Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-08-23
Bulls in Verse and Prose.

Dcau SWllt at one Time contemplated writing
an essay on English bulls and blunders, and if
he had critically examined the works of even
our best writer's, ewOuld have found numerous
examples. Although the bull has obtained for
itself "lOcal habitatiOn and a NAME" it is to be
found in various quarters 1t may. indeed, be
considered an extension of the mixed metaphor
Miss EdgewOith defines bull as "a Imaginable
confusion of ideas'--a definition which is like
wise applicable to the mixed metaphor. The
latter arises when in the same expression
metaphors from different subjects are COM
blned. or in other words, when incompatible
operations are put together. A bull
on the other hand. involves contradiction
One part of it must render the other impos-
sible. Poets while indulging in bold flights of
liorld expression, frequently verge on mixed
metaphor. Many OF the mixed metaphors in
Shakespeare. Milton and in the works OF other
great writer's. however, are redeemed because
they are considered elegant and expressive and
because of their effectiveness and originality
Such for instance as the line from Young:
"Ier'yoice is but the shadow OF a soundn
And that beautiful passage in Samson Agents
tes. where the blind hero bemoans his lost
sight:
ITO live life half dead. n living death,
And buried: but OH yet more miserable!
Myself. my sepulchre moving grave"
Again, in Paradise Lost
"And. In the lowest deep. q lower still
1hat threatens TO devOur me, opens wide'
And the well-known line from Shakespeare:
"Cowards die many times before their DEATH
In Hdmtds Take arms against sea of trou-
bles. 1t has been suggested that to remove the
incongruity. the word ''slige" should be read
for sea" The lines from AddsOn's poem on
the victories of Marlborough:
81 bride in my struggling muse with pain:
Ihat longs To launch into holder strain"
where three different actions are enjoined have
often been quoted as an example Of mixed meta
phOr.
In very old romance we find one of the
characters saying to another. who has threat
cned to bring him before the Areopagus: WAIT
snort time and you will have the opportunity
OF accusing ne Of your murder too, and from
Herauds epic poem. THE Judgment of the
Flood" is taken the following good specimen
of verbal absurdites:
"Gloomed Or his brow. the internal diadem.
Like black craig projected DER a cliff,
White as the surge, the barrier of the main;
And like blasted orb once overnight
HIS eye ruin burned and On his cheek
Immortal beauty EideOusly Shonen
In one of the poems of James Hogg, the Et-
trick Shepherd. occurs the COuplet:
"And forced a nun to sing a sang
That ne'er could sing sang ava.n
1t surely must be TO such singing that Der
went Conway refers when, in Forget Ne Not"
he speaks OF a ''melodious dscord," Allan Gun
bingham would have us believe that he had dis
says:
"I feel the fragrance of the thorns
Where lovers love to meet"
This. however. is surpassed by Conway. who
has made more remarkable discovery as Wit
Hess the lines:
cor rose of sweet Provence
All f1ung their Odors to the listening sense"
1t is something to feel smell and to hear one.
but the late Lord LyttOn was still more sensi-
tive. for he writes:
81 hear the vain shadows glide"
DR.. Magin supplies a good example Of the bull
In the following: The feet of the Rabbi slipped
from under him. ard he rolled down a great
height When he recovered he found that his
companion had fallen Also and stood by his
side Disraeli. In his "Curiosities OF I.itera-
ture, states that when Clarendon was en-
ployed in writing his history he was in con-
slant study OF Livy and Tacitus;' and in
Aufiubons american ORTHODOXY occurs the
curious statement that 1.-THE earth was rent
asunder in several places, one or two islands
sunk forever, and the inhabitants fed in dismav
towards the eastern shores"
To come to more modern times, we find
coroner jury in the north of England recently
delivering themselves thus: THAT the deceased
was run over and killed by train on the Great
Northern railway, but how his death was occa-
stoned there Is not sufficient evidence to show"
Quite recently the town clerk Of Durham drew
attention at a council meeting to standing
order which he regarded as Chinese puzzle.
aHU WHICH ran as IOllOWS: when two or more
persons rise to speak at the same time, the
chairman shall call upon the first person who
rises I'm his place" This reminds one of
the alderman who informed council
that the first meeting Of the council
was held but no one attended" Lieut.
Gen. Burroughs. writing to contempt
rary In February last, on question arising out
Of the Investigations of the crotters' commits
sion in Orkney, made the statement that flames
Leonard, the father Of nine children is an able
bodied man In the prime Of life, and 80 is his
wife"
There are many Scotticisms which might not
appropriately be classed as linguistic ncon-
gruities, to wit, the use Of double negatives
common among a certain section of the Scot
fish peasantry, and such phrases as II feel a
sweet smell" 81 find no pain" and "a four
square table," In this category Of blunders we
may also appropriately include this curious
ep:taph, which may be seen in Montrose church.
yard:
Here lyes the bodeys of George Young and
| Isbel Guthrie, and all their posterity for fifty
yercs backwards"
And the following, which is inscribed on tomb
stone In Arbroath church-yard:
Heir lyes Alex Peter, present town treasurer
of Arbroath, who died the 10Th January. 1870"
1t is said that Il French miser perpetrated the
most practical of all bulls by making himself his
| own heir. The Voltdire recently. in the account
| of an attack upon a gentleman. stated that he
received a stab (which cut the carotid artery OF
| the left hand" NJ. de Cassagnac predicted not
long ago that France would t,,r0w harsaf inf +,