Evening star., 1925-03-14

! The old doubt, of course, remains,
and must remaln-unless some book
| lover should dig up those manu-
scripts down in Florida, or some
other State!
Macpherson. if faker. covered
up" very well. There are several
statements in his own preface which
might be so regarded. One interesting
| explanation of his day was that, after
the poems had made what today is
| called q hit" the translator wished
| to seize all the glory for himself, and
| destroyed the ancient manuscripts.
X = x u
One interesting statement in DR..
| Blair's critical dissertation" follows:
The manners of Ossians age, so
| far as we can gather them from his
writings, were abundantly favorable
| to a poetical genius.
The two dispiriting vices to which
| Longinus imputes the decline of
poetry, covetousness and effiminacy,
were as yet unknown"
That last sentence interests me, as
| it will all lovers of poetry. There Is
| some tendency today to regard poetry
as effeminate, something hardly
worthy of a real man.
AS a matter of fact, IT was the
rough and ready heroes of old who
| began poetry! The real he-men of
ancient Greece composed poems be-
| fore they wrote prose. Poetry comes
naturally to primitive men.
AN American chief, at this day,
harangues at the head Of his tribe, in
more bold, metaphorical style than
modern European would adventure
to use in an epic poem says DR..
Blair This day" of course, meant
about 1865.
Poetry, then, is not something which
begins and ends with Spring poems"
but is that bolder, more masculine ex-
preston, II you please, natural to real
red -blooded men and women.
Poetry is picturesque, 1T is express
sive, 1t flows as life flows. 1t abides
in the hearts of men. Today the de-
light in poetry-real poetry-ts some
what sub rosa, but beneath the sur
face 1t CLEANS with life.
Since writing on poetry recently l
have been astonished at the depth Of
love for II which these writings have
brought forth. From modest home,
from mansion, come notes of praise
and interest. One woman wants me to
read her own verses and give a
critical opinion. A man sends in a
copy of his own printed verse. Others
are interested in guessing the authors
of poems. Yes, poetry is very much
alive.
x x y X
The poems of Ossian are real poetry,
filed with the exaltation of mood
which true poetry brings. The two
great characteristics OF these poems,
as Dr. Blair says, are tenderness and
sublimity.
TT breathes nothing of the gay and
cheerful kind; an air of solemnity
and seriousness is diffused over the
whole. Ossian is, perhaps, the only
poet who never relaxes."
Those words contain an accurate
and just characterization of the
poems of Ossian, and If the reader
feels that they would be too much
for him, he had better let them alone.
AS DR.. Blair continues:
THE beauties of Ossian's writings
cannot be felt by those who have
given them only a single or q hasty
perusal. His manner is so different
from that of the poets to whom we
are most accustomed, and so much
crowded with imagery, the mind is
kept at such a stretch in accompany
ing the author, that an ordinary read
er is at first apt to be dazZled and
fatigued, rather than pleased His
poems require to be taken up at in
tervals, and to be frequently re-
viewed"
With these words, let US say good
bye to Ossian. And may those read
ers who go to Florida not forget to
keep a watch-out for those manu-
scripts,