Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1905-02-11
SAINT
VALENTINES
POETS
By GEORGE H. DONALD

at VALENTINES day, the duly
- appointed and sCrupulously OBJ
~ served festival of tender senti-
mentality has from time i'm
memorial been the greatest day in the
calendar for the poets, both major and
minor The prosaic world may decline
to bccome enthusiastic over the sources
of inspiration from which many of
these amatory verses sprang perhaps
it is well that this should be so-but
there is no hesitation in regard to the
exquisite creations themselves.
In the happy days before the realm
of vrrSitication was invaded by writer's
with psychological vagarieS to exploit,
when poetry was but another name for
melody and demanded no accompani-
mcut beyond the lutte or harp and no
explanation whatever, love was the
poets braveSt theme Much of the
dainty vcrs de societe of the post-Eliza-
bCthan periods appeared originally in
valentine form. With all their super
tluity of 10y ladys eyes and my
lem3n's trcSScS," they are beautifully
conceived and altogether charming.
Many of the most interesting Old val.
cntiucS began with definition of love.
1t was evidently Il favorite diversion of
the amatory poets to answer the ques-
ton, What is love- Perhaps the
master of them all set the fashion in
that matchlcss bit from The Merchant
of Venice"
Tell me, where is fancy bred
Or in the heart or in the head?
How bcgot, how nOurishcd?
Reply. reply!
1t is cngendcrcd in the eyes;
With gazing fed. and fancy dies
In the cradle where 1t lies.
Let MS all ring fanCy's knell.
III begin it Ding, dong, bell!
Ding. dong, bell.
And again in that perfect love song,
entitled go Mistress Mine"
What is love? 'Tis not hereafter;
Present mirth hath present laughter.
What's to come is Still unSure.
In delay there lies no plenty.
Then come kiss me, Swcet-and-twenty;
Youths Il stun will not endure.
During the days of the restoration
amatory verse tourishcd valiantly and
valentines were in great request. Rob
ert Icrrick, who had been elected
from his humble rural parish by the
long parliament, went up to the me-
tropolis and wrote penny valentines
for the bookstallS. After the return of
the cXilcd Stuart these love songs be
came Immensely popular, and the poor
young clergyman found himself IA
nous. Icrrick was an adept in the
construction of sentimental verse. 1t
has been objected that his exquisite
love lyrics are pagan in tone If such
be the fact they are more than con
dOncl by the noble spirituality of his
later poems. There is certainly nothing
suggestive of Mount olympus in the
delicious ConfcctiOn 50 often made the
basis of a valentine:
Go. happy rose. and, lnterwovc
With other flowers, bind my love,
Tell her. too, she must not be
Longer flowing longer free,
That so oft hath fettcrcd me.
Say, If she's fretful. | have bands
OF pearl and gold to bind her hands.
Tell her if she struggle still,
| have myrtle rods at will
For to tame though not to kill.
Take, then, my blessing thus and go
And tell her ths-but do not 80
Lest n handsome anger fly
Like a lightning from her eye
And burn thee up. as well as l.
1t was about this time that Nicholas
Breton cndeavOrcd to overcome the
disdain of his fair Phyllis by dispatch
ing a valentine single verse of which
has served a like purpose hundred
times:
Who would not that face admire?
Who would not this saint adore?
Who would not this sight desire,
Though he thought to see no more?
Quaint William Browne was a metri-
cal sixteenth century dabSter of no un-
certain skill. lie was also addicted to
the valentine writing habit of the day,
ana his present fame rests almost sole
ly upon the oft quoted gem beginning: