Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1890-05-06
THE EYES OF GENIUS.
How the Orbs OF the Poets Have Ap'
reared to Observers.

How the Orbs OF the Poets Have Ap-
peared to Observers.
Emerson used to say that each man
carried in his eye the exact indication
OF his rank in the immense scale of mon.
Another close observer of human nature
asserts that persons with prominent
eyes are found to have great command
of words and TO be ready speakers and
writers. A third holds the theory that
the prevailing color OF the eyes of men
of genius is gray.
Colonel IIigginson speaks Of Nathaniel
IIawthorno's gray eyes" while +. ii.
Underwood, "who once studied them at
tentively, found them mottled gray and
brown and indescribably soft and win
ming" Elsewhere we find it asserted
that mo finer eyes had appeared in the
literary circle OF Great Britain since
Burns time than those of Hawthorne"
David Gray's were large and lus-
trous," and Dante Rossetti's ''gray-blue,
clear and piercing, and characterized by
that rapid, penetrating gazo SO notice
able in Emerson"
Shelloy's eyes are always spoken OF
as magnificent, and fully indicative OF
his wayward genius. One writer de-
scribes them as large and animated,
with dash of wildness in them" an
other speaks Of them as "such pair OF
eyes as are rarely seen in human or
any other head, intently blue, with a
gentle and lambert expression, yet won
derfully alert and engrossing." Med
with, while writing of Shelley's appear
ance, refers to his blue eyes, Every
large and prominent They were at
times, when he was distracted, as he
often was in contemplation, dull, and,
as it were, insensible to external OBJ
jects; at others, they flashed with the
fire of intelligence" Tom Moore's
eyes were "as dark and fine as you
would wish to sec under q set OF vine
leaves"
OF Coleridge It Is reported: "His
forehead was prodigious-a great piece
of placid marble; and his fine eyes, in
which all tho activity of his mind
seemed to concentrate, moved under it
with sprightly ease, as II it were
pastime TO them to carry
all that thought" Another friend
of his writes: "The upper part
of Coleridge's face was excessively
fine. His eyes were large, light gray,
and prominent, of liquid brilliancy,
which some eyes OF fine character may
be observed to possess, rs though the
orb itself retreated to the inner
most recess OF the brain" In his Life
OF Sterling" Carlyle introduces his IA
nous description of Coleridge's appear
ance. "rhe docp eyes, of light hazel,
were," he says, ''as full of sorrows as OF
inspirations; confused pain looked mild
ly from them, as in a kind pf mild as
constituent"
The eyes of Keats were described by
ono Of his contemporaries as mellow
and glowing; large, dark and sensitive"
Cowden Clarke states that they were Of
brown color, or dark hazel, thus con-
tradicting Mrs. Proctor's assertion that
they were "blue."
"The finest eyes, in every sense oi
the word, which have seen in a mans
head land have seen many fine ones,
are those Of Thomas Carlyle" Such II
the testimony OF Leigh Hunt. In de-
scription of the "Chelsoa Sage" as {
lecturer at Willis rooms, we find the
following: "There he stood, rugged O.
feature, brow abrupt like low cliff
craggy over eyos deep set, large, pierc
: ing, between blue and dark gray, full O
rolling fire."
Leigh Hunt. in his Autobiography,
speaking of Wordsworth's appearance
says; ~ never beheld eyes that looked
so inspired or supernatural. They wer'
like firos half burning, half shoulder
! ing, with sort of acrid fixture OF re
gard, and seated at the further ond o
two caverns. One might imagine Eze
kiol or Isaiah to have had such eyes"
Walter Scott says OF Burns: ''rher'
was a strong expression of sonse ant
! shrewdness in all his lineaments; thu
eye alone, l think, indicated the poetica
character and temperament 1t wa
! large, and OF class that glowed Il sal
literally glowed) when he spoke will
feeling or interest. never saw sucf
another eye in human head, though
have seen the most distinguished mel
OF my time. ."-Chambers' Journal.