Heownsitinallnoblethoughtsinallunworldlymotivesinallholyimpulsesinallchivalrous，generous，andself-sacrificingdeeds。Hefeelsitinthebeautyofwomaninthegraceofherstepinthelustreofhereyeinthemelodyofhervoiceinhersoftlaughter，inhersighintheharmonyoftherustlingofherrobes。Hedeeplyfeelsitinherwinningendearmentsinherburningenthusiasmsinhergentlecharitiesinhermeekanddevotionalendurancesbutaboveallah，faraboveall，hekneelstoitheworshipsitinthefaith，inthepurity，inthestrength，inthealtogetherdivinemajestyofherlove。
LetmeconcludebytherecitationofyetanotherbriefpoemoneverydifferentincharacterfromanythatIhavebeforequoted。ItisbyMotherwell，andiscalled“TheSongoftheCavalier。”Withourmodernandaltogetherrationalideasoftheabsurdityandimpietyofwarfare，wearenotpreciselyinthatframeofmindbestadaptedtosympathizewiththesentiments，andthustoappreciatetherealexcellenceofthepoem。Todothisfullywemustidentifyourselvesinfancywiththesouloftheoldcavalier：
Thenmounte！thenmounte，bravegallantsall，Anddonyourhelmesamaine：
Deathe’scouriers。FameandHonorcallNoshrewishtearesshallfillyoureyeWhenthesword-hilt’sinourhand，
Heart-wholewe’llpart，andnowhitsigheForthefayrestoftheland；
Letpipingswaine，andcravenwight，Thusweepeandpolingcrye，Ourbusinessislikementofight。
ITshouldnotbedoubtedthatatleastone-thirdoftheaffectionwithwhichweregardtheelderpoetsofGreatBritainshouldbe-attributedtowhatis，initself，athingapartfrompoetry-wemeantothesimpleloveoftheantique-andthat，again，athirdofeventheproper_poeticsentiment_inspired__bytheirwritingsshouldbeascribedtoafactwhich，whileithasstrictconnectionwithpoetryintheabstract，andwiththeoldBritishpoemsthemselves，shouldnotbelookeduponasameritappertainingtotheauthorsofthepoems。Almosteverydevoutadmireroftheoldbards，ifdemandedhisopinionoftheirproductions，wouldmentionvaguely，yetwithperfectsincerity，asenseofdreamy，wild，indefinite，andhewouldperhapssay，indefinabledelight；onbeingrequiredtopointoutthesourceofthissoshadowypleasure，hewouldbeapttospeakofthequaintinphraseologyandingeneralhandling。Thisquaintnessis，infact，averypowerfuladjuncttoideality，butinthecaseinquestionitarisesindependentlyoftheauthor’swill，andisaltogetherapartfromhisintention。Wordsandtheirrhythmhavevaried。
Verseswhichaffectusto-daywithavividdelight，andwhichdelight，inmanyinstances，maybetracedtotheonesource，quaintness，musthaveworninthedaysoftheirconstruction，averycommonplaceair。Thisis，ofcourse，noargumentagainstthepoemsnow-wemeanitonlyasagainstthepoets_thew。_Thereisagrowingdesiretooverratethem。TheoldEnglishmusewasfrank，guileless，sincere，andalthoughverylearned，stilllearnedwithoutart。NogeneralerrorevincesamorethoroughconfusionofideasthantheerrorofsupposingDonneandCowleymetaphysicalinthesensewhereinWordsworthandColeridgeareso。Withthetwoformerethicsweretheend-withthetwolatterthemeans。Thepoetofthe“Creation“wished，byhighlyartificialverse，toinculcatewhathesupposedtobemoraltruth-thepoetofthe“AncientMariner“toinfusethePoeticSentimentthroughchannelssuggestedbyanalysis。Theonefinishedbycompletefailurewhathecommencedinthegrossestmisconception；theother，byapathwhichcouldnotpossiblyleadhimastray，arrivedatatriumphwhichisnotthelessgloriousbecausehiddenfromtheprofaneeyesofthemultitude。Butinthisvieweventhe“metaphysicalverse“ofCowleyisbutevidenceofthesimplicityandsingle-heartednessoftheman。Andhewasinthisbutatypeofhisschool-forwemayaswelldesignateinthiswaytheentireclassofwriterswhosepoemsareboundupinthevolumebeforeus，andthroughoutallofwhomthererunsaveryperceptiblegeneralcharacter。Theyusedlittleartincomposition。Theirwritingssprangimmediatelyfromthesoul-andpartookintenselyofthatsoul’snature。Norisitdifficulttoperceivethetendencyofthis_abandon-toelevate_immeasurablyalltheenergiesofmind-but，again，sotominglethegreatestpossiblefire，force，delicacy，andallgoodthings，withthelowestpossiblebathos，baldness，andimbecility，astorenderitnotamatterofdoubtthattheaverageresultsofmindinsuchaschoolwillbefoundinferiortothoseresultsinone_ceteris_paribus
moreartificial。
Wecannotbringourselvestobelievethattheselectionsofthe“BookofGems“aresuchaswillimparttoapoeticalreadertheclearestpossibleideaofthebeautyoftheschool-butiftheintentionhadbeenmerelytoshowtheschool’scharacter，theattemptmighthavebeenconsideredsuccessfulinthehighestdegree。Therearelongpassagesnowbeforeusofthemostdespicabletrash，withnomeritwhateverbeyondthatoftheirantiquity……Thecriticismsoftheeditordonotparticularlypleaseus。
Hisenthusiasmistoogeneralandtoovividnottobefalse。Hisopinion，forexample，ofSirHenryWotton’s“VersesontheQueenofBohemia“-that“therearefewfinerthingsinourlanguage。”isuntenableandabsurd。
InsuchlineswecanperceivenotoneofthosehigherattributesofPoesywhichbelongtoherinallcircumstancesandthroughoutalltime。Hereeverythingisart，nakedly，orbutawkwardlyconcealed。Noprepossessionforthemereantiqueandinthiscasewecanimaginenootherprepossessionshouldinduceustodignifywiththesacrednameofpoetry，aseries，suchasthis，ofelaborateandthreadbarecompliments，stitched，apparently，together，withoutfancy，withoutplausibility，andwithoutevenanattemptatadaptation。
Incommonwithalltheworld，wehavebeenmuchdelightedwith“TheShepherd’sHunting“byWithersapoempartaking，inaremarkabledegree，ofthepeculiaritiesof“IlPenseroso。”SpeakingofPoesytheauthorsays：
“Bythemurmurofaspring，Ortheleastboughsrustleling，Byadaisywhoseleavesspread，ShutwhenTitangoestobed，Orashadybushortree，ShecouldmoreinfuseinmeThanallNature’sbeautiescanInsomeotherwiserman。
ByherhelpIalsonowMakethischurlishplaceallowSomethingthatmaysweetengladnessIntheverygallofsadness
Thedullloneness，theblackshade，ThatthesehangingvaultshavemadeThestrangemusicofthewavesBeatingonthesehollowcaves，Thisblackdenwhichrocksemboss，Overgrownwitheldestmoss，TherudeportalsthatgivelightMoretoterrorthandelight，ThismychamberofneglectWalledaboutwithdisrespect；
FromalltheseandthisdullairAfitobjectfordespair，ShehathtaughtmebyhermightTodrawcomfortanddelight。”
Buttheselines，howevergood，donotbearwiththemmuchofthegeneralcharacteroftheEnglishantique。SomethingmoreofthiswillbefoundinCorbet’s“FarewelltotheFairies！”WecopyaportionofMarvell’s“MaidenlamentingforherFawn。”whichweprefer-notonlyasaspecimenoftheelderpoets，butinitselfasabeautifulpoem，aboundinginpathos，exquisitelydelicateimaginationandtruthfulness-toanythingofitsspecies：
“Itisawondrousthinghowfleet’Twasonthoselittlesilverfeet，WithwhataprettyskippinggraceItoftwouldchallengemetherace，Andwhen’thadleftmefaraway’Twouldstay，andrunagain，andstay；
Foritwasnimblermuchthanhinds，Andtrodasifonthefourwinds。
Ihaveagardenofmyown，Butsowithrosesovergrown，Andlilies，thatyouwoulditguessTobealittlewilderness；
Andallthespring-timeoftheyearItonlylovedtobethere。
AmongthebedsofliliesI
Havesoughtitoftwhereitshouldlie，Yetcouldnot，tillitselfwouldrise，Findit，althoughbeforemineeyes。
Forintheflaxenlilies’shadeItlikeabankoflilieslaid；
UpontherosesitwouldfeedUntilitslipsevenseemedtobleed，Andthentome’twouldboldlytrip，Andprintthoserosesonmylip，ButallitschiefdelightwasstillWithrosesthusitselftofill，AnditspurevirginlimbstofoldInwhitestsheetsofliliescold。
Haditlivedlong，itwouldhavebeenLilieswithout，roseswithin。”
Howtruthfulanairoflamentationshangshereuponeverysyllable！Itpervadesall……Itcomesoverthesweetmelodyofthewords-overthegentlenessandgracewhichwefancyinthelittlemaidenherself-evenoverthehalf-playful，half-petulantairwithwhichshelingersonthebeautiesandgoodqualitiesofherfavorite-likethecoolshadowofasummercloudoverabedofliliesandviolets，“andallsweetflowers。”Thewholeisredolentwithpoetryofaveryloftyorder。Everylineisanideaconveyingeitherthebeautyandplayfulnessofthefawn，ortheartlessnessofthemaiden，orherlove，orheradmiration，orhergrief，orthefragranceandwarmthand_appropriateness_ofthelittlenest-likebedofliliesandroseswhichthefawndevouredasitlayuponthem，andcouldscarcelybedistinguishedfromthembytheoncehappylittledamselwhowenttoseekherpetwithanarchandrosysmileonherface。Considerthegreatvarietyoftruthfulanddelicatethoughtinthefewlineswehavequotedthe_wonder_ofthelittlemaidenatthefleetnessofherfavorite-the“littlesilverfeet“thefawnchallenginghismistresstoaracewith“aprettyskippinggrace。”runningonbefore，andthen，withheadturnedback，awaitingherapproachonlytoflyfromitagain-canwenotdistinctlyperceiveallthesethings？Howexceedinglyvigorous，too，istheline，“Andtrodasifonthefourwinds！”
Avigorapparentonlywhenwekeepinmindtheartlesscharacterofthespeakerandthefourfeetofthefavorite，oneforeachwind。Thenconsiderthegardenof“myown。”soovergrown，entangledwithrosesandlilies，astobe“alittlewilderness“thefawnlovingtobethere，andthere“only“themaidenseekingit“whereit_should_lie“andnotbeingabletodistinguishitfromtheflowersuntil“itselfwouldrise“thelyingamongthelilies“likeabankoflilies“thelovingto“fillitselfwithroses。”
“AnditspurevirginlimbstofoldInwhitestsheetsofliliescold。”
andthesethingsbeingits“chief“delights-andthenthepre-eminentbeautyandnaturalnessoftheconcludinglines，whoseveryhyperboleonlyrendersthemmoretruetonaturewhenweconsidertheinnocence，theartlessness，theenthusiasm，thepassionategirl，andmorepassionateadmirationofthebereavedchild
“Haditlivedlong，itwouldhavebeenLilieswithout，roseswithin。”
*“BookofGems。”EditedbyS。C。Hall~EndofTexr~
THESEtriflesarecollectedandrepublishedchieflywithaviewtotheirredemptionfromthemanyimprovementstowhichtheyhavebeensubjectedwhilegoingatrandomthe“roundsofthepress。”IamnaturallyanxiousthatwhatIhavewrittenshouldcirculateasIwroteit，ifitcirculateatall。Indefenceofmyowntaste，nevertheless，itisincumbentuponmetosaythatIthinknothinginthisvolumeofmuchvaluetothepublic，orverycreditabletomyself。Eventsnottobecontrolledhavepreventedmefrommaking，atanytime，anyseriouseffortinwhat，underhappiercircumstances，wouldhavebeenthefieldofmychoice。Withmepoetryhasbeennotapurpose，butapassion；andthepassionsshouldbeheldinreverence：theymustnot-theycannotatwillbeexcited，withaneyetothepaltrycompensations，orthemorepaltrycommendations，ofman-kind。
Onceuponamidnightdreary，whileIpondered，weakandweary，Overmanyaquaintandcuriousvolumeofforgottenlore，WhileInodded，nearlynapping，suddenlytherecameatapping，Asofsomeonegentlyrapping，rappingatmychamberdoor。
“’Tissomevisiter。”Imuttered，“tappingatmychamberdoor
Onlythis，andnothingmore。”
Ah，distinctlyIrememberitwasinthebleakDecember，Andeachseparatedyingemberwroughtitsghostuponthefloor。
EagerlyIwishedthemorrow；vainlyIhadsoughttoborrowFrommybookssurceaseofsorrowsorrowforthelostLenore
FortherareandradiantmaidenwhomtheangelsnameLenore
Namelesshereforevermore。
AndthesilkensaduncertainrustlingofeachpurplecurtainThrilledmefilledmewithfantasticterrorsneverfeltbefore；
Sothatnow，tostillthebeatingofmyheart，Istoodrepeating“’Tissomevisiterentreatingentranceatmychamberdoor
Somelatevisiterentreatingentranceatmychamberdoor；
Thisitis，andnothingmore。”
Presentlymysoulgrewstronger；hesitatingthennolonger，“Sir。”saidI，“orMadam，trulyyourforgivenessIimplore；
ButthefactisIwasnapping，andsogentlyyoucamerapping，Andsofaintlyyoucametapping，tappingatmychamberdoor，ThatIscarcewassureIheardyou“hereIopenedwidethedoor；
Darknessthereandnothingmore。
Deepintothatdarknesspeering，longIstoodtherewondering，fearing，Doubting，dreamingdreamsnomortaleverdaredtodreambefore；
Butthesilencewasunbroken，andthedarknessgavenotoken，Andtheonlywordtherespokenwasthewhisperedword，“Lenore！”
ThisIwhispered，andanechomurmuredbacktheword，“Lenore！”
Merelythis，andnothingmore。
Backintothechamberturning，allmysoulwithinmeburning，SoonIheardagainatappingsomewhatlouderthanbefore。
“Surely。”saidI，“surelythatissomethingatmywindowlattice；
Letmesee，then，whatthereatis，andthismysteryexplore
Letmyheartbestillamomentandthismysteryexplore；
’Tisthewindandnothingmore！”
OpenhereIflungtheshutter，when，withmanyaflirtandflutter，Intheresteppedastatelyravenofthesaintlydaysofyore；
Nottheleastobeisancemadehe；notaninstantstoppedorstayedhe；
But，withmienoflordorlady，perchedabovemychamberdoor
PercheduponabustofPallasjustabovemychamberdoor
Perched，andsat，andnothingmore。
Thenthisebonybirdbeguilingmysadfancyintosmiling，Bythegraveandsterndecorumofthecountenanceitwore，“Thoughthycrestbeshornandshaven，thou。”Isaid，“artsurenocraven，GhastlygrimandancientravenwanderingfromtheNightlyshore
TellmewhatthylordlynameisontheNight’sPlutonianshore！”
Quoththeraven“Nevermore。”