The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-05-17
THE POBsY PASSION.

The POBSY PASSION.
There is diseess with which most every
one is afflicted ct certain times in MS life
u at is the passion to write poetry. This dis
ease shows Itself in two forms One to write
spring poetry; the other poems of love
sweet illusions OF dsspairing lovers. Sjme
victims are more soreIy afflicted IL an others
with this poetic contagion-tome suffering
extremely while others have only q mild at
tack: kind Of varioiold as il were-Trite
only one pcem and quit. This weakness is
excusable TO certain extent in love-forsaken
old aids, bat when it comes to he .lthy
young men whose sanity is assumed by virtue
Of their sex and years, q love poem from
their hands is simply objectionable and
detestedly abomirabls, EXCEPT in the most
critical cases. IL one be gifted with poesy
and a vivid Imagination let him tune his
heart to loftier ihemss-not rauseous. love-
sick doggersis. When Carlyle spoke OF the
eighteenth century as an age OF shams and
windy sentimentalities" he might have ex-
tended the scope of his assertion 70 the pres
ent century in certain branches
of vernacular literaturs-not litera-
the term, but stuff A few brilliant poetic
stars have graoed this century with their
genius, but when this cor stellstion of poets
shall have faded and passed away, where
shall We lock to others to fill their placss2
They re yet to be bonn, not manufactured,
as some would bs poets suppose, who have a
dsiusiop that they have poetic inspiration
If thew cau IN. "a 10 w,rda rhvna and IF
by sacr fcing all traces OF thought and sense
they are lucky enough to couture up two
successive hi mes, their consciousness of be-
ing poet is established bsyond doubt. Tnis
deiuslon of poetic talent WAS displayed to
the writer by casually seeing an egusion that
had been whit ed down, by great labor, per-
haps. into the shape OF poem, VIII Their thera
was any real ser Sc or postry in ir or not. It
is marvel OF va,bal mechanism and m sster
like in its ju mble of words and clock-werk
rbyming. There were threa links 10 the
poem but we will not be guilty of the in
humanity Of torturing tho reader with all
the poem, but perhaps he can endure q little
OF it il given in homeopathic doses
We had wandered away. from the eepy town
TO the old stone bridge where the creek co mes
down.
There was love in the evening. The ba,my
Thrice kissed by flowers, a. il were
Walled with me for kiss from her.
As she tangled red rose in her hair.
As she tangled red rose in her HAIR
There now. how is that for poetry? II
might do very we'll TO take such dose as
that in q sugar coated pill or in some other
tisteiess way, but to try to swallow the raw
material might produce Indigestion CT q
revolution of the stomach. S1oh q poetic
diet would prove FOO heavy for dyspeptics.
Observe the significance OF the phrase,
"balmy air. which was probably used SYM
bolically to denote the chief characteristic
of the "poem''-airy. Whoever saw q love
poem. strictly amorous remember, that
didn't have something in it about "the old
bridge and creek Love and this style of
architecture seem to be coexisient-one ma
terially associated with the other with poetic
maniacs. Again, the nursed and petted
melancholy and the wasteful and opulent
gush of Zine language" are calculated to
make man have the nightmare. II the
would be pact, when be said I'VE had wan
dered away" ETC.. has only kept on wander
ing and never come back, mankind would
thai he had some grudge at the editor, SO he
wreaked his vengeance by contributing this
poem" 10 his paper. Our sympathies ara
with the prosecuted. This is the first instanos
we ever heard of The balmy air waiting for
a kiss" 1t must have been suffering from
the same malaria that the post was. How
eyer, this Is highly 6gurative and backed by
poetic license. Consequently, our unculti.
va.ed minds are not susceptible to the subtle
beauty larking there. There Is beauty there,
nevertheless, just as there Is beauty in tur-
nip, if 1T cou,d only be seen. Some indu,-
gence might have been allowed the post Tor
orce writing the line. GAS she tangled q red
rose in her hair" bat When he deliberately
repealed it, it seems like premeditated
slaughter. One bad pill is bad enough, but
two are worse. We would like to whisper,
"How sweet" How eloquent" but con-
science forbids it. II there were any fears
OF . blighted crop of poets this year, we
might encourage this poet to come sg,'n,
but this year is tbs time set for the locust
plsgue, and as cslamites never come singly,
We think the full crop of poets will come
along with the other pests. So our advice to
him is to gather up pen and other poetry
machinery and retire to some secluded cave
Zone that will tumble in on him is preie red }
ard don't return until he has reformed aud
is conscious that his poetical talent was q
deceiving halluciHs'ion.
THE specul alive spirit now and then ads