Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-05-14
Written and living Poems.
BY MISS EMMA V. BROWN.

According to Aristotle, the word poem
is from a Greek word, signifying to make;
as our lives are noble or ignoble. just as
we make them; they may not inaptly be
termed Eviag poems. Then every life is a
poem. Some poetry is brilliant only; we
read it, and the perusal gives us pleasure,
and oft times instruction. Though we de
rive pleasure and profit from such poetry,
we know that the writer might have ex-
erted upon the world far greater influence
for good. Many lives are brilliant only /:
such leave behind them bright and shin
ing light, which is reflected far down the
track of time; but these lives, ''like the
lunar beam. afford light, but not heat
Truly, a brilliant light brightens the world;
a good life does more, for it irradiates and
purifies the earth. A brilliant life is like
the moon-a good life is like the sun,
which gives heat as well as light, and as
the heat of the sun causes the noxious
weeds to scOrch up and die, but the flow
ers to bloom more brightly, even so does
good person exert an influence, beneath
whose pure and holy rays falsehood and
meannGss of every kind will wither, but
the fair flowers of truth and justice will
lives are like poems lofty in conception
poems that glow with inspiration, and
cannot but awaken aspiration. These
good lives emit light which will shine for
ever-mOre and more unto the perfect
day
Though we may not write poems, though
we may not call forth the admiration of
the multitude by high intellectual gifts, 1T
is in the power of each one to make life
true. We are entranced with glowing
strains from the old masters, but know
there is loftier poetry in the life of no
BILE philanthropist. Those who write poe
try, picture to us noble lives, though he
aspires to such too often, we say these are
mere creations of the brain. it is impossi-
BILE for frail humanity TO reach such per-
fectiOn. When wesee persons living good
and pure lives, we know it is possible to
reach a vast height IN the scale of good
ness. when we read some beautiful po-
EN-. for instance, "Evangeline, I'VE admire
the heroine, but we feel that we can nev-
er become Eyangelines. When real he
ro or heroine comes upon the stage OF lie,
and does not ,grite but Eres grandchar-
acter, this Erdng poetry speaks farmorefor-
clbly than that which Is written. There
is q vast difference between written and
living poetry-one emanates from the
head, the other from the heart; one is
ideal, the other real. All written strains,
however lofty, are inferior to the deeper
poetry of human life. The world reads
very many extracts from every life-poem,
but there are passages read only by the
OnniScient Often these are the grand
est portions which are kept from the f.
mite vision, and reserved for the Infinite
The bards of other days wrote glorious
poems of wars between angels of light
and darkness. Thereare continual strug-
giles between the evil and the God-like in
man-when the latter is victorious. does
not this living poetry transcend all writ
ten by Milton and Dante? So do all
grand and glowing passages from the life
poems of the noble. Though we may not
write beautiful poems, each one may do
what is nobler far-Live a grand poem.