letters on literature-第16部分
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gilt off the delight of being an Indian? The old woman was as brave
and resolute as a man; but in one day she sold a hundred and twenty
beaver skins and many buffalo robes for rum。 She always entertained
all the neighbouring Indians as long as the rum lasted; and Tanner
had a narrow escape of growing up a drunkard。 He became such a
savage that when an Indian girl carelessly allowed his wigwam to be
burned; he stripped her of her blanket and turned her out for the
night in the snow。
So Tanner grew up in spite of hunger and drink。 Once; when
starving; and without bullets; he met a buck moose。 If he killed
the moose he would be saved; if he did not he would die。 So he took
the screws out of the lock of his rifle; loaded with them in place
of bullets; tied the lock on with string; fired; and killed the
moose。
Tanner was worried into marrying a young squaw (at least he says he
did it because the girl wanted it); and this led to all his sorrows…
…this and a quarrel with a medicine…man。 The medicine…man accused
him of being a wizard; and his wife got another Indian to shoot him。
Tanner was far from surgeons; and he actually hacked out the bullet
himself with an old razor。 Another wounded Indian once amputated
his own arm。 The ancient Spartans could not have been pluckier。
The Indians had other virtues as well as pluck。 They were honest
and so hospitable; before they knew white men's ways; that they
would give poor strangers new mocassins and new buffalo cloaks。
Will it bore you; my dear Dick; if I tell you of an old Indian's
death? It seems a pretty and touching story。 Old Pe…shau…ba was a
friend of Tanner。 One day he fell violently ill。 He sent for
Tanner and said to him: 〃I remember before I came to live in this
world; I was with the Great Spirit above。 I saw many good and
desirable things; and among others a beautiful woman。 And the Great
Spirit said: 'Pe…shau…ba; do you love the woman?' I told him I
did。 Then he said; 'Go down and spend a few winters on earth。 You
cannot stay long; and you must remember to be always kind and good
to my children whom you see below。' So I came down; but I have
never forgotten what was said to me。
〃I have always stood in the smoke between the two bands when my
people fought with their enemies 。 。 。 I now hear the same voice
that talked to me before I came into the world。 It tells me I can
remain here no longer。〃 He then walked out; looked at the sun; the
sky; the lake; and the distant hills; then came in; lay down
composedly in his place; and in a few minutes ceased to breathe。
If we would hardly care to live like Indians; after all (and Tanner
tired of it and came back; an old man; to the States); we might
desire to die like Pe…shau…ba; if; like him; we had been 〃good and
kind to God's children whom we meet below。〃 So here is a Christmas
moral for you; out of a Red Indian book; and I wish you a merry
Christmas and a happy New Year。
APPENDIX I
Reynolds's Peter Bell。
When the article on John Hamilton Reynolds (〃A Friend of Keats〃) was
written; I had not seen his 〃Peter Bell〃 (Taylor and Hessey; London;
1888)。 This 〃Lyrical Ballad〃 is described in a letter of Keats's
published by Mr。 Sidney Colvin in Macmillan's Magazine; August;
1888。 The point of Reynolds's joke was to produce a parody before
the original。 Reynolds was annoyed by what Hood called 〃The Betty
Foybles〃 of Wordsworth; and by the demeanour of a poet who was
serious; not only in season; but out of season。 Moreover;
Wordsworth had damned 〃a pretty piece of heathenism〃 by Keats; with
praise which was faint even from Wordsworth to a contemporary。 In
the circumstances; as Wordsworth was not yet a kind of solemn shade;
whom we see haunting the hills; and hear chanting the swan song of
the dying England; perhaps Reynolds's parody scarce needs excuse。
Mr。 Ainger calls it 〃insolent;〃 meaning that it has an unkind tone
of personal attack。 That is; unluckily; true; but to myself the
parody appears remarkably funny; and quite worthy of 〃the sneering
brothers; the vile Smiths;〃 as Lamb calls the authors of 〃Rejected
Addresses。〃 Lamb wrote to tell Wordsworth that he did not see the
fun of the parodyperhaps it is as well that we should fail to see
the fun of jests broken on our friends。 But will any Wordsworthian
deny to…day the humour of this? …
〃He is rurally related;
Peter Bell hath country cousins;
(He had once a worthy mother);
Bells and Peters by the dozens;
But Peter Bell he hath no brothers;
Not a brother owneth he;
Peter Bell he hath no brother;
His mother had no other son;
No other son e'er called her 'mother;'
Peter Bell hath brother none。〃
As Keats says in a review he wrote for The Examiner; 〃there is a
pestilent humour in the rhymes; and an inveterate cadence in some of
the stanzas that must be lamented。〃 In his review Keats tried to
hurt neither side; but his heart was with Reynolds; 〃it would be
just as well to trounce Lord Byron in the same manner。〃
People still make an outcry over the trouncing of Keats。 It was
bludgeonly done; but only part of a game; a kind of horseplay at
which most men of letters of the age were playing。 Who but regrets
that; in his 〃Life of Keats;〃 Mr。 Colvin should speak as if Sir
Walter Scott had; perhaps; a guilty knowledge of the review of Keats
in Blackwood! There is but a tittle of published evidence to the
truth of a theory in itself utterly detestable; and; to every one
who understands the character of Scott; wholly beyond possibility of
belief。 Even if Lockhart was the reviewer; and if Scott came to
know it; was Scott responsible for what Lockhart did in 1819 or
1820; the very time when Mrs。 Shelley thought he was defending
Shelley in Blackwood (where he had praised her Frankenstein); and
when she spoke of Sir Walter as 〃the only liberal man in the
faction〃? Unluckily Keats died; and his death was absurdly
attributed to a pair of reviews which may have irritated him; and
which were coarse; and cruel even for that period of robust
reviewing。 But Keats knew very well the value of these critiques;
and probably resented them not much more than a football player
resents being 〃hacked〃 in the course of the game。 He was very
willing to see Byron and Wordsworth 〃trounced;〃 and as ready as
Peter Corcoran in his friend's poem to 〃take punishment〃 himself。
The character of Keats was plucky; and his estimate of his own
genius was perfectly sane。 He knew that he was in the thick of a
literary 〃scrimmage;〃 and he was not the man to flinch or to repine
at the consequences。
APPENDIX II
Portraits of Virgil and Lucretius。
In the Letter on Virgil some remarks are made on a bust of the poet。
It is wholly fanciful。 Our only vestiges of a portrait of Virgil
are in two MSS。; the better of the two is in the Vatican。 The
design represents a youth; with dark hair and a pleasant face;
seated reading。 A desk is beside him; and a case for manuscript; in
shape like a band…box。 (See Visconti; 〃Icon。 Rom。〃 i。 179; plate
13。) Martial tells us that portraits of Virgil were illuminated on
copies of his 〃AEneid。〃 The Vatican MS。 is of the twelfth century。
But every one who has followed the fortunes of books knows that a
kind of tradition often preserves the illustrations; which are
copied and recopied without material change。 (See Mr。 Jacobs's
〃Fables of Bidpai;〃 Nutt; 1888。) Thus the Vatican MS。 may preserve
at least a shadow of Virgil。
If there be any portrait of Lucretius; it is a profile on a sard;
published by Mr。 Munro in his famous edition of the poet。 The
letters LVCR are inscribed on the stone; and appear to be
contemporary with the gem。 This; at least; is the opinion of Mr。 A。
S。 Murray; of the late Mr。 C。 W。 King; Braun; and Muller。 On the
other hand; Bernouilli (〃Rom。 Icon。〃 i。 247) regards this; and
apparently most other Roman gems with inscriptions; as 〃apocryphal。〃
The ring; which was in the Nott collection; is now in my possession。
If Lucretius were the rather pedantic and sharp…nosed Roman of the
gem; his wife had little reason for the jealousy which took so
deplorable a form。 Cold this Lucretius may have been; volatile
never! {11}
Footnotes:
{1} This was written during the lifetime of Mr。 Arnold and Mr。
Browning。
{2} Since this was written; Mr。 Bridges has made his lyrics
accessible in 〃Shorter Poems。〃 (G。 Bell and Sons: 1890)
{3} Macmillans。
{4} Reynolds was; perhaps; a little irreverent。 He anticipated
Wordsworth's 〃Peter Bell〃 by a premature parody; 〃Peter Bell the
First。〃
{5} Appendix on Reynolds's 〃Peter Bell。〃
{6} 〃Aucassin and Nicolette〃 has now been edited; annotated; and
equipped with a translation by Mr。 F。 W。 Bourdillon (Kegan Paul &
Trench; 1887)。
{7} Edinburgh; 1862。
{8} The Elzevir piracy was rather earlier。
{9} Pindar; perhaps; in one of his fragments; suggested that pretty
Cum regnat Rosa。
{10} See next letter。
{11} Mr。 Munro calls the stone 〃a black agate;〃 and does not
mention its provenance。 The engraving in his book does no justice
to the portrait。 There is another gem representing Lucretius in the
Vatican: of old it belonged to Leo X。 The two gems are in all
respects similar。 A seal with this head; or one very like it;
belonged to Evelyn; the friend of Mr。 Pepys。
End