Smyrna times., 1876-07-12

action or exclamation, he is forthwith
worthless, and you must get another. Next
break the wife's reputation into small
pieces, and dust them well over the blame
less prig. Then take few vials of tribula-
tion and wrath, and empty these generally
over the whole ingredients of your poem;
and, taking the sword Of the heathen, cut
into small pieces the greater part of your
minor characters. Then wound slightly the
head of the blameless prig; remove him sud-
denly from the table, and keep in cool
barge for future use.''
Having thus had the audacity to supply
Tennysonian recipe, it need not be
wondered that this culinary authority SIM
plifies the "Satanic poem," which, how
ever, he states to have become less fashion
able since the time of the late lamented
Byron.
"Take a couple of fine deadly sins, and
let them hang before your eyes until they
become racy. Then take them down,
dissect them, and stew them for some time
in solution of weak rcmorse, after which
they are to be deviled with mock despair" !"
This, however, is the only instance in
which the writer deals with anything but
living models. The following is his recipe
for "a poem like Mr.. M-tth-w A-n-ld":
"Take one soulful of involuntary unbe-
lief, which has been previously we'll favored
with selfsatisfied despair. And to this one
beautiful text of scripture. Mix these we'll
together, and as soon as the ebullition
commences, crate in finely few regretful
illusions to the New Testament and the
Lake of Tiberias, one constellation Of stars,
halfadozen illusions to the nineteenth
century, one to Goethe, one to Mount
Blanc or the Lake of Geneva, and one also
if possible, to some personal bereavement
Flavor the whole with a moutful of faiths
and 'infinites,' and mixed mouthful o.
passions 'finites,' and 'yearnings.' Thi:
class of poem is concluded usually with
some question, about which we have tC
observe only that it shall be impossible tC
answer"
The recipist is equally irreverent in deal
ing with male Browningesque:
"Take rather coarse view of things il
general. In the midst of this, place mar
and woman, her and her ankles, taste
fully arranged on a slice of Italy, or the coun
try about Pornic. Cut an opening acros
breast the of each, until the soul become
visible, but be very careful that none of tn
. body be lost during the operation. Pou
into each breast as much as it will hold O
! the new strong wine of love; and, for fea
1 they should take cold by exposure, cove
them up quickly with quantity of obscur
classical quotations, few familiar allusion
to an unknown period of history, and
u halfdestroyed fresco by an early master
u varied every now and then with a referenc
} to the fugues or toccatas of a quite forgo
ten composer. If the poem be still INTEL
. gible, take pen and remove carefully a
the necessary particles"
e The latest favorite-the pre-Raphaelit
3 poem-is so adroitly described that l thin
q the recipist must have INDUCED freely
It that direction himself. He advises, first {
Ie all, word composition, consisting in Oh
r part of archaic and obsolete words, and
5. the other of newly invented English (bot
of which must be entirely unintelligible
d and when these are mixed till the
g assume the color different from any tongu
er that was ever spoken, you may constru
le the shape of your stanzas.
"Take three damozels, dressed in straigl
ly night gowns. Pull their hair-pins out, an
ne let their hair tumble all about their shou
ce ders. A few stars may be sprinkled in
g: this with advantage. Place an aureo
ne about the head of each, and give each Ii
to in her hand, about half the size of herse
as Bend their necks all different ways, al
at set them in a row before stone wall, wi
'st an apple tree between each, and sor
er large flowers at their feet. When you ha
ng arranged all these objects rightly, take
he cast of them in the softest part of yo
en- brain, and pour in your word composite
el, as above described. In conclusion,
ne would remark for beginners that this Sc
ch of composition must be attempted only
IN perfectly vacant atmosphere. From
M London Letter Of N. d. COnway.