Page:The Yellow Book - 04.djvu/141

This page has been validated.
By James Ashcroft Noble
123

specimen of what may be called the decorated style of poetic architecture.

"An opulent soulDropt in my path like a great cup of gold, All rich and rough with stories of the gods."
"The sun is dying like a cloven king In his own blood; the while the distant moon, Like a pale prophetess that he has wronged, Leans eager forward with most hungry eyes Watching him bleed to death, and, as he faints, She brightens and dilates; revenge complete She walks in lonely triumph through the night."
"My drooping sailsFlap idly 'gainst the mast of my intent; I rot upon the waters when my prow Should grate the golden isles."
"The bridegroom seaIs toying with the shore, his wedded bride, And, in the fulness of his marriage joy, He decorates her tawny brow with shells, Retires a space to see how fair she looks, Then, proud, runs up to kiss her."

These and such things as these were what the admiring critics loved to quote, and that they were indeed "fine passages" could not be denied even by people whose tastes were for something a little less gaudy. What was denied by those who were able to preserve some calmness of judgment amid the storm of enthusiasm was that this kind of fineness was the kind that goes to the making of great poetry. The special fine things were ingenious, striking,

and

This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.