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all day long。〃 Sorrow is a queen； he cries to the Weeper； and when
sorrow would be seen in state； 〃then is she drest by none but
thee。〃 Then you come upon the fancy； 〃Fountain and garden in one
face。〃 All places； times； and objects are 〃Thy tears' sweet
opportunity。〃 If these charming passages lurk in his worst poems；
the reader of this anthology will not be able to count them in his
best。 In the Epiphany Hymn the heavens have found means
'To disinherit the sun's rise；
Delicately to displace
The day； and plant it fairer in thy face。〃
To the Morning： Satisfaction for Sleep； is； all through； luminous。
It would be difficult to find； even in the orient poetry of that
time； more daylight or more spirit。 True； an Elizabethan would not
have had poetry so rich as in Love's Horoscope； but yet an
Elizabethan would have had it no fresher。 The Hymn to St。 Teresa
has the brevities which this poetreproached with his longueurs
masters so well。 He tells how the Spanish girl； six years old； set
out in search of death： 〃She's for the Moors and Martyrdom。
Sweet； not so fast！〃 Of many contemporary songs in pursuit of a
fugitive Cupid； Crashaw's Cupid's Cryer： out of the Greek； is the
most dainty。 But if readers should be a little vexed with the
poet's light heart and perpetual pleasure； with the late ripeness
of his sweetness； here； for their satisfaction； is a passage
capable of the great age that had lately closed when Crashaw wrote。
It is in his summons to nature and art：
〃Come； and come strong；
To the conspiracy of our spacious song！〃
I have been obliged to take courage to alter the reading of the
seventeenth and nineteenth lines of the Prayer…Book； so as to make
them intelligible； they had been obviously misprinted。 I have also
found it necessary to re…punctuate generally。
WISHES TO HIS SUPPOSED MISTRESS
This beautiful and famous poem has its stanzas so carelessly thrown
together that editors have allowed themselves a certain freedom
with it。 I have done the least I could； by separating two stanzas
that repeated the rhyme； and by suppressing one that grew tedious。
ON THE DEATH OF MR。 CRASHAW
This ode has been chosen as more nobly representative than that；
better known； On the Death of Mr。 William Harvey。 In the Crashaw
ode； and in the Hymn to the Light； Cowley is； at last； tender。 But
it cannot be said that his love…poems had tenderness。 Be wrote in
a gay language； but added nothing to its gaiety。 He wrote the
language of love； and left it cooler than he found it。 What the
conceits of Lovelace and the rest flagrant； not frigiddid not
do was done by Cowley's quenching breath； the language of love
began to lose by him。 But even then； even then； who could have
foretold what the loss at a later day would be！
HYMN TO THE LIGHT
It is somewhat to be regretted that this splendid poem should show
Cowley as the writer of the alexandrine that divides into two
lines。 For he it was who first used （or first conspicuously used）
the alexandrine that is organic； integral； and itself a separate
unit of metre。 He first passed beyond the heroic line； or at least
he first used the alexandrine freely； at his pleasure； amid heroic
verse； and after him Dryden took possession and then Pope。 But
both these masters； when they wrote alexandrines； wrote them in the
French manner； divided。 Cowley； however； with admirable art； is
able to prevent even an accidental pause； making the middle of his
line fall upon the middle of some word that is rapid in the
speaking and therefore indivisible by pause or even by any
lingering。 Take this one instance …
〃Like some fair pine o'erlooking all the ignobler wood。〃
If Cowley's delicate example had ruled in English poetry （and he
surely had authority on this one point； at least）； this alexandrine
would have taken its own place as an important line of English
metre； more mobile than the heroic； less fitted to epic or dramatic
poetry； but a line liberally lyrical。 It would have been the
light； pursuing wave that runs suddenly； outrunning twenty； further
up the sands than these； a swift traveller； unspent； of longer
impulse； of more impetuous foot； of fuller and of hastier breath；
more eager to speak； and yet more reluctant to have done。 Cowley
left the line with all this lyrical promise within it； and if his
example had been followed； English prosody would have had in this a
valuable bequest。
Cowley probably was two or three years younger than Richard
Crashaw； and the alexandrine is to be foundto be found by
searchingin Crashaw； and he took precisely the same care as
Cowley that the long wand of that line should not give way in the
middleshould be strong and supple and should last。 Here are four
of his alexandrines …
〃Or you； more noble architects of intellectual noise。〃
〃Of sweets you have； and murmur that you have no more。〃
〃And everlasting series of a deathless song。〃
〃To all the dear…bought nations this redeeming name。〃
A later poetCoventry Patmorewrote a far longer line than even
thesea line not only speeding further； but speeding with a more
celestial movement than Cowley or Crashaw heard with the ear of
dreams。
〃He unhappily adopted；〃 says Dr。 Johnson as to Cowley's diction；
〃that which was predominant。〃 〃That which was predominant〃 was as
good a vintage of English language as the cycles of history have
ever brought to pass。
TO LUCASTA
Colonel Richard Lovelace； an enchanting poet； is hardly read；
except for two poems which are as famous as any in our language。
Perhaps the rumour of his conceits has frightened his reader。 It
must be granted they are now and then daunting； there is a poem on
〃Princess Louisa Drawing〃 which is a very maze； the little paths of
verse and fancy turn in upon one another； and the turns are pointed
with artificial shouts of joy and surprise。 But； again； what a
reader unused to a certain living symbolism will be apt to take for
a careful and cold conceit is； in truth； a rapturenone graver；
none more fiery or more luminous。 But even to name the poem where
these occur might be to deliver delicate and ardent poetry over to
the general sense of humour； which one distrusts。 Nor is Lovelace
easy reading at any time （the two or three famous poems excepted）。
The age he adorned lived in constant readiness for the fiddler。
Eleven o'clock in the morning was as good an hour as another for a
dance； and poetry； too； was gay betimes； but intricate with
figures。 It is the very order； the perspective； as it were； of the
movement that seems to baffle the eye； but the game was a free
impulse。 Since the first day danced with the first night； no
dancing was more naturalat least to a dancer of genius。 True；
the dance could be tyrannous。 It was an importunate fashion。 When
the Bishop of Hereford； compelled by Robin Hood； in merry
Barnsdale； danced in his boots （〃and glad he could so get away〃）；
he was hardly in worse heart or trim than a seventeenth century
author here and there whose original seriousness or work…a…day
piety would have been content to go plodding flat…foot or halting；
as the muse might naturally incline with him； but whom the tune；
the grace； and gallantry of the time beckoned to tread a perpetual
measure。 Lovelace was a dancer of genius； nay； he danced to rest
his wings； for he was winged； cap and heel。 The fiction of flight
has lost its charm long since。 Modern art grew tired of the idea；
now turned to commonplace； and painting took leave of the buoyant
urchinsnaughty cherub and Cupid together； but the seventeenth
century was in love with that old fancymore in love； perhaps；
than any century in the past。 Its late painters； whose human
figures had no lack of weight upon the comfortable ground； yet kept
a sense of buoyancy for this hovering childhood； and kept the
angels and the loves aloft； as though they shook a tree to make a
flock of birds flutter up。
Fine is the fantastic and infrequent landscape in Lovelace's
poetry：
〃This is the palace of the wood；
And court o' the royal oak； where stood
The whole nobility。〃
In more than one place Lucasta's； or Amarantha's； or Laura's hair
is sprinkled with dew or rain almost as freshly and wildly as in
Wordsworth's line。
Lovelace； who loved freedom； seems to be enclosed in so narrow a
book； yet it is but a 〃hermitage。〃 To shake out the light and
spirit of its leaves is to give a glimpse of liberty not to him；
but to the world。
In To Lucasta I have been bold to alter； at the close； 〃you〃 to
〃thou。〃 Lovelace sent his verses out unrevised； and the
inconsistency of pronouns is common with him； but nowhere else so
distressing as in this brief and otherwise perfect poem。 The fault
is easily set right； and it seems even an unkindness not to lend
him this redress； offered him here as an act of comradeship。
LUCASTA PAYING HER OBSEQUIES
That errors should abound in the text of Lovelace is the more
lamentable because he was apt to make a play of phrases that depend
upon the precision of a commanay； upon the precision of the voice
in reading。 Lucasta Paying her Obsequies is a poem that makes a
kind of dainty confusion between t