St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1893-08-26
A STUDY IN POETRY,
In Which 1T is Shown That Opinions
MAY Honestly Differ.

. pinchirg off the buds of inspired geniu
$ and the visitor sat down with the hors
editor, who had /; few moments Jus
then to waste.
t ''By the way" remarked the horse
: editor, Il was thinking about you to
day"
'O'', Thanks" lisped the visitor; 81
hope it was good"
} Fairy, yes,' assented the horse
editor; but it was rather about your
taste FOR Poetry than about you, per Sc.
! was looking over some of the eastern
magazines, ready here and there tho
poetry tiley publish"
"Yest" and the Lover of True Poetrf
looked soulful. "They do print suci
lofty verse; he said; ':each beautiful
thought in such artistic garnture.
"<ow, don't you know, it didn';
quite strike me that way" said the horse
editor. Il presume my soul isn't alto
gethcr onto it. Listen to this, for in
stance, froi1 &cri5ner's for February,
written BY Louise Chandler Moulton,
and entitled, Shall l Complain 2 and tn,
unpoctic horse editor opened the maya
zine and read:
"ShaiI I complain, who still this bliss
nGlT know,
And thrill anew to each long past de-
! light,
And see dear faces steal back, one by
To hear old voices whisper, sweet and
! low.
When all the world is vague with COM
ing night
To sit alone and dream at set of SUM-,
The visitors hands were clasped and
his eyes looked dreamily toward the cell
| ing.
''Raptrrous, beautiful, charming, !"
| he exclaimed.
"Think so?' asked the reader "Wcll,
how is this from the May Century, by
Harriet Prescott Spotford, and entitled
"A Knight of Pcntecost?'
can sacrosanct,a Knight of Pertecost,
Then rode he forth, his trump of onset
sounded,
By all the forces of the day surrounded,
White with the whiteness of the Holy
Ghost,
Full of the strength that holds the stars
together,
Full of the word that made the sunlit
weather.
The Lovers eyes were radiant.
TT is full of the divine on EARTH" he
said, ''strong as a giant and tender as a
woman's touch"
Everybody to his liking, as the old
lady sail when she kissed her cow" re-
marked the practical wretch; but how
does this from the Cosmopolitan for
February, by an unknown writer, seem
to occur to yCu?'
cart these thysclf, or art thou all OF
these
The doves. the palaces, the soft sea
White statues, fountains in the cypress
Familiar roses and strange olive trees
[ cannot part thee from one gardens
bloom"
''The very breathing of the soul that
loves; the music of heart-strin-
touched by master hand" exclaimed
the Lover rapturously.
at wouldn't work we'll into a horse ;
race, that's very true," admitted the !
horse editor; ''but here's another. ,
Madison Carvein wrote it and Haype,'s ;
for February gave it to the world. 1t is !
called The Red Bird"
"And now the red bird sings!
Red wings among the flowers !
Swim through the very hours;
And now two redder wings,
Il ,lo
"That is nature idealized in perfect
rhythm" murmured the Lover of True
Poetry.
"I'vc got a lot more that l picked out
from other magazines and other numbers
of these | quote FROM" said the horse
editor softly, 'but l won't read them
n0w.'
Eyes, read them," pleaded the Lover
of True Poetry.
''No, won't; they make me tired, said
the horse editor.
ooh, don't say that" said the visitor.
cit shows such dreadful lack of taste:
such waste of appreciation of that which
is SO truly beautiful"
'Fudgei' exclaimed the horse editor
''Do you mean to tell me these verses
mean anything and say things as they
could best be said!"
'Indeed | do; and only poems of that
kind are admitted to those magazines.
That is the true and highest stand
and"
Well, now, suppose you come off the I
PERCH" suggested the horse editor.
g You can't find one of those poems as |
read them to you in the magazines | ;
have quoted from.'
But know can. I read them my :
self and. remember the sentiment and the
wording quite distinctly" i
POSSIBLY you do, old man; possibly :
Tou do, but everyone of them read to ,
you from finish to start; that is, the last =
inc first, and so on, and they make just =
Is good sense one way as they do the !;
other, and you can try them both ways =
md see. And not they only, but most 7
If this modern high class poetry is cut
Ut the same piece. Now, what I want
o know is, is the true merit of poetry
o be found in that true comprehensive
less of diction and sentiment which will "
'ermit it to be read backwards and for
Yards with equal sense, or shall we APP 7
'ly the ordinary rules of prose reading to q
t? Don't answer now," said the horse !,
ditor, staying the reply of his visitor, I
but think it over and come in with your l.
nswer day after tomorrow. l must now !,
o out and lay few sentences ON horse f
ace i'll the eastern circuit" and the horse g
ditor left the Lover of True Poetry +
arefully examining the poems in the 8,