shelley-第7章

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passages　to　which　exception　can　be　taken。　　One　is　happily　hidden

under　a　heap　of　Shelleian　rubbish。　　Another　is　offensive；　because　it

presents　his　theory　of　Free　Love　in　its　most　odious　form。　　The　third

is　very　much　a　matter；　we　think；　for　the　individual　conscience。

Compare　with　this　the　genuinely　corrupt　Byron；　through　the　cracks

and　fissures　of　whose　heaving　versification　steam　up　perpetually　the

sulphurous　vapours　from　his　central　iniquity。　　We　cannot　credit　that

any　Christian　ever　had　his　faith　shaken　through　reading　Shelley；

unless　his　faith　were　shaken　before　he　read　Shelley。　　Is　any　safely

havened　bark　likely　to　slip　its　cable；　and　make　for　a　flag　planted

on　the　very　reef　where　the　planter　himself　was　wrecked？





Why　indeed　（one　is　tempted　to　ask　in　concluding）　should　it　be　that

the　poets　who　have　written　for　us　the　poetry　richest　in　skiey　grain；

most　free　from　admixture　with　the　duller　things　of　earththe

Shelleys；　the　Coleridges；　the　Keatsare　the　very　poets　whose　lives

are　among　the　saddest　records　in　literature？　　Is　it　that　（by　some

subtile　mystery　of　analogy）　sorrow；　passion；　and　fantasy　are

indissolubly　connected；　like　water；　fire；　and　cloud；　that　as　from

sun　and　dew　are　born　the　vapours；　so　from　fire　and　tears　ascend　the

〃visions　of　aerial　joy〃；　that　the　harvest　waves　richest　over　the

battlefields　of　the　soul；　that　the　heart；　like　the　earth；　smells

sweetest　after　rain；　that　the　spell　on　which　depend　such　necromantic

castles　is　some　spirit　of　pain　charm…poisoned　at　their　base？　｛10｝

Such　a　poet；　it　may　be；　mists　with　sighs　the　window　of　his　life

until　the　tears　run　down　it；　then　some　air　of　searching　poetry；　like

an　air　of　searching　frost；　turns　it　to　a　crystal　wonder。　　The　god　of

golden　song　is　the　god；　too；　of　the　golden　sun；　so　peradventure

song…light　is　like　sunlight；　and　darkens　the　countenance　of　the

soul。　　Perhaps　the　rays　are　to　the　stars　what　thorns　are　to　the

flowers；　and　so　the　poet；　after　wandering　over　heaven；　returns　with

bleeding　feet。　　Less　tragic　in　its　merely　temporal　aspect　than　the

life　of　Keats　or　Coleridge；　the　life　of　Shelley　in　its　moral　aspect

is；　perhaps；　more　tragical　than　that　of　either；　his　dying　seems　a

myth；　a　figure　of　his　living；　the　material　shipwreck　a　figure　of　the

immaterial。



Enchanted　child；　born　into　a　world　unchildlike；　spoiled　darling　of

Nature；　playmate　of　her　elemental　daughters；　〃pard…like　spirit；

beautiful　and　swift；〃　laired　amidst　the　burning　fastnesses　of　his

own　fervid　mind；　bold　foot　along　the　verges　of　precipitous　dream；

light　leaper　from　crag　to　crag　of　inaccessible　fancies；　towering

Genius；　whose　soul　rose　like　a　ladder　between　heaven　and　earth　with

the　angels　of　song　ascending　and　descending　it；he　is　shrunken　into

the　little　vessel　of　death；　and　sealed　with　the　unshatterable　seal

of　doom；　and　cast　down　deep　below　the　rolling　tides　of　Time。　　Mighty

meat　for　little　guests；　when　the　heart　of　Shelley　was　laid　in　the

cemetery　of　Caius　Cestius！　　Beauty；　music；　sweetness；　tearsthe

mouth　of　the　worm　has　fed　of　them　all。　　Into　that　sacred　bridal…

gloom　of　death　where　he　holds　his　nuptials　with　eternity　let　not　our

rash　speculations　follow　him。　　Let　us　hope　rather　that　as；　amidst

material　nature；　where　our　dull　eyes　see　only　ruin；　the　finer　eye　of

science　has　discovered　life　in　putridity　and　vigour　in　decay；

seeing　dissolution　even　and　disintegration；　which　in　the　mouth　of

man　symbolise　disorder；　to　be　in　the　works　of　God　undeviating　order；

and　the　manner　of　our　corruption　to　be　no　less　wonderful　than　the

manner　of　our　health；so；　amidst　the　supernatural　universe；　some

tender　undreamed　surprise　of　life　in　doom　awaited　that　wild　nature；

which；　worn　by　warfare　with　itself；　its　Maker；　and　all　the　world；

now





Sleeps；　and　never　palates　more　the　dug；

The　beggar's　nurse；　and　Caesar's。







Footnotes：



｛1｝　　That　is　to　say；　taken　as　the　general　animating　spirit　of　the

Fine　Arts。



｛2｝　　The　Abbe　Bareille　was　not；　of　course；　responsible　for

Savonarola's　taste；　only　for　thus　endorsing　it。



｛3｝　　We　mean；　of　course；　the　hymn；　〃I　rise　from　dreams　of　time。〃



｛4｝　　We　are　a　little　surprised　at　the　fact；　because　so　many

Victorian　poets　are；　or　have　been；　prose…writers　as　well。　　Now；

according　to　our　theory；　the　practice　of　prose　should　maintain　fresh

and　comprehensive　a　poet's　diction；　should　save　him　from　falling

into　the　hands　of　an　exclusive　coterie　of　poetic　words。　　It　should

react　upon　his　metrical　vocabulary　to　its　beneficial　expansion；　by

taking　him　outside　his　aristocratic　circle　of　language；　and　keeping

him　in　touch　with　the　great　commonalty；　the　proletariat　of　speech。

For　it　is　with　words　as　with　men：　　constant　intermarriage　within　the

limits　of　a　patrician　clan　begets　effete　refinement；　and　to

reinvigorate　the　stock；　its　veins　must　be　replenished　from　hardy

plebeian　blood。



｛5｝　　Wordsworth's　adaptation　of　it；　however；　is　true。　　Men　are　not

〃children　of　a　larger　growth；〃　but　the　child　IS　father　of　the　man；

since　the　parent　is　only　partially　reproduced　in　his　offspring。



｛6｝　　The　Rhythm　of　Life；　by　Alice　Meynell。



｛7｝　　〃And　the　stars　of　heaven　fell　unto　the　earth；　even　as　a　fig…

tree　casteth　her　untimely　figs；　when　she　is　shaken　of　a　mighty　wind〃

（Rev。　vi；　13）。



｛8｝　　Such　analogies　between　master　in　sister…arts　are　often

interesting。　　In　some　respects；　is　not　Brahms　the　Browning　of　music？



｛9｝　　Seek　FIRST；　not　seek　ONLY。



｛10｝　　We　hope　that　we　need　not　refer　the　reader；　for　the　methods　of

magic　architecture；　to　Ariosto　and　that　Atlas　among　enchanters；

Beckford。









End