The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-04-25
To shapes of widest anarchy
BY secret fire and midnight storms
IIhnf 1nna1de1 a.naL1lG their ari1l(ln Gomez.

That ac07ldeT round their acindy cones.
No one but Mr.. Tennyson in all the roll of Eng
lish poets could probably have written the ital-
icized line. But now the industrious poetaster
has made free with WINDY" and "happy," and
''most can raise the flower, for all have got the
seed.''
With Mr.. Swinburne, Mr.. Morris and Mr..
Rossetti came in new set, or several new sets
perhaps too prominent, in the works of
the poets, these forms are excessively
irritating in the works of the poetasters.
With Mr.. Swinburne's "Atalanta," flor "The
Queen Mother" passed unnoticed) came in the
constant use of s'iron," the eternal references
to sire" and 'sblood," and certain meteoric
way of writing about the great blind forces OF
the world, stars, winds, foam, and 80 forth-if
foam can be called a 'force, except when used
to fashion the deadly bolt with which Indra
slew Anti Before Mr.. Swinburne we almost
doubt whether girls were called "white,' or
necks or other portions of the human frame
"warm;" certainly kisses did not "sting," nor
we're things in general SO aptto be wet Will
liam Morris presented the poetaster with
"wan," as an epithet of water "W an" had
been formula in the border ballads from time
immemorial, bnt Mr.. Morris first thought OF
introducing this insepsrable epithet of water.
1t was very pleasant in "Jason," but now it
meets one everywhere. Mr. Morrs's girls
were "slim,' as those of Mr.. Swinburne were
white. Both he and Mr.. Rossetti added anoth-
er to the scanty rhymes of "love' by employ.
ing thereof" and now we never meet "love"
in a poem without an anxious feeling that
thereof is lurking in the neighborhood. Vino
endowed the common poetaster with utter
we do not know. Mr.. Barlow-an author rath-
er sensitive, we fear, to criticism-has ridden
cutter very hard, also wonderful" Almost
everything which is not utter" with this song
ster is wonderful" and anything that escapes
these epithets is apt to fall victim to warm"
The habit of laying stress on the last syllable,
when the penultinate is accented in speaking,
is probably derived by Mr.. Rossetti and his adj
mirers from old English verse. "Didt," wa
ter" 'fo acer," "bo-dee." for "dial, "water,' =
"fower" and "body," are now among the most
ordinary conventionalities of the modern Muse
They have ceased to attract by their strange
ness We know that water is more likely
to rhyme now to "beer" than to daughter,
and that Byron was in error when he said that
They caught two boobies and noddy,
And then they left off eating the dead body.
He should have written, and if, he were mi
nor poet now, he would write
They caught two herring and of whitehall three,
And now no more must eat the dead bodice.
This NAV seem "queerly' way of writing flor
if we should say "grimly" for "grim, we must
say "queerly" for ''queer"), but it is fright"
it is "the thing"
If we might offer a word of advice to young
poet, it would be somewhat in this manner Do
not be fashionable. If you find you have spok-
en- of slim maiden or white girl, cut out the
adjective. III you must nave al laoJectlVe'
find new or disinter an old one. But beware
of "brown,'' for that is Mr.. Rossetti's private
property Make as little use as possible Of with
ALL and in other words do not dispace the usual
accent, SO as to make it rest heavily on the al,
innate syllable. Forswear cutter" white,
sswet," "warm," ''sweet," wonderful" and
generally keep keen eye on foam" especi-
ally if it shows tendency to be blown" Dis
trust Sab, especially If conscience Whispers
that Matthew Arnold would have sighed
iah'' in this very place he had been WORKING
on the same subject. Avoid metres invented
or revived by Mr.. Swinburne; they ar, many
and meritorious, but you cannot well write
them with originality. AS you value, your
reputation, do not call the waters "van', and
if tempted to use violet or arangesunset try
if tomato sunset won't do just as Veil OF pet
ter. The color of the tomato is beautiful, ana
only it's association with chops prevents this
vegetable from being az poetical as oranges
Try something like this;
Tomato red the sunset glowei
On yerdant waves cucumbGine,
Till night, descending, indig'd
With blue the monrnful dep diVlhs.
If you are successful, you will ,oon have folr
| lowers enough; and indigo, cuGimbers and TO-
matoes will be as common in song as roses
| oranges and daffodils,