the miscellaneous writings and speeches-1-第15章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　to　the　appearance　of　sincerity　and　earnestness　from　which　the　narrative　derives　so　much　of　its　interest。

Many　of　his　comparisons；　again；　are　intended　to　give　an　exact　idea　of　his　feelings　under　particular　circumstances。　　The　delicate　shades　of　grief；　of　fear；　of　anger；　are　rarely　discriminated　with　sufficient　accuracy　in　the　language　of　the　most　refined　nations。　　A　rude　dialect　never　abounds　in　nice　distinctions　of　this　kind。　　Dante　therefore　employs　the　most　accurate　and　infinitely　the　most　poetical　mode　of　marking　the　precise　state　of　his　mind。　　Every　person　who　has　experienced　the　bewildering　effect　of　sudden　bad　tidings；the　stupefaction；the　vague　doubt　of　the　truth　of　our　own　perceptions　which　they　produce；will　understand　the　following　simile：〃I　was　as　he　is　who　dreameth　his　own　harm；who；　dreaming；　wishes　that　it　may　be　all　a　dream；　so　that　he　desires　that　which　is　as　though　it　were　not。〃　　This　is　only　one　out　of　a　hundred　equally　striking　and　expressive　similitudes。　　The　comparisons　of　Homer　and　Milton　are　magnificent　digressions。　　It　scarcely　injures　their　effect　to　detach　them　from　the　work。　　Those　of　Dante　are　very　different。　They　derive　their　beauty　from　the　context；　and　reflect　beauty　upon　it。　　His　embroidery　cannot　be　taken　out　without　spoiling　the　whole　web。　　I　cannot　dismiss　this　part　of　the　subject　without　advising　every　person　who　can　muster　sufficient　Italian　to　read　the　simile　of　the　sheep；　in　the　third　canto　of　the　Purgatorio。　　I　think　it　the　most　perfect　passage　of　the　kind　in　the　world；　the　most　imaginative；　the　most　picturesque；　and　the　most　sweetly　expressed。

No　person　can　have　attended　to　the　Divine　Comedy　without　observing　how　little　impression　the　forms　of　the　external　world　appear　to　have　made　on　the　mind　of　Dante。　　His　temper　and　his　situation　had　led　him　to　fix　his　observation　almost　exclusively　on　human　nature。　　The　exquisite　opening　of　the　eighth*　canto　of　the　Purgatorio　affords　a　strong　instance　of　this。　　（I　cannot　help　observing　that　Gray's　imitation　of　that　noble　line

〃Che　paia　'lgiorna　pianger　che　si　muore；〃

is　one　of　the　most　striking　instances　of　injudicious　plagiarism　with　which　I　am　acquainted。　　Dante　did　not　put　this　strong　personification　at　the　beginning　of　his　description。　　The　imagination　of　the　reader　is　so　well　prepared　for　it　by　the　previous　lines；　that　it　appears　perfectly　natural　and　pathetic。　Placed　as　Gray　has　placed　it；　neither　preceded　nor　followed　by　anything　that　harmonises　with　it；　it　becomes　a　frigid　conceit。　Woe　to　the　unskilful　rider　who　ventures　on　the　horses　of　Achilles！）

He　leaves　to　others　the　earth；　the　ocean；　and　the　sky。　　His　business　is　with　man。　　To　other　writers；　evening　may　be　the　season　of　dews　and　stars　and　radiant　clouds。　　To　Dante　it　is　the　hour　of　fond　recollection　and　passionate　devotion；the　hour　which　melts　the　heart　of　the　mariner　and　kindles　the　love　of　the　pilgrim；the　hour　when　the　toll　of　the　bell　seems　to　mourn　for　another　day　which　is　gone　and　will　return　no　more。

The　feeling　of　the　present　age　has　taken　a　direction　diametrically　opposite。　　The　magnificence　of　the　physical　world；　and　its　influence　upon　the　human　mind；　have　been　the　favourite　themes　of　our　most　eminent　poets。　　The　herd　of　bluestocking　ladies　and　sonneteering　gentlemen　seem　to　consider　a　strong　sensibility　to　the　〃splendour　of　the　grass；　the　glory　of　the　flower；〃　as　an　ingredient　absolutely　indispensable　in　the　formation　of　a　poetical　mind。　　They　treat　with　contempt　all　writers　who　are　unfortunately

nec　ponere　lucum　Artifices；　nec　rus　saturum　laudare。

The　orthodox　poetical　creed　is　more　Catholic。　　The　noblest　earthly　object　of　the　contemplation　of　man　is　man　himself。　　The　universe；　and　all　its　fair　and　glorious　forms；　are　indeed　included　in　the　wide　empire　of　the　imagination；　but　she　has　placed　her　home　and　her　sanctuary　amidst　the　inexhaustible　varieties　and　the　impenetrable　mysteries　of　the　mind。

In　tutte　parti　impera；　e　quivi　regge；　Quivi　e　la　sua　cittade；　e　l'alto　seggio。　（Inferno；　canto　i。）

Othello　is　perhaps　the　greatest　work　in　the　world。　　From　what　does　it　derive　its　power？　　From　the　clouds？　　From　the　ocean？　From　the　mountains？　　Or　from　love　strong　as　death；　and　jealousy　cruel　as　the　grave？　　What　is　it　that　we　go　forth　to　see　in　Hamlet？　　Is　it　a　reed　shaken　with　the　wind？　　A　small　celandine？　A　bed　of　daffodils？　　Or　is　it　to　contemplate　a　mighty　and　wayward　mind　laid　bare　before　us　to　the　inmost　recesses？　　It　may　perhaps　be　doubted　whether　the　lakes　and　the　hills　are　better　fitted　for　the　education　of　a　poet　than　the　dusky　streets　of　a　huge　capital。　Indeed　who　is　not　tired　to　death　with　pure　description　of　scenery？　　Is　it　not　the　fact；　that　external　objects　never　strongly　excite　our　feelings　but　when　they　are　contemplated　in　reference　to　man；　as　illustrating　his　destiny；　or　as　influencing　his　character？　　The　most　beautiful　object　in　the　world；　it　will　be　allowed；　is　a　beautiful　woman。　　But　who　that　can　analyse　his　feelings　is　not　sensible　that　she　owes　her　fascination　less　to　grace　of　outline　and　delicacy　of　colour；　than　to　a　thousand　associations　which；　often　unperceived　by　ourselves；　connect　those　qualities　with　the　source　of　our　existence；　with　the　nourishment　of　our　infancy；　with　the　passions　of　our　youth；　with　the　hopes　of　our　agewith　elegance；　with　vivacity；　with　tenderness；　with　the　strongest　of　natural　instincts；　with　the　dearest　of　social　ties？

To　those　who　think　thus；　the　insensibility　of　the　Florentine　poet　to　the　beauties　of　nature　will　not　appear　an　unpardonable　deficiency。　　On　mankind　no　writer；　with　the　exception　of　Shakspeare；　has　looked　with　a　more　penetrating　eye。　　I　have　said　that　his　poetical　character　had　derived　a　tinge　from　his　peculiar　temper。　　It　is　on　the　sterner　and　darker　passions　that　he　delights　to　dwell。　　All　love　excepting　the　half…mystic　passion　which　he　still　felt　for　his　buried　Beatrice；　had　palled　on　the　fierce　and　restless　exile。　　The　sad　story　of　Rimini　is　almost　a　single　exception。　　I　know　not　whether　it　has　been　remarked；　that；　in　one　point；　misanthropy　seems　to　have　affected　his　mind；　as　it　did　that　of　Swift。　　Nauseous　and　revolting　images　seem　to　have　had　a　fascination　for　his　mind；　and　he　repeatedly　places　before　his　readers；　with　all　the　energy　of　his　incomparable　style；　the　most　loathsome　objects　of　the　sewer　and　the　dissecting…room。

There　is　another　peculiarity　in　the　poem　of　Dante；　which；　I　think；　deserves　notice。　　Ancient　mythology　has　hardly　ever　been　successfully　interwoven　with　modern　poetry。　　One　class　of　writers　have　introduced　the　fabulous　deities　merely　as　allegorical　representatives　of　love；　wine；　or　wisdom。　　This　necessarily　renders　their　works　tame　and　cold。　　We　may　sometimes　admire　their　ingenuity；　but　with　what　interest　can　we　read　of　beings　of　whose　personal　existence　the　writer　does　not　suffer　us　to　entertain；　for　a　moment；　even　a　conventional　belief？　　Even　Spenser's　allegory　is　scarcely　tolerable；　till　we　contrive　to　forget　that　Una　signifies　innocence；　and　consider　her　merely　as　an　oppressed　lady　under　the　protection　of　a　generous　knight。

Those　writers　who　have；　more　judiciously；　attempted　to　preserve　the　personality　of　the　classical　divinities　have　failed　from　a　different　cause。　　They　have　been　imitators；　and　imitators　at　a　disadvantage。　　Euripides　and　Catullus　believed　in　Bacchus　and　Cybele　as　little　as　we　do。　　But　they　lived　among　men　who　did。　Their　imaginations；　if　not　their　opinions；　took　the　colour　of　the　age。　　Hence　the　glorious　inspiration　of　the　Bacchae　and　the　Atys。　Our　minds　are　formed　by　circumstances：　　and　I　do　not　believe　that　it　would　be　in　the　power　of　the　greatest　modern　poet　to　lash　himself　up　to　a　degree　of　enthusiasm　adequate　to　the　production　of　such　works。

Dante；　alone　among　the　poets　of　later　times；　has　been；　in　this　respect；　neither　an　allegorist　nor　an　imitator；　and；　consequently；　he　alone　has　introduced　the　ancient　fictions　with　effect。　　His　Minos；　his　Charon；　his　Pluto；　are　absolutely　terrific。　　Nothing　can　be　more　beautiful　or　original　than　the　use　which　he　has　made　of　the　River　of　Lethe。　　He　has　never　assigned　to　his　mythological　characters　any　functions　inconsistent　with　the　creed　of　the　Catholic　Church。　　He　has　related　nothing　concerning　them　whic