St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-03-13
THE ROBIN.
very profound and difficult oem, full
explained by foot notes

explained 3y foot notes
Oh. robin, thou sweet harbinser of spring.
Thou sweet forerunner of the verilnl " ar
The bending heavens draw nigh to hear thee
sing,
And feel better whilst thou ART near I
Come, gentle Spring. ethereal mildness.
The robins here: come on; arrive this
The air. think. has moderated some.
And yernal breeZes blow around ihe-er-er-
er #
This poem is written. not because
the author has anything to say about
the robin, but because any poet who
knows his business will write ali ut
the lobin i'll the robin season. This is
the season Of the year Tor poetry OH
the robin, and the author wishes the
reader to take notice that he is here
with his poem on schedule time.
%sl hope the hypercritical reader will
not get mad here, and declare that he
has heard this remark before. OF course
he has; 1t Is mighty good remark, and
every poet i'll good standing always
rings it i'll every time he writes about
the robin. ! don't propose tn poke
around alone outside the Muses. bowers.
L want to go in the crowd Will Tie rest
OF the poets, and l feel that any bard
about the robin must ailude To rim as
the harbnger OF spriug. | know my
business.
r The author is aware that some liter
airy dude may get up here and declare
that this second line means exactly the
same as the first line. But this second
line Is intended to answer a vociferous
encore on the part of the reader. Ii
poet writes line so all-tired good that
his readers keep egging him OH 10 write
more just like it, il he wants to cater to
their trade he's got TO listen TO their de-
mandS. The author was long dubious
as 10 whether he ought to write third
line with precisely the same meaning as
the first and second.
Of course the reader understands
that this is lie. The heavens don't
draw nigh. neither does the robin sing:
he simply chIrps. But if the heavens
don't actually draw nigh and the robin
doesn't sing They ought 10: and any poet
VINO pretendS 10 come up to the scratch,
must paint the ideal and not the real.
You just trust the author TO do this
thing up in WOrkmanIike and au fait
manner.
EIhe author "feels better" although
he is fully aware that the reader NAV De
growing rapidly worse. But when lie
says he "teeiS better he hopes the
Reader will not be scared off, right in
this most interesting part OF the poem,
for fear that he is kind of edging up TO
recommend somebody's stomach pills,
ana testify to their agency i'll making
iIia feel better" He is aware that
most poetry, nowadays, ends up in that
way. But let the reader continue in
perfect serenity. The author is not that
kind of poet.
i The author is aware that this has
been said before. But somehow it is
easier TO think things that other people
have thought than to think things of
your own.
If l may be pardoned the vanity
this is beautiful line. L have looked
Shakespeare through, from beginning
TO end, and L haven't found anything
like it.
I The author does sort of hate to
cave i'll right here before he's said any
thing about the subject. But he has
m!slald his rhyme for mouth, and can't
find ii. But he has got two or three
other jobs on hand today. and cannot
bother TO fuss over this any longer.
But there is final word which he
wishes to say. This poem is intended,
by Its author for permanent place in
the literature OF his country and his
race. 1t Is written with that end
So ii you can't see any sense
i'll the poem you should consider it
too deep for easy comprehension. That's
what's the matter with it. It's TOO
profound. But If it ever gets to poster
ity, posterity, l hope, will find out what
ii means. One word In conclusion to
the editors of this country and England.
You will all want to copy this poem. |
can plainly foresee that You will be
crazy to do this, and l deeply sympa-
thize with you in this dssire But can
only grant you permission to copy ex-
tracts from the poem. Any one who
copies the poem entire Will be prose-
cnted to the full extent of the
law. l Will not see this literary gem
vulgarizeQ by promiscuous publication.
L. ). TransiatorS who may wish tO
translate THIS poem into all the modern
European languages, will be permitted
to do so after they nave forwarded
certified check for $50 TO the author.
Z. 5. If this poem should be set to
music, as it undoubtedly will be. and
sung in all our principal cities, the au-
thor will expect 81 every time it is sung.