New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-03-25
THE APRIL MAGAZINES.
THE CENTURY.

The most notable article in The Century is that in
which Mr. Stedman, with racy yet sober elegance
of style writes of Emerson poet In none Of his
former admirable papers has Mr. Stedman displayed
more poetic insight and SAM y of judgment than In
this 1t is full OF suggestion and illumination for
the literary craft; witness these passages:
Emersons prose is full of poetry, and his poems
are light and air. But this statement, like so many
of his own, gives only one side OF truth His
prose is lust as full of every day sense and wisdom
and something different from prose, however @nblu-
nary and imaginative. is needed 10 constitute
poem His verse. often dlamond-llke in contrast
with The fedspar of others, at times rs li-cut and
beclOuded. His prose, then, Is that OF wise man,
plus poet and his verse, by turns, light and twl-
light air and vapor. Yet we never feel aS III read
ing Wordsworth, that certain Of his measures are
wholly prosaic. tie was so careless of ordinary
standards that few Of his own craft have held ITS
verse at it, worth. 1t is SAID that his influence
chiefly like that Of Socrates, upon the sensitive and
Young and such is the case with all fresh influences:
but take 1t that those who have fairly assluIaed
Emerson's poetry in their youth have been not 80
much born poets ~ born thinkers OF poetic cast.
1t snevitable. and partakes OF growth by exercise,
that poets in youth should value masters sound
and color, and form, rather than his priceless
thought They drawn to The latter by the former
or at all Yet when poes. even IN this day OF re-
6neInent have served their technical apprentice
the depth and frequent splendOr of Emcrsons verse
grow u Don them. Ihey half suspect that he had
The finest touch of all when he chose 10 apply 1t.
1t becomes question whether his discOrds are
those of undevclOped artist. or the sudden craft
of one who knows all art and can afford 10 be Oh
easy terms with it, | think there IL evidence on
both sides;-that he had seasons when feeling and
expresslon were IN circuit, aud others wnen the
wires We're down. and that he was as apt TO at
tempt to send a message at one time as the other.
But he suggested the subtllty and swlinees OF the
souls reach, even when he failed to sustain
We know his distate for convention, his mstrust
of "tinkle" ana " efhcaclOus rhymes" But us
gIft hfte0 HIM above bis Will even while throwing
ont his grapnr cliDging TO prose tine ii III ground
of his work. ne InvOluntaTily and with music
And IL well may De that at Tim, he wrote verse as
an ayowal of his nativity, AID Ike a noble pnyi-
Legged 10 use the language OF the court. Certainly
he did nor restrict himself the poets calling with
the LOYALTY OF Tennl son and LOngfel0w. la verse,
however careful of his phrase. he was something OF
a rhapsOdist, not apt to gloss MS revelations ana
exborIngs with the nice perfection Of those others
lie must pe reviewed as one whose verse and par
able and prophecy alike ere means TO an end.-
that end not art, but the enfranchlst ment and
stimulation of ms people ii his Time.
One NAV saw, III IL uStTaton. that his phl0sOphl-
cal method beaIs TO tne inductye or empirical II
relation eimiar TO that between the poetry OF sell
expression and the poetry OF aesthetic creauon,-a
rela ION of the subjective to the objective. Inc
former kind OF verse often rs tue more pOntaneOu5,
since il has its birth In the human need for utter
ance. IL 10 the cry of adolescence aud femunty,
the resOur of sensitive natures III which emotion
outvies the sense of external beauty or power. IL
WAS the voice OF Shakcspeare's yOdth, nor was 1t
ever Quoted throughout the restless OF Byr0u
Helne and DE Musset. But We accept as the great
works OF the poets heir intellectual and objective
creations wherein tho artist has gone beyond his
own 10Y and pain, us narrow intfo- IsiOn. 10 OBJ
serve combine trausiigure, the outer world OF
nature aud nc. Sucb the cplcs. Idyls, dramas OF
tine I'D asters When subjective poetry IL the yield
of n lofty nature, or of an Ideal and rapl urons
womanhood like Mrs. brownings, it is a boon anu
revelation TO us ali buC wben, AS too often, IL Is
the spring. rise of purng. commonplace streamlet.
its egotisn grows pitfui and repulve. lhis iesson