New-York tribune., 1885-07-05
MISS CLEVELAND on GEORGE ELIOT
,,rp VIEWS OF THE GREAT NovELs1's POETRY.

urp VIEWS OF THE GREAT NOyELIsT's POETRY.
from Adrancs sheets Of Mas cleueands Nep BOOK ,.
(,eorge Eliot's prose carries easily It's enormous
burdens of consecrated gift. 1t is like the lnoom-
narable trained elephants OF Eastern MonaIcus'
which bear at once every nd in ire cnmberons
nantnm il out distances all competitors but
,oetry should betray no burdens. It's Iider snoliu
y, i;ggbtlv with no hint OF spur. III snouia sho'
st mensy conrse and reach its goal unweared The
hon poet has no agony in the deverance OF ms sons NJ
Tba altering Is to him that soothing baim WHICH tno
utterance Is to his reader. c,,oooroo,
oualtes. Perhaps just here in the relation Oh anet
to matter seen her greatest aas s~sr
Sarr,s,, and delivered much as Shakesl care never
nos hnman utterance packed with wealth meaning
80 loaded with all things that can pG i % eames With
push and rush, or with gentie ,,,Sonhe
e can come lust as it must come. lie taxes no
~ ~ he ives none From one of his plays, rePle.o
81, b;s incomparable wit wisdom ana cohSe,S ~" yI
aroa a. from an ocean bath exbhaia.cu W '.e a
tossing of bows whose rough enp,aG emu, go, 81 Central
..t .aress vet carries in itself nnts Oh cch'ia'
tehoe,es,t tnnst horizon. of contact with things IN
heaven and earth undreamt ot IN our ph'iosoPhSc "
nome from one of George Eliots poems as iroin @ !"
COME uv .h nf latest sc,ence and refnement-appre-
c;a1ye of benefit but so Dattereo poa.on ",s % of
iointed a. to need repose before you cah W "
Ths ;ronv of fate spares not one shining marx
cnr,s Eliot cared most to have the name Oh poet =
venture, however to ainrIn ii' t verse have every
,ever exist in true poetry Leu Nciso liz, III "a
nnatv which delights sense capuvaies ; lIGooI t % y
g; ~. heart vet lack that ray which, coming rom
snn bevond our system, reaches, biehus WIN, @ 49,,
SUI su lines the ntuatiou of and longing 1or innoT. r.
taTtv in man--lacking this, You nave hg' poe.i!.
!; the necessity of the poet his rd'son ere 10 me- mre'
S az ;o;n the moving of mems minds toward tne ue!e +,
anu anu For all minds tend thither The dnest mortal
snr;t must at times grope restessly anu eAP.. ~,
+, the outer darkness for something oe!ohu' a T IL
,,,;ng -. mnst exist will exist, IN true poem. ~
soins' ns6ned "a Heaven or Paradise or hades,
nr Nirvana: but must not DC cohlIon'eu 1 49, ~
silence there must be in some way -, The soni
tl,ia de-
:, ,o not knowing what, not seeing where, pu'
trusiinr in somewhat and trusting ins,rst;'n
%heEG, racs m The simplest bead telling Margaret
Is apoeased with the creedless iah ., ns ,rnm
tbough il be- told in phrases slgh'ly uneIed d tha
the parish priests. Faust the nnas and
sated vet feels the unseen ana longs ahu
trnsts Ills proud will brings no coid npen.c.,aine i,
extinguisher to place upon tins leaPng T ~; ininite
,;nao ever moving. moving in its search pecauso i
he feels assurance OF the existence OF the eo"o'-
toSaru Srs EE.t confronted by Margarets question:
sors sadly. With subu ission born OF proud
Ignorance do not know MY 1eeins ,,ahio .n"I aud
someihing somewhere Is, ITSELF nhaccoun''i , n,
unre. nofhiop | simply do not-know VIII ho'
ccan;ecture. 1t is idle and imPertihen1 10 s soSS
There is that of which you ana ooth ,Iv uJ iii
iaoansa We have experience of IT. O1 ms oh's VIZ
or All eIse i but verbiage. We stop here. anu
sbe stoos here before great stone wan, ngno - ~
we see over thicker ,S ,och ra There is no getting
onv tnrther 1t is the very end Now ths can ;don
be poetry for the poet must never Open " brt his
onr horizon He need not be on the WIZ, p"s -. -
Wins must be in sight. He need not-nay ne mus usd
moi. deal with made creeds ana dosna'' ie "''
George Eliot with brain s1Tcharggd rr% %td NTH S@s1t
10 thought and choicest eareiulie. with tongue of
toholl all humanity. il that could save WIN
men and angels tell the knOwedfe svnr G1 nen no.
.a" sr ali of satisfaction that she gives TIE sou
but sounding brass and linking cymna nns s of
not hid me hope when she herself has no "srua -
.h tb;ug boped for She must not speak ia'th ID nc
Unknown. She cannot be cruel 6nt sne ,l,,s can W
dumb and 80 her long procession OF glorious ,n9"sus
and sweet hnmanitics and noblest ethics anu 19,
renunciatons and gracio"s common io's, ahu '1S
;daaI lives. with their scaiding tears ana oulsans
laughter. and flaming passion-all that enters lh.o
mortal lite and times saSfyMIn y;lnn IN to-the stone
wall here she says s the nsn, snd a0eeeVea Ms %a
accept her dicium and be brave se'' un most
to her of The Spanish Gypsy tor Instance
is not poetry 1t Is the S TeGi' Scs Won draw with
s1ricc. science best deduction and inference con,
cernIno the known the movable But, by virtue oi
ali this. il il not poetry.