work up to the time of his death in 1886 that it seems proper to con
sider him among the poets of the new South. Further justification for
so doing is found in the fact that he voiced some of the new tendencies
in Southern life. One of the most marked of these tendencies was the
spirit of nationalism. The later poets have given expression to the
growing belief in the South that the results of the war must be accepted
by all in good faith and that all should rejoice that the nation has
survived undivided. Hayne was one of the first to give expression to
such a thought in his poetry.
In addition to the spirit of nationalism just spoken of, the poetry of
the new South shows two other tendencies. The first of these is realism.
The sentimentalism, the melancholy, and the indifference to Southern
landscape and character shown in the older poetry has given place to an
eagerness to use Southern local color. The second tendency is an in
creased effort in the direction of conscientious and skillful workmanship.
While, perhaps, the poets of the South, in common with the poets of
other sections of the country, have interested themselves in execution
rather than in conception, yet the results of their efforts give grounds
for the optimistic words of Professor Edwin Mims, "In such poetry
notable alike for its artistry and its poetic feeling one sees the promise
of the future of Southern poetry. When the present age of criticism
has passed, when the South has become adjusted to its new life, and
when again the great poets shall be heard in England and America, we
may confidently expect the coming of a great creative era." J
PAUL HAMILTON HAYNE
A DREAM OF THE SOUTH WINDS (PAGE 400)
QUESTIONS, i. What aspects of the south winds does the poet
touch upon? 2. Note how the awakening from the dream is managed at the close.
ASPECTS OF THE PINES (PAGE 401)
QUESTIONS, i. What aspects of the appearance of the pines are
suggested in this poem? 2. What effect of the pines on the spirit of man is suggested? 1 "The South in the Building of the Nation," Vol. VII, page 54.
