New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-01-21
CARLYLE on THE POETS.

Ii seems to he the matured opinion of Mr..
Thomas Carlyle that the writing of verse, in
this age mt least, is an unworthy occupation
for man of ability. He expresses this thought
on suitable and other occasions with charac-
teristic energy, and with phrases of mingled
melancholy and contempt which we presume
are not regarded by the brotherhood of poets
as especially attractive reading. The basis of
his belief seems to be that the age is so sadly
earnest in its needs and its moods that all en-
deavor should be sadly earnest also both in its
purpose and its form. There is some wisdom
in this, but it is not to be adopted without
reservation. There is in all ages room
for all work, just as there is in each
day time for the graver as well as the
lighter pusuits of men, for toll and pastime
for mirth and tears, for the sober maxim and
the twinkling pun. Because there are hungry
populations to be appeased shall we therefore
have no balladsq Because the wreck and
| overthrow of wide wars lies CHASTITY beneath
| the sun and stars, awaiting the restoring toll
| of generations, shall we have neither
anthem nor dirge, nor sounding ode to
| celebrate the battles fought, nor piOus
hymn to welcome incoming peace with
its olive garlands and it's benedictions of
plenty and repOseP We want the song to
take some of the bitterness from the toll to
which we are daily driven nor can we well
see why Mr. Carlyle should so contemptuousy
decline to honor the singer. We do not under
stand him rs censuring the makers of bad verse
merely. If such were his purpose, we should
abet it with energy; for if there is anything
on the planet which more superfuOusly bur-
dens it than bad poet, we have not thus far
encountered that incubus. But his maledc-
ton seems to include all the makers of verse
Indeed, in his letter to DR.. Bennett, recently
made public, which supplies our present text,
he expressly ridicules the men of genius,
(Which means a light of intelligence, of cOur-
cage, and all manfulness, or else means
nothing rs those who should in no case
| stoOp to the trivialties of meter, or record
their utterances in aught but solid and manfu
prose. This is bitter dctum to those who
esteem themselves commissioned to transmit
TO mankind and the ages, through the instru-
ment of rhyme or blank verse. their own lofty
and kindling inspirations. We can hardly
think that Mr.. Carlyle deems that Milton
would have served the world more greatly by
fighting alongside of Hampden, or expert
menting in chemistry with Lord Bacon, or
commanding one of CrOmwell's fleets, than by
writing Samson AgOnistes and the Para
disc Lost. Any objection to verse-writing
now on the ground that there is more inn
pOrtant work to be done, must have been
equally valid in the days of the Protectorate,
and indeed in all days since first
"The wellbaanced world on hinges hung"
To be at all consistent with himself Mr. Car
lyle would have had Wordsworth enter the In
ner Temple as barrister, or go to India as
o railway contractor, or contribute political
headers to The Times, instead of writing the
Excursion and Laodamia. He would have
urged Byron to subdue his fiery Pegasus to
the sOberer PAGES which beiitthe field, or the
highway, or the park, instead Of urging his