LETTER217

letter217

charleslambtowilliamwordsworth

[p.m.april28,1815.]

excusethismaddishletter:iamtootiredtowriteinformal—

dearwordsw'th.themoreireadofyourtwolastvolumes,themoreifeelitnecessarytomakemyacknowledgm'tsfortheminmorethanoneshortletter.thenightpiecetowhichyourefermeimeantfullytohavenoticed,butthefactisicomesoflutteringandlanguidfrombusiness,tiredwiththoughtsofit,frightenedwithfearsofit,thatwhenigetafewminutestositdowntoscribble(anactionofthehandnowseldomnaturaltome—imeanvoluntarypen-work)iloseallpresentialmemoryofwhatihadintendedtosay,andsaywhatican,—talkaboutvincentbourneoranycasualimageinsteadofthatwhichihadmeditated—bytheway,imustlookoutv.b.foryou.—soihadmeanttohavementionedyarrowvisited,withthatstanza,"butthouthatdidstappearsofair—"thanwhichithinknolovelierstanzacanbefoundinthewideworldofpoetry—yetthepoemonthewholeseemscondemnedtoleavebehinditamelancholyofimperfectsatisfaction,asifyouhadwrongedthefeelingwithwhichinwhatprecededityouhadresolvednevertovisitit,andasifthemusehaddeterminedinthemostdelicatemannertomakeyou,andscarcemakeyou,feelit.else,itisfarsuperiortotheother,whichhasbutoneexquisiteverseinit,thelastbutone,orthetwolast—thishasallfine,exceptperhapsthatthatof"studiouseaseandgenerouscares"hasalittletingeofthelessromanticaboutit.thefarmeroftilsburyvaleisacharmingcounterparttopoorsusan,withtheadditionofthatdelicacytowardsaberrationsfromthestrictpathwhichissofineintheoldthiefandtheboybyhisside,whichalwaysbringswaterintomyeyes.perhapsitistheworseforbeingarepetition.susanstoodfortherepresentativeofpoorrusinurbe.therewasquiteenoughtostampthemoralofthethingnevertobeforgotten."fastvolumesofvapour"&c.thelastverseofsusanwastobegotridofatallevents.itthrewakindofdubietyuponsusan'smoralconduct.susanisaservantmaid.iseehertrundlinghermopandcontemplatingthewhirlingphenomenonthro'blurredoptics;buttotermherapooroutcastseemsasmuchastosaythatpoorsusanwasnobetterthansheshouldbe,whichitrustwasnotwhatyoumeanttoexpress.robingoodfellowsupportshimselfwithoutthatstickofamoralwhichyouhavethrownaway,—buthowicanbebroughtinfelodeomittendoforthatendingtotheboybuildersisamystery.ican'tsaypositivelynow—ionlyknowthatnolineoftenerorreadieroccursthanthat"lightheartedboys,iwillbuildupagiantwithyou."itcomesnaturallywithawarmholydayandthefreshnessoftheblood.itisaperfectsummeramuletthatityeroundmylegstoquickentheirmotionwhenigooutamaying.(n.b.)idon'toftengooutamaying.—mustisthetensewithmenow.doyoutakethepun?youngromillyisdivine,thereasonsofhismother'sgriefbeingremediless.ineversawparentallovecarriedupsohigh,toweringabovetheotherloves.shakspearehaddonesomethingforthefilialincordelia,andbyimplicationforthefatherlytooinlear'sresentment—heleftitforyoutoexplorethedepthsofthematernalheart.igetstupid,andflatandflattering—what'stheuseoftellingyouwhatgoodthingsyouhavewritten,or—ihopeimayadd—thatiknowthemtobegood.apropos—whenifirstopeneduponthejustmentionedpoem,inacarelesstoneisaidtomaryasifputtingariddle"whatisgoodforabootlessbean?"towhichwithinfinitepresenceofmind(asthejestbookhasit)sheanswered,a"shoelesspea."itwasthefirstjokesheevermade.jokethe2dimakeyoudistinguishwellinyouroldprefacebetweentheversesofdr.johnsonofthemaninthestrand,andthatfromthebabesofthewood.iwasthinkingwhethertakingyourowngloriouslines—

andforthelovewasinhersoul

fortheyouthfulromilly—

which,bytheloveibearmyownsoul,ithinkhavenoparallelinanyofthebestoldbalads,andjustalteringitto—

andfromthegreatrespectshefelt

forsirsamuelromilly—

wouldnothaveexplainedtheboundariesofproseexpressionandpoeticfeelingnearlyaswell.excusemylevityonsuchanoccasion.ineverfeltdeeplyinmylife,ifthatpoemdidnotmakeme,bothlatelyandwhenireaditinms.noaldermaneverlongedafterahaunchofbuckvenisonmorethaniforaspiritualtasteofthatwhitedoeyoupromise.iamsureitissuperlative,orwillbewhendrest,i.e.printed.allthingsreadrawtomeinms.—tocomparemagnaparvis,icannotenduremyownwritingsinthatstate.theonlyonewhichithinkwouldnotverymuchwinuponmeinprintispeterbell.butiamnotcertain.youaskmeaboutyourpreface.ilikeboththatandthesupplementwithoutanexception.theaccountofwhatyoumeanbyimaginationisveryvaluabletome.itwillhelpmetolikesomethingsinpoetrybetter,whichisalittlehumiliatinginmetoconfess.ithoughticouldnotbeinstructedinthatscience(imeanthecritical),asionceheardoldobscenebeastlypeterpindarinadisputeonmiltonsayhethoughtthatifhehadreasontovaluehimselfupononethingmorethananotheritwasinknowingwhatgoodversewas.wholookdoveryourproofsheets,andleftordebointhatlineofvirgil?

mybrotherspictureofmiltonisveryfinelypainted,thatis,itmighthavebeendonebyahandnexttovandyke's.itisthegenuinemilton,andanobjectofquietgazeforthehalfhouratatime.yettho'iamconfidentthereisnobetteroneofhim,thefacedoesnotquiteanswertomilton.thereisatingeofpetit(orpetite,howdoyouspellit)querulousnessabout.yethangit,nowirememberbetter,thereisnot—itiscalm,melancholy,andpoetical.

oneofthecopiesyousenthadpreciselythesamepleasantblendingofasheetof2dvol.withasheetof1st.ithinkitwaspage245;butisentitandhaditrectifyd.itgavemeinthefirstimpetusofcuttingtheleavesjustsuchacoldsquelchasgoingdownaplausibleturningandsuddenlyreading"nothoroughfare."robinson'sisentire;heisgonetoburyhisfather.

iwishyouwouldwritemorecriticism,aboutspenser&c.ithinkicouldsaysomethingabouthimmyself—butlordblessme—these"merchantsandtheirspicydrugs"whicharesoharmonioustosingof,theylime-twigupmypoorsoulandbody,tillishallforgetieverthoughtmyselfabitofagenius!ican'tevenputafewthoughtsonpaperforanewspaper.i"engross,"whenishouldpenaparagraph.confusionblastallmercantiletransactions,alltraffick,exchangeofcommodities,intercoursebetweennations,alltheconsequentcivilizationandwealthandamityandlinkofsociety,andgettingridofprejudices,andknowlegeofthefaceoftheglobe—androttheveryfirsoftheforestthatlooksoromanticalive,anddieintodesks.vale.

yoursdearw.andallyours'.c.lamb.

[addedatfootofthefirstpage:]n.b.don'treadthatq.review—iwillneverlookintoanother.

[lambcontinueshiscriticismofthe1815editionofwordsworth'spoems.the"nightpiece"begins—

theskyisovercast.

thestanzafrom"yarrowvisited"is"edonpage557.thepoemfollowed"yarrowunvisited"inthevolume.theoneexquisiteversein"yarrowunvisited"firstran:—

yourcottageseemsabowerofbliss,

itpromisesprotection

tostudiouseaseandgenerouscares

andeverychasteaffection.

wordsworthalteredto—

acovertforprotection

oftenderthoughtsthatnestlethere,

thebroodofchasteaffection.

"poorsusan"hadinthe1800versionendedthus:—

pooroutcast!return—toreceivetheeoncemore

thehouseofthyfatherwillopenitsdoor,

andthouonceagain,inthyplainrussetgown,

may'sthearthethrushsingfromatreeofitsown.

wordsworthexpungedthisstanzainthe1815edition."fastvolumesofvapour"shouldbe"brightvolumesofvapour."fortheoldthiefsee"thetwothieves."

"felodeomittendo."seetheprecedingletter,wherelambremonstratedwithwordsworthforomittingthelastlinesfrom"ruralarchitecture."wordsworthseemstohavechargedlambwiththecriticismthatdecidedtheirremoval.

"thepun."canonaingerpointedoutthathood,inhis"odeto

melancholy,"makesthesamepunveryhappily:—

evenastheblossomsofthemay,

whosefragranceendsinmust.

"youngromilly."in"theforceofprayer,"whichopenswiththequestion—

whatisgoodforabootlessbene?

latermarylambmadeanotherjoke,whenatmunden'sfarewellperformanceshesaid,"sictransitgloriamunden!"

thestanzasfromwhichlamb"esrun:—

"whatisgoodforabootlessbene?"

thefalconertotheladysaid;

andshemadeanswer"endlesssorrow!"

inthatsheknewthathersonwasdead.

sheknewitbythefalconer'swords,

andfromthelookofthefalconer'seye;

andfromthelovewhichwasinhersoul

forheryouthfulromilly.