Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-10-09


WHERE Do PoETs CoxPosE?-We tug
down ponderous old volumes from the
shelves, thumb-marked and dusty, but ouly
now and then we do catch glimpse of the
poets sanctum, vague and distant, IS the
vineyard Of the Moors. And yet some fain,
whispers, breathed by the winds, give
US here and there a triditionary legend,
as to where the natin hymns and yesper
songs Of the poets have been sung and we
will try to hunt them out.
Milton, the blind bard, recited his immor-
tai poem Of Paradise Lost from his cu,h-
i0ned chair, to one Of his daughters, who
wrote it down word for word from the in
spired lips Of her father, who afterwards re-
ceised for the production from the penetrat-
ing publishers Of Londca, the sum Of Eve
pounds, or twenty five dollsr-, for work
that has probably brought Hundreds Of thou
sands.
Chatterion, the uufoftu1a;e "reet BOT, -
wrote in garrett, and then wandered from
street to street with his verses in his hand
to procure By them Loaf Of bresl, and z,
last, driven by destitut;on, took poison and
died, at the age ofseven;eeu.
Byron wrote in lis grim studio in old
Newstead Abbey. where, as he said. - Tie
ghosts Of departed monks walked the car.i-
dors;" here, with one Of their skulls grinning
at him from his secretary, be wrote his odes
to fair women and brave men, that have sent
his fame Throughout the world.
John Banyan, the prose-poe. of immortal
memory, wrote his Pilgrims Progress be
hind the bars Of Bedford Jail. with his pitch
or Of water AMI piece of dry bread beside
him, and his blind daughter Elizabeth sitting
sometimes at his feet.
Wesley comPpsst some Oe lis sweetest
hymns on horseback, and Others in his little
study, that scarcely shut oat tie tones Of his
termagant wife
Some Of Mr.. ilemans treasured house,
hold songs were Written while rocking the
cradle, or experimenting the sports or stud
les 0f her SIX boys. She sang sweet and fast
and tie angels caa-h; tie yng, she failed To
leave On ca-;h
Letitia Land n (or L. I L. sang from
her lonely nest in Cape Coast Castle, Africa,
where nothing but the mountains looked
upon her, and she boxed upon the sea, and
the far of world smiled and went over her
verses when she lay in her early tomb.
COwper, the m0nomaniac poet, locked
himself u IN NJ, opI.N hOu-ti anI Nrote
in fit Of despon1sncy his comic POEM OF
John Gilpin, at which all the world laughed
for long years after. This be rehearse1 verse
By verse to the ret hares that sat on his
shoulder.
Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote her
Uncle Toms Cabin, which has been translst-
ed into almost every language under the heav-
ems, sitting by her kitchen stove and super
intending her pies and putdings, and Ms.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, the noble wO-
man poet Of tie nineteenth century. wrote
tor seven long Years PropPed up 10 bed by
pillows, and - fraii that her friends feared
the winds might wait her away.
Charlotte Bronte wrote and waited in her
lonely home among the Haworth moors,
with the graveyard under her windows
where all her kindred were laid down before
her. one hy one. And 50 they watched and
waited and sung. lonely men and women all
over the world, as God gave them song to
carol or a tale to tell, singing often with
eyes filed with tears, for song IS at best the
- Gift of sadness"