abstractions" in sights and sounds," is entirely a novel appearance in literature. Now that phrase "clothing in sights and sounds" may yield us the clue to the classification we are seeking. The function of artists, that is, musicians, poets in the narrower sense, and painters, is to clothe Truth in sights and sounds for the hearing and seeing of us all. Their call to do this lies in their finer and fuller æsthetic faculty. The sense of hearing and that of seeing stand in polar opposition, and thus a natural scale offers itself by which we may rank and arrange our artists. At the one end of the scale is the acoustic artist, i. e. the musician. At the other end of the scale is the optic artist, the painter and sculptor. Between these, and comprising both these activities in his own, is the poet, who is both acoustic and optic artist. He translates the sounds of the world, both external and internal,—the tumult of storms, the murmur of waves, the susurrus of the woodland, the tinkling of brooks, the throbbing of human hearts, the cries of all living creatures; all those groans of pain, stammers of desire, shrieks of despair, yawns even of languor, which are ever breaking out of the heart of things; and beside all this, the hearsay, commonplace, proverbial lore of the world. He turns these into melodies which shall be caught up by those who listen. In short, he converts by his alchemy the common stuff of pain and of joy into music. But he is optic as well as acoustic; that is, he calls up at the same time by his art a procession of images which march or dance across the theatre of the listener's fancy. Now the question of classification on this scheme comes to this, Does the particular poet who invites our attention deal more with the æsthesis of the ear or with that of the eye? Does he more fill our ear with sweet tunes or our fancy with shapes and colours? Does he compel us to listen and shut our eyes, or to open our eyes wide and dispense with all but the faintest musical accompaniment? What sense, in short, does he mainly address himself to? Goethe said that he was a "seeing" man; W. von Humboldt, the great linguist, that he was a "listening" man. The influence of Milton's blindness on his poetry was noticed by Lessing. The short-sightedness of Wieland has also been detected in his poetry. If we apply these tests to Browning there can be, I think, no doubt as to the answer. He is, in common with all poets, both musician and painter, but much more the latter than the former. He is never for a moment the slave of his ear, if I may so express it. he has, on the contrary, the mastery of music. supports his imagination, never controls it. an inarticulate revelation of the truth of the We know that But music helps and Music is to Browning supersensual world, the “earnest of a heaven."1 He is no voluptuary in music. Music is simply the means by which the soul wings its way into the azure of spiritual theory and contemplation. Take only Saul and Abt Vogler in illustration. Saul is a magnificent interpretation of the old theme, a favourite with the mystics, that evil spirits are driven out by music. But in this interpretation it is not the mere tones, the thrumming on the harp, it is the religious movement of the intelligence, it is the truth of Divine love throbbing in every chord, which constitutes the spell. And so in Abt Vogler; the abbot's instrument is only the means whereby he strikes out the light of faith and hope within him. Not to dwell upon this point, I would only say that it seems clear that Browning has the finest acoustic gifts, and could, if he had chosen, have scattered musical bons-bons through every page. But he has printed no "versus inopes rerum, nugæque canora" (Hor, ad Pis.). He has had higher objects in view, and has dispensed better stuff than that which lingers in the ear, and tends to suppress rather than support the higher activity of thought. When for a moment he shuts his eyes, and falls purely into the listening or "musing" mood, he becomes the instrument of a rich deep music, breaking out of the heart of the unseen world, as in the Dirge of unfaithful Poets in Paracelsus, or the Gipsy's Incantation in the Flight of the Duchess, or the Meditation at the crisis of Sordello's temptation (p. 206). When the keen inquisitive intelligence is in its full waking activity there grows "more of the words" and thought, and "less of the music," to invert a phrase of the poet's.2 The melody ceases, the rhythm is broken, as in all intense, earnest conversation. At times only the tinkle of the pairing rhymes, of which Browning has made a most witty use, reminds us that we are called to partake a mood in which commonplace associations are melting into the ideal. I believe the economy of music is a necessity of Browning's art; and it would be only fair, if those who attack him on this ground would consider how far thought of such quality as his admits of being chanted, or otherwise musically accompanied. In plain words the problem is, how far the pleasures of sound and of sense can be united in poetry; and it will be found in every case that a poet sacrifices something either to the one or to the other. Browning has said something in his arch way on this point.3 In effect, he remarks, Italian prose can render a simple thought more sweetly to the ear than either Greek or English It seems clear from many other of his critical remarks that he Pauline, p. 16; cf. Fifine, § 61. Flight of the Duchess. verse. 1 Preface to the translation of the Agamemnon. e nouers the demand for music in preference to thought in poetry as the of a false taste. Erwin's poetry is to be gazed at, rather than listened to and ret ted, for the most part. It is infinitely easier to listen for an 1 to spintual mode than to fx one's whole attention for a few minutes on a spintual pitture. In the latter act of mind we find a rich musical accompaniment distracting, while a slight musical accompaniment is probably helpful And perhaps we may characterize Browning's poetry as a series of spiritual pictures with a faint musical accompaniment. For illustration by extreme contrast Miton may be compared with Er whing Milton was a great hearsay poet, Browning repeats no hearsay. In reading Milton the difficulty is to keep up the mental tension where there is so little thought, strictly speaking. Browning the highest tension is exacted. With 4. ROBERT BROWNING PRE-EMINENTLY THE SEER, He is pre-eminently the looker, the seer, the "maker-see";1 the reporter, the painter of the scenery and events of the soul. And if the sense of vision is our noblest, and we instinctively express the acts of intelligence in terms drawn from physical vision, the poet who leans most towards the "Seer of Power and Love in the absolute, Beauty and Goodness in the concrete," takes the higher rank. This is no matter for bigotry of taste. Singers and seers, musicians and reporters, and reproducers of every degree, who have something to tell us or to show us of the "world as God has made it, where all is beauty," we have need of all. But of singers there are many, of seers there are few, that is all.3 5. THEORIES OF THE POETIC FUNCTION. But Browning's own utterances on the calling and functions of the poet require our careful attention. I have already referred to his lofty ideal of the poet. Let us pursue this subject a little further. There can be no doubt that Browning has ever considered that the poet, in his conception of the poet's office, stands highest in call and rank amongst his fellow-men. He includes the seer, priest, prophet, king, philosopher in himself. He lives in communion with the Highest, that he may make known His will and law to men. If the poet proves unfaithful to his call and charge, this may well excite the sorrow and 3 Sordello, pp. 105, 108. 2 Essay on Shelley. It will be noticed that in the Essay on Shelley Browning speaks only of Maker (or objective poet) and of the Seer (or subjective poet); of the mere r melodist he has nothing to say at all. indignation of mankind. If he falls from his allegiance to God and Truth, this is the very acme of tragedy. "Thy revolt, methinks, is like another fall of man."1 Perhaps among our other productions we shall arrive at a 'Browning Catechism.' If so, one of the sections might run as follows :--On the idea and functions of the Poet. Q. What is the rank of the Poet in general? A. He is "earth's essential king," for he comprehends in himself Humanity.2 Q. How may Poets be classified? A. As Objective and Subjective. Q What is the Objective Poet? A. It is he who reproduces the phenomena of Nature and Man with a view to the apprehension of the multitude, or the many below him. Q. What is the Subjective Poet? A. It is he who embodies his perceptions of Nature and Man with reference to the One above him, the supreme and absolute Intelligence. Q. What is the peculiar value of Objective Poetry? A. It is the fresh translation of the truth of the world into forms intelligible to the aggregate human mind. This truth needs to be reverted to and relearned in every age. Q. What is the peculiar value of Subjective Poetry? A. The Subjective Poet teaches us the exacter, the Divine and universal, meaning of that which is already known of Nature and Man. This is the ultimate requirement of every age. Q. What is false poetry? A. False poetry is that which is neither objective nor subjective, neither true to the perceptions of mankind in general nor to the Poet himself. Q. Name two poets as types of the objective and subjective respectively. A. Shakespere and Shelley.3 Q. Sketch the life-development of the true Bard. A. The true Bard identifies himself with all the varied life of humanity in its individuals. He begins as an epoist, i. e. as the historian or painter of men and women as they are; standing apart from his own creations. Next by a process of analysis he passes from the show and seeming of human lives, or from characters as fixed, to character as it is in process. Assistance and opposition unfold and reveal men, and the process will be set before the audience in dramatic forms. The drama represents the result of this analysis. Next, the Poet will dive still deeper into the essence of the soul. He will stand upon the results gained by the soul's experience in this world, and will launch into the pure ideal world, and construct the complete future man as in freedom from sense he rises towards perfect union with God. Q. Has Browning accomplished this programme? A. It is believed by many that he has done so. Q. What is the cause 1 Paracelsus, p. 85; Pauline, pp. 3, 4; Sordello, p. 108. p. 306. 2 Sordello, p. 167; cf. p. 101. 4 Essay on Shelley, p. 10; Sordello, p. 170. Cf. Prof. Corson, 3 Essay on Shelley. |