Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-06-27


The complaint is sometimes made,
| not alone of Longfellow, but of other
poets as well, that the sentiment of
which their poetry is the expression
is familiar and common, and that be-
ing so native TO the human heart and
80 homespun in its quality, the verse
in which it is enshrined is SO far, of an
inferior order. The criticism is, OF
course, shallow, and not less shallow
because it often assumes lofty tone
What is pronounced a defect in the
poetry is, in fact, that which insures
its permanent hold upon men. The
sentiment which is new, or strange, or
paradoxical, sentiment peculiarly
proper to prOse,-may, in poetry also,
stir a feeling Of curiosity and interest;
but the feeling is likely to be transient.
1t is like the guest Of an hour. whose
coming. indeed, is welcome, but whose
visit is of brief significance. and is
soon forgotten. But the sentiment
which is familiar. because it is the
spontaneous towering of our nature,
is perennial and abiding; and is like
the friend whose accustomed place is
by the intimate hearth-fire, and whose
absence makes a void that cannot be
filled.
Poetry which Is the product or
ingenious Conceits and subtle spccula-
tons, and morbid fancics, may have
temporary vogue, and may make a
special appeal to individuals; but the
poetry which clingS to the memory,
and comforts and refrcshes. and
purifics the heart. Is that which deals
sincerely and nobly with the COM
monplacc feelings Of love, and duty,
and SORROW, and the home affections.
and the sweetness of childhood, and
the serenity of age. and the rcvcrent
fearlcssnesS Of death. The one kind
Of poetry is the curious, ana often
beautiful, fabric wrought by the
human intellect; the other is the
human reflection, more or less imper-
feet, of the divine wisdom which has
made US what we are. The apprecia-
ton of LonEfcllow, like the apprecia-
ton Of all true poetry. demands of us
an attitude OF sympathy and reverence
for the things which, because they are
not of human origin, are cver-repeat-
cd, and fundamental, and common
place.
nv WV lllt Aoli L lliilp sJi'ii'S' 90 ii''
contemporaries, not without reason,
delighted to call him. remarks in his
Apologize for Poetrie, that of all
sciences the Poet is monarch. HE
comcth TO you with words set in de-
lightful proportions; and with tale
forsouth he comcth to you; with tale
which holdcth children from play, and
old men from the chimney corner; and
pretending nothing moro, doth intend
the winning Of the mind from wicked
ness to virtue"
OF that ideal Of a poet. which is as
old as the art itself, Longfellow is an
admirable cxcmplification. lie comes
to us with tale which. by its vivid
and picturesque charm holds children
from play. and old men from the
chimney corner. The narrative may
be an avowed tale like those which
were told with Chaucerian grace in
the WaySidc Inn, or ii may be in the
form Of an idyl. a ballad, or an epic;
but il is always well-ordercd, graceful
in style, lucid in language, and happy
in the adaptation of the metre to the
theme. lie employed many varieties
Of English verse. and an unerring
instinct led him to choose the form
fitted to his subject For the tale Of
EvangcInc. an idyl of wondrous
beauty and tenderness and pathos. and
for the Cnurtship of Myles Standish,
that picture of stern PuritaniC life, re-
lieved by a delicate and engaging
strain of humor. he made the bold ana
deiihcrat" choice of the hcXameter
form Of verse. Forthwith the critics
began {" demonstrate that the metre
was Of necessity harsh. halting, and
unsuited to English verse; that the
attempt to adapt classical metre,
however musical In its origin. to the
pcCuliarities of English speech had al
ways been failure. and must continue
to be a failure But while they were
husily engaged in proving that the
verse could not h" pleasant to the ear.
or inviting 10 the reader. the gentle
idyl, with its sweetness. and sincerity.
and grace. was winning its way to all
hearts. and charming all ears; so
that the reader or hearer of it was
tempted. at it's conclusion. to apply to
the poem itself the description of its
heroine,
"IIomcward screncly she walked, with
Gods bcncdtCtiOn upon her:
When she had passed it seemed like
the ccasing of exquisite music"
Another experiment in mctrical
form was made by Longfellow in the
poem Of Hiawatha. This may fairly
he called a kind of epic. for. while
StrikinEly unique in form, it is
scarcely more unlike the classical type
of epic than is the F'aery Queen of
Spcnscr. or Tcnnyson's Idyls Of the
King. 1t relates the primevaI tradi-
tions. and describes the daily life of
shy, mysterious people, Of whom the
little that we know invests them with
4 strange. romantic interest. Under
the poets spell. we sit by them at the
door of the lodge. Sand go with them to
hunt in the forest; with them we
shoot the rapids in btSch canoe that
floats on the river,
Like a yellow leaf in Autumn,
Like q yellow water lily"
We are charmed observers of their
wooinG. and guests at their wedding
feast. We seem to partake in their
bithc fellowship with bird and beast.