LETTER252

letter252

charleslambtos.t.coleridge

[nodate.?summer,1819.]

drc.yoursonnetiscapital.thepaperingenious,onlythatitsplitinto4parts(besidesasidesplinter)inthecarriage.ihavetransferredittothecommonenglishpaper,manufacturedofrags,forbetterpreservation.ineverknewbeforehowtheiliadandodysseywerewritten.tisstrikinglycorroboratedbyobservationsoncats.thesedomesticanimals,put'emonarugbeforethefire,winktheireyesupandlistentothekettle,andthenpurr,whichistheirpoetry.

onsundayweekwekissyourhands(iftheyareclean).thisnextsunday

ihavebeenengagedforsometime.

withremembcestoyourgoodhostandhostess

yourseverc.lamb.

[thesonnetwascoleridge's"fancyinnubibus;or,thepoetintheclouds,"printedinblackwood,november,1819,butnowsenttolambinmanuscript,apparentlyonsomecuriouskindofpaper.

thisisthesonnet:—

o!itispleasant,withaheartatease,

justaftersunset,orbymoonlightskies,

tomaketheshiftingcloudsbewhatyouplease,

orlettheeasilypersuadedeyes

owneachquaintlikenessissuingfromthemould

ofafriend'sfancy;orwithheadbentlow

andcheekaslantseeriversflowofgold

'twixtcrimsonbanks;andthen,atraveller,go

frommounttomountthroughcloudland,gorgeousland!

or,list'ningtothetide,withclosedsight,

bethatblindbard,whoonthechianstrand

bythosedeepsoundspossessedwithinwardlight,

beheldtheiliadandtheodyssee

risetotheswellingofthevoicefulsea.

seenextlettertocoleridge.

possiblyitistothissummerthatanundatednotetocrabbrobinsonbelongs(inthedr.williams'library)inwhichlambsaystheyaresettingouttoseelordbraybrooke'shouseataudleyend.]