SONNETS

sonnets

page43.tomisskelly.

francesmariakelly(1790-1882)—orfannykelly,asshewasusuallycalled—waslamb'sfavouriteactressofhismiddleandlaterlifeandapersonalfriendofhimselfandhissister:soclosethatlambproposedmarriagetoher.seelamb'scriticismsofmisskelly'sactinginvol.i.,andnotes.anothersonnetaddressedbylambtomisskellywillbefoundonpage59ofthepresentvolume.

page43.onthesightofswansinkensingtongarden.thisis,ithink,

lamb'sonlypoemtheinspirationofwhichwasdrawnfromnature.

page44.thefamilyname.

johnlamb,charles'sfather,camefromlincoln.arecollectionofhisboyhoodthereisgivenintheeliaessay"poorrelations."the"stream"seemscompletelytohaveendedwithcharleslambandhissistermary:atleast,researchhasyieldednodescendants.

crabbrobinsonvisitedgoetheinthesummerof1829.thediaryhasthisentry:"iinquiredwhetherheknewthenameoflamb.'oh,yes!didhenotwriteaprettysonnetonhisownname?'charleslamb,thoughhealwaysaffectedcontemptforgoethe,yetwasmanifestlypleasedthathisnamewasknowntohim."

inthelittlememoiroflambprefixedbym.amédéepichottoafrencheditionofthetalesfromshakespearein1842thefollowingtranslationofthissonnetisgiven:—

monnomdefamille

dis-moi,d'ounousviens-tu,nompacifiqueetdoux,

nomtransmissansreproche?…aquitedevons-nous,

nomquimeursavecmoi?monglasondepoëte

al'aïeuldemonpèreobscuréments'arrête.

—peut-êtrenousviens-tud'untimidepasteur,

douxcommesesagneaux,raillépoursadouceur.

maispeut-êtrequ'aussi,moinscommuneorigine,

nousviens-tud'unhéros,d'unpieuxpaladin,

quicroyanthonorerainsil'agneaudivin,

tepritenrevenantdeschampsdepalestine.

maisqu'importeaprèstout…qu'ilsoitillustreounon,

jeneferaijamaisunetacheàcenom.

page44.tojohnlamb,esq.

johnlamb,charles'sbrother,wasbornin1763andwasthusbytwelveyearshissenior.atthetimethispoemappeared,in1818,hewasaccountantofthesouth-seahouse.hediedonoctober26,1821(seetheeliaessays"myrelations"and"dreamchildren").

page45.tomartincharlesburney,esq.

lambprefixedthissonnettovol.ii.ofhisworks,1818.invol.i.hehadplacedthededicationtocoleridgewhichwehavealreadyseen.martincharlesburneywasthesonofrear-admiraljamesburney,lamb'soldfriend,andnephewofmadamed'arblay.hewasabarristerbyprofession;dabbledalittleinauthorship;wasveryquaintinsomeofhiswaysandgiventocuriouslyintenseandsuddenenthusiasms;andwasdevotedtomarylambandherbrother.whenthesetwowereatworkontheirtalesfromshakespearmartinburneywouldsitwiththemandattempttowriteforchildrentoo.lamb'sletterofmay24,1830,tosarahhazlitthassomeamusingstoriesofhisfriend,atwhom(likegeorgedyer)hecouldlaughaswellaslove.lambspeaksofhimononeoccasionasonthetoproundofhisladderoffriendship.writingtosarahhazlitt,lambsays:—"martinburneyisasgood,andasoddasever.wehadadisputeabouttheword'heir,'whichicontendedwaspronouncedlike'air';hesaidthatmightbeincommonparlance;orthatwemightsouseit,speakingofthe'heiratlaw,'acomedy;butthatinthelawcourtsitwasnecessarytogiveitafullaspiration,andtosayhayer;hethoughtitmightevenvitiateacause,ifacounselpronounceditotherwise.inconclusion,he'wouldconsultserjeantwilde,'whogaveitagainsthim.sometimeshefallethintothewater;sometimesintothefire.hecamedownhere,andinsistedonreadingvirgil's'eneid'allthroughwithme(whichhedid),becauseacounselmustknowlatin.anothertimehereadoutallthegospelofst.john,becausebiblical"ationsareveryemphaticinacourtofjustice.athirdtime,hewouldcarveafowl,whichhedidveryill-favouredly,because'wedidnotknowhowindispensableitwasforabarristertodoallthosesortofthingswell?thoselittlethingswereofmoreconsequencethanwesupposed.'sohegoeson,harassingaboutthewaytoprosperity,andlosingit.withalonghead,butsomewhatawrongone——harum-scarum.whydoesnothisguardianangellooktohim?hedeservesone:maybe,hehastiredhimout."

martinburney,ofwhomanotherglimpseiscaughtintheeliaessay"detachedthoughtsonbooksandreading,"diedin1860.atmarylamb'sfuneralhewasinconsolable.

page46.charleslamb'salbumverses,1830.

thepublicationofthisvolume,in1830,wasduemoretolamb'skindnessofheartthantoanydesiretocomebeforetheworldagainasapoet.butedwardmoxon,lamb'syoungfriend,wasjuststartinghispublishingbusiness,withsamuelrogersasafinancialpatron;andlamb,whohadlongbeenhischiefliteraryadviser,couldnotwellrefusetherequesttohelphimwithanewbook.albumversesbecamethusthefirstofthemanynotablebooksofpoetrywhichmoxonwastoissuebetween1830and1858,theyearofhisdeath.amongthemtennyson'spoems,1833and1842;theprincess,1847;inmemoriam,1850;maud,1855;andbrowning'ssordello,1840,andbellsandpomegranates,1843-1846.

thededicationofalbumversestellsthestoryofitsbeing:—

"dedication

"tothepublisher

"dearmoxon,

"idonotknowtowhomadedicationofthesetriflesismoreproperlyduethantoyourself.youestedtheprintingofthem.youweredesirousofexhibitingaspecimenofthemannerinwhichpublications,entrustedtoyourfuturecare,wouldappear.withmorepropriety,perhaps,the'christmas,'orsomeotherofyourownsimple,unpretendingcompositions,mighthaveservedthispurpose.butiforget—youhavebidalongadieutothemuses.ihadonmyhandssundrycopiesofverseswrittenforalbums—

"thosebookskeptbymodernyoungladiesforshow,

ofwhichtheirplaingrandmothersnothingdidknow—

"orotherwisefloatingaboutinperiodicals;whichyouhavechoseninthismannertoembody.ifeellittleinterestintheirpublication.theyaresimply—advertisementverses.

"itisnotforme,noryou,toalludeinpublictothekindnessofourhonouredfriend,underwhoseauspicesyouarebecomeabookseller.maythatfine-mindedveteraninverseenjoylifelongenoughtoseehispatronagejustified!iventuretopredictthatyourhabitsofindustry,andyourcheerfulspirit,willcarryyouthroughtheworld.

"iam,dearmoxon,

"yourfriendandsincerewell-wisher,charleslamb.

"enfield,1stjune,1830."

thereferenceto"christmas"istomoxon'spoemofthatname,publishedin1829,anddedicatedtolamb.—thecoupletconcerningalbumsisfromoneoflamb'sownpieces(seepage104).—theveteraninversewassamuelrogers,who,thensixty-seven,livedyetanothertwenty-fiveyears.moxonpublishedthesuperbeditionsofhisitalyandhispoemsillustratedbyturnerandstothard.

lamb'smotivesinissuingalbumverseswerecruellymisunderstoodbytheliterarygazette(editedbywilliamjerdan).inthenumberforjuly10,1830,wasprintedacontemptuousreviewbeginningwiththispassage:—

ifanythingcouldpreventourlaughingatthepresentcollectionofabsurdities,itwouldbealamentableconvictionoftheblindingandengrossingnatureofvanity.wecouldforgivethefollyoftheoriginalcomposition,butcannotbutmarvelattheegotismwhichhaspreserved,andtheconceitwhichhaspublished.

lambhimselfprobablywasnotmuchdisturbedbyjerdan'svenom,butsoutheytookitmuchtoheart,andafewweekslatersenttothetimes(ofaugust6,1830)thefollowinglinesinpraiseofhisfriend:—

tocharleslamb

onthereviewalofhisalbumversesintheliterarygazette.

charleslamb,tothosewhoknowtheejustlydear,

forrarestgenius,andforsterlingworth,

unchangingfriendship,warmthofheartsincere,