【正文】 andeur of even “The Columbiad.” Even the Quarterlies have not instructed us to be so impressed by it. As yet, they have not insisted on our estimating Lamartine by the cubic foot, or Pollok by the pound but what else are we to infer from their continual prating about “sustained effort?” If, by “sustained effort,” any little gentlemen has acplished an epic, let us frankly mend him for the effort if this indeed be a thing mendable but let us forbear praising the epic on the effort?s account. It is to be hoped that mon sense, in the time to e, will prefer deciding upon a work of art, rather by the impression it makes, by the amount of “sustained effort” which had been found necessary in effecting the impression. The fact is, that perseverance is one thing, and genius quite anther nor can all the Quarterlies in Christendom confound them. By –andby, this proposition, with many which I have been just urging, will be received as selfevident. In the meantime, by being generally condemned as falsities, they will not be essentially damaged as truths. On the other hand, it is clear that a poem may be improperly brief. Undue brevity degenerates into mere epigrammatism. A very short poem, while now and then producing a brilliant or vivid, never produces a profound or enduring effect. There must be the steady pressing down of the stamp upon the wax. De Beranger has wrought innumerable things, pungent and spiritstirring。 And all astir looked kind on her, And call?d her good and fair For all God ever gave to her She kept with chary care. She kept with care her beauties rare From lovers warm and true For her heart was cold to all but gold, And the rich came not to woo But honor ?d well are charms to sell, If priests the selling do. Now walking there was one more fair A slight girl, lilypale。 and by this moral is the poetical merit if the work to be adjudged. We American especially have patronized this happy idea。我所說的短詩，當(dāng)然還是有點(diǎn)長的。詩的價值是通過不斷提升的激勵作用來體現(xiàn)的，但從心理需求來看，這種刺激是短暫的，并不是說通過冗長的詩就能使這種刺激可以一直持續(xù)下去。然而認(rèn)真讀了評論宣言后，會覺得評論家所具有的這種熱情正是評論宣言所需要的。但是一旦我們 完成了一部創(chuàng)作，當(dāng)我們再次讀它時，會直接讀修訂版而不是原稿，在讀的過程中我們會驚訝地發(fā)現(xiàn)：以前推崇備至的內(nèi)容如今卻讓人嗤之以鼻；反過來，以前令人嗤之以鼻的內(nèi)容而今卻備受推崇，這是經(jīng)過不斷地總結(jié)得出來的，而那種具有重要，全面，絕對影響，堪稱是世上最好的史詩，它是不存在的 這就是毫無爭議的事實(shí)。如果說長詩在任何時候都備受歡迎，這個推論值得我懷疑，至少有一點(diǎn)很清楚是長詩不會再掀起浪潮。可以說，人們會因?yàn)樯椒宓母呗柖a(chǎn)生敬畏之情，但決沒有人會因?yàn)椤陡鐐惐葋喌隆愤@部愛國詩的冗長的篇幅而感動，季 刊也不會引導(dǎo)我們?yōu)檫@種情況而感動。實(shí)際上，堅持和天才是不能混為一談的，即使是關(guān)于基督教界，季刊也不會在二者之間犯糊涂。在我們看來，一首短詩充滿哲理智慧或生動形象，但絕不會令人刻骨銘心或經(jīng)久不衰，如同蠟燭上粘得牢牢的郵票。 The nightingale?s plaint, It dies upon her heart, As I must die on thine, O, beloved as thou art! O, lift me from the grass! I die, I faint, I fail! Let thy love in kisses rain On my lips and eyelids pale. My cheek is cold and white, alas! My heart beats loud and fast: Oh! Press it close to thine again, Where it will break at last! 可能很少人熟悉這幾行詩吧 ,這正是雪萊的作品。毫無疑問，這首詩也因過度追求簡短而失去了它本該享有的文學(xué)地位，不僅僅是評論界還有大眾的評價。 And she had unseen pany To make the spirit quail ?Twixt Want and Scorn she walk?d forlorn And nothing could avail. No merey now can clear her brow For this world?s peace to pray。據(jù)說，在詩歌文學(xué)衰落時期，這種異端邪說所創(chuàng)作出的作品遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)多于與其對立派所創(chuàng)作的所有作品。美國人對于這個評論標(biāo)準(zhǔn)雙手贊成，波斯頓人會對這個標(biāo)準(zhǔn)不斷地完善并加以運(yùn)用。我不會通過分離的方式而使其有所衰弱。如果一個人看不出真理和詩歌所起的教育作用的深層次差異，那么他一定是個盲人；盡管存在這些差異，如果一個人仍然執(zhí)著于使詩歌和理論達(dá)到水乳交融的程度，那么他一定是一個不可救藥的理論瘋子。雖然如此，我們知道三重奏的位置是有明顯的差別的，這 正如智慧的本身與真理有關(guān)，鑒賞力讓我們善于發(fā)現(xiàn)美，而道德觀就被看成是