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akernelfromthemassofchaff.Coleridge’syouthfuleffortsgive
nopromisewhateverofthatpoeticalgeniuswhichproducedatonce
thewildest,tenderest,mostoriginalandmostpurelyimaginative
poemsofmoderntimes.Byron’s“HoursofIdleness”wouldneverfind
areaderexceptfromanintrepidandindefatigablecuriosity.
InWordsworth’sfirstpreludingsthereisbutadimforebodingofthe
creatorofanera.FromSouthey’searlypoems,asaferaugurymight
havebeendrawn.Theyshowthepatientinvestigator,theclosestudent
ofhistory,andtheunweariedexplorerofthebeautiesofpredecessors,
buttheygivenoassurancesofamanwhoshouldaddaughttostock
ofhouseholdwords,ortotherarerandmoresacreddelightsofthe
firesideorthearbor.TheearliestspecimensofShelley’spoeticmind
already,also,givetokensofthatetherealsublimationinwhichthe
spiritseemstosoarabovetheregionsofwords,butleavesitsbody,the
verse,tobeentombed,withouthopeofresurrection,inamassofthem.
Cowleyisgenerallyinstancedasawonderofprecocity.Buthisearly
insipiditiesshowonlyacapacityforrhymingandforthemetrical
arrangementofcertainconventionalcombinationsofwords,acapacity
whollydependentonadelicatephysicalorganization,andanunhappy
memory.Anearlypoemisonlyremarkablewhenitdisplaysaneffort
ofreason,andtherudestversesinwhichwecantracesomeconception
oftheendsofpoetry,areworthallthemiraclesofsmoothjuvenile
versification.Aschool-boy,onewouldsay,mightacquiretheregular
see-sawofPopemerelybyanassociationwiththemotionoftheplay-
groundtilt.
Mr.Poe’searlyproductionsshowthathecouldseethroughthe
versetothespiritbeneath,andthathealreadyhadafeelingthatallthe
lifeandgraceoftheonemustdependonandbemodulatedbythewill
oftheother.Wecallthemthemostremarkableboyishpoemsthat
wehaveeverread.Weknowofnonethatcancomparewiththemfor
maturityofpurpose,andaniceunderstandingoftheeffects
oflanguageandmetre.Suchpiecesareonlyvaluablewhenthey
displaywhatwecanonlyexpressbythecontradictoryphraseofinnate
experience.Wecopyoneoftheshorterpoems,writtenwhentheauthor
wasonlyfourteen.Thereisalittledimnessinthefillingup,butthe
graceandsymmetryoftheoutlinearesuchasfewpoetseverattain.
Thereisasmackofambrosiaaboutit.
TOHELEN
Helen,thybeautyistome
