LETTER66

letter66

charleslambtos.t.coleridge

august26th,1800.

howdoyoulikethislittleepigram?itisnotmywriting,norhadianyfingerinit.ifyouconcurwithmeinthinkingitveryelegantandveryoriginal,ishallbetemptedtonametheauthortoyou.iwilljusthintthatitisalmostorquiteafirstattempt.

helenrepentanttoolate

1

high-bornhelen,roundyourdwelling

thesetwentyyearsi'vepacedinvain:

haughtybeauty,yourlover'sduty

hasbeentogloryinhispain.

2

high-bornhelen!proudlytelling

storiesofyourcolddisdain;

istarve,idie,nowyoucomply,

andinolongercancomplain.

3

thesetwentyyearsi'velivedontears,

dwellingforeveronafrown;

onsighsi'vefed,yourscornmybread;

iperishnowyoukindaregrown.

4

cani,wholovedmybeloved

butforthe"scornwasinhereye,"

canibemovedformybeloved,

whenshe"returnsmesighforsigh?"

5

instatelypride,bymybed-side,

high-bornhelen'sportrait'shung;

deaftomypraise;mymournfullays

arenightlytotheportraitsung.

6

tothatiweep,noreversleep,

complainingallnightlongtoher!

helen,grownold,nolongercold,

said,"youtoallmeniprefer."

godwinreturnedfromwicklowtheweekbeforelast,tho'hedidnotreachhometillthesundayafter.hemightmuchbetterhavespentthattimewithyou.—butyouseeyourinvitationwouldhavebeentoolate.hegreatlyregretstheoccasionhemistofvisitingyou,butheintendstorevisitirelandinthenextsummer,andthenhewillcertainlytakekeswickinhisway.idinedwiththeheathenonsunday.

by-the-by,ihaveasortofrecollectionthatsomebody,ithinkyou,promisedmeasightofwordsworth'stragedy.ishouldbeverygladofitjustnow;forihavegotmanningwithme,andshouldliketoreaditwithhim.butthis,iconfess,isarefinement.underanycircumstances,aloneincoldbathprison,orinthedesertisland,justwhenprospero&hiscrewhadsetoff,withcalibaninacage,tomilan,itwouldbeatreattometoreadthatplay.manninghasreadit,sohaslloyd,andalllloyd'sfamily;buticouldnotgethimtobetrayhistrustbygivingmeasightofit.lloydissadlydeficientinsomeofthosevirtuousvices.ihavejustlituponamostbeautifulfictionofhellpunishments,bytheauthorof"hurlothrumbo,"amadfarce.theinventorimaginesthatinhellthereisagreatcaldronofhotwater,inwhichamancanscarceholdhisfinger,andanimmensesieveoverit,intowhichtheprobationarysoulsareput.

"andallthelittlesouls

popthroughtheriddleholes."

mary'slovetomrs.coleridge—minetoall.

n.b.—ipaysnopostage.—

georgedyeristheonlyliterarycharacteriamhappilyacquaintedwith.theofteneriseehim,themoredeeplyiadmirehim.heisgoodnessitself.ificouldbutcalculatetheprecisedateofhisdeath,iwouldwriteanovelonpurposetomakegeorgethehero.icouldhithimofftoahair.

georgebroughtadr.andersontoseeme.thedoctorisaverypleasantoldman,agreatgeniusforagriculture,onethattieshisbreeches-kneeswithpackthread,&boastsofhavinghaddisappointmentsfromministers.thedoctorhappenedtomentionanepicpoembyonewilkie,calledthe"epigoniad,"inwhichheassuredusthereisnotonetolerablelinefrombeginningtoend,butallthecharacters,incidents,&c.,areverballycopiedfromhomer.george,whohadbeensittingquiteinattentivetothedoctor'scriticism,nosoonerheardthesoundofhomerstrikehispericraniks,thanuphegets,anddeclareshemustseethatpoemimmediately:wherewasittobehad?anepicpoemof800[?8,000]lines,andhenothearofit!theremustbesomethingsgoodinit,anditwasnecessaryheshouldseeit,forhehadtouchedprettydeeplyuponthatsubjectinhiscriticismsontheepic.georgehastouchedprettydeeplyuponthelyric,ifind;hehasalsopreparedadissertationonthedramaandthecomparisonoftheenglishandgermantheatres.asiratherdoubtedhiscompetencytodothelatter,knowingthathispeculiarturnliesinthelyricspeciesofcomposition,iquestionedgeorgewhatenglishplayshehadread.ifoundthathehadreadshakspere(whomhecallsanoriginal,butirregular,genius),butitwasagoodwhileago;andhehasdiptintoroweandotway,isupposehavingfoundtheirnamesinjohnson'slivesatfulllength;anduponthisslendergroundhehasundertakenthetask.heneverseem'deventohaveheardoffletcher,ford,marlow,massinger,andtheworthiesofdodsley'scollection;butheistoreadallthese,topreparehimforbringingouthis"parallel"inthewinter.ifindheisalsodeterminedtovindicatepoetryfromtheshackleswhicharistotle&someothershaveimposeduponit,whichisverygood-naturedofhim,andverynecessaryjustnow!nowiamtouchingsodeeplyuponpoetry,caniforgetthatihavejustreceivedfromcottleamagnificentcopyofhisguineaepic.four-and-twentybookstoreadinthedog-days!igotasfarasthemadmonkthefirstday,&fainted.mr.cottle'sgeniusstronglypointshimtothepastoral,buthisinclinationsdiverthimperpetuallyfromhiscalling.heimitatessouthey,asrowedidshakspeare,withhis"goodmorrowtoye;goodmasterlieut't."insteadofaman,awoman,adaughter,heconstantlywritesoneaman,oneawoman,onehisdaughter.insteadoftheking,thehero,heconstantlywrites,hetheking,hethehero—twoflowersofrhetoricpalpablyfromthe"joan."butmr.cottlesoarsahigherpitch:andwhenheisoriginal,itisinamostoriginalwayindeed.histerrificscenesareindefatigable.serpents,asps,spiders,ghosts,deadbodies,staircasesmadeofnothing,withadders'tonguesforbannisters—mygod!whatabrainhemusthave!heputsasmanyplumsinhispuddingasmygrandmotherusedtodo;andthenhisemergingfromhell'shorrorsintolight,andtreadingonpureflatsofthisearthfortwenty-threebookstogether!

c.l.

[thelittleepigramwasbymarylamb.itwasprintedfirstinthejohn

woodvilvolumein1802;andagain,inafootnotetolamb'sessay

"blakesmoorinh——shire,"1824.

godwin'sreturnwasfromhisvisittocurran.coleridgehadaskedhimtobreakhisjourneyatkeswick.

"wordsworth'stragedy"—"theborderers."

"iwouldwriteanovel."lambreturnstothisideainletter91.