The Meeker herald., 1909-07-17
POETS
By John E. FeLsrs
Aldermen Swlnburne.
By John E. FsNsrs

Algernon SWInburt,e.
II was In 1887. Nations were u
peace. England was the central sun
in the political skies. Queen Victoria.
gentle, kind and tactful. was Just com.
ing to the throne. Napoleon was sleep
ing in the island of st. Helena ana
the duke of Wellington was stu alive.
Thinkers were friends the world over
and the leaders of popular thought
were on good terms. Emerson was
lecturing and writing in America;
Carlyle in England was publishing ~.
hindered 1.-THE French Revolution;
Hugo was establishing in France the
Romantic School of the Nineteenth
Century; Heinrich Heine was singing
his German songs; Frederika Bremen
was weaving into pretty romance the
peasant life Of Sweden and Norway.
and the Irish melodies Of Thomas
Moore were finding their way to the
universal heart.
Algernon G. Swinburne was born
that year. His father was an admiral
In the English navy and his mother
was the daughter Of the earl Of Ash
burnham. Could the time. and the
tide. and the ancestry have been more
favorable? Could this boy have been
other than a poet? Is 1t any wonder
that his genius bore fruit almost be.
fore 1t bloomed? Is 1t any wonder
that In the swish and swing Of tho
river on Its way to the sea, he heard
song that filled his soul with en-
thusiasm and love? Do We wonder
that there were times when in his ef-
fort to express the ineffable ideal. the
limpid flow and rhythmic beauty Of
his poems fell upon ears that could
not hear?
Swinburne is a master builder Of
verse and rhyme and song. He
catches the vagrant idea and sends 1t
along the years, singing its melody
alike to peasant. priest and king. He
is an Intellectual detective always ins
search Of beauty and usually he finds
1t hiding in places others would over
look. The commonplace is always =
burning bush, which requires Moses
to understand. There Is no music in
the autumn winds until the listener
comes. There is no order and beauty
in the rolling spheres until some
Herschel stands beneath the stars.
There is no fragrance in the violet un-
til the lover Of flowers bends down
above the blossoms" Only the lover
of poetry knows poetry.
Swinburne has been called the "sky-
lark Of English Poetry" and right well
does that name 1T him, for his read
ers ind In much Of his work. that
which leads the thought to . higher
contemplation. When young man he
wrote many poems that were tinged
with criticisms Of kings and priests.
But for those poems NO doubt he
would have succeeded Tennyson ~
Poet Laureate" Of England. Until
quite recently the English people re-
Earded him as not quite friendly to
the established church and the royal
ty Of the realm. but at present he is
known throughout the reading world
as the very greatest living poet.
His classical tragedy Atlanta" pub.
lished In 1854, was perhaps his great
est poem. In 1866 he published in
America volume under the title of
"Laus Veneris" that contained 30
many poems Of an erotic character It
was forced out of publication and 10
now rarely found even in old collec-
lions. The following stanzas from "A
Match" show his remarkable ability
for threading thought through his
words in q rythm that 10 both charm.
ing and delightful:
II you were Aprirs lady,
And I were lord in May.
We'd throw with leaves for hours
And draw for days with flowers
TIL day. like night were shady
And night were bright like day:
II you were Aprirs lady,
And were lord in May,
IL you were queen Of pleasure,
And I were king of pain,
We'd hunt down love together,
Pluck out his flying feather,
nd teach his feet a measure;
And ind his mouth q rein;
you were queen of pleasure
Ind were king of pain.
Historical Setting.
1887.
John Burroughs, an American essay
list of worldwide reputation; Edward
Eggleston, known to fame as the su.
thor Of THE Hoosier Schoolmaster:
William Dean Howells, novelist, poet
and diplomat; and Algernon G. Swim.
burne were each born the same year
that Chicago was incorporated as a
city.
JOHN e. FELLERs.
GAA1tnI T.