LETTER216

letter216

charleslambtowilliamwordsworth

[p.m.partlyillegible.april7,1815.]

theconclusionofthisepistlegettinggloomy,ihavechosenthisparttodesireourkindestlovestomrs.wordsworthandtodorothea.willnoneofyoueverbeinlondonagain?

dearwordsw'th,youhavemademeveryproudwithyouressivebookpresents.ihavebeencarefullythroughthetwovolumestoseethatnothingwasomittedwhichusedtobethere.ithinkimissnothingbutacharacterinantithet.mannerwhichidonotknowwhyyouleftout;themoraltotheboysbuildingthegiant,theomissionwhereofleavesitinmymindlesscomplete;andoneadmirablelinegone(orsomethingcomeinsteadofit)"thestone-chatandtheglancingsand-piper,"whichwasalinequitealive.idemandtheseatyourhand.iamgladthatyouhavenotsacrificedaversetothosescoundrels.iwouldnothavehadyouofferupthepoorestragthatlingereduponthestriptshouldersoflittlealicefell,tohaveatonedalltheirmalice.iwouldnothavegiven'emaredcloaktosavetheirsouls.iamafraidlestthatsubstitutionofashell(aflatfalsificationofthehistory)forthehouseholdimplementasitstoodatfirst,wasakindoftubthrownouttothebeast,orratherthrownoutforhim.thetubwasagoodhonesttubinitsplace,andnothingcouldfairlybesaidagainstit.yousayyoumadethealterationforthe"friendlyreader,"butthemaliciouswilltakeittohimself.damn'em;ifyougive'emaninch&c.theprefaceisnobleandsuchasyoushouldwrite:iwishicouldsetmynametoit—imprimatur—butyouhavesetitthereyourself,andithankyou.ihadratherbeadoor-keeperinyourmargin,thanhavetheirproudesttextswellingwithmyeulogies.thepoemsinthevolumeswhicharenewtomearesomuchintheoldtonethatihardlyreceivedthemasnovelties.ofthose,ofwhichihadnopreviousknowlege,thefouryewtreesandthemysteriouscompanywhichyouhaveassembledthere,moststruckme—"deaththeskeletonandtimetheshadow—"itisasightnotforeveryyouthfulpoettodreamof—itisoneofthelastresultshemusthavegonethinking-onforyearsfor.laodamiaisaveryoriginalpoem;imeanoriginalwithreferencetoyourownmanner.youhavenothinglikeit.ishouldhaveseenitinastrangeplace,andgreatlyadmiredit,butnotsuspecteditsderivation.letmeinthisplace,forihavewrityouseveralletterswithoutnamingit,mentionthatmybrother,whoisapicturecollector,haspickedupanundoubtablepictureofmilton.hegaveafewshillingsforit,andcouldgetnohistorywithit,butthatsomeoldladyhadhaditforagreatmanyyears.itsageisascertainablefromthestateofthecanvas,andyouneedonlyseeittobesurethatitistheoriginaloftheheadsinthetonsoneditions,withwhichweareallsowellfamiliar.sinceisawyouihavehadatreatinthereadingwaywhichcomesnoteveryday.thelatinpoemsofv.bourne,whichwerequitenewtome.whataheartthatmanhad,alllaidoutupontownscenes,apropercounterpoisetosomepeople'sruralextravaganzas.whyimentionhimisthatyourpowerofmusicremindedmeofhispoemofthebaladsingerinthesevendials.doyourememberhisepigramontheoldwomanwhotaughtnewtonthea.b.c.,whichafterall,hesays,hehesitatesnottocallnewton'sprincipia.iwaslatelyfatiguingmyselfwithgoingthro'avolumeoffinewordsbyl'd.thurlow—excellentwords,andiftheheartcouldlivebywordsalone,itcoulddesirenobetterregale—butwhatanachingvacuumofmatter;idon'tstickatthemadnessofit,forthatisonlyaconsequenceofshuttinghiseyesandthinkingheisintheageoftheoldelisabethpoets;fromthenceiturnedtov.bourne—whatasweetunpretendingpretty-manneredmatter-fulcreature,suckingfromeveryflower,makingaflowerofeverything,hisdictionalllatinandhisthoughtsallenglish.blesshim,latinwasn'tgoodenoughforhim,whywasn'thecontentwiththelanguagewhichgayandpriorwrotein.

iamalmostsorrythatyouprintedextractsfromthosefirstpoems,orthatyoudidnotprintthematlength.theydonotreadtomeastheydoalltogether.besidestheyhavediminishedthevalueoftheoriginal(whichipossess)asacuriosity.ihavehithertokeptthemdistinctinmymindasreferringtoaparticularperiodofyourlife.alltherestofyourpoemsaresomuchofapiece,theymighthavebeenwritteninthesameweek—thesedecidedlyspeakofanearlierperiod.theytellmoreofwhatyouhadbeenreading.

weweregladtoseethepoemsbyafemalefriend.theoneofthewindismasterly,butnotnewtous.beingonlythree,perhapsyoumighthaveclaptad.atthecornerandletithavepastasaprinter'smarktotheuninitiated,asadelightfulhinttothebetter-instructed.asitis,expectaformalcriticismonthepoemsofyourfemalefriend,andshemustexpectit.

ishouldhavewrittenbefore,butiamcruellyengagedandliketobe.onfridayiwasatofficefrom10inthemorning(twohoursdinnerexcept)to11atnight,lastnighttill9.mybusinessandofficebusinessingeneralhasincreasedso.idon'tmeaniamthereeverynight,butimustexpectagreatdealofit.ineverleavetill4—anddonotkeepaholydaynowonceintentimes,whereiusedtokeepallredletterdays,andsomefinedaysbesideswhichiusedtodubnature'sholydays.ihavehadmyday.ihadformerlylittletodo.soofthelittlethatisleftoflifeimayreckontwothirdsasdead,fortimethatamanmaycallhisownishislife,andhardworkandthinkingaboutittaintseventheleisurehours,stainssundaywithworkdaycontemplations—thisissunday,andtheheadacheihaveispartlatehoursatworkthe2precedingnightsandpartlaterhoursoveraconsolingpipeafterw'ds.butifindstupidacquiescencecomingoverme.ibendtotheyoke,anditisalmostwithmeandmyhouseholdaswiththemanandhisconsort—

tothemeacheveninghaditsglitteringstar

andeverysabbathdayitsgoldensun—

tosuchstraitsamidrivenforthelifeoflife,time—othatfromthatsuperfluityofholydayleisuremyyouthwasted"agemightbuttakesomehoursyouthwantednot.—"n.b.ihaveleftoffspirituousliquorsfor4ormoremonths,withamoralcertaintyofitslasting.farewell,dearwordsworth.

[wordsworthhadjustbroughtout,withlongmans,hispoems…includinglyricalballadsandthemiscellaneouspiecesoftheauthor,1815,intwovolumes.the"characterintheantitheticalmanner"wasomittedfromalleditionsofwordsworth'spoemsbetween1800and1836.inthe1800versionof"ruralarchitecture"therehadbeentheselastlines,expungedintheeditionsof1805and1815,butrestoredwithaslightalterationinlatereditions:—

—somelittlei'veseenofblindboisterousworks

inparisandlondon,'mongchristiansorturks,

spiritsbusytodoandundo:

atremembrancewhereofmybloodsometimeswillflag,

—then,light-heartedboys,tothetopofthecrag;

andi'llbuildupagiantwithyou.

intheoriginalformofthe"linesleftuponaseatinayewtree"therehadbeentheselines:—

hisonlyvisitantsalingsheep,

thestone-chat,ortheglancingsand-piper.

wordsworthhadalteredthemto:—

hisonlyvisitantsalingsheep,

thestone-chat,orthesand-lark,restlessbird,

pipingalongthemarginofthelake.

inthe1820editionwordsworthputbacktheoriginalform.

"thosescoundrels."principallythecriticoftheedinburgh,jeffrey,butwordsworth'sassailantsgenerally.

"thatsubstitutionofashell."intheoriginaldraftof"theblind

highlandboy"theadventurousvoyagewasmadein

ahouseholdtub,likeoneofthose

whichwomenusetowashtheirclothes.

inthenewversionthevesselwasaturtle'sshell.

"thepreface."wordsworth"esfromlamb'sessayinthereflectoronthegeniusofhogarth,referringtothepassageas"thelanguageofoneofmymostesteemedfriends."itislamb'sdescriptionofimaginationasthatwhich"drawsallthingstoone,whichmakesthingsanimateorinanimate,beingswiththeirattributes,subjectswiththeiraccessories,takeonecolourandservetooneeffect."

"thefouryewtrees."thepoemiscalled"yewtrees."thisisthepassageinquestion:—

butworthierstillofnote

arethosefraternalfourofborrowdale,

joinedinonesolemnandcapaciousgrove;

hugetrunks!andeachparticulartrunkagrowth

ofintertwistedfibresserpentine

up-coiling,andinveteratelyconvolved;

noruninformedwithphantasy,andlooks

thatthreatentheprofane;—apillaredshade,

uponwhosegrasslessfloorofred-brownhue,

bysheddingsfromthepiningumbragetinged

perennially—beneathwhosesableroof

ofboughs,asifforfestalpurpose,decked

withunrejoicingberries—ghostlyshapes

maymeetatnoontide;fearandtremblinghope,

silenceandforesight;deaththeskeleton

andtimetheshadow;theretocelebrate,