In the middle ages when a knight listened, in the morning, to some
song of brave doing, ere evening he himself might be the hero of such
song.--What wonder then that he held sacred the function of the poet!
Now-a-days our heroes (and we have them) are left unchapleted and
neglected--and therefore the poet lives and dies neglected.
Thus it would appear from these facts (which have been collaterally
evolved in course of enquiring into the propriety of choosing the
subject from past or present time, and in course of the consequent
analysis) that Art, to become a more powerful engine of civilization,
assuming a practically humanizing tendency (the admitted function of
Art), should be made more directly conversant with the things,
incidents, and influences which surround and constitute the living
world of those whom Art proposes to improve, and, whether it should
appear in event that Art can or can not assume this attitude without
jeopardizing her specific existence, that such a consummation were
desirable must be equally obvious in either case.
Let us return now to the former consideration. It was stated that the
poet is affected by every day incidents, which would have little or
no effect on the mind of a general observer: and if you ask the poet,
who from his conduct may be the supposed advocate of the past as the
fittest medium for poetic eduction, why he embodied the suggestions
of to-day in the matter and dress of antiquity; he is likely to
answer as follows.
Pages:
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252