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THE PERMANENCE OF POETRY
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 We heard a critic remark that no great sonnets1 are being written nowadays. What (he said morosely) is there in the way of a recent sonnet2 that is worthy3 to take its place in the anthologies of the future beside those of Sir Philip Sidney, Milton, Wordsworth, Keats, Mrs. Browning, Louise Guiney, Rupert Brooke, or Lizette Reese? (These were the names he mentioned.)
 
This moves us to ask, how can you tell? It takes time for any poem to grow and ripen4 and find its place in the language. It will be for those of a hundred or more years hence to say what are the great poems of our present day. If a sonnet has the true vitality5 in it, it will gather association and richness about it as it traces [179]its slender golden path through the minds of readers. It settles itself comfortably into the literary landscape, incorporates itself subtly into the unconscious thought of men, becomes corpuscular in the blood of the language. It comes down to us in the accent of those who have loved and quoted it, invigorated by our subtle sense of the permanent rightness of its phrasing and our knowledge of the pleasure it has given to thousands of others. The more it is quoted, the better it seems.
 
All this is a slow process and an inscrutable. No one has ever given us a continuous history of any particular poem, tracing its history and adventures after its first publication—the places it has been quoted, the hearts it has rejoiced. It could only be done by an infinity6 of toil7 and a prodigal8 largesse9 to clipping bureaus. It would be a fascinating study, showing how some poems have fought for their lives against the evaporation10 of Time, and how they have come through, sometimes, because they were carried and cherished in one or two appreciative11 hearts. But the point to bear in mind is, the whole question of the permanence of poetry is largely in the hands of chance. If you are interested to observe the case of some really first-class poetry which has been struggling for recognition and yet shows, so far, no sign of breaking through into the clear light of lasting12 love and remembrance, look at the poems of James Elroy Flecker.
 
Generally speaking, one law is plain: that it is not until the poet himself and all who knew him are dead, and his lines speak only with the naked and impersonal13 [180]appeal of ink, that his value to the race as a permanent pleasure can be justly appraised14.
 
There is one more point that perhaps is worth making. It is significant of human experience that the race instinctively15 demands, in most of the poetry that it cares to take along with it as permanent baggage, a certain honourable16 sobriety of mood. Consider Mr. Burton E. Stevenson's great "Home Book of Verse," that magnificent anthology which may be taken as fairly indicative of general taste in these matters. In nearly 4,000 pages of poetry only three or four hundred are cynical17 or satirical in temper. Humanity as a whole likes to make the best of a bad job: it grins somewhat ruefully at the bitter and the sardonic18; but when it is packing its trunk for the next generation it finds most room for those poets who have somehow contrived19 to find beauty and not mockery in the inner sanctities of human life and passion. This thought comes to us on reading Aldous Huxley's brilliant and hugely entertaining book of poems called "Leda." There is no more brilliant young poet writing to-day; his title poem is nothing less than extraordinary in pagan and pictorial20 beauty, but as a whole the cynical and scoffish tone of carnal drollery21 which gives the book its appeal to the humorously inclined makes a very dubious22 sandal for a poet planning a long-distance run. Please note that we are not taking sides in any argument: we ourself admire Mr. Huxley's poems enormously; but we are simply trying, clumsily, to state what seem to us some of the conditions attaching to the permanence of beauty as arranged in words.
 
[181]It is not to be supposed that you have done your possible when you have read a great poem once—or ten times. A great poem is like a briar pipe—it darkens and mellows23 and sweetens with use. You fill it with your own glowing associations and glosses24, and the strong juices seep25 through, staining and gilding26 the grain and fibre of the words.

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1 sonnets a9ed1ef262e5145f7cf43578fe144e00     
n.十四行诗( sonnet的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Keats' reputation as a great poet rests largely upon the odes and the later sonnets. 作为一个伟大的诗人,济慈的声誉大部分建立在他写的长诗和后期的十四行诗上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He referred to the manuscript circulation of the sonnets. 他谈到了十四行诗手稿的流行情况。 来自辞典例句
2 sonnet Lw9wD     
n.十四行诗
参考例句:
  • The composer set a sonnet to music.作曲家为一首十四行诗谱了曲。
  • He wrote a sonnet to his beloved.他写了一首十四行诗,献给他心爱的人。
3 worthy vftwB     
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的
参考例句:
  • I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
  • There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。
4 ripen ph3yq     
vt.使成熟;vi.成熟
参考例句:
  • I'm waiting for the apples to ripen.我正在等待苹果成熟。
  • You can ripen the tomatoes on a sunny windowsill.把西红柿放在有阳光的窗台上可以让它们成熟。
5 vitality lhAw8     
n.活力,生命力,效力
参考例句:
  • He came back from his holiday bursting with vitality and good health.他度假归来之后,身强体壮,充满活力。
  • He is an ambitious young man full of enthusiasm and vitality.他是个充满热情与活力的有远大抱负的青年。
6 infinity o7QxG     
n.无限,无穷,大量
参考例句:
  • It is impossible to count up to infinity.不可能数到无穷大。
  • Theoretically,a line can extend into infinity.从理论上来说直线可以无限地延伸。
7 toil WJezp     
vi.辛劳工作,艰难地行动;n.苦工,难事
参考例句:
  • The wealth comes from the toil of the masses.财富来自大众的辛勤劳动。
  • Every single grain is the result of toil.每一粒粮食都来之不易。
8 prodigal qtsym     
adj.浪费的,挥霍的,放荡的
参考例句:
  • He has been prodigal of the money left by his parents.他已挥霍掉他父母留下的钱。
  • The country has been prodigal of its forests.这个国家的森林正受过度的采伐。
9 largesse 32RxN     
n.慷慨援助,施舍
参考例句:
  • She is not noted for her largesse.没人听说过她出手大方。
  • Our people are in no need of richer nations' largesse.我国人民不需要富国的施舍。
10 evaporation Pnoxc     
n.蒸发,消失
参考例句:
  • Be careful not to lose too much liquid by evaporation.小心不要因蒸发失去太多水分。
  • Our bodies can sweat,thereby losing heat by evaporation.我们的身体能出汗,由此可以蒸发散热。
11 appreciative 9vDzr     
adj.有鉴赏力的,有眼力的;感激的
参考例句:
  • She was deeply appreciative of your help.她对你的帮助深表感激。
  • We are very appreciative of their support in this respect.我们十分感谢他们在这方面的支持。
12 lasting IpCz02     
adj.永久的,永恒的;vbl.持续,维持
参考例句:
  • The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
  • We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。
13 impersonal Ck6yp     
adj.无个人感情的,与个人无关的,非人称的
参考例句:
  • Even his children found him strangely distant and impersonal.他的孩子们也认为他跟其他人很疏远,没有人情味。
  • His manner seemed rather stiff and impersonal.他的态度似乎很生硬冷淡。
14 appraised 4753e1eab3b5ffb6d1b577ff890499b9     
v.估价( appraise的过去式和过去分词 );估计;估量;评价
参考例句:
  • The teacher appraised the pupil's drawing. 老师评价了那个学生的画。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He appraised the necklace at £1000. 据他估计,项链价值1000英镑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
15 instinctively 2qezD2     
adv.本能地
参考例句:
  • As he leaned towards her she instinctively recoiled. 他向她靠近,她本能地往后缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He knew instinctively where he would find her. 他本能地知道在哪儿能找到她。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 honourable honourable     
adj.可敬的;荣誉的,光荣的
参考例句:
  • I don't think I am worthy of such an honourable title.这样的光荣称号,我可担当不起。
  • I hope to find an honourable way of settling difficulties.我希望设法找到一个体面的办法以摆脱困境。
17 cynical Dnbz9     
adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的,不信世道向善的
参考例句:
  • The enormous difficulty makes him cynical about the feasibility of the idea.由于困难很大,他对这个主意是否可行持怀疑态度。
  • He was cynical that any good could come of democracy.他不相信民主会带来什么好处。
18 sardonic jYyxL     
adj.嘲笑的,冷笑的,讥讽的
参考例句:
  • She gave him a sardonic smile.她朝他讥讽地笑了一笑。
  • There was a sardonic expression on her face.她脸上有一种嘲讽的表情。
19 contrived ivBzmO     
adj.不自然的,做作的;虚构的
参考例句:
  • There was nothing contrived or calculated about what he said.他说的话里没有任何蓄意捏造的成分。
  • The plot seems contrived.情节看起来不真实。
20 pictorial PuWy6     
adj.绘画的;图片的;n.画报
参考例句:
  • The had insisted on a full pictorial coverage of the event.他们坚持要对那一事件做详尽的图片报道。
  • China Pictorial usually sells out soon after it hits the stands.《人民画报》往往一到报摊就销售一空。
21 drollery 0r5xm     
n.开玩笑,说笑话;滑稽可笑的图画(或故事、小戏等)
参考例句:
  • We all enjoyed his drollery. 我们都欣赏他的幽默。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • "It is a bit of quiet, unassuming drollery which warms like good wine. "这是一段既不哗众取宠又不矫揉造作的滑稽表演,像美酒一样温馨。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
22 dubious Akqz1     
adj.怀疑的,无把握的;有问题的,靠不住的
参考例句:
  • What he said yesterday was dubious.他昨天说的话很含糊。
  • He uses some dubious shifts to get money.他用一些可疑的手段去赚钱。
23 mellows 0020a1184b5f44c01dc43ad15ea909b2     
(使)成熟( mellow的第三人称单数 ); 使色彩更加柔和,使酒更加醇香
参考例句:
  • A tart temper never mellows with age. 凶悍的性情,绝不会因为年龄增长而变得温和。
  • Wine mellows with age. 酒陈则味醇。
24 glosses 06b65dbe6857b06a7a412502c293fc2e     
n.(页末或书后的)注释( gloss的名词复数 );(表面的)光滑;虚假的外表;用以产生光泽的物质v.注解( gloss的第三人称单数 );掩饰(错误);粉饰;把…搪塞过去
参考例句:
  • The movie glosses over the real issues of the war. 这部电影掩饰了这次战争的真正问题。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Time inevitably glosses over the particularities of each situation. 时间不可避免地掩饰了每种情形的特质。 来自互联网
25 seep rDSzK     
v.渗出,渗漏;n.渗漏,小泉,水(油)坑
参考例句:
  • My anger began to seep away.我的怒火开始消下去了。
  • If meteoric water does not evaporate or run overland,it may seep directly into the ground.如果雨水不从陆地蒸发和流走的话,就可能直接渗入地下。
26 gilding Gs8zQk     
n.贴金箔,镀金
参考例句:
  • The dress is perfect. Don't add anything to it at all. It would just be gilding the lily. 这条裙子已经很完美了,别再作任何修饰了,那只会画蛇添足。
  • The gilding is extremely lavish. 这层镀金极为奢华。


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