Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1830-09-15

lands. Our state papers, WHICH IL oo'u
sentiment, in cogent reasoning, anu I'D d he'vou'
and eloquent style have never been surpassed
have received in the British Senate anu Oh uie
continent of Europe such commendaticn' as ..ei
intrinsic excellence, whether as valuable pohucai
treatises. or as finished productions richly merteo.
But while we thus speak Of our literature en-
n,nsse. we are not inclined to heap indlscrimi-
nate praise upon American productions, ana 10
setup the claims of our country to any rsry nsn
be,ree of literary excellence. live conhne our
selves to any single branch of elegant literature
and especiaIIy to our boettcal writings, we see
much that is faulty in style and an actual deh'
cheney of excellence of high order ,,
We would first mention the want OF simplicity
that is apparent in the works OF our poets; OF
that simplicity which renders the poetry OF Burns
and Goldsmith so popular with every class OF
readers. The s.Deserted Village" and the
:. Cotter's Saturday Night, will be read and
admired as long as the English language is spo-
ken. And the great charm of these two poems
consists in the marked simplicity of the language,
and the natural flow of thought that is visible IN
every line. We see nothing of the glare and
tinsei. and of the obscure imagery OF most OF
our writers. Gorgeous descriptions and spark
ling conceits. though they may strike and Devil
der. can never please.-TheIe must be rich
vein of natural feeling. portrayed in simple tho
beautiful Language, running through every poem,
without which neither splendid ornament. or har-
moniouslyersi6cation, will be of any avail to Sus-
tain it.
Farther. there is an objectionable diffuseness
in point Of style with many of our poets--a f,ot-
ning-doun of figure. as it has been termed, which
detracts very much from the merits which po-
en- ought TO possess. Our meaning will be Illus
trated BY the following extract from Percival:
She had grown
In her unstsned Sec!ision, bright AMI pure
Asa frs, OPENED rosebud, when it spreads
Its mink leaves Ia the sweetest dawn OF May,
After nigh, shower. which had vet the woods
And eardeus with the big round drops tina; hang,
Dancing, in ths fresh breeze, and trernthhsly
Speaking the flowers with light.
Here the image is appropriate and beautiful:
but It's force and effect is weakened by deal Of
useless verbiage, and CANDY imagery. The
Thought barely peeps out from amid the load OF
ornament with which il is covered. Apoet must
not only be endowed with native powers of mind
to originate and invent new combinations of
thought; he should also possess discriminating
| Judgment. aided by correct taste. to prune the
luxuriances of fancy, which will mar. If they do
not destroy. the aim Of poem. And this is
more particularly essential in the styl Of poetry
that has. within few years. got in vogue. 1t
| is kind of poetry that deals with the mind its
susceptibilities--its pains and pleasures. 1t has
left external nature, and attempts to portray. IN
verse. the secret and holy sympathes and the
| lofty aspirations of man. Here noble field is
opened to the e\ertons of the poet: but he must
| be guided BY the dictates of an unerring judg-
| ment. or failure will be the inevitable result.
Again, our poets do injustice to themselves
| from the nature Of the subjects upon which they
| sm.ploy their efforts II Is impossible, by any
| force Of Imagination, to give dignity to a wide
| range Of subjects, in themselves trivial and in
significant. The only effect will be-snd the
effect, as we see. is--that much of this kind OF
poetry is characterized BY reaching after some.
thing new--a puerilitv Of thought, and abored
refinement in the harmony Of each sentence
Look at the following:
Summer has pleasant seasons, and the spring
Come g,ily On the senses, and TITS sweet
To know the places Of the stadiest trees,
AHd hunt the scented violet; hut when
These have me'lowedinto autumn, &c.
On the subject Of versfcaton, we have no.
thing To offer to the consideration of our writers,
better than the following remark Of Cowper,
contained in one Of his letters to his BOOKSELLER:
:" know that the ears of modern vcrse-makers
are delicate TO an excess and some of their readers
are troubled with the same S9ucamishness as
themselves: so that, if line does not run as
smooth as quicksilver. they are offended. ''%'*
Give me-" SAYS he, - manly, rough lne
with deal Of meaning in it, rather than whole
poem full of musical periods, that have nothing
but their oily smoOthncss to recommend them. I"
And he saws right. We want kind Of poetr,
that is marked BY energy and manly tkought;
that will penetrate our Utmost feelings, and re-
main fixed and lastinslv in the mind. Let our
writers think more and write less. Let them
study, with assiduity, the classic poets of Grea,
Britain. with a view of correcting aud improy-
ing their taste. and catching the fervor of their
spirit; and let them aim at something higher than
the composition of fugitire pieces, which, al
though they may read very we'll in the columns
of newspaper Or in the corner of magazine,
will be destined to an early oblivion. Let them
eschew, BY all means, the Iabored attempts to
elevate common-p place thought. by the tinsel and
decoration of languase-the straning after strik-
ing imases-thc unmeaning epithets. and that
dreamy kind Of mdistinctness in the thought
and expression. that Is SO manifestly character