Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1825-11-22


Every one who has considered the subject, will
oiten impossible 10 justify the finest things poetry
an unwilling mind, upon the ordinary principles logic.
No the question which arises this discovery, shich
imperfect the law, the art? For our PARTS we think
the former Milton tells of 'darknes, ri.i6ie'
ieei mat he has uttered fine paradox; feel its truth,
out cannot prove it. And when, that appalling passage
where the poet stands face with Night Chaos,
IN their dark pavilion, spread wide the was,cful deep
and says ths.
by .hcm stood
Orcus and AIDES, aud the dreaded Name
OF Demogorgom"
now IS possible to reconcile such expressions a
prosac understanding Darkness is strictly >neakinr
absence of light How then we say that it is vis
be- when we only by the aid of light? Aud with re-
spect to the Name OF Demogorgon, which Stands by Or
Gus and AIDES how such phrase be justified by the
rules of reason Nevertheless is rs maruifccut ,yor
can make IT. 1t is clothed i'll dark special grandeur
and presses upon approximations like mighty dream
Who is there that would give up things fur the SAX. of
"sie May not tue truth be- that logic which the wcap-
ON OF prose- touches the airy of poetrv or tha,
the laws OF reason present too imperfect TO max.
me divinity of poetry clear human capacity? 1t well
known that our senses perpetualy deceived aud that
reasoning faculties incompt mt the understand
ing oil many Of the phenomena of tho external world Is
not ie fair To suppose, that the intutive move
nsn's of the "nd and feeling escapa' Assu.elv
the sense which apprehends these grand expressions of Mil
ton, il finer and lofer than the hard ,r.nt;cis, c
denies them. Why then orc give place to the
other la the predicament Milton Shnksrcare
pepetually when by STRONG effort of ,ho i,,,"ii 500
ne fuses TWO IDEAS INTO the the
sequence; when he arrays and solitary tboueb
WITT al! the ponp and circumstance which surround it
I'm IL
q" Tue hgu e aAH rest c"nented without trying it by
the rules of common language. is-ke ,hou,guds r
oihers-beyond the jurisdiction O pose
lhe mind Which comprehend pnrtrv nav 10 soid
nc wanting IN sense. Yet such precisely the minds
winch crtcise poetry, the narrowly. They try il u
me fosac laws, which they do comprehend and nm f
Judges on the ground-of their defects Nevertheless
&c do not wish To claim for poetry the sxemrtuns of -
ijNs dtii'lt. Poetry subject 10 rcasop-ro ;rsea ~
prose subject, Throughout all its yes, but MN
OF It's imagery and elevation of sentiment and II mus, ~
therefore b" tried ~ standard does not mo-
u . IA Ifsyi.
oature at valance IT be made good and do
n1nStr"'ed like yllo3i'm But springs from and is
addressed to the Imagination, subject st,ic
Yered. O
we nave already quoted several INT uccs Of poctca!
phf'srology; but it s III such exprcssio,s
TIA" poetry consists. The idea of character ,,ers,
PiHce' may he POLITICALLY conceived. well as the X
preston in hch it dressed Thus the idea nc Nil
the conceptions of Titaua Oheron ARIEL a nd G I
ana the cloudy Witches of Macbeth. Macbeth himself
poe'ca on another ground, j. from the circunstn,
ino which he is mpeled, are, like manner Hamlet
Juliet and Lear. chimea, ii evatllan a pormon rho
snare when was tabled to encircs world the sylvns and
NV E.,i,S, cGho foypilc'nus sladowy Demogorgon Death
ana the curling Sin, the occan-bo.n Venus and Pajlas
who sprHng out armed from the brain of Joye,re ali
p"e'rai millions vision of IIc Sponsors palaces aud
haunted woods; the Inferno of Dante the fahG, g hon.
OF fletcher and her home in Acardy; the Arabian
n''Io's, WIN their cities and blazing sights i'm air and lor
S'oundi their gems aid dreams of rches tbo;r f,ii
GENT and enchanters; their turned into MAJ aud
IA Short all that world of wonder u hich lIIninntsd ]
p'S'ao or grew up like garden cnchantncut on tho
banks of the Tiggis-aTe all fcticus ~ ,,,
and. such ha We claims n be di.t;,onJ ,T ''''
81 the great family OF poetry. Again the mcc,i n
Gaotle and Satan, the the fourth book of pa,
use lost whefe me squadron of angels turn fiery red
ane me stature OF Satan, angry ilaed .reacbed tito
@ S'eed o fuch' WIZ" puts gdle about the
"at'h III forty minutcs the ghost who revs,s tho ti
~ ule moon ma tanning the forest lion by her beauty
~ non man; the ifetied and wealthy OF AIamnouE
i"ut all nave been poetical in whatever dotiou , io
had been clothed. ' VIC iHe"S
l lie staple OF Poetry then IS imagery; So that
pOI.r.r
'"iy m"uidS them into shape. tlus that ma.
ana qualities of the mind are b,,uoI,, ,.:.r,. 49,. "
t"hateIy, Hope and Charity, Faith and Iovr ard
F'iy' &c have now become common place; b,.l ,ev ~
haifs amongst the first and simpler creations OF
@ ~ ~ another way, mere Ranmate matter is raised
,rh W us ESSENCE extracted for poetica purpose
mus the air. IN its ephet airy is applied TO motion; ara
1ne sunny locks of beauty are extracted from The d
nus o moon becomes vcNal, and the night is clothed
IN starry train; the is monster or cod. bs nd
an" me streams are popuous with spirits and the sun is
s iJoCihs III his strength. Again. the essence Of
poetry generally speaking (for it is sometimes otherwise
me case OF sounds and porfumes) consists in its
50 ITS excellence varies im proportion as ,bosa
"PoP'htc and perfect The ma gination. vIic, cts III
an 'ntuIfiou is seldom wrong; but when tlouoht i ro
Out INTO SMILES by the aid of fancy it not
osC"ieS unnatural Again the figures or images NAV e
repeated till they into cold conces or thew NAV m
naiganate and harmonic with the original idea pot,
zane CovlFy' and Crashaw, all of genius
e' IN fncse points They trusted often to their inre
nuity instead of their feeling, and 50 erred FrreI =
It'CessaI,y The property of imaginary or of fancy
Whch may b. lofty tame, clear and obscure in roo
ton TO the mind the poet Nor must yye So, pP
Try which depends least much upon the vivid sei;
~ OF tie writer upon his intellect depends ais s
what upon his discretion. When Crasha in his .liu
Duei speaking othe nightingale, who is cor,endng for tho
palm OF music with man, says.
'lIcr supple breast thrills out
~ onaIp airs and stagsecs in warbling doubt
OF dallying sweetness
we Iefi instantly that the idea is overloaded ard ztcn
beyond our sympathy There are four distinct ni,,
nue use Of to express single idea. This argues poverty
" Tue writer al least as much superabuniance of ina
10y, 90 CoWey maintains metaphor throughout a whole
Pen' a III the one entitled Goodness where he begins nv
comparing ms love to water and goes on to show il is
d''ta uPon by kindness and rgo one causing II IN C,
1' he Other to freeze This is the masquerade Of poetry
Oh the contrary, when Boliugbroke goes ''
AS confident is the falcons airbt'
TO q" battle with Mowbay aud Eneas the Trojan bcsri
challenge to the idle Greeks, cries OUT
Trumpet, blow loud!
send thy brass voice through all these lazy tents'-
we ant at once the Gne keeping Of the images Again
Whcn THIS same Eneas ddcny inquiries for The lc5de
Hg'mennon lwhose opess depuation, on the other hand
"'e parasite OF Achilles mimics0 saying,