The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-01-18
THE ALPHABET OF NATURE



us-and Walt Whitman passing for he hears US
no longer. and let US hopo beyond these
voices there is peace"
Overhead the wild wind blowing
Peacefully tho slow years flowing.
There
the status taxes the fundamentals Of pro-
fessional criticism. Especially as coming in
the shadow OF the assertion Of Mr.. Edmund
dosse. that America has produced no poet who
reaches up to circle described around tho
hrst twelve high gods Of British fame. And
when we consider the dctum OF NJ Jules Lc-
maitre that there will DO no poets In the year
2COO. and fool that this kind OF thing must
Keep on as 1t Is. we trcmblc. and. in humble
sense We Kick.
In greeting tho coming and speeding tho
parting guest, In this instance. beg to say
distinctly that there Ia much to be said for, as
we'll as against. Walt Whitman 1t was
claimed BY him and for him that SO far as he
was poet no was distinctivcly an American
poet. Now to say man Is an American
mathematician Is to talk nonsense; what then
can DO meant by American poetry. as distin-
guishcu from poetry in general? A young
m csr teis III III fTT Ira, he i, IN oyH viii.
might as well 10 ono of twenty other girls. So
i s,rs Is a pI Wo e srer,
'sa %nIsh 81 Edw n nor a4TSi
X there Is n poetry distinctly ours. what should
It boz Why whatever was accidentally rhnrac-
terlstie OF any other ago or nation would be
only ~ its %SS st Wh an ss strys
US I, lmst here: sinktnE all that the world had
grasrcl at the central Ideally Of IFS "rii.
nary and extraordinary situations with tho
com, tn"mm T., speech Of the peoe. and lit, caught
ntT.Nlf tllll ,St.,,,
born ior this. and tho event has shown that
he was born for nothing else: he is MOI, an ali
more ethical credit t. him than would have
me-, ans ihnV it nose foot ons But the
and his "nase Such as si inter- rs that Wa sr
us and our culture THO clements Of former
poetry, nrc cfrcte. or shall be
SERIOUSNESS of ours with his beauties OF the old
order. torgetting that the old order ehangeth
AM gets less SPACE In orr motrorotan lonr-
street. is this fairy Is it lust Z, We may per.
i3n,aiy regret that SO it is The whole Of Tint
should ma ko his visit nn event to rs has pruc-
tisaIIy and scientifically faded. and, strangely
better in their hearts than the scientists have
been able to toll it with their mouths. Tho
Eecnaries OF postry as snsh stale and 60
Egyptian Fragment opening thus:
Where is that riant OF the sun which stood
In the midnoon. the glory OF old Rhodes &c.
Would the laureate Let his pen roll OF on the
troddlSb3hs with the glory of old Rhodes"
today He would as easily be caught shout.
ing. Runl. ltnmAnism. and rebellion" And
whereas that ALTERATION of the vnwcls has its
charm for the unsophisticatel taste. the lau-
atns IT only. in very asgu ised forms. This re-
ccurrence Of tho vowels. this internal rhyming.
has been the most marked characteristic Of
successful verse / once collHted all tho
ature: and indicated, this element in thenl-
nj mi
long. or fiat. and ,,tten ending in "a cadence on
~ tho same vowel line or even w? lines below.
The illustration Of this would be tedious in
journalism. save rs II glimpse:
Our buR!es sang truce for tho night cloud had
And sentinel stars set their watch in the sky
The readers will see instantly tho rhyme OF
'bugles and truce" Of CLOUD" and Tow.
cred;,' Of" sentinel and set" and OF watch"
TnfS the n% from
:" Coliseum
Silence. ana Iesolaton and lin night
lteei ye now. feel ye IN your strength. &C.
The internal rhyme is all through a pparent.
The swing from on t. long a is ii means Of
Once in the flight OF ages past
AZ when sGn ~ aawn on m" nSh' OF ,hs gravel
Where stood Jerusalem
The last two words show a rhyme disguised.
nnn me con hlnntioHS Of /. .. y. and Of io.
r. BRYANT
Of the wide old wood and the gray old rocks"
Tho lady WATCHED her love-, and that hour
o; love and nights and oceans solitude
All this which in the, past was poetica,. be-
nig soeaSily imitable;. Take Poes limos above.
!, Vastness ana age" &c. and follow them
Darkness anl change and meodies that swell
Wild as the waves that mings with the night
The poetical distinction in this is tho same
Is IS In the ne other: md shall man got money for
which culture hu, played out in the very i'm.
pnlseto the orisination OF language art has
grown weary OF nature:
They pass like io.ase; they ARE are nature siu now.
There is an exact science of sound expression
been hit only by luck and Chance dread be-,
y. tedion D, but wopd gladly set before tho
:et reg OF mHE Sun the ALPHABET OF nature. as
othor fellow. Intending BY the ALPHABET II ma ma
ure tho meanings which the sounds Of the let
psore are Gnt HINTS IN and
1rs q ne word. AS to Just where this is not
staneea in flake. scale. plate. away. the
, short. aatness as in mat pat. strap. flap
). Drawn, initial force: big. bully. brazon.
final f ionn 3 and end: sod. clod wal. rug
initial. violence: do. dare, dig. drive damn.
: long: convergence and concentration: be, |
see. ieel. sIuca, keen. mean. peep. leetle.
. h. I. are the softening letters-cthereal.
breathing. huff. froth. fenthery.
!. hardness: with .. hard roughness: grit,
crate grind. growl.. with l. hard polish:
glitter. glow. glass. glide. CLEAN.
silmneSs ana tlnonesS Of lights and sounds: |
thin, sti n. prim. spindle. SIX in. skim.
i 'R in n n lghfs and sounds: tinke. twin
chill and polish: clear. lucid. strong in bril-. |
liant. glary. glide. glass.
n. mohotony: murnur hum. dream. rumble. |
moan. memory.
/, negation and contempt: all nations says no |
with m affecting the muscles at tho side |
sneak. nasty.
J. roundnesS. volume. solemnity: cid. lone. |
hOly: noble. woe. moan. dole. devotion,
pory: for man gocth to his long home, |
ana tho m2urners 80 about tho streets"
. volume without fibre: pulp. plump. volup- |
tuous. ripe. lip.
l. a,leer. quaint quizzlcal 1ulp, quirk. squeak.
:. rSughncss. vibration. bur. mar. ragged: |
Plato instances tho effect Uf !. all through |
the Greek poetry.
!. mois turc: steam, slip, slop, slush, mist. |
luscious.
y vehemence: vim. vice. vengeance. victim.
. haze. dry confusion: may. dow v2onary:
"a plea2lne land Of drow2yhcad It waz."
n NJ