VERSES OLD AND NEW.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 900, 20 August 1910, Page 9

VERSES OLD AND NEW.

i-'kX ■■•-IN YOUTH IS PLEASURE/ fsfwln. a;-harbour :grene: aslope whereas I '.K : p/~r lay, -■:'.-. '.. , .■ ;;,\ ! v. The byrdes.sang swete;in. the middes of '${.]'■* the day,; : ; • :•'. ';;':-. !>•-/., ..'I dreamed fast of .mirth, and play:>. .'.,;; la' youth iis pleasure, in youth is • ,-'; ■ pleasure. "■ f.-.-, ■.;. Methought I walked still to' and fro, ■ ;.. .And from lier company 1 could not go—..' : ■.. .'But' when. I waked it was not so: .. ;;■.' In youth is pleasure, in is ■: 'U . .pleasure; •■' , :' ..'. ■ ' K ;.' Therefore: my hart is surely pyght '■•' ,: '-..' Of her,alone to:havc asight U... Which is; my joy! arid harte's 'delight: ''. . In; youth! is pleasure, in; youth is -.' pleasure. •• ■ ' ■ /', \ •.'■:■ .'-ROBERT: WEVER. : ; ; : . H ;,.'. ■';; you'l'l love me yet. ■.-_ , You'll lovo me yet!—and I can tarry ''.'' /'Your'love's protracted growing; ~: Jone, reared'-that bunch .of flowers you ':'■ ■'"•'•"-' ": oar'ry , ''■•■. ■'.'•":. ;;'■'. From'seeds.of April's sowing. ■ ■ •' ■■ I-'plant a-heartful'inow': some seed '■■•.'' At.least;is sure to strilw. ■■•• .''.'■" "And;: yield—what < youUl ■•' not. pluck, ~,:.' .■■■'■'■:."'indeed, '■■•-'. •''. ••■■■: . :.'■■ :. -Not love, but,-' may.be,' like.■■.■.' ,'•"•. You'll' love at least on love's remains, ; .'A'grave's one violet: ■ : .'•'.. ■',•'' ■ Your look?—that pays a thousand.pains. -■;,-. ■:' .'What's, death? . Yoi'll'.love me. yet! , ■:•-':' -BROWNING. ' ':•'':■'■■ •''■' , . ; . ; -TO : 'THE'' STATUE .OF KING ' :>:.;>■/ ■■■'~;;■•:'■; ;•';': ; :"',.:./.■''''■ Comely and'calm, he rides '.'■'■■. 0 ■ ''"'■''* : V'.Hard-'-by.his'.own'.■Whitehall: : • :'•' 'Only theinight wind-glides; ■'.',,' : '/ : ! ,:.::': No crowds, nor rebels; brawl., • V:'' :■ '.Gonei too,.his, Court: and yet,' ./The stars his courtiers are:; , ;"-,■:: Stars ;in-their stations .set; . ; ■•'';'■■■■..-'. ];i. "An'.d every wandering, star. ' -'''■'-'^''Alone'.: he "rides,., alone,-; ; '-• :The fair and,fatal King! .■■■< ":' Dark-night is.all,his own., V - That "strange.and solemn thing. "'-.'" ■''-''■ Which are' more -full of fate, '.-.■ . IThe star's; or those sad eyes? . ; " "■■ ''.'Which' are more still and great,...-.:■' - V.i'Those, .brows, or the dark; skies?.:,. Uf:"\~M-'■■:'::■■ i Lionel Johnson;• 'y?:-:& i:U|LITTLE jBOY'S'LULLABY. ■;-[■ '"'■■■ Lrttlo:groping hands that ; must learn-the ;.-/,■:■ -weight of labour, ■•■'.;;;;. '■-,:.-•/:■ /■■■,■'.-■• 'Little.eyes of .wonder that must learn :."■■"' '■■'.'.- to weep-r'!;. ■.■';■"•': : ".,-'. "'•'■" '■'": ■ ■■:;' Mother, is thy life now';. that shall be. to-. '"..'.' •. ; morrow.: - " , '.'.. : : *■:■:■;■,: ■'-''■.-'''■■',".-'' ■■• , : ■: ', [Time enough for .trouble— time.'cnough for .'-/■■' ■."• -'-''sorrow'.- -.','■' ■':■'■' ■■■■;■.■ '.' '■'.' -■' ■'■ '•.'''.•• ..'.;:■'.v ::'',;■ ; :.:-Npw-7sleep! '■ , ■■::■,"■':,' ': ./little; dumb 'lips .that" shall wake ;; ahd ~,'.. make.-a-woman,' *~•'.' '"' ■ ■■/.'.'■•. ■ .Littlo blind heart shall know the worst . • ; ; : and ; best— ; ■ '•■>.''.'.'•■; .. ■■'.',:;.- " ; .',- . Mother fis:. thy. .lpve now; that' shall be ' v here'af lor;, : .' . ..-,! ; ... ■'■, '■':'■'; ..■■"■.;.Kme enough for joy, and.time. enough for. ' :- : . laughter. '■.' ■':'..'''" ''■■'::.": ' !'■■■ ;''.'•'.V-!. 1 '■ :' : ;\,;;Now—restlv ' : - ;.', ■■'.■' :. : v. Little;'rosy; body,' new-bqrh of pain and v '■-.'■ beauty, ; ■'.'',.■: '■.■:-.' 1 ':..-.: ' I'-..'! 1 -'|; v \-,'-' : '.':■•■:.■ i.! ';' Little, : lonely soul; -new-risen. from the --,;;•;' . :; deep-r--. ■■:"'-.\.:.';';■■?.;' ?..'y, .'",',:':'■' -•'■" ■'■.■:''.'" ■:'-' . Motlier,:is..thy -world ■ now, •'.., whole- and ■■'■■: '-■■' :'.:. -'] . : .";.' ; .' : :'-.' / ' :: - : -'-" ■ :..",:, 'Xiine euough, for. living—time, enough for ■'?■':■ :"\v'dying.'. ;<;.'■•:.:"',.;- ■';'■ ■'■'}"■'■:'''■'• 'a ':■ ; ;,.';'■ \'-~ ".-■■ ;''':v";i/.''i' .Now—sleep!..■';■■■-'■"''.'''.■■ ■■.-.';.'• '..'V; ■_';.' A ■;;':—Bryaii'-Hooker .in ; ''M'Clure's." :' lie rich.',. who'seJiour is nearly.come, : ; ' Among their kindred.day'them down; •''■''•■ .The poor are carried far from home, !.. :To Jrillor;. cure,;. in.-Eonciou. town. '':■■•■•'" I left my:man,ia-weck ago; ■.':;..,:;: ■'~ ''■'■■'■ In the long ward, so clean and gay, . ■■ Where doctors do their best—but, oh, '■'.. '■■';'.-•'. I. felt him dying ! -ycsterday! |; .'.' Last night I heard him breathe and moan. ;.; . . -oFai-'off—my heart' was fit to. break;- : ■'.' Ircrcpt downstairs to cry alone; ■'.: ,'': : .' ; . For fear;the tire'd boys.should.wakc. .When I had. cried enough, ;I ;set ■,:.■■".. "- . .: The .door-toward the fields'ajar; 'i'',' , A'rose-leaf touched me, cool and wet, ■ ','■{■; • ■Above the,-woods, there 'huhg'a star. : :. '■"':'■ '■' "And ! oh;" I.thought, "ho.surely seea,';.: X- : Through, midnight:windows, blank and ',VvA,: high,.: '■■• :'■:■'■"■::■.■ .•....■:■'.".'•": .;' :.; £his, very star ..that shines ;at ease!' ...... -.;'•, ■■ Then,} in a (flash;. I: saw;, him lie : : . Straight, : gentle, smiling,, free frompaiii, But sightless; as the. dying.are. ..''., 60, like a child;'l: cried again, ;' ':. '.'.'... \Becausehe. could not see my star. ;.'■■'; '■;'::. —Kosalind-Travers,'*in.tho;London "Na- ; :'-.'",-' : 'iJon;",''v'.'- ■'- y'■ -'; ," ::"'/:':.';;,'.' ■'

A READING OF MEREDITH. •'. '■'-■- v ).' -v-.' : ":'."■' "'. ' ''..- -'■':'."■■■ -''::':fV ; " "'. On this 'page-'last week we printed contributions-toi a controversy on some Meredithian obscurities.; Another ;i contribution to the discussion comes in ,the "Manchester Guardian" of July,2, as follows:—, ■;■.. ;."> ■' , .'..■• ' ■'. , It' is> not,', perhaps,',worth' while;: re-, opening discussion on.the.'.-two' passages from Meredith's : poems " : which we quoted/-in this column last week, :but the points: raised apjiear to ;have excited sufficieut' interest,. for;a word, to be'said./; On 'the second .'.passage; from "A ■Reading of, Earth"— ;-^-''- : -" .•;■ Steadily , , eyeing, 'beforn-that wail .-'-. . ,' h Animal-infant,. tby ."mind began. ..---'Moiriently nearer •'■ , 'j Mr.yßasil.de Selihcourt's !explanation, which ■■" must have' occurred■'•:• to sonie other Meredithians, "is perhaps thembsi satisfactory;- though,- as ihe■ .admits," it is a poor best. . Perhaps it,is.inevitable that the thing when explained should fieom; less important -than .it was when it had all kinds of undefined possibilities for its 'content.-..: Our correspondent who commented on the absence of a comma between "wail" auU "animal-infant,! , arid sought on that, basis';to read the latter -words'as used adjectively': with the former, seems to nsito.strain the normal use of English eomewhat more; : than oho should do even with' such .a ;mastor -of. the tortuous as Meredith/Another, cones;pondenf, who wrote to -us privately", will have it there is no obscurity whatever; 'The, lines are so clear to , him '■that I almost suspect a trap .'to beguile your) innocent readers . into . expounding . .'the ■ obvious." '.' Though honesty compels ■ us'to deny any such intention, we-are not insensible to the "flattery convoyed, iAs far -as ..the quotation given above., ".is . ebneerned, there is- circumstantial evidence for obscurity in the fact that threo explanations we have : received—'two: already given .' in.;V our correspondence -columns and one'sent by this gentleman all completely and absolutely opposed to each other. On the other /lines, fronr'u "Lesson. in Grief"—. :•;■ :. ■ v ■

l?ot «ro tho bitter.herb wo .taste,'■ Which ages thought of happy times, To plant us in. a weeping waste, Kings with our. fellow..this one heart Accordant chimes,— ■ Wfc.are taken to task as" follows:— ."Surely the line 'Which ages -thought of happy times' says quite clearly that sorrow ages, makes old, the thought of- bygonq happy, times. And what paraphrase could make- clearer the thought that sorrow plants'us in a weeping waste?" Precisely; only what we are concerned With was : the rapid passage from one.'metaphor .to another; in the first'line tasting a bitter herb; which in the third "plants" us in a "weeping waste." While the thought is switched from one metaphor to an-, other like this,.. there is obscurity for the kiad of criticism which seeks to

fnicl an exact meaning and consistency : in every jilir.isu of Uia text. Nor is it altogi.-tiici -curtain how sorrow should "age", the ■"thought of happy times!" But, after all, perhaps our friendly critic lias .wisdom on.his side. Tho Homantscs ask a different , tonipor in . their, readers from that of Dr. Johiison unci his scliool; and if tho test of common .sense, has the merit of. knowing.. what it wants, it is too easy to carry us very far on tho road of .sympathy, and understanding. .Wo remember reading once a parody of tho Johnsonian manner of criticism written as a.coinnientary- on the following lines ■from Shelley's -'/Epipsycludion" :— On an imagined shore. /Under the gray beak of some promontory . . : . She met me, robed in such exceeding Kl'Ji'y . . ■. ' That I beheld her not. on tin's tHo critic was made to remark: "Here,, sir, ho merely states that in : a place which did not exist lie met nobody; whom did ho expect to meet?" Perhaps that-is as' far a= we can get nowadays with the Johnsonian method.