped her skirts-not exactly. poetic c arac ens 1cs, an , commg o e er- m , ere s ou e more poe now th an 1B lifting them, but gathering them in-so neatly and nich sian we find the same evidence· of an early olden times, when the number ·of men was so th !fr'ao!~was worth goldto see the wee th ing e.ctwi sue poetical career in the Shah Nameh of Ferdusi, much smaller. And if' the number of poets ,.. • • • ... a true national epic, grand in extent, noble in is increased, the number of great ones must In matters of prudence,the best thoughts are last. In style and varied in contents. be increased in the same rati ,o. matters of conscience,first thoughts are best. v
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