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LETTER 23(第1页)

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LETTER23

CHARLESLAMBTOS.T.COLERIDGE

Feb.13th,1797.

Yourpoemisaltogetheradmirable—partsofitareevenexquisite—inparticularyourpersonalaccountoftheMaidfarsurpassesanythingofthesortinSouthey.Iperceivedallitsexcellences,onafirstreading,asreadilyasnowyouhavebeenremovingasupposedfilmfrommyeyes.Iwasonlystruckwith[a]certainfaultydisproportioninthematterandthestyle,whichIstillthinkIperceive,betweentheselinesandtheformerones.Ihadanendinview;Iwishedtomakeyourejectthepoem,onlyasbeingdiscordantwiththeother;and,insubserviencetothatend,itwaspoliticallydoneinmetoover-pass,andmakenomentionofmeritwhich,couldyouthinkmecapableofoverlooking,mightreasonablydamnforeverinyourjudgmentallpretensionsinmetobecritical.There,IwillbejudgedbyLloyd,whetherIhavenotmadeaveryhandsomerecantation.Iwasinthecaseofamanwhosefriendhasaskedhimhisopinionofacertainyounglady;thedeludedwightgivesjudgmentagainstherintoto—dontlikeherface,herwalk,hermanners—findsfaultwithhereyebrows—canseenowitinher.Hisfriendlooksblank;hebeginstosmellarat;windveersabout;heacknowledgeshergoodsense,herjudgmentindress,acertainsimplicityofmannersandhonestyofheart,somethingtooinhermannerswhichgainsuponyouafterashortacquaintance,—andthenheraccuratepronunciationoftheFrenchlanguageandaprettyuncultivatedtasteindrawing.Thereconciledgentlemansmilesapplause,squeezeshimbythehand,andhopeshewilldohimthehonouroftakingabitofdinnerwithMrs.—andhim—aplainfamilydinner—somedaynextweek."For,Isuppose,youneverheardweweremarried!Imgladtoseeyoulikemywife,however;youlleandseeher,ha?"NowamItooproudtoretractentirely.YetIdoperceiveIaminsomesortstraitened;youaremanifestlyweddedtothispoem,andwhatfancyhasjoinedletnomanseparate.IturnmetotheJoanofArc,secondbook.

Thesolemnopeningsofitarewithsoundswhich,Lloydwouldsay,"aresilencetothemind."Thedeeppreludingstrainsarefittedtoinitiatethemind,withapleasingawe,intothesublimestmysteriesoftheoryconcerningmansnatureandhisnoblestdestination—thephilosophyofafirstcause—ofsubordinateagentsincreationsuperiortoman—thesubserviencyofPaganworshipandPaganfaithtotheintroductionofapurerandmoreperfectreligion,whichyousoelegantlydescribeaswinningwithgradualstepsherdifficultwaynorthwardfromBethabra.AfterallthisethJoan,apublicansdaughter,sittingonanale-housebench,andmarkingtheswingingsofthesignboard,findingapoorman,hiswifeandsixchildren,starvedtodeathwithcold,andthencerousedintoastateofmindpropertoreceivevisionsemblematicalofequality;whichwhatthedevilJoanhadtodowith,Idontknow,orindeedwiththeFrenchandAmericanrevolutions;thoughthatneedsnopardon,itisexecutedsonobly.Afterall,ifyouperceivenodisproportion,allargumentisvain:Idonotsomuchobjecttoparts.Again,whenyoutalkofbuildingyourfameontheselinesinpreferencetothe"ReligiousMusings,"Icannothelpconceivingofyouandoftheauthorofthatastwodifferentpersons,andIthinkyouaveryvainman.

Ihavebeenre-readingyourletter.MuchofitIcoulddispute;butwiththelatterpartofit,inwhichyouparethetwoJoanswithrespecttotheirpredispositionsforfanaticism,Itotocordecoincide;onlyIthinkthatSoutheysstrengthratherliesinthedescriptionoftheemotionsoftheMaidundertheweightofinspiration,—these(Iseenomightydifferencebetweenherdescribingthemoryoudescribingthem),theseifyouonlyequal,thepreviousadmirersofhispoem,asisnatural,willpreferhis;ifyousurpass,prejudicewillscarcelyallowit,andIscarcethinkyouwillsurpass,thoughyourspecimenattheconclusion(Iaminearnest)IthinkverynighequalstheAndinanaccountofafanaticorofaprophetthedescriptionofheremotionsisexpectedtobemosthighlyfinished.Bytheway,Ispokefartoodisparaginglyofyourlines,and,Iamashamedtosay,purposely.Ishouldlikeyoutospecifyorparticularise;thestoryofthe"TotteringEld,"of"hiseventfulyearsalleandgone,"istoogeneral;whynotmakehimasoldier,orsomecharacter,however,inwhichhehasbeenwitnesstofrequencyof"cruelwrongandstrangedistress!"IthinkIshould.WhenIlaughedatthe"miserablemancrawlingfrombeneaththecoverture,"IwonderI[?you]didnotperceiveitwasalaughofhorror—suchasIhavelaughedatDantespictureofthefamishedUgolino.Withoutfalsehood,Iperceiveanhundredbeautiesinyournarrative.YetIwonderyoudonotperceivesomethingout-of-theway,somethingunsimpleandartificial,intheexpression,"voicedasadtale."Ihatemade-dishesatthemusesbanquet.IbelieveIwaswronginmostofmyotherobjections.Butsurely"hailedhimimmortal,"addsnothingtotheterrorofthemansdeath,whichitwasyourbusinesstoheighten,notdiminishbyaphrasewhichtakesawayallterrorfromit.Ilikethatline,"Theyclosedtheireyesinsleep,norknewtwasdeath."Indeed,thereisscarcealineIdonotlike."Turbidecstacy,"issurelynotsogoodaswhatyouhadwritten,"troublous."TurbidrathersuitsthemuddykindofinspirationwhichLondonporterconfers.Theversificationis,throughout,tomyearsunexceptionable,withnodisparagementtothemeasureofthe"ReligiousMusings,"whichisexactlyfittedtothethoughts.

Youwerebuildingyourhouseonarock,whenyourestedyourfameonthatpoeIcanscarcebringmyselftobelieve,thatIamadmittedtoafamiliarcorrespondence,andallthelicenceoffriendship,withamanwhowritesblankverselikeMilton.Now,thisisdelicateflattery,indirectflattery.Goonwithyour"MaidofOrleans,"andbecontenttobesecondtoyourself.Ishallbeeaconverttoit,whentisfinished.

ThisafternoonIattendthefuneralofmypooroldaunt,whodiedonThursday.IownIamthankfulthatthegoodcreaturehasendedallherdaysofsufferingandinfirmity.Shewastomethe"cherisherofinfancy,"andonemustfallontheseoccasionsintoreflectionswhichitwouldbemonplacetoenumerate,concerningdeath,"ofchanceandchange,andfateinhumanlife."GoodGod,whocouldhaveforeseenallthisbutfourmonthsback!Ihadreckoned,inparticular,onmyauntslivingmanyyears;shewasaveryheartyoldwoman.Butshewasamereskeletonbeforeshedied,lookedmorelikeacorpsethathadlainweeksinthegrave,thanonefreshdead."Trulythelightissweet,andapleasantthingitisfortheeyestobeholdthesun;butletamanlivemanydaysandrejoiceinthemall,yetlethimrememberthedaysofdarkness,fortheyshallbemany."Coleridge,whyarewetoliveonafterallthestrengthandbeautyofexistencearegone,whenallthelifeoflifeisfled,aspoorBurnsexpressesit?TellLloydIhavehadthoughtsofturningQuaker,andhavebeenreading,oramratherjustbeginningtoread,amostcapitalbook,goodthoughtsingoodlanguage,WilliamPenns"NoCross,noCrown;"Ilikeitimmensely.UnluckilyIwenttooneofhismeetings,tellhim,inSt.JohnStreet,yesterday,andsawamanunderalltheagitationsandworkingsofafanatic,whobelievedhimselfundertheinfluenceofsome"inevitablepresence."ThiscuredmeofQuakerism;IloveitinthebooksofPennandWoolman,butIdetestthevanityofamanthinkinghespeaksbytheSpirit,whenwhathesaysanordinarymanmightsaywithoutallthatquakingandtrembling.Inthemidstofhisinspiration—andtheeffectsofitweremostnoisy—washandedintothemidstofthemeetingamostterribleblackguardWappingsailor;thepoorman,Ibelieve,hadratherhavebeeninthehottestpartofanengagement,forthecongregationofbroad-brims,togetherwiththeravingsoftheprophet,weretoomuchforhisgravity,thoughIsawevenhehaddelicacyenoughnottolaughout.Andtheinspiredgentleman,thoughhismannerwassosupernatural,yetneithertalkednorprofessedtotalkanythingmorethangoodsobersense,monmorality,withnowandthenadeclarationofnotspeakingfromhimself.Amongotherthings,lookingbacktohischildhoodandearlyyouth,hetoldthemeetingwhatagracelessyoungdoghehadbeen,thatinhisyouthhehadagoodshareofwit:reader,ifthouhadstseenthegentleman,thouwouldsthaveswornthatitmustindeedhavebeenmanyyearsago,forhisruefulphysiognomywouldhavescaredawaytheplayfulgoddessfromthemeeting,wherehepresided,forever.Awit!awit!whatcouldhemean?Lloyd,itmindedmeofFalklandinthe"Rivals,""AmIfullofwitandhumour?No,indeedyouarenot.AmIthelifeandsoulofeverypanyIeinto?No,itcannotbesaidyouare."Thathard-facedgentleman,awit!Why,Naturewroteonhisfanaticforeheadfiftyyearsago,"Witneveres,thatestoall."Ishouldbeasscandalisedatabonmotissuingfromhisoracle-lookingmouth,astoseeCatogodownacountry-dance.Godloveyouall.Youareverygoodtosubmittobepleasedwithreadingmynothings.Tistheprivilegeoffriendshiptotalknonsense,andtohavehernonsensere-spected.—Yoursever,

C.LAMB.

[LambsAuntHetty,SarahLamb,wasburiedatSt.Jamess,Clerkenwell,onFebruary13,1797.

"AspoorBurnsexpressesit."Inthe"LamentforJames,Earlof

Glencairn,"theStanza:—

InwearybeingnowIpine,

Forathelifeoflifeisdead,

Andhopehasleftmyagedken,

Onforwardwingforeverfled.

"TurningQuaker."LambreferstothePeelmeeting-houseinJohnStreet,Clerkenwell.LambafterwardsusedthestoryofthewitintheEllaessay"AQuakersMeeting."InhisinvocationtothereaderhehereforeshadowshisElianmanner.

"Falkland"isinSheridansedy"TheRivals"(seeActII.,Scenei).]

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