ALBUMVERSESANDACROSTICS

albumversesandacrostics

page104.whatisanalbum?

theselineswereprobablywrittenforemmaisola'salbum,whichmustnotbeconfoundedwithherextractbook.thealbumwasthevolumeforwhichlamb,inhisletters,occasionallysolicitedcontributions.itwassoldsomeyearsagotomr.quaritch,andisnow,ibelieve,inaprivatecollection,althoughinamutilatedstate,severalofthepoemshavingbeencutout.theseparticularlinesoflamb'swereprobablywrittenbyhimalsoinotheralbums,forjohnmathewgutch,hisoldschool-fellow,discoveredthemonthefly-leafofacopyofjohnwoodvil,andsentthemtonotesandqueries,oct.11,1856.inthatversionthetwenty-firstlineran:—

thereyouhave,madelina,analbumcomplete.

lamb"edfromthelinesinhisreviewofhisalbumverses,underthetitle"thelatinpoemsofvincentbourne,"intheenglishman'smagazine(seevol.i.).twoversionsofthelinesarecopiedbylambintooneofhiscommonplacebooks.

line6.sweetl.e.l.'s.l.e.l.was,ofcourse,letitiaelizabethlandon,afterwardsmrs.maclean(1802-1838),famousasanalbum-andannual-poetess.lamb,ifanentryinp.g.patmore'sdiaryiscorrect,didnotadmireher,orindeedanyfemaleauthor.hesaid,"ifshebelongedtomeiwouldlockherupandfeedheronbreadandwatertillsheleftoffwritingpoetry."

page105.thefirstleafofspring.

printedintheathenaeum,january10,1846,contributedprobablybythomaswestwood.inanoteprefacingthethreepoemswhichhewassending,thiscorrespondentstatedthat"thefirstleafofspring"hadbeenprintedbefore,butveryobscurely.ihavenotdiscoveredwhere.

page105.tomrs.f——onherreturnfromgibraltar.

thiswouldprobablybemrs.janefield,néecarncroft,thewifeof

lamb'sfriend,barronfield,whoinspiredtheeliaessayon"distant

correspondents."fieldheldthechiefjusticeshipofgibraltarforsome

years.

page106.tom.l——f——.

m.l.field,theseconddaughterofhenryfield,andbarronfield'ssister.thislady,wholivedtoagreatage,gavecanonaingerthecopyoftheprologueto"richardii."writtenbylambforanamateurperformanceatherhome.

page106.toestherfield.

anotherofbarronfield'ssisters.

thetextofthesethreepoemshasbeencorrectedbythethomas

hutchinson'soxfordedition.

page107.tomrs.williams.

seenoteabove.inwritingtomrs.williamsonapril2,1830,totellofemmaisola'ssafejourneyafterherillness,lambsays:—"howiemployedmyselfbetweeneppingandenfieldthepoorversesinthefrontofmypapermayinformyou,whichyoumaypleasetochristenanacrosticinacrossroad."

mrs.williamsrepliedwiththefollowingacrosticuponlamb'sname,whichmr.cecilturner,adescendant,hassentmeandwhichigiveaccordingtohiscopy:—

tocharleslamb

answertoacrosticsonthenamesoftwofriends.

charmedwiththelinesthyhandhassent,

honourifeelthycompliment,

amongstthyproductsthathavewontheear

rangedinthyversetwofriendsmostdear.

laynotthywinningpenaway,

eachlinethouwritestwebidtheestay.

stillasktocharmuswithanotherlay.

long-linked,long-livedbypublicfame,

afriendtomiserywhate'eritsclaim,

marvelimustife'erwefind

bestowedbyheavenakindliermind.

thetwofriendswerececiliacatherinelawton(seepage64)andedward(seepage109).inreplylambsays(goodfriday,1830):—"idoassureyouthatyourversesgratifiedmeverymuch,andmysisterisquiteproudofthem.forthefirsttimeinmylifeicongratulatedmyselfupontheshortnessandmeannessofmyname.haditbeenschwartzenbergoresterhazyitwouldhaveputyoutosomepuzzle."

laterinthesameletter,referringtothepresentacrostic,hesaidspeakingofharrietisola,emma'ssister,she"blamesmylastversesasbeingmorewrittenonmr.williamsthanonyourself;buthowshouldihavepartedwhomasuperiorpowerhasbroughttogether?"

page107.tothebook.

writtenforthealbumofsophiaelizabethfrend,afterwardsthewifeofaugustusdemorgan,themathematician(1806-1871),andmotherofthenovelistmr.williamdemorgan.herfatherwaswilliamfrend(1757-1841),thereformerandafriendofcrabbrobinsonandgeorgedyer.thelineswereprintedinmrs.demorgan'sthreescoreyearsandten,asarealsothosethatfollow—"tos.f."

page108.torq.

fromthealbumofrothaquillinan.

page109.tos.l….tom.l.

ihavenotbeenabletoidentifythelockes.thej.f.ofthelastlinemightbejanefield.copiesofthesepoemsarepreservedatsouthkensington.

page109.anacrosticagainstacrostics.

edwardwasafriendofmr.williams(seeabove).theseverseswerefirstprintedinthelambsbymr.w.c.hazlitt.

page110.onbeingaskedtowriteinmisswestwood'salbum.

franceswestwoodwasthedaughterofthewestwoods,withwhomthelambsweredomiciledatenfieldchasein1829-1832.seeletterstogillmanandwordsworth(november30,1829,andjanuary22,1830)fordescriptionofthewestwoods.theonlyson,thomaswestwood,whodiedin1888,andwasanauthorityontheliteratureofangling,contributedtonotesandqueriessomeveryinterestingreminiscencesofthelambsinthosedays.thispoemandthatwhichfollowsitweresenttonotesandqueriesbythomaswestwood(june4,1870).

itisconcerningtheselinesthatlambwritestobarton,in1827:—"adieutoalbums—foragreatwhile—isaidwhenicamehere,andhadnotbeenfixedtwodays,butmylandlord'sdaughter(notatthepot-house)requestedmetowriteinherfemalefriend's,andinherown.ifigoto——thouarttherealso,oallpervadingalbum!allovertheleewardislands,innewfoundland,andthebacksettlements,iunderstandthereisnootherreading.theyhauntme.idieofalbo-phobia!"

page111.unsolitaire.

e.i.,whomadethedrawinginquestion,wouldbeemmaisola.theverseswerecopiedbylambintohisalbum,whichisnowinthepossessionofmrs.alfredmorrison.