The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-01-07
sara ~Tea-dale's Helen OF Troy" and
John Hall WheclOck's
Adventure"
~ n. II. PECKHAM. West Raleigh

acteristics as did the minor English
poetry OF Pope's day or Tennyson
day. For instance. in our twentieth
century verse, we note among otner
qualities the following: a fondness 1or
aying old things in q striking. novel
way; a love for clever %conceits, not
unlike the conceits of the Caroline
poets: a tendency to be penSlVe; q
striving for more and more WHO
imagery; and a high degree of tech
meal excellence. We need not be sur
prisd To find all of these qualities in
Miss T~easdale's verses. AS a matter OF
fact. they are very prominent there.
Note, for example, how in her poem
THE Kiss" she clothes an idea as old
as the ~prOverbial hills in a brand
new dress:
I hoped that he would love me.
And he has kissed my mouth.
But I am like a stricken bird
That cannot each the south.
For tho ! know ne loves me,
Tonight my heart is sad;
His kiss was not so wonderful
As all the dreams / had
And notice what a pretty conceit
she has wrought in The Rose and
the Bee" Carew or Sucking or Her
rick might ave done something like
this:
If I were a bee and you were a rose,
Would you let me In when h gray
vino blOwsY
Would you hold your petals wide
apart.
Would you let me in to find your
II you were a rose:
II I were q rose and you were a bee.
You should never go when you came
to me.
1 should hold my v on my heart at
last.
I should close my leaves and keep
II you were a bee.
Nor do we have to search far for
the pensive note. Here is one among
q number Of examples that might be
given TO prove this point. The pensive
little piece which I am about to quote
is called twilight:
Dreamily over the roofs
h cold spring rain is falling:
Out in the lonely tree
A bird is calling. calling.
Slowly over the earth
The wings Of night are falling;
My heart like the bird in the tree
Is calling, calling, calling.
As good illustrations as may be
found Of Miss T~easdale's vivid imagery
bear the title. CITY vignettes." Here
they are:
I.
Dawn.
The greenish sky CLOVIS up in misty
reds,
The purple shadows turn to brick
The dreams wear thin, men turn upor
their beds,
And hear the milk-cart jangle b,
alone.
II.
Dusk.
The city's street, a roaring blackenet
Walled in by granite. thro' Who's
thousand eyes
A thousand yellow lights begin t,
gleam,
And over all the pale ~untrouble,
III.
Rain and Night.
n street-lamps shine in a yello,
Down the splashy. cleaning stree
And the rain is heard now loud no,
blurred
By the tread Of homing feet.
The above miniatures are admirab,
clear-cut: even the most captious c
critics must admit that. But cor
crete. vivid imagery IL fashionable
IA day-as fashionable as shrimI
and bridge and skyscrAper apartment
houses. One might as well praise 81
of Pope's disciples for producing
wefl-turned maxim in couplet for
as to laud q present-day Americs
poet for drawing q clear picture.
n technical. mechanical exec
lence q ~verse-fOrm Is fashionab
nowadays. too. With US Of the TIVE
tieth century q riHaester as crude
Whittier Or Emerson would hard
pass SnuSter, no matter how vii
uA&ht Ae his message. Harsh ram
n fNMpinG feet are - thoroaxhly q
tiQuate0 - AE1 kerosene arms
hAirctofh furnit0 re. Well, here -
&