"To be—this marks the nobler man—this Force,
This visioned soul, which sees the shadow cast
Of a great Object in its every course,
Urging it onward—common men will rest
With common things; such spirits are possessed
By greater somethings, which will not be hushed
With 'lullabys'—which are within the breast
Like inspirations—sleepless as the rush
Of world-surrounding waves, and which no earth can crush!"
This is a writer who takes the Sea as the scene of his poem. The style is affected; but much liked.
I add below an example of Blank Verse, a form greatly in use:—
"The Morn, exultant, on the mountain tops,
Leads in the Day—and over all the World
Delightful Joy spreads forth his glorious wings!"
This appears to be a parody of Shakespeare, who says beautifully:—
"Oh, see where jocund Day stands tip-toe,
On the distant, misty mountain tops!"
Very much of the poetry is obscured, and spoilt by the influence of the Superstition; and very much by artificiality and affectations. And everywhere there are poor or indifferent imitators of the ancient Greeks and Romans; upon whom the Literati mould their poetic conceits.
Of the Comic and common it is well to read little. Coarseness and indecency seem inseparable from all vulgar humour.
The Descriptive, tinged with the melancholy of the Superstition and Barbaric gloom, is often fine and smooth—sometimes tender and elegant.