Evening star., 1925-02-23

1t would not be surprising to find
that Pope, with the usual inconsioer-
ate manner of the i'll, had managed
to be a brighter opfimist than the
healthy writers, and q frmer believer
Ia true religion than many OF the
pIcus.
A1exantler Pope wss born May 2,
1888, In London, the son or a well-to-
do trSdesman, who fostsFed the poetic
bent OF his child. ipstend of hinder
Ing it, as so many parents have done
before and since,
Writing poetry is no crime when
the poet can write 1t az Pope did.
Later removing to Windsor Forest,
young Pope got taste OF country
isfe. He was a precocious Child. AT
IA years he made poetic translation
of Latin and Greek, and as youth
published his "Pastorals," still inter
esting on account of their smooth
facility.
Pope soon became fashionable. His
couplets were the rage" With the
publication Of the Rape of the
Lock" which strikes US now as al
most too smooth. he was an assured
success in the field OF verse.
His life thenceforth was given over
to poetic work, including his trans
Iation OF Homers "Illiad." 1T is
very pretty, Mr.. Pope, but IL fs not
Homer" said a critic. and that critf-
cism remains just to this day. Pope
did use q pretty free hand in nam
ding Homer, as any one can see who
will read william Cullen Bryant S
blank verse translation in compari-
son. But Pope did manage to recall
Homer to the men OF his dag, which
was a feat in itself, and he did con-
trive TO complete the translation in
coupIets, a tour de force, RI you ask
me.
What is't 30 me "a passenger God wott
Whether my vessel ue hfst-IHte o. not!
The ship itself may mike better ngate'
But I taat ssH am neither less nor bigger
I neither strut with ev'ry fav ring bfeath,
Nor strive with all the tempest 70 nay teeth;
In power, wit, figure. virtue, fortune placed
Behind the foremost and before the last.
So Pope described himself, and the
description fits most men. There is
a certain home-iike quality about
Pope's polished coupiets that utterly
makes the reader forget the time the
man must have spent upon them, and
brings them home to our hearts and
bosoms, as II they were just so much
ordinary tes-table conversation.
What reader does not respond to
those opening lines of the second
EplSte OIL lBc Eesay oh
Know then thyseif, presume not God to sean
The proper study Of mankind j. man.
Placed on this isthmus Of . middle state.
A being dsrkiy wise aad rudeiy great
With too much kuowiedse for the sceptic :
side.
With TOO much weakness for the stoic's pride,
He hangs between, in acubt to act or rest,
In doubt 10 deem himself q god or beast,
In doubt his mind body 10 prefer,
Born but to die and reasoning but to err.
Afike In ignorance, his reason suh,
Whether be thinks too fittie or too much
Chsos OF thought and passion. all confused,
Still By himself abused or disabused;
Created half to rise and half 10 fail.
Great lord Of all thisgs, yet Q prey 10 all;
Sole judge OF truth. in endless error hurled
The glory. Jest, and riddle Of the world:
Somehow, those last lines remind
one Of the bitter ones on Goethe's
bust:
Life 10 q Jest, And all things show IL:
thought once, and now know IL.
There is this difference. however,
The latter are harsh; Pope never. Be
meath the cynicism OF his lines re-
main the broad outlook OF the philos-
opher who had viewed entire uni
verse and pronounced his judg meni
one with that OF God-that 1t was
good.
For Pope was the poet. be il re-
membered, who enriched the common
speech OF all English speaking peo-
pies with such understanding lines as
To err In human 10 forgive divine.
Fools rush In where angels fear to tread
An honest mans the noblest work Of God.
The feast Of reason and the Cow OF soCi.
A little learning is a dangerous thing.