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likes　to　repay　small　favours；　many　people　can　be　grateful　for

favours　not　too　weighty；　but　for　favours　truly　great　there　is　scarce

anything　but　ingratitude。〃　　They　must　have　been　small　favours　that

Wordsworth　had　conferred　when　〃the　gratitude　of　men　had　oftener　left

him　mourning。〃　　Indeed；　the　very　pettiness　of　the　aid　we　can

generally　render　each　other；　makes　gratitude　the　touching　thing　it

is。　　So　much　is　repaid　for　so　little；　and　few　can　ever　have　the

chance　of　incurring　the　thanklessness　that　Rochefoucauld　found　all

but　universal。



〃Lovers　and　ladies　never　bore　each　other；　because　they　never　speak

of　anything　but　themselves。〃　　Do　husbands　and　wives　often　bore　each

other　for　the　same　reason？　　Who　said：　　〃To　know　all　is　to　forgive

all〃？　　It　is　rather　like　〃On　pardonne　tant　que　l'on　aime〃〃As　long

as　we　love　we　can　forgive；〃　a　comfortable　saying；　and　these　are　rare

in　Rochefoucauld。　　〃Women　do　not　quite　know　what　flirts　they　are〃　is

also；　let　us　hope；　not　incorrect。　　The　maxim　that　〃There　is　a　love

so　excessive　that　it　kills　jealousy〃　is　only　a　corollary　from　〃as

long　as　we　love；　we　forgive。〃　　You　remember　the　classical　example；

Manon　Lescaut　and　the　Chevalier　des　Grieux；　not　an　honourable

precedent。



〃The　accent　of　our　own　country　dwells　in　our　hearts　as　well　as　on

our　tongues。〃　　Ah！　never　may　I　lose　the　Border　accent！　　〃Love's

Miracle！　　To　cure　a　coquette。〃　　〃Most　honest　women　are　tired　of

their　task；〃　says　this　unbeliever。　　And　the　others？　　Are　they　never

aweary？　　The　Duke　is　his　own　best　critic　after　all；　when　he　says：

〃The　greatest　fault　of　a　penetrating　wit　is　going　beyond　the　mark。〃

Beyond　the　mark　he　frequently　goes；　but　not　when　he　says　that　we

come　as　fresh　hands　to　each　new　epoch　of　life；　and　often　want

experience　for　all　our　years。　　How　hard　it　was　to　begin　to　be

middle…aged！　　Shall　we　find　old　age　easier　if　ever　we　come　to　its

threshold？　　Perhaps；　and　Death　perhaps　the　easiest　of　all。　　Nor　let

me　forget；　it　will　be　long　before　you　have　occasion　to　remember；

that　〃vivacity　which　grows　with　age　is　not　far　from　folly。〃







OF　VERS　DE　SOCIETE







To　Mr。　Gifted　Hopkins。



My　Dear　Hopkins；The　verses　which　you　have　sent　me；　with　a　request

〃to　get　published　in　some　magazine；〃　I　now　return　to　you。　　If　you

are　anxious　that　they　should　be　published；　send　them　to　an　editor

yourself。　　If　he　likes　them　he　will　accept　them　from　you。　　If　he

does　not　like　them；　why　should　he　like　them　because　they　are

forwarded　by　me？　　His　only　motive　would　be　an　aversion　to

disobliging　a　confrere；　and　why　should　I　put　him　in　such　an

unpleasant　position？



But　this　is　a　very　boorish　way　of　thanking　you　for　the　premiere

representation　of　your　little　poem。　　〃To　Delia　in　Girton〃　you　call

it；　〃recommending　her　to　avoid　the　Muses；　and　seek　the　society　of

the　Graces　and　Loves。〃　　An　old…fashioned　preamble；　and　of　the

lengthiest；　and　how　do　you　go　on？　…





Golden　hair　is　fairy　gold；

Fairy　gold　that　cannot　stay；

Turns　to　leaflets　green　and　cold；

At　the　ending　of　the　day！

Laurel…leaves　the　Muses　may

Twine　about　your　golden　head。

Will　the　crown　reward　you；　say；

When　the　fairy　gold　is　fled？



Daphne　was　a　maid　unwise　…

Shun　the　laurel；　seek　the　rose；

Azure；　lovely　in　the　skies；

Shines　less　gracious　in　the　hose！





Don't　you　think；　dear　Hopkins；　that　this　allusion　to　bas…bleus；　if

not　indelicate；　is　a　little　rococo；　and　out　of　date？　　Editors　will

think　so；　I　fear。　　Besides；　I　don't　like　〃Fairy　gold　that　cannot

stay。〃　　If　Fairy　Gold　were　a　horse；　it　would　be　all　very　well　to

write　that　it　〃cannot　stay。〃　　'Tis　the　style　of　the　stable；　unsuited

to　songs　of　the　salon。



This　is　a　very　difficult　kind　of　verse　that　you　are　essaying；　you

whom　the　laurels　of　Mr。　Locker　do　not　suffer　to　sleep　for　envy。　　You

kindly　ask　my　opinion　on　vers　de　societe　in　general。　　Well；　I　think

them　a　very　difficult　sort　of　thing　to　write　well；　as　one　may　infer

from　this；　that　the　ancients；　our　masters；　could　hardly　write　them

at　all。　　In　Greek　poetry　of　the　great　ages　I　only　remember　one　piece

which　can　be　called　a　modelthe　AEolic　verses　that　Theocritus　wrote

to　accompany　the　gift　of　the　ivory　distaff。　　It　was　a　present；　you

remember；　to　the　wife　of　his　friend　Nicias；　the　physician　of

Miletus。　　The　Greeks　of　that　age　kept　their　women　in　almost　Oriental

reserve。　　One　may　doubt　whether　Nicias　would　have　liked　it　if

Theocritus　had　sent；　instead　of　a　distaff；　a　fan　or　a　jewel。　　But

there　is　safety　in　a　spinning　instrument；　and　all　the　compliments　to

the　lady；　〃the　dainty…ankled　Theugenis；〃　turn　on　her　skill；　and

industry；　and　housewifery。　　So　Louis　XIV。；　no　mean　authority；　called

this　piece　of　vers　de　societe　〃a　model　of　honourable　gallantry。〃



I　have　just　looked　all　through　Pomtow's　pretty　little　pocket　volumes

of　the　minor　Greek　poets；　and　found　nothing　more　of　the　nature　of

the　lighter　verse　than　this　of　Alcman's＇Greek　text　which　cannot　be

reproduced＇。　　Do　you　remember　the　pretty　paraphrase　of　it　in　〃Love

in　Idleness〃？





〃Maidens　with　voices　like　honey　for　sweetness　that　breathe　desire；

Would　that　I　were　a　sea　bird　with　wings　that　could　never　tire；

Over　the　foam…flowers　flying；　with　halcyons　ever　on　wing；

Keeping　a　careless　heart；　a　sea…blue　bird　of　the　spring。〃





It　does　not　quite　give　the　sense　Alcman　intended；　the　lament　for　his

limbs　weary　with　old　agewith　old　age　sadder　for　the　sight　of　the

honey…voiced　girls。



The　Greeks　had　not　the　kind　of　society　that　is　the　home　of　〃Society

Verses；〃　where；　as　Mr。　Locker　says；　〃a　boudoir　decorum　is；　or　ought

always　to　be；　preserved；　where　sentiment　never　surges　into　passion；

and　where　humour　never　overflows　into　boisterous　merriment。〃　　Honest

women　were　estranged　from　their　mirth　and　their　melancholy。



The　Romans　were　little　more　fortunate。　　You　cannot　expect　the　genius

of　Catullus　not　to　〃surge　into　passion；〃　even　in　his　hours　of　gayer

song；　composed　when





Multum　lusimus　in　meis　tabellis；

Ut　convenerat　esse　delicatos；

Scribens　versiculos　uterque　nostrum。





Thus　the　lighter　pieces　of　Catullus；　like　the　dedication　of　his

book；　are　addressed　to　men；　his　friends；　and　thus　they　scarcely　come

into　the　category　of　what　we　call　〃Society　Verses。〃　　Given　the

character　of　Roman　society；　perhaps　we　might　say　that　plenty　of　this

kind　of　verse　was　written　by　Horace　and　by　Martial。　　The　famous　ode

to　Pyrrha　does　not　exceed　the　decorum　of　a　Roman　boudoir；　and；　as

far　as　love　was　concerned；　it　does　not　seem　to　have　been　in　the

nature　of　Horace　to　〃surge　into　passion。〃　　So　his　best　songs　in　this

kind　are　addressed　to　men；　with　whom　he　drinks　a　little；　and　talks

of　politics　and　literature　a　great　deal；　and　muses　over　the

shortness　of　life；　and　the　zest　that　snow…clad　Soracte　gives　to　the

wintry　fire。



Perhaps　the　ode　to　Leuconoe；　which　Mr。　Austin　Dobson　has　rendered　so

prettily　in　a　villanelle；　may　come　within　the　scope　of　this　Muse；

for　it　has　a　playfulness　mingled　with　its　melancholy；　a　sadness　in

its　play。　　Perhaps；　too；　if　Horace　is　to　be　done　into　verse；　these

old　French　forms　seem　as　fit　vehicles　as　any　for　Latin　poetry　that

was　written　in　the　exotic　measures　of　Greece。　　There　is　a　foreign

grace　and　a　little　technical　difficulty　overcome　in　the　English

ballade　and　villanelle；　as　in　the　Horatian　sapphics　and　alcaics。　　I

would　not　say　so　much；　on　my　own　responsibility；　nor　trespass　so　far

on　the　domain　of　scholarship；　but　this　opinion　was　communicated　to

me　by　a　learned　professor　of　Latin。　　I　think；　too；　that　some　of　the

lyric　measures　of　the　old　French　Pleiad；　of　Ronsard　and　Du　Bellay；

would　be　well　wedded　with　the　verse　of　Horace。　　But　perhaps　no

translator　will　ever　please　any　one　but　himself；　and　of　Horace　every

man　must　be　his　own　translator。



It　may　be　that　Ovid　now　and　then　comes　near　to　writing　vers　de

societe；　only　he　never　troubles　himself　for　a　moment　about　the

〃decorum　of　the　boudoir。〃　　Do　you　remember　the　lines　on　the　ring

which　he　gave　his　lady？　　They　are　the　origin　and　pattern　of　all　the

verses　written　by　lovers　on　that　pretty　metempsychosis　which　shall

make　them　slippers；　or　fans；　or　girdles；　like　Waller's；　and　like

that　which　bound　〃the　dainty；　dainty　waist〃　of　the　Miller's

Daughter。





〃Ring　that　shalt　bind　the　finger　fair

Of　my　sweet　maid；　thou　art　not　rare；

Thou　hast　not　any　price　above

The　token　of　her　poet's　love；

Her　finger　may'st　thou　mate　as　she

Is　mated　every　wise　with　me！〃





And　the　poet　goes　on；　as　poets　will；　to　wish　he　were　this　favoured；

this　fortunate　jewel：





〃In　vain　I　wish！　　So；　ring；　depart；

And　say　'with　me　thou　hast　his　heart'！〃





Once　more　Ovid's　verses　on　his　catholic　affection　for　all　ladies；

the　brown　and　the　blonde；　the　short　and　the　tall；　may　have　suggested

Cowley's　humorous　confession；　〃The　Chronicle〃：





〃Margarita　first　possessed；

If　I　remember　well；　my　breast；

Margarita；　first　of　all；〃





and　then　follows　a　list　as　long　as　Leporello's。



What　disqualifies　Ovid　as　a　writer　of　vers　de　societe　is　not　so　much

his　lack　of　〃decorum〃　as　the　monotonous　singsong　of　his　eternal

elegiacs。　　The　lightest　of　light　things；　the　poet　of　society；　should

possess　more　varied　strains；　like　Horace；　Martial；　Thackeray；　not

like　Ovid　and　（here　is　a　heresy）　Praed。　　Inimitably　well　as　Praed

does　his　trick　of　antithesis；　I　still　feel　that　it　is　a　trick；　and

that　most　rhymers　could　follow　him　in　a　mere　mechanic　art。　　But　here

the　judgment　of　Mr。　Locker　would　be　opposed　to　this　modest　opinion；

and　there　would　be　opposition　again　where　Mr。　Locker　calls　Dr。　O。　W。

Holmes　〃perhaps　the　best　living　writer　of　this　species　of　verse。〃

But　here　we　are　straying　among　the　moderns　before　exhausting　the

ancients；　of　whom　I　fancy　that　Martial；　at　his　best；　approaches　most

near　the　ideal。



Of　course　it　is　true　that　many　of　Martial's　lyrics　would　be　thought