The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-07-30
GOLDEN AGES OF LITERATURE
! xlv.-HoMER. DANTE AND MILTON.

(By vida d. scudderl
It seems natural to group these three great |
epic poets together but at least between |
Dante and Homer there are few points OF
contact Nothing could better measure the
distance In experience traverssd by the hu-
man rnce from the dawn OF civilization to
the elimination. SO far. OF Christ anity as
the contras, between the "1liad" and "odys-
sey' and the Divine COMEDY
The scene OF the Homeric poems is tEis
earth. They show us men loving, hating
uuarioling. hghting dying witl superb |
naturalness that comes fresh to us today
through all the centuries s.nce they were
written. The Had" shows us pre-emlnentlv
man the hghtCr. and his foes are VI nesh anu
blood. The Odyssey shows us pre-eminent-
~ man the wandercr and the hero taNeise5
the surface of world still tefming haeSa
with marvel. vet with all its marvels wholy
open TO the eye OF sense. They are glorlouss
POEMS. Their spell is cast on all who reld
them. from childhood to manhood There
IS IN ttem a 10Y OF life. yigor. a movement,
an enthusiasm for all the natural a'uVlues
anl passions OF men, which belong 70 the
youth OF the race and which We eaten once
zon.
Tho scene of the Divine Comedy OF
! Daltc is the soul of one individual man we
/ no longer follow the movement OF batllesi we
/ no lorger sail over the world. We penetrate
/ deeper and deeper. then higher and hlgher,
/ the experiences of single individual. IL Is
II means that Christianity has come into the
/ world and has revealed tina the fate OF ma.
tions and the stirring of the peoples are o.,
less account in the eternal vision than those
inward events and actions which determine
the -rcrbl destiny Of separate men.
-
At FIRST the older epic very likely seems
the greater to US; assuredly the more enter
tanning There is more variety in it. wider
range of character and incident. perhaps.
we think more healthful and cheerful
tone. Now 1t is impossible TO measure the
great imaginative treasures OF the RAGS
against each other. or to saw one is greater
than another. To each star its own glory
AMI vat If we look deeper shall hardly
saw that Homer is more cheerful than Dante.
Tnes4 ancient epics are essentially. wnen
auayzed. sad. Their gods are now friendly.
nov hostile but always eapricious: tneIr
heroes largely the sport OF fate. the lovellest
woman in them the fatal Helen. the source
OF disaster; ruin and sham: when all tue
eager fighting is done 1t is hard to see
that there is any worthy end to II all. and a
Rreae darkness awaits warriors and Yal-
dorCrs. the entire human race as it passes
Ont Of sight into mystery
1t is not because Dante holds. In a mechani-
cal way. to life beyond death that his poem
seems to the thoughtful reader more lraught
with hope and inward ioy than that OF the
Greek world 1t is because here and now
ha reveals eternity Reading him. we feel
how wonderfully life has been enriched. how
: ments have entered 1t. as the race mas
COMO on living The range Of emotion. Of
aim. OF experience. both in ioy and sorrow
is Nidened beyond all words. 1t is OF little
use TO make au assertion like this without
proving It. but one must read Homer and
e. Darte to sec whether the thing Is true The
love OF woman in Dante is no LONGER de-
vOuripR fate bitter cause of strife; 1t mas
> become holy, and 1T leads men up to GOD
. suffering is 10 longer the strange blight In I'M
: Mysterious stll--hOw otherwise2-it Is We
i fraurbt with redemptive power An END o
,. oy beyond all human thought awaits tn,
v wandCrcr. The best OF enduring hlppines'
' that The ancient world could conceive Is rec
- ogli2ed. and gwen place In pane put so ma!
= mans mower OF imagining low risen through
the ages that this old pagan happ.ness Is b;
Dante actually put within the limits OF hell
= The Elypian fields. the paradise of antiquity
T., the happiest future for virtuous men tina
u Homer or Virgil could dream Of. are in hi
y underworld. There live forever all the nobi
, men who knew not Christ. They rest from
$ m ToSa they abide in maissti1 dwellings,
II they share high converse undisturhed b
:, wrath or fear. Nor Homer nor Virgil coul
> conceive a higher iov. But Dante knew
= hirhrt-a Leaven of ecstacv and rapture int
= which no PAGAN noet ever might soar. II
n has been rerroached for leaving hts grea
- recognize that he gave tncm all they ha
~ ever wished. in fullest measure.
IL The epic Of antiquity, the epic OF IN
II outward life will always have a WIDER ar
IS peal than Dante. 1t will always possess. l
re- a sense. more action variety. actualitv an
~ charm. Yet every dspassionate reader mus
le recognize. wherher with 10Y or sorrow. tn
=. new regions entered ard explored by II
soul Of man. and the new treasures brougl
from within between the time of ''Ildl
ia and odyssey and the time OF the "DiVil
Comedy"
al Joints OF likeness between Milton and Dant
The "Tarad. Sc Lost" like the Divine Con
a. cdy." is n religious, a Christian epc; bot
a. poems nave for theme the fall and the r.
It. Gempjion Of man, both present wondert
" pictures Gf nell ard heaven. Yet. thoup
as thcv are indeed most interesting to coMpdr
- becomes the difference between the poems.
We must note at the beginning that hi
D., toyically speakng Milton suotends a mu
Ill smaller arc, than Dante Dante IS the pc
"a OF universal catholicism: Milton is the 20
he Of Erglsh Puritanism of the Seventeen
ne century. We should expect TO ind. rs y
"a do find certain GOODNESS, certain limit
- tons mingled with much that is exalted al
"a noble in its uoet A very special tyne
nv Theology tvpe which ala net enauro we
lectusl structure of the Paradise Lost
NJ iton is extremely anxious to Justly u
theology which he honestly considers, TO
the full expression of the will OF God
or starts out. as he deliberately tells US
va Justify the ways Of God To man i Won
~ never nave occurred 70 Ddllc lNb 'si' W u
nae Of Cod needed Justification In the "Diyt
Comedy" Darto moves adortng y = woF
ry- revealed by faith. in tho Paradise l. s
,ad Mi!t0l, presents eloquently world conceiv
b. Theology. II is verv dinaront matter
nee u follows that there is = deco person
OF note t.. Dnnt-'s poem that w do not nnd
MiltGg's Milton wrote most wonderful d
ex- scr,rton of the Garden OF Eden and Of Ada
NV ana Eve In It. The description g one OF
~" grsat things IN literature. II is 20 MOVE
ful in beauty. in melody, in intallectual ~
ana sentiment, that for generations II fairly u
low rcsed on the Enclish imagination and
ne thorgh g bore little relation % tho nvste
old Gus, brief account Of paradise and the {
1ed In Holy Writ we stll TODAY MIX NO N'lt
- and the Bible. And vet. with all tho heau
mo Of the description. We do not feel - II "
Il | ton rad visited the Mace. | am quite 81
,ed, that Dante in his own person. wandered
That lt'le wood where the breeze was bio
had inc and the brook was flowing on the
ovc Of PurEatcrv I am never confess G.
tain that Miltons own feet had stray
a through the winding paths Of his Eden
Nor The nohest mart Of the Paradise Lost
Ell tho m0rvelouslv exalted yet somber ire
aoy mont OF hell and OF Luciter. Every one kno
me the magnificent description OF thar dreary
Hn