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。”