the works of edgar allan poe-5-第51部分

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Of　a　long　journeytheindeed　I　had　better
Follow　his　lordship。　He　must　be　unwell。
I　will　return　anon。

　　　　_Duke。　_Return　anon！
Now　this　is　very　strange！　Castiglione！
This　way；　my　son；　I　wish　to　speak　with　thee。
You　surely　were　mistaken　in　what　you　said
Of　the　Earl；　mirthful；　indeed！which　of　us　said
Politian　was　a　melancholy　man？　　　　_（Exeunt。）_



~~~　End　of　Notes　~~~

End　of　Poems　of　Manhood

POEMS　OF　YOUTH

INTRODUCTION　TO　POEMS1831

_LETTER　TO　MR。　B。_

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　〃WEST　POINT；　1831。

〃DEAR　B　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　Believing　only　a　portion　of　my　former　volume　to
be　worthy　a　second　edition…that　small　portion　I　thought　it　as　well　to
include　in　the　present　book　as　to　republish　by　itself。　I　have　therefore
herein　combined　'Al　Aaraaf'　and　'Tamerlane'　with　other　poems　hitherto
unprinted。　Nor　have　I　hesitated　to　insert　from　the　'Minor　Poems；'　now
omitted；　whole　lines；　and　even　passages；　to　the　end　that　being　placed　in　a
fairer　light；　and　the　trash　shaken　from　them　in　which　they　were　imbedded；
they　may　have　some　chance　of　being　seen　by　posterity。

〃It　has　been　said　that　a　good　critique　on　a　poem　may　be　written　by　one　who
is　no　poet　himself。　This；　according　to　your　idea　and　_mine　_of　poetry；　I
feel　to　be　false…the　less　poetical　the　critic；　the　less　just　the　critique；
and　the　converse。　On　this　account；　and　because　there　are　but　few　B…'s　in
the　world；　I　would　be　as　much　ashamed　of　the　world's　good　opinion　as　proud
of　your　own。　Another　than　yourself　might　here　observe；　'Shakespeare　is　in
possession　of　the　world's　good　opinion；　and　yet　Shakespeare　is　the
greatest　of　poets。　It　appears　then　that　the　world　judge　correctly；　why
should　you　be　ashamed　of　their　favorable　judgment？'　The　difficulty　lies　in
the　interpretation　of　the　word　'judgment'　or　'opinion。'　The　opinion　is　the
world's；　truly；　but　it　may　be　called　theirs　as　a　man　would　call　a　book
his；　having　bought　it；　he　did　not　write　the　book；　but　it　is　his；　they　did
not　originate　the　opinion；　but　it　is　theirs。　A　fool；　for　example；　thinks
Shakespeare　a　great　poet…yet　the　fool　has　never　read　Shakespeare。　But　the
fool's　neighbor；　who　is　a　step　higher　on　the　Andes　of　the　mind；　whose　head
（that　is　to　say；　his　more　exalted　thought）　is　too　far　above　the　fool　to　be
seen　or　understood；　but　whose　feet　（by　which　I　mean　his　everyday　actions）
are　sufficiently　near　to　be　discerned；　and　by　means　of　which　that
superiority　is　ascertained；　which　but　for　them　would　never　have　been
discovered…this　neighbor　asserts　that　Shakespeare　is　a　great　poetthe
fool　believes　him；　and　it　is　henceforward　his　_opinion。　_This　neighbor's
own　opinion　has；　in　like　manner；　been　adopted　from　one　above　him；　and　so；
ascendingly；　to　a　few　gifted　individuals　who　kneel　around　the　summit；
beholding；　face　to　face；　the　master　spirit　who　stands　upon　the　pinnacle。

〃You　are　aware　of　the　great　barrier　in　the　path　of　an　American　writer。　He
is　read；　if　at　all；　in　preference　to　the　combined　and　established　wit　of
the　world。　I　say　established；　for　it　is　with　literature　as　with　law　or
empire…an　established　name　is　an　estate　in　tenure；　or　a　throne　in
possession。　Besides；　one　might　suppose　that　books；　like　their　authors；
improve　by　travel…their　having　crossed　the　sea　is；　with　us；　so　great　a
distinction。　Our　antiquaries　abandon　time　for　distance；　our　very　fops
glance　from　the　binding　to　the　bottom　of　the　title…page；　where　the　mystic
characters　which　spell　London；　Paris；　or　Genoa；　are　precisely　so　many
letters　of　recommendation。

〃I　mentioned　just　now　a　vulgar　error　as　regards　criticism。　I　think　the
notion　that　no　poet　can　form　a　correct　estimate　of　his　own　writings　is
another。　I　remarked　before　that　in　proportion　to　the　poetical　talent　would
be　the　justice　of　a　critique　upon　poetry。　Therefore　a　bad　poet　would；　I
grant；　make　a　false　critique；　and　his　self…love　would　infallibly　bias　his
little　judgment　in　his　favor；　but　a　poet；　who　is　indeed　a　poet；　could　not；
I　think；　fail　of　making…a　just　critique；　whatever　should　be　deducted　on
the　score　of　self…love　might　be　replaced　on　account　of　his　intimate
acquaintance　with　the　subject；　in　short；　we　have　more　instances　of　false
criticism　than　of　just　where　one's　own　writings　are　the　test；　simply
because　we　have　more　bad　poets　than　good。　There　are；　of　course；　many
objections　to　what　I　say：　Milton　is　a　great　example　of　the　contrary；　but
his　opinion　with　respect　to　the　'Paradise　Regained'　is　by　no　means　fairly
ascertained。　By　what　trivial　circumstances　men　are　often　led　to　assert
what　they　do　not　really　believe！　Perhaps　an　inadvertent　word　has　descended
to　posterity。　But；　in　fact；　the　'Paradise　Regained'　is　little；　if　at　all；
inferior　to　the　'Paradise　Lost；'　and　is　only　supposed　so　to　be　because　men
do　not　like　epics；　whatever　they　may　say　to　the　contrary；　and；　reading
those　of　Milton　in　their　natural　order；　are　too　much　wearied　with　the
first　to　derive　any　pleasure　from　the　second。

〃I　dare　say　Milton　preferred　'Comus'　to　either…。　if　so…justly。

〃As　I　am　speaking　of　poetry；　it　will　not　be　amiss　to　touch　slightly　upon
the　most　singular　heresy　in　its　modern　history…the　heresy　of　what　is
called；　very　foolishly；　the　Lake　School。　Some　years　ago　I　might　have　been
induced；　by　an　occasion　like　the　present；　to　attempt　a　formal　refutation
of　their　doctrine；　at　present　it　would　be　a　work　of　supererogation。　The
wise　must　bow　to　the　wisdom　of　such　men　as　Coleridge　and　Southey；　but；
being　wise；　have　laughed　at　poetical　theories　so　prosaically　exemplifled。

〃Aristotle；　with　singular　assurance；　has　declared　poetry　the　most
philosophical　of　all　writings*…but　it　required　a　Wordsworth　to　pronounce
it　the　most　metaphysical。　He　seems　to　think　that　the　end　of　poetry　is；　or
should　be；　instruction；　yet　it　is　a　truism　that　the　end　of　our　existence
is　happiness；　if　so；　the　end　of　every　separate　part　of　our　existence；
everything　connected　with　our　existence；　should　be　still　happiness。
Therefore　the　end　of　instruction　should　be　happiness；　and　happiness　is
another　name　for　pleasure；…therefore　the　end　of　instruction　should　be
pleasure：　yet　we　see　the　above…mentioned　opinion　implies　precisely　the
reverse。

〃To　proceed：　_ceteris　paribus；　_be　who　pleases　is　of　more　importance　to
his　fellow…men　than　he　who　instructs；　since　utility　is　happiness；　and
pleasure　is　the　end　already　obtained　which　instruction　is　merely　the　means
of　obtaining。

〃I　see　no　reason；　then；　why　our　metaphysical　poets　should　plume　themselves
so　much　on　the　utility　of　their　works；　unless　indeed　they　refer　to
instruction　with　eternity　in　view；　in　which　case；　sincere　respect　for
their　piety　would　not　allow　me　to　express　my　contempt　for　their　judgment；
contempt　which　it　would　be　difficult　to　conceal；　since　their　writings　are
professedly　to　be　understood　by　the　few；　and　it　is　the　many　who　stand　in
need　of　salvation。　In　such　case　I　should　no　doubt　be　tempted　to　think　of
the　devil　in　'Melmoth。'　who　labors　indefatigably；　through　three　octavo
volumes；　to　accomplish　the　destruction　of　one　or　two　souls；　while　any
common　devil　would　have　demolished　one　or　two　thousand。

〃Against　the　subtleties　which　would　make　poetry　a　study…not　a　passion…it
becomes　th