The Portland daily press., 1882-02-10
Poe and the English Poets.
[Pall Mall Gazette j

1t is particularly irritating to the Americans
to be told that, after so many generations OF
accomplished and vigorous writers, the poetry
Of Edgar Poe still remains the most individual
poetic product TO which the United States have
given birth. This is very annoying, and they
escape from it by direct negation-Mr. Henry
James, the typical literary American, even
venturing to speak of Poe's ''very valueless yer
ses." Such men as Mr.. James ask US If we are
sincere in prefsrring these light tones OF music
to the intellectual force and severity Of Bryant
to the humanity of Longfsllow, to the wit of
Holmes and Lowell. To this there seems an
answer which will hardly satisfy any but those
who have made poetry their principal study.
These will have perceived that in the history
of the world what has really preserved the
memories of writers of verse has not been in
tellectual force, or the clear expression of love
and pity, or even wit, but certain indefnable
felicity of style, a power of saying things as
they never were said before, and so that they
can never be forgotten. 1t is a very remarka-
BILE thing that Edgar Poe, who was not man
of much weight of character, or even originali-
ty of intellect, vet happened to possess, to q
very high degree, this extraordinary gift Of
style. In this no American poet has SO much
as approached him, and it is probable that this
will preserve his verse, like rose petal in
drop of glyeerine, bound to decay because OF
its ephemeral and disconnected condition, yet
never actually deeaying.
Here in England, where every unprejudiced
thinker must admit that poetry has 1ourished
since theibeginning of the century far moro
than in America, Edgar Poe has taken his
place as one ofthe fashioners of style. Wheth-
or his influence has been altogether beneficial
may perhaps be matter Of reasonable doubt.
But his influence is not to be doubted. Long
ago Mr.. Tsnnyson came under the sway OF his
music; Mr. Matthew Arnold, in the New Sir
ems" and Mr.. Rossetti, in more than one piece
of structural melody, have felt it; Mr.. Swim
burne, though he has so thoroughly conquered
the notes and made them his own, would scarce
ly have begun as he did without "Ulalume'
and "The Conqueror Worm" But the Eng
lish writer who has most closely resembled
Edgar Poe in his mournful and mortuary temp
er, though he wore his rue with a difference,
was the late Mr.. Arthur O'Shaughhessy, whose
Fountain of Tears" and "Barcarolle" threw
more light on the structure and value OF Poe's
verses than pages of the cleverest criticism.
In France, where the cadence and the verbal
felicity were lost, the influence OF Poe, which
was so strong for little time, seems to have
faded away. We do not hear now OF the gen.
tleman who was spending years and years on a
translation of 1.-THE Raven" and whose ver-
sion was expected by his friends to be greater
masterpiece than the original. Baudelaire' s
beautiful paraphrases and commentaries, in
which he managed, while retaining the essen
tial characteristics of Poe's work, to infuse q
strong quality of his own, will always be of in-
terest to students of literature.