LETTER81

letter81

charleslambtowilliamwordsworth

[p.m.january30,1801.]

thanksforyourletterandpresent.ihadalreadyborrowedyoursecondvolume.whatmostpleasemeare,thesongoflucy….simon'ssicklydaughterinthesextonmademecry.nexttothesearethedescriptionofthecontinuousechoesinthestoryofjoanna'slaugh,wherethemountainsandallthesceneryabsolutelyseemalive—andthatfineshakesperiancharacterofthehappyman,inthebrothers,

—thatcreepsaboutthefields,

followinghisfanciesbythehour,tobring

tearsdownhischeek,orsolitarysmiles

intohisface,untilthesettingsun

writefooluponhisforehead.

iwillmentiononemore:thedelicateandcuriousfeelinginthewishforthecumberlandar,thathemayhaveabouthimthemelodyofbirds,altho'hehearthemnot.herethemindknowinglypassesafictionuponherself,firstsubstitutingherownfeelingsforthear's,and,inthesamebreathdetectingthefallacy,willnotpartwiththewish.—thepoet'sepitaphisdisfigured,tomytastebythevulgarsatireuponparsonsandlawyersinthebeginning,andthecoarseepithetofpinpointinthe6thstanza.alltherestiseminentlygood,andyourown.iwilljustaddthatitappearstomeafaultinthear,thattheinstructionsconveyedinitaretoodirectandlikealecture:theydon'tslideintothemindofthereader,whileheisimaginingnosuchmatter.anintelligentreaderfindsasortofinsultinbeingtold,iwillteachyouhowtothinkuponthissubject.thisfault,ifiamright,isinaten-thousandthworsedegreetobefoundinsterneandmanymanynovelists&modernpoets,whocontinuallyputasignpostuptoshewwhereyouaretofeel.theysetoutwithassumingtheirreaderstobestupid.verydifferentfromrobinsoncrusoe,thevicarofwakefield,roderickrandom,andotherbeautifulbarenarratives.thereisimpliedanunwrittencompactbetweenauthorandreader;iwilltellyouastory,andisupposeyouwillunderstandit.modernnovels"st.leons"andthelikearefullofsuchflowersasthese"letnotmyreadersuppose,""imagine,ifyoucan"—modest!—&c.—iwillherehavedonewithpraiseandblame.ihavewrittensomuch,onlythatyoumaynotthinkihavepassedoveryourbookwithoutobservation,—iamsorrythatcoleridgehaschristenedhisancientmarinere"apoet'sreverie"—itisasbadasbottomtheweaver'sdeclarationthatheisnotalionbutonlythescenicalrepresentationofalion.whatnewideaisgainedbythistitle,butonesubversiveofallcredit,whichthetaleshouldforceuponus,ofitstruth?forme,iwasneversoaffectedwithanyhumantale.afterfirstreadingit,iwastotallypossessedwithitformanydays—idislikeallthemiraculouspartofit,butthefeelingsofthemanundertheoperationofsuchsceneryedmealongliketompiper'smagicwhistle.itotallydifferfromyourideathatthemarinereshouldhavehadacharacterandprofession.thisisabeautyingulliver'stravels,wherethemindiskeptinaplacidstateoflittlewonderments;buttheancientmarinereundergoessuchtrials,asoverwhelmandburyallindividualityormemoryofwhathewas,likethestateofamaninabaddream,oneterriblepeculiarityofwhichis:thatallconsciousnessofpersonalityisgone.yourotherobservationisithinkaswellalittleunfounded:themarinerefrombeingconversantinsupernaturaleventshasacquiredasupernaturalandstrangecastofphrase,eye,appearance,&c.whichfrightentheweddingguest.youwillexcusemyremarks,becauseiamhurtandvexedthatyoushouldthinkitnecessary,withaproseapology,toopentheeyesofdeadmenthatcannotsee.tosumupageneralopinionofthesecondvol.—idonotfeelanyonepoeminitsoforciblyastheancientmarinere,themadmother,andthelinesattinternabbeyinthefirst.—icould,too,havewishedthecriticalprefacehadappearedinaseparatetreatise.allitsdogmasaretrueandjust,andmostofthemnew,ascriticism.buttheyassociateadiminishingideawiththepoemswhichfollow,ashavingbeenwrittenforexperimentonthepublictaste,morethanhavingsprung(astheymusthavedone)fromlivinganddailycircumstances.—iamprolix,becauseiamgratifyedintheopportunityofwritingtoyou,andidon'twellknowwhentoleaveoff.ioughtbeforethistohavereply'dtoyourverykindinvitationintocumberland.withyouandyoursistericouldganganywhere.butiamafraidwhetherishalleverbeabletoaffordsodesperateajourney.

separatefromthepleasureofyourcompany,idon'tmuchcareifineverseeamountaininmylife.ihavepassedallmydaysinlondon,untilihaveformedasmanyandintenselocalattachments,asanyofyoumountaineerscanhavedonewithdeadnature.thelightedshopsofthestrandandfleetstreet,theinnumerabletrades,tradesmenandcustomers,coaches,ons,playhouses,allthebustleandwickednessroundaboutcoventgarden,theverywomenofthetown,thewatchmen,drunkenscenes,rattles,—lifeawake,ifyouawake,atallhoursofthenight,theimpossibilityofbeingdullinfleetstreet,thecrowds,theverydirt&mud,thesunshininguponhousesandpavements,theprintshops,theoldbookstalls,parsonscheap'ningbooks,coffeehouses,steamsofsoupsfromkitchens,thepantomimes,londonitselfapantomimeandamasquerade,—allthesethingsworkthemselvesintomymindandfeedme,withoutapowerofsatiatingme.thewonderofthesesightsimpellsmeintonight-walksabouthercrowdedstreets,andioftenshedtearsinthemotleystrandfromfulnessofjoyatsomuchlife.—alltheseemotionsmustbestrangetoyou.soareyourruralemotionstome.butconsider,whatmustihavebeendoingallmylife,nottohavelentgreatportionsofmyheartwithusurytosuchscenes?—

myattachmentsarealllocal,purelylocal.ihavenopassion(orhavehadnonesinceiwasinlove,andthenitwasthespuriousengenderingofpoetry&books)togrovesandvallies.theroomswhereiwasborn,thefurniturewhichhasbeenbeforemyeyesallmylife,abookcasewhichhasfollowedmeabout(likeafaithfuldog,onlyexceedinghiminknowledge)whereverihavemoved—oldchairs,oldtables,streets,squares,whereihavesunnedmyself,myoldschool,—thesearemymistresses.haveinotenough,withoutyourmountains?idonotenvyyou.ishouldpityyou,didinotknow,thatthemindwillmakefriendsofanything.yoursun&moonandskysandhills&lakesaffectmenomore,orscarcelycometomeinmorevenerablecharacters,thanasagildedroomwithtapestryandtapers,whereimightlivewithhandsomevisibleobjects.iconsiderthecloudsabovemebutasaroof,beautifullypaintedbutunabletosatisfythemind,andatlast,likethepicturesoftheapartmentofaconnoisseur,unabletoaffordhimanylongerapleasure.sofadinguponme,fromdisuse,havebeenthebeautiesofnature,astheyhavebeenconfinedlycalled;soeverfresh&greenandwarmarealltheinventionsofmenandassembliesofmeninthisgreatcity.ishouldcertainlyhavelaughedwithdearjoanna.

givemykindestlove,andmysister's,tod.&your_self_andakissfrommetolittlebarbaralewthwaite.

c.lamb.

thankyouforlikingmyplay!!

[thisisthefirst—andperhapsthefinest—letterfromlambtowordsworththathasbeenpreserved.wordsworth,thenlivingwithhissisterdorothyatdovecottage,grasmere,wasnearlythirty-oneyearsofage;lambwasnearlytwenty-six.theworkcriticisedisthesecondeditionofthelyricalballads.thesecondandsixthstanzasofthe"poet'sepitaph"ranthus:—

alawyerartthou?—drawnotnigh;

go,carrytosomeotherplace

thehardnessofthycowardeye,

thefalshoodofthysallowface.

wrapp'dcloselyinthysensualfleece

oturnaside,andtake,ipray,

thathebelowmayrestinpeace,

thypin-pointofasoulaway!

st.leonwasbygodwin.

of"theancientmariner,apoet'sreverie,"wordsworthhadsaidinanotetothefirstvolumeoflyricalballads:—

"thepoemofmyfriendhasindeedgreatdefects;first,thattheprincipalpersonhasnodistinctcharacter,eitherinhisprofessionofmariner,orasahumanbeingwhohavingbeenlongunderthecontroulofsupernaturalimpressionsmightbesupposedhimselftopartakeofsomethingsupernatural;secondly,thathedoesnotact,butiscontinuallyactedupon;thirdly,thattheeventshavingnonecessaryconnectiondonotproduceeachother;andlastly,thattheimageryissomewhattoolaboriouslyaccumulated."

"themadmother."thepoembeginning,"hereyesarewild,herheadisbare."

"icould,too,havewished."thepassagefromthesewordsto"don'twell

knowwhentoleaveoff,"usedtobeomittedintheeditionsoflamb's

letters.whenwordsworthsentthecorrespondencetomoxon,for

talfourd'suse,in1835,hewrote:—

"thereare,however,inthemsomepartswhichhadbetterbekeptback….ihavealsothoughtitpropertosuppresseverywordofcriticism[wordsworthmeantadversecriticism]uponmyownpoems….thoserelatingtomyworksarewithheld,partlybecauseishrinkfromthethoughtofassistinginanywaytospreadmyownpraises,andstillmoreibeingconvincedthattheopinionsorjudgmentsoffriendsgiveninthiswayareoflittlevalue."

"joanna."joannaofthelaugh."barbaralewthwaite."seewordsworth's

"petlamb."

"thankyouforlikingmyplay!!"wemustsupposethispostscripttocontainatouchofsarcasm.lambhadsent"johnwoodvil"tograsmereandkeswick.wordsworthapparentlyhadbeenbutpolitelyinterestedinit.coleridgehadwrittentogodwin:"talkingoftragedies,ateveryperusalmyloveandadmirationofhis[lamb's]playrisesapeg."

hereshouldcomealetterfromlambtorobertlloyd,datedatendfebruary7,1801,notavailableforthisedition.itisoneofthebestletterswrittenbylambtorobertlloyd,ortoanyone.lambfirstpraisesizaakwalton,whosecompleatanglerhelovedfortworeasons:foritselfandforitsconnectionwithhisownhertfordshirecountry,hoddesdon,broxbourne,amwellandthewareneighbourhood.theletterpassestoathirdeulogyoflondon.lambclosesbyremarkingthatmanningis"adaintychiel,andamanofgreatpower,anenchanteralmost."]