harmony with
poetic ideals!

It is therefore impossible not to feel the deepest sadness when we meet
with any fact which shows us the poet disobedient to the inspiration
of the Muses, those guardian angels of the man of genius, who would
willingly teach him to make of his own life the most beautiful of
poems. What disastrous doubts in the minds of others, what profound
discouragements, what melancholy apostasies are induced by the faltering
steps of the man of genius! And yet it would be profanity to confound
his errors in the same anathema, hurled against the base vices of
meanness, the shameless effrontery of low crime! It would be sacrilege!
If the acts of the poet have sometimes denied the spirit of his song,
have not his songs still more powerfully denied his acts? May not
the limited influence of his private actions have been far more than
counterbalanced by the germs of creative virtues, scattered profusely
through his eloquent writings? Evil is contagious, but good is truly
fruitful! The poet, even while forcing his inner convictions to give way
to his personal interest, still acknowledges and ennobles the sentiments
which condemn himself; such sentiments attain a far wider influence
through his works than can be exerted by his individual acts. Are not
the number of spirits which have been calmed, consoled, edified, through
these works, far greater than the number of those who have been injured
by the errors of his private life? Art is far more powerful than the
artist. His creations have a life independent of his vacillating will;
for they are revelations of the "immutable beauty!" More durable than
himself, they pass on from generation to generation; let us hope that
they may, through the blessings of their widely spread influence,
contain a virtual power of redemption for the frequent errors of
their gifted authors. If it be indeed true that many of those who have
immortalized their sensibility and their aspirations, by robing them in
the garb of surpassing eloquence, have, nevertheless, stifled these high
aspirations, abused these quick sensibilities,--how many have they not
confirmed, strengthened and encouraged to pursue a noble course, through
the works created by their genius! A generous indulgence towards them
would be but justice! It is hard to be forced to claim simple justice
for them; unpleasant to be constrained to defend those whom we wish to
be admired, to excuse those whom we wish to see venerat