The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1850-01-18
VOLUME Xxx.
ron rax cnssLorrr JOURNAL.
The Poetry Of the Bible.

mol
The Poetry Of the bible 10 % much more
Ioliy scd in,pass,oned. ;aan that Of other CON.
posi.ioas, - iss sotj cs.Ars more grand snd
monsuioos. Tho study Of il can scarcely
isilioimprove the heart and enlss. : ,hs sange
of intellectual vision to ,mpaft ui'y aud
eomme eheusiyrnsss 70 The th'"k'as lscs''les,
and sincese drIigh, 10 all tbs oG.c,ions. Un.
Iks The poetry Of proiano writer's, il runs .
transparent stream. always clarified from the
tustil adn,x ures Of b,scr ele,nou,s. always
swces and refreshing sbundsn', even
10 exubersnce. and nsves failing in epptopr.
ate grandeur. Inspiration is lie undoub,ed
source; not that Kind u in.pi'a' 10 which
otd.asry rosls have laid claim, vainly prelen.
Dig tho ,npu'sc u divine emotion. White
they sned.saird ., d brss,h.d poeuc measures
--bui thss Cenu.ne. h,!y, ond celestial rap.
tore, under the influence of ~hich NOR sl man
was msds iiv,ns oracle, vh,le hallo~sd f.s
burned and frightened through oil his imss,.
as,icns. IL such minds as ,hcse Of Moses.
D,,ii and lss,sh. ~e encounter a moral msg.
u,tvdc of conception, aud iorce OF besu'y Of
d,ctlon, ~h,cb the best Interpolation csnno,
espssss. aud ~hch The worst version cannot
wholly obscure. Wuh them We 6ud e,-p
Guilty Of poetic expression, without The loS-
aess Of vuisss s!Ius'or, .nd the e'c,uton q
metaphor zeal ru 5eiiishmrat, wiiheui ans da,k
shsdi 'ss 10 pcrples ITO sense. Tired by the
laws Of criticism, as d,gcssed and dnule.d by
that grca, mss.rr Of the poetic art, Aristotle,
they occupy the summit Of clear ard dcci.
dcj vindics,,nn. aud s,and fofIh to ,es,
NJ less siinguIshed for corn c, taste and sound
jYdg ncn,. ih,n ios tho ,ranscsudan. na,urs Of
the themes Of their verse;.
Ia sii true poetry. srs found w,nd, ha.
b'uds Of thought, peculiar 10 Itself. Il has
gvu,us aud disposition Of ,ts osu; and both
ia the selection Of words and the construction
of sensruces, - abhorrsns from ,i.tcnes., aud
snsbi,ious Of exquisite forms Of speech. A
strong. Vehement I!f clion OF the mod, 10 the
chef source Of poetty because such feel.
ing is spt to vent itself 10 song. The Grerks
impo'ed to their poets enfAssidsm. imaglaias
that some divinity had actually taken posses
zion Of them and iha, their escRcd emalions
and images we're the result OF presiding aud
stimulating Virtue. y hose ardor aus hide shor,
Of phicnzy, and ~hoso pefsadng tlueace
reached tho secret chsmbcrs OF thought. un
fuld,ng and dlscio.in. their hidden rscess-s,
and fousins, even to a iu,bid, confident state,
oil the internal springs Of sense and patcep.
tion. From such state CT mind flowed the
proper poetic d.ciion, such ss sudden excia
nations. fttqu-n, in;effossllous. appeals TO
Illuminate things. those Sho we're thus
moved and affected, seemed to ihiHk that eve
~ olj-c. 10 nature ought TO sympa'h z, w'sh
them. Al, in,esposed. aud hsyng applied
judgment and reason to the crude rasings OF
poetic feeling. transferred them TO tho grave
and d,sni6ed ,fice u ,mPanios pleasure aud
utility.
The Poetry Of the Sacred Writings seems
K 70 bc founded. 10 grea, degree, upon The idea
Of Na,uis's sympathy With the emotions oi
the spesker or writer. This fact Will account
for tho almoss perpetual occurrence Of naiu
cal images. tending 10 illustrate the moral nnt
ssulensious views Of those sho gave utter
\ snce to their inspired feslings. The commot
metaphor Of light and dsikness. employ ed t.
express property and sdsetsi,y, has found ;
place in oil Languages Its use, hosever. II
the Latin and Geek pocts, is tame and mex
prsss,ye. compateJ with the mej j'stc bodnes
which Il assumes in the Bible. When ,h
prsphe, Isaiah would intimate to tho Jews.
people the rcnswed favor Of the DIVINE Being
end tie future restoration Of all the lslici,
once enjoyed by them. he pa,n's the approach
iex scene 10 ,hsse msgn fsenl colors:
And The l,shl Of The moon shall be as ,h
tight oi the meridian sun,
And TIN I,gh, Of the meridian sun shall BE- 81
ven fo.d.' ISAIAH Axx, %.
Ualer shls sublime irope. tho mind nat,
rally sacks dslipsbic, rational scene an
v Cud,es 70 penetrate tho essence Of ,hs, ~,
em,nen, btss promised 10 an sh c.-d naiio'
Tho INJURY i not ~ VAN. For. IN the vet
hcs,ion Of The prophecy. cuuched 70 ,he'
serns. : srsnsi'ion from suffering to trump
tom penusy % opu'euce, from del -cliod to :