, 1881-03-06
HOW TO MAKE POETRY.


J. &. Whittier is called the Quaker poet.
Mr.. Whittier especially affects tile simple
octosyllapic verse:
There were three crows sat on tree:
And they were black us crows could be.
This has q great advantage over the deca-
syllable verse of Mr.. Pope; it enables you to
spread out an ide; much thinner. Sometimes,
as in "The Barefoot Boy,'' A1r. Whittier even
cuts it down to seven syllables; but this is
only when it is absolutely necessary to sklmp
Suppose We want to write a poem in the
Whittier style.
we must choose a trooly rooral subject.
Let us choose The Barn. Then, first, we
have to make {: list of all the component
parts of the Barn, all the characteristics
Of the Barn, and all objects connected with
the Barn. Then we have to sort them
out into the. order in which they
would naturally strike the observers
which at once suggest rhylnes-as door,
beam, hay, loft, etc. These are Tor the ENDS
OF lines Then we must fish up smile or
two, and few metaphors, and we are ready
for business.
To begin with:
The Barn is a large building in the rear Of
the farmhouse. It is painted either red or
brown, those being cheap colors. 1t has q
big double door, Oh which the skins OF pred
atory animals are nailed. Inside are large
T1ltETS.
is llay-cutter. in another {! Buckeye mo wer,
likewise a bag Of crushed oyster-sl1cils Tor
the use of hens who have a tendency to lay
eggs whereof the shells lack the necessary
proportion Of lime. Then there is cow tied
up in the Barn, and it is dark, and the fine
hay-waste gets into your bronchial tubes, and
makes you cough; and there Is J. smell maue
I'D of cow and hay and the most recent OF the
Woodci,uck skins on the outer portal
That's enough to begin oil:
This is the Barn. Il building broad,
Back near the winding orcnar1 road
This is no rhyme; but Mr.. Whittier doesn't
mind little thing like that
4 building bright in rcddcst paint
AS butchers meat without 4 ta!nt~
Upon tho mighty double doors
4 woodchucks ) kin. with outstretched claWrs,
Is tailed with many tcnp'ny nail,
Io make all other woodchrcks 100 c,, 9,s 3s9aai quail
His den our faithful Fido sinelt;
Our younger brothers dug him out
With tnthcr's spade and joyful shout
Our father dccked the portals wide
With the poor captfyes striped hide;
And then he hidcd Sam and Jim
With sections OF hickory limb.
HI hiGcd them because they did
Not hoe the corn us they were bid.
This is good deal of poetry to get out OF
one woodchuck; bur it is nothing to what
MIR. Whittier can do when lie tries.
Behold within cave Of gloom;
Like the old gcuii's fnbled tomb-
MI. W lllltltI - 41is5Hkl0ilt !1entSoo &Aooe =
his figures Of speech. Lie thinks that SO long
as lie heaves i'll hint OF oriental mashln;,
cence to give contrast with the occidental
simplicity, he is all right, whether 1t makes
sense or not
We enter through the open door,
And walk upon the wooden floor
And through the window see Il stream
OF sunlight gd each rafter BEAM;
And through the dusky radiance soft
When we have sncczcd and even coughcd,
We gaze upon the high hay-loft.
How strange! The horses feed on hay,
And there the hens delight to lay;
Why MOUTHS the hen upon one lcGs
The horse has eaten up her egg!
Yun beam upholds my sisters soup;
Hero stands the Old COW tethcred up;
When wiutry- winds On earth ure loosed,
Upon her buck the chickens roost
nd here the Buckeye Mower stands,
Steel cn1,nibai Of legs and hnnds;
Na.r.y,,d oyster-shrs just here occur;
Hare stands the pensve hay-chOppcr,
Among whose spiral knives there llngers
A remnant of the farm hands fingers.
And smells of desiccated grass
And COW before our nostrils pass.
With hints of woodcbuck on the door
Most delIcateiy sicklicd oer
T will close this lecture here. II you will
sit down and copy this sample imitation out,
you will find that, before you get 10 tne emu
of it. YOUR brain will suffer from II kli1d OF
poetical palsy and your pen vii! go right on,
reclinr oil verse of that style till the barn IS
inyentoried right through,-a1d then yon
viii have to check yourself II you don't
want to slop over into the Plg--oty end The
Heu. Coop. Yours anti -bucolleally,
Y, HUGO DUsESDURY.
Professional Poet,