FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90  
91   92   93   94   95   96   97   >>  
t! There George of Gorbals lay, skull and bones all blanched and grey, In the arms he bore the day Of the fight! I have sung this ancient tale, not, I trust, without avail, Though the moral ye may fail to perceive; Sir Launcelot is dust, and his gallant sword is rust, And now, I think, I must Take my leave! ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE PUFF POETICAL [The following eleven pieces of verse appeared originally with many others in an article called "Puffs and Poetry," from which the following passage is taken:-- "Some people are fond of excursions into the realms of old romance, with their Lancelots and Gueneveres, their enchanted castles, their bearded wizards, 'and such odd branches of learning.' There needs a winged griffin, at the very least, to carry them out of the everyday six-and-eightpenny world, or the whizz of an Excalibur to startle their drowsy imaginations into life. The beauties and the wonders of the universe died for them some centuries ago; they went out with Friar Bacon and the invention of gunpowder. Praised be Apollo! this is not our case. There is a snatch of poetry, to our apprehension, in almost everything. We have detected it pushing its petals forth from the curls of a barrister's wig, and scented its fragrance even in the columns of the 'London Gazette.' "'The deep poetic voice that hourly speaks within us' is never silent. Like Signor Benedick, it 'will still be talking.' We can scarcely let our eyes dwell upon an object--nay, not even upon a gridiron or a toothpick--but it seems to be transmuted as by the touch of Midas into gold. Our facts accordingly adopt upon occasions a very singular shape. We are not nice to a shade. A trifle here or there never stands in our way. We regard a free play of fancy as the privilege of every genuine Briton, and exclaim with Pistol, 'A fico for all yea and nay rogues.' "We have often thought of entering the lists against Robins [famous for his imaginative advertisements of properties for sale]. It may be vanity, but we think we could trump him. Robins amplifies well, but we think we could trump him. There is an obvious effort in his best works. The result is a want of unity of effect. Hesiod and Tennyson, the Caverns of Ellora, and the magic caves of the Regent's Park Colosseum, are jumbled confusedly one upon another. He never achieves the triumph of art--repose. Besides, he wa
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90  
91   92   93   94   95   96   97   >>  



Top keywords:
Robins
 

transmuted

 

occasions

 
singular
 
poetic
 
hourly
 

speaks

 

Gazette

 

scented

 

fragrance


columns
 
London
 

silent

 

scarcely

 

gridiron

 

object

 

talking

 

Signor

 

Benedick

 

toothpick


genuine
 

Hesiod

 

effect

 
Tennyson
 

Caverns

 
Ellora
 
obvious
 

effort

 

result

 

Regent


triumph

 

achieves

 
repose
 
Besides
 

Colosseum

 
jumbled
 

confusedly

 

amplifies

 

vanity

 

privilege


exclaim

 

Briton

 
regard
 

trifle

 
stands
 
Pistol
 

imaginative

 

famous

 
advertisements
 

properties