A VISION OF POETS.
177
And bold De Vega,—who breathed quick
Song after song, till death's old trick
Put pause to life and rhetorick.
Song after song, till death's old trick
Put pause to life and rhetorick.
And Goethe—with that reaching eye
His soul reached out from, far and high,
And fell from inner entity.
His soul reached out from, far and high,
And fell from inner entity.
And Schiller, with heroic front
Worthy of Plutarch's kiss upon't,—
Too large for wreath of modern wont.
Worthy of Plutarch's kiss upon't,—
Too large for wreath of modern wont.
And Chaucer, with his infantine
Familiar clasp of things divine—
That mark upon his lip is wine.
Familiar clasp of things divine—
That mark upon his lip is wine.
Here Milton's eyes strike piercing-dim!
The shapes of suns and stars did swim
Like clouds from them, and granted him
The shapes of suns and stars did swim
Like clouds from them, and granted him
God for sole vision! Cowley, there,
Whose active fancy debonaire
Drew straws like amber—foul to fair.
Whose active fancy debonaire
Drew straws like amber—foul to fair.
Drayton and Browne,—with smiles they drew
From outward Nature, to renew
From their own inward nature true.
From outward Nature, to renew
From their own inward nature true.
And Marlowe, Webster, Fletcher, Ben—
Whose fire-hearts sowed our furrows, when
The world was worthy of such men.
Whose fire-hearts sowed our furrows, when
The world was worthy of such men.
And Burns, with pungent passionings
Set in his eyes. Deep lyric springs
Are of the fire-mount's issuings.
Set in his eyes. Deep lyric springs
Are of the fire-mount's issuings.
And Shelley, in his white ideal,
All statue-blind; and Keats the real
Adonis, with the hymeneal
All statue-blind; and Keats the real
Adonis, with the hymeneal
Fresh vernal buds half sunk between
His youthful curls, kissed straight and sheen
In his Rome-grave, by Venus queen.
His youthful curls, kissed straight and sheen
In his Rome-grave, by Venus queen.
