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！
gained a national love。 Let them be； but let the old verses be
also； and let them have； for those who desire it； the solitariness
of their state of ruin。 Even in the casesand they are not few
where Burns is proved to have given beauty and music to the ancient
fragment itself； his work upon the old stanza is immeasurably finer
than his work in his own new stanzas following； and it would be
less than impiety to part the two。
I have obeyed a profound conviction which I have reason to hope
will be more commended in the future than perhaps it can be now； in
leaving aside a multitude of composite songsanachronisms； and
worse than mere anachronisms； as I think them to be； for they patch
wild feeling with sentiment of the sentimentalist。 There are some
exceptions。 The one fine stanza of a song which both Sir Walter
Scott and Burns restored is given with the restorations of both；
those restorations being severally beautiful； and the burden；
〃Hame； hame； hame；〃 is printed with the Jacobite song that carries
it； this song seems so mingled and various in date and origin that
no apology is needed for placing it amongst the bundle of Scottish
ballads of days before the Jacobites。 Sir Patrick Spens is treated
here as an ancient song。 It is to be noted that the modern； or
comparatively modern； additions to old songs full of quantitative
metre〃Hame； hame； hame；〃 is one of thesefull of long notes；
rests； and interlinear pauses； are almost always written in
anapaests。 The later writer has slipped away from the fine；
various； and subtle metre of the older。 Assuredly the popularity
of the metre which； for want of a term suiting the English rules of
verse； must be called anapaestic； has done more than any other
thing to vulgarise the national sense of rhythm and to silence the
finer rhythms。 Anapaests came quite suddenly into English poetry
and brought coarseness； glibness； volubility； dapper and fatuous
effects。 A master may use it well； but as a popular measure it has
been disastrous。 I would be bound to find the modern stanzas in an
old song by this very habit of anapaests and this very
misunderstanding of the long words and interlinear pauses of the
older stanzas。 This； for instance； is the old metre：
〃Hame； hame； hame！ O hame fain wad I be！〃
and this the lamentable anapaestic line （from the same song）：
〃Yet the sun through the mirk seems to promise to me …。〃
It has been difficult to refuse myself the delight of including A
Divine Love of Carew； but it seemed too bold to leave out four
stanzas of a poem of seven； and the last four are of the poorest
argument。 This passage at least shall speak for the first three：
〃Thou didst appear
A glorious mystery； so dark； so clear；
As Nature did intend
All should confess； but none might comprehend。〃
From Christ's Victory in Heaven of Giles Fletcher （out of reach for
its length） it is a happiness to extract here at least the passage
upon 〃Justice；〃 who looks 〃as the eagle
〃that hath so oft compared
Her eye with heaven's〃；
from Marlowe's poem； also unmanageable； that in which Love ran to
the priestess
〃And laid his childish head upon her breast〃；
with that which tells how Night；
〃deep…drenched in misty Acheron；
Heaved up her head； and half the world upon
Breathed darkness forth〃；
from Robert Greene two lines of a lovely passage：
〃Cupid abroad was lated in the night；
His wings were wet with ranging in the rain〃；
from Ben Jonson's Hue and Cry （not throughout fine） the stanza：
〃Beauties； have ye seen a toy；
Called Love； a little boy；
Almost naked； wanton； blind；
Cruel now； and then as kind？
If he be amongst ye； say；
He is Venus' run…away〃；
from Francis Davison：
〃Her angry eyes are great with tears〃；
from George Wither：
〃I can go rest
On her sweet breast
That is the pride of Cynthia's train〃；
from Cowley：
〃Return； return； gay planet of mine east〃！
The poems in which these are cannot make part of the volume； but
the citation of the fragments is a relieving act of love。
At the very beginning； Skelton's song to 〃Mistress Margery
Wentworth〃 had almost taken a place； but its charm is hardly fine
enough。
If it is necessary to answer the inevitable question in regard to
Byron； let me say that in another Anthology； a secondary Anthology；
the one in which Gray's Elegy would have an honourable place； some
more of Byron's lyrics would certainly be found； and except this
there is no apology。 If the last stanza of the 〃Dying Gladiator〃
passage； or the last stanza on the cascade rainbow at Terni；
〃Love watching madness with unalterable mien；〃
had been separate poems instead of parts of Childe Harold； they
would have been amongst the poems that are here collected in no
spirit of arrogance； or of caprice； of diffidence or doubt。
The volume closes some time before the middle of the century and
the death of Wordsworth。
A。 M。
Anonymous。
The first carol
Sir Walter Raleigh （1552…1618）
Verses before death
Edmund Spenser （1553…1599）
Easter
Fresh spring
Like as a ship
Epithalamion
John Lyly （1554？…1606）
The Spring
Sir Philip Sidney （1554…1586）
True love
The moon
Kiss
Sweet judge
Sleep
Wat'red was my wine
Thomas Lodge （1556…1625）
Rosalynd's madrigal
Rosaline
The solitary shepherd's song
Anonymous
I saw my lady weep
George Peele （1558？…1597）
Farewell to arms
Robert Greene （1560？…1592）
Fawnia
Sephestia's song to her child
Christopher Marlowe （1562…1593）
The passionate shepherd to his love
Samuel Daniel （1562…1619）
Sleep
My spotless love
Michael Drayton （1563…1631）
Since there's no help
Joshua Sylvester （1563…1618）
Were I as base
William Shakespeare （1564…1616）
Poor soul； the centre of my sinful earth
O me！ What eyes hath love put in my head
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day？
When in the chronicle of wasted time
That time of year thou may'st in me behold
How like a winter hath my absence been
Being your slave； what should I do but tend
When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes
They that have power to hurt； and will do
Farewell！ thou art too dear for my possessing
When to the sessions of sweet silent thought
Did not the heavenly rhetoric of thine eye
The forward violet thus did I chide
O lest the world should task you to recite
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
How oft； when thou； my music； music play'st
Full many a glorious morning have I seen
The expense of spirit in a waste of shame
Fancy
Fairies
Come away
Full fathom five
Dirge （Fear no more the heat o' the sun）
Song （Take； O take those lips away）
Song （How should I your true love know）
Anonymous
Tom o' Bedlam
Thomas Campion （circa 1567…1620）
Kind are her answers
Laura
Her sacred bower
Follow
When thou must home
Western wind
Follow your saint
Cherry…ripe
Thomas Nash （1567…1601？）
Spring
John Donne （1573…1631）
This happy dream