The poems of the well known American authors, Aldrich, Gilder36 and Stedman, have certainly an easy rhythmical37 flow and an artistic38 finish which the majority of Canadian poetic aspirants should study with far more closeness. At the same time it may be said that even these artists do not often surpass in poetic thought the best productions of the Canadians to whom I have referred as probably illustrating39 most perfectly40 the highest development so far among us of this department of belles-lettres. It is not often that one comes across more exquisitely41 conceived poems than some of those written by Mr. John Reade, whom the laborious42 occupation of journalism43 and probably the past indifference44 of a Canadian public to Canadian poetry have for a long while diverted from a literary field where it would seem he should have won a wider fame. Among the verses which one can read time and again are those of which the first lines are
Some are furnished, some are empty, some are sombre, some are light;
Some are open to all comers, and of some I keep the key,
And I enter in the stillness of the night."[41][C]
22
It would be interesting as well as instructive if some competent critic, with the analytical46 faculty47 and the poetic instinct of Matthew Arnold or Sainte-Beuve, were to study the English and French Canadian poets and show whether they are mere imitators of the best models of French and English literature, or whether their work contains within itself those germs which give promise of original fruition in the future. It will be remembered that the French critic, though a poet of merit himself, has spoken of what he calls "the radical48 inadequacy49 of French poetry." In his opinion, whatever talent the French poets have for strophe and line, their work, as a rule is "too slight, too soon read, too poor in ideas, to influence a serious mind for any length of time." No doubt many others think that, in comparison with the best conceptions of Wordsworth, Shelley, Keats, Emerson, Browning and Tennyson, French poetry is, generally speaking, inadequate50 for the expression of the most sublime51 thoughts, of the strongest passion, or of the most powerful imagination, and though it must always please us by its easy rhythm and lucidity52 of style, it fails to make that vivid impression on the mind and senses which is the best test of that true poetic genius which influences generations and ever lives in the hearts of the people. It represents in some respects the lightness and vivacity53 of the French intellectual temperament54 under ordinary conditions, and not the strength of the national character, whose depths are only revealed at some crisis which evokes55 a deep sentiment of patriotism56. "Partant pour la Syrie," so often heard in the days of the last Bonaparte regime, probably illustrated57 this lighter59 tendency of the French mind just as the "Marseillaise," the noblest and most impressive of popular poetic outbursts, illustrated national passion evoked60 by abnormal conditions. French Canadian poetry has been often purely61 imitative of French models, like Musset and Gauthier, both in style and sentiment, and consequently lacked strength and originality62. It might be thought that in this new country poets would be inspired by original conceptions—that the intellectual fruition would be fresh and vigorous like some natural products that grow so luxuriantly on the virginal soil of the new Dominion, and not like those which grow on land which is renewed and enriched by artificial means after centuries23 of growth. Perhaps the literature of a colonial dependency, or a relatively63 new country, must necessarily in its first stages be imitative, and it is only now and then an original mind bursts the fetters64 of intellectual subordination. In the United States Emerson and Hawthorne probably best represent the original thought and imagination of that comparatively new country, just as Aldrich and Howells represent in the first case English culture in poetry, and in the other the sublimated65 essence of reportorial realism. The two former are original thinkers, the two others pure imitators. Walt Whitman's poems certainly show at times much power and originality of conception, but after all they are simply the creations of an eccentric genius and illustrate58 a phase of that Realism towards which fiction even in America has been tending of late, and which has been already degraded in France to a Naturalism which is positively66 offensive. He has not influenced to any perceptible extent the intellect of his generation or elevated the thoughts of his countrymen like the two great minds I have just named. Yet even Whitman's success, relatively small as it was in his own country, arose chiefly from the fact that he attempted to be an American poet, representing the pristine67 vigour68 and natural freedom of a new land. It is when French Canadian poets become thoroughly69 Canadian by the very force of the inspiration of some Canadian subject they have chosen, that we can see them at their best. Fréchette has all the finish of the French poets, and while it cannot be said that he has yet originated great thoughts which are likely to live among even the people whom he has so often instructed and delighted, yet he has given us poems like that on the discovery of the Mississippi,[D] which proves that he is capable of even better things if he would always seek inspiration from the sources of the deeply interesting history of his own country, or enter into the inner mysteries and social relations of his own people, rather than dwell on the lighter shades and incidents of their lives. Perhaps in some respects Crémazie had greater capabilities70 for the poems of deep passion or vivid imagination than any of his successors in literature; the few national24 poems he left behind are a promise of what he could have produced had the circumstances of his later life been happier.[E] After all, the poetry that lives is the poetry of human life and human sympathy, of joy and sorrow, rather than verses on mountains, rivers and lakes, or sweetly worded sonnets71 to Madame B. or Mademoiselle C. When we compare the English with the French Canadian poets we can see what an influence the more picturesque72 and interesting history of French Canada exercises on the imagination of its writers. The poets that claim Ontario for their home give us rhythmical and pleasing descriptions of the lake and river scenery of which the varied73 aspects and moods might well captivate the eye of the poet as well as of the painter. It is very much painting in both cases; the poet should be an artist by temperament equally with the painter who puts his thoughts on canvas and not in words. Descriptions of our meadows, prairies and forests, with their wealth of herbage and foliage74, or artistic sketches75 of pretty bits of lake scenery have their limitations as respects their influence on a people. Great thoughts or deeds are not bred by scenery. The American poem that has captured the world is not any one of Bryant's delightful76 sketches of the varied landscape of his native land, but Longfellow's Evangeline, which is a story of the "affection that hopes, and endures and is patient." Dollard, and the Lady of Fort La Tour are themes which we do not find in prosaic77 Ontario, whose history is only a century old—a history of stern materialism78 as a rule, rarely picturesque or romantic, and hardly ever heroic except in some episodes of the war of 1812–15, in which Canadians, women as well as men, did their duty faithfully to king and country, though their deeds have never yet been adequately told in poem or prose. The story of Laura Secord's toilsome journey on a June day eighty years ago[41a] seems as susceptible79 of strong poetic treatment as Paul Revere's Ride, told in matchless verse by Longfellow.
I think if we compare the best Canadian poems with the same class of literature in Australia the former do not at all lose25 by the comparison. Thanks to the thoughtfulness of a friend in South Australia I have had many opportunities of late of studying the best work of Australian writers, chiefly poets and novelists,[42] and have come to the conclusion that at least the poets of both hemispheres—for to fiction we cannot make even a pretense—reflect credit on each country. In one respect indeed Canadians can claim a superiority over their fellow-citizens of the British Empire in that far off Australian land, and that is, in the fact that we have poets, and historians, and essayists, who write the languages of France and England with purity and even elegance80; that the grace and precision of the French tongue have their place in this country alongside the vigorous and copious81 expression of the English language. More than that, the Canadians have behind them a history which is well calculated to stimulate writers to give utterance11 to national sentiment. I mean national in the sense of being thoroughly imbued82 with a love for the country, its scenery, its history and its aspirations83. The people of that great island continent possess great natural beauties and riches—flowers and fruits of every kind flourish there in rare profusion85, and gold and gems86 are among the treasures of the soil, but its scenery is far less varied and picturesque than ours and its history is but of yesterday compared with that of Canada. Australians cannot point to such historic ground as is found from Louisbourg to Quebec, or from Montreal to Champlain, the battle ground of nations whose descendants now live under one flag, animated87 by feelings of a common interest and a common aspiration84 for the future!
Perhaps if I were at any time inclined to be depressed88 as to the future of Canada, I should find some relief in those poems by Canadian authors which take frequently an elevated and patriotic89 range of thought and vision, and give expression to aspirations worthy90 of men born and living in this country. When some men doubt the future and would see us march into the ranks of other states, with heads bowed down in confession91 of our failure to hold our own on this continent and build up a new nation always in the closest connection with England, I ask them to turn to the poems of Joseph Howe and read that inspiring26 poetic tribute to the mother country, "All hail to the day when the Britons came over"—
"Every flash of her genius our pathway enlightens,
Each laurel she gathers, our future day brightens—
We joy with her living and mourn with her dead."[43]
Or read that tribute which the French Canadian laureate, Fréchette, has been fain to pay to the English flag under whose folds his country has enjoyed so much freedom and protection for its institutions:
"Regarde me disait mon père
Ce drapeau vaillamment porté;
Il a fait ton pays prospère
Et respecte ta liberté.
"C'est le drapeau de l'Angleterre;
Presque à tous les points de la terre
Il flotte glorieusement."
Or take up a volume by Roberts and read that frequently quoted poem of which these are the closing lines:
"Shall not our love this rough sweet land make sure?
O strong hearts of the North,
And put the craven and base to an open shame,
Till earth shall know the Child of Nations by her name."
Even Mr. Edgar has forgotten the astute97 lawyer and the politician in his national song, "This Canada of Ours," and has given expression to the deep sentiment that lies as I have said in the heart of every true Canadian and forces him at times to words like these:
"Strong arms shall guard our cherished homes
When darkest danger lowers,
And with our life-blood we'll defend
This Canada of ours,
Fair Canada,
Dear Canada,
This Canada of ours."
27
Such poems are worth a good many political speeches even in parliament so far as their effect upon the hearts and sympathies is concerned. We all remember a famous man once said, "Let me make all the ballads98, and I care not who makes the laws of a people."
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1 enlist | |
vt.谋取(支持等),赢得;征募;vi.入伍 | |
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2 industrious | |
adj.勤劳的,刻苦的,奋发的 | |
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3 dent | |
n.凹痕,凹坑;初步进展 | |
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n.成熟;完成;(支票、债券等)到期 | |
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5 dominion | |
n.统治,管辖,支配权;领土,版图 | |
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6 gratitude | |
adj.感激,感谢 | |
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7 judgment | |
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 | |
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8 stimulated | |
a.刺激的 | |
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9 stimulate | |
vt.刺激,使兴奋;激励,使…振奋 | |
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10 utterances | |
n.发声( utterance的名词复数 );说话方式;语调;言论 | |
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11 utterance | |
n.用言语表达,话语,言语 | |
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12 mar | |
vt.破坏,毁坏,弄糟 | |
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13 undoubtedly | |
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14 specially | |
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15 stagnation | |
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16 parenthesis | |
n.圆括号,插入语,插曲,间歇,停歇 | |
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17 vocations | |
n.(认为特别适合自己的)职业( vocation的名词复数 );使命;神召;(认为某种工作或生活方式特别适合自己的)信心 | |
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18 conscientious | |
adj.审慎正直的,认真的,本着良心的 | |
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19 devoted | |
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 | |
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20 epoch | |
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21 kin | |
n.家族,亲属,血缘关系;adj.亲属关系的,同类的 | |
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22 distinguished | |
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的 | |
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23 enumerate | |
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24 bibliographical | |
书籍解题的,著书目录的 | |
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25 dilate | |
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26 bliss | |
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27 bard | |
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28 provincial | |
adj.省的,地方的;n.外省人,乡下人 | |
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29 poetic | |
adj.富有诗意的,有诗人气质的,善于抒情的 | |
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30 mere | |
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31 mannerism | |
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32 hesitation | |
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33 regularity | |
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34 aspirants | |
n.有志向或渴望获得…的人( aspirant的名词复数 )v.渴望的,有抱负的,追求名誉或地位的( aspirant的第三人称单数 );有志向或渴望获得…的人 | |
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35 ardent | |
adj.热情的,热烈的,强烈的,烈性的 | |
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36 gilder | |
镀金工人 | |
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37 rhythmical | |
adj.有节奏的,有韵律的 | |
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38 artistic | |
adj.艺术(家)的,美术(家)的;善于艺术创作的 | |
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39 illustrating | |
给…加插图( illustrate的现在分词 ); 说明; 表明; (用示例、图画等)说明 | |
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40 perfectly | |
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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41 exquisitely | |
adv.精致地;强烈地;剧烈地;异常地 | |
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42 laborious | |
adj.吃力的,努力的,不流畅 | |
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43 journalism | |
n.新闻工作,报业 | |
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44 indifference | |
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45 chambers | |
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46 analytical | |
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47 faculty | |
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48 radical | |
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49 inadequacy | |
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50 inadequate | |
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51 sublime | |
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52 lucidity | |
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53 vivacity | |
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54 temperament | |
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55 evokes | |
产生,引起,唤起( evoke的第三人称单数 ) | |
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56 patriotism | |
n.爱国精神,爱国心,爱国主义 | |
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57 illustrated | |
adj. 有插图的,列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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58 illustrate | |
v.举例说明,阐明;图解,加插图 | |
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59 lighter | |
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60 evoked | |
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61 purely | |
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62 originality | |
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63 relatively | |
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64 fetters | |
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65 sublimated | |
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66 positively | |
adv.明确地,断然,坚决地;实在,确实 | |
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67 pristine | |
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68 vigour | |
(=vigor)n.智力,体力,精力 | |
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69 thoroughly | |
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70 capabilities | |
n.能力( capability的名词复数 );可能;容量;[复数]潜在能力 | |
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71 sonnets | |
n.十四行诗( sonnet的名词复数 ) | |
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72 picturesque | |
adj.美丽如画的,(语言)生动的,绘声绘色的 | |
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73 varied | |
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74 foliage | |
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75 sketches | |
n.草图( sketch的名词复数 );素描;速写;梗概 | |
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76 delightful | |
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的 | |
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77 prosaic | |
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78 materialism | |
n.[哲]唯物主义,唯物论;物质至上 | |
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79 susceptible | |
adj.过敏的,敏感的;易动感情的,易受感动的 | |
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80 elegance | |
n.优雅;优美,雅致;精致,巧妙 | |
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81 copious | |
adj.丰富的,大量的 | |
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82 imbued | |
v.使(某人/某事)充满或激起(感情等)( imbue的过去式和过去分词 );使充满;灌输;激发(强烈感情或品质等) | |
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83 aspirations | |
强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 ); 志向; 发送气音; 发 h 音 | |
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84 aspiration | |
n.志向,志趣抱负;渴望;(语)送气音;吸出 | |
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85 profusion | |
n.挥霍;丰富 | |
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86 gems | |
growth; economy; management; and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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87 animated | |
adj.生气勃勃的,活跃的,愉快的 | |
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88 depressed | |
adj.沮丧的,抑郁的,不景气的,萧条的 | |
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89 patriotic | |
adj.爱国的,有爱国心的 | |
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90 worthy | |
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91 confession | |
n.自白,供认,承认 | |
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92 beckoned | |
v.(用头或手的动作)示意,召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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93 firmament | |
n.苍穹;最高层 | |
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94 inviolate | |
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95 loyalty | |
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96 forth | |
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97 astute | |
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98 ballads | |
民歌,民谣,特别指叙述故事的歌( ballad的名词复数 ); 讴 | |
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