Evening star., 1924-11-06
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

True poetry is known not so mucf
by what 1T tells or by what 1t means
| as by a sense of exaltation which il
| brings to the sympathetic reader.
Thus a poem may be worthless ir
| so far as it can be analyzed and re.
duced to concrete thoughts, yet be
worth much more than fine gold be.
| cause of this quality which it induces
In our school days, when we were
forced to wade through Shelley's
| "Adonais." in all probability we hateG
| it heartily, but now that we can ap.
proach that elegy simply because we
| want to. we find in it qualities which
| bring about the exaltation of spirit
We find induced by all truly grea,
poetry.
In this, the second of a series OF
reviews Of old books. we will con-
slider only the "Adonais," from the
| poetical works of Percy Bysshe Shell.
| ley. At this distance. in this age, the
death of John Keats in his oath year
| means nothing to US.
The unfortunate death of that
young poet, however, stirred Shelley
to his depths and resulted in the
"Adonais,' the elegy on the death OF
Keats, which must ever remain one
of the purest examples of English
poetry in existence.
1t has about 1t all the precise
charm Of Beethoven's Moonlight So
nata," which. though it is far from
epic in structure, yet contains quail
ties of sadness that breathe out OF
the composition even in the hands OF
an amateur.
With the meaning of "Adonais,
therefore. we will have nothing to do
We will leave that for the professors
and the teachers. Let us, however
attempt to enter into the charm OF
the music of the composition and ex-
perience its exaltation, the glory OF
old-time poetry.
weep for Adonais-he is dead.
till the future dares
Forget the past his fate and fame shall be
An echo and light unto eternity!
For he is gone where all things
wise aid fair descend. Thus we are
told, in fairest verse, a truth as ole
as mankind, yet ever new In this
world of life and death, mixed sc
curiously together, yet SO far apart
that neither state seems to have much
realization of the other.
Most musical OF mourners. weep anew!
Thy extreme hope the loveliest and the last
The bloom, whose petals nipt before they blew
Died on the promise Of the fruit, is waste
The broken lily les-the storm is oyerpast.
He has come to that high capita
where kingly Death keeps his pale
court and has purchased, with price
of purest breath. grave among the
eternal.
He will awake no more, oh, never more!
This has been the passionate cry
of all men, in all ages, as they stood
before the tomb of beloved one. II
was heard in ancient Egypt: its
echoes resound in the Old Testament
today there is not a day goes by but
it goes up somewhere.
1t was not heard in the election
night crowds because the spirit OF
life was there. In the hustle and
hustle of the great city the thought
of death held little place. But at the
same hour in many homes there was
quietness and sadness and an utter
disregard of how the election came
out because the ultimate sorrow had
come to those households.
r
"Oh weep for Adonais. The quick dreams
Who were his hocks, whom near the living
streams
OF his young spirit he fed, and whom be
taught
The love which was its music. wander not.
Wander more, from kindling brain to
But droop there, whence they sprung: and
mourn their lot
Round the cold heart, where. after their
sweet pain.
They ne'er will gather strength nor find q
home again.
So one passes away who had served
his life in the interests of the educa-
tion of young men; so goes one Whc
has spent his youth. middle age and
old manhood in the active life OF
news gathering.
There is not an Office that has not
known this sudden passing in the
night We come down to the office in
the morning, and the elevator man