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[page 189, col. 1, continued:]
Poetry and Plagiarism.
IT is comparatively of but little moment to us whether Poe's writings resembled some other person's or not. Let “Fiat Justitia” admit that Poe was a genius in his power of imagination, and then turn his anathemas upon those who weekly attempt to deceive the public by appearing jn the columns of the Waverley dressed in borrowed plumage. For example, there appeared in No. 8 of this volume an article entitled “ Poetry, what is it?” purporting to have been written by R. H. H., who, we doubt not, is quite a modest individual. We commend his prudence in concealing his real name to all who are engaged in like reputable employment. — Unless we are mistaken, the article in question was written by one of the best of the Waverley poets, and published in a Boston paper, a year or two since, over the signature of “Hazel Dell.” We regret to see plagiarised articles in the Waverly [[Waverley]], and especially when the real author is one of our contributors.
We received the following communication last week, and was at a loss whether to publish it or not. Our high appreciation of Prof. Poulton's talents, and our obligation for his many favors, nearly decided the matter in the negative. But, lest we might seem partial, and also knowing that Prof. Poulton was competent to defend himself, we concluded to admit it entire. We shall be glad to insert anything from him in answer to the communication. As for ourselves we feel entirely neutral on all such controversies, but are willing to furnish the field, as well as the audience, and let our contributors fight their own battles.
——
MR. EDITOR: — I was not a little surprised upon looking over the late No. of the “Waverly,” to find that your correspondent, Geo. R. Poulton, in his reviews of “Bryant and his Poems,” had appropriated liberally from an article upon the same subject by the late Edgar A. Poe. Now, among authors of honor, literary piracy is considered a sorry offence, and in preferring so serious a charge against a man of Prof. Poulton's celebrity as litterateur, I am duly impressed with the propriety of “knowing that I am entirely right before going ahead.” If this imputation can be satisfactory established, Prof. Poulton is entitled to no more mercy than the humblest scribbler that ever grasped a pen. Without further comment I will proceed to compare the passages of Pouton's article with the original of Poe: —
In his opening paragraph, Prof. Poulton says of Bryant, —
He has a mannerism which is sometimes too apparent. We see it in the frequent recurrence of a particular or fit word, and in the doubling of his adjectives. For instance, we read about “tall old maples,” “the old and ponderous trunks of prostrate trees,” “old ocean's gray and melancholy waste,” “proud old world beyond the deep,” etc.
Mr. Poe says, —
Bryant is not devoid of mannerisms, one of the most noticable of which is his use of the epithet “old” preceeded by some other adjective: for example: —
“In all that proud old world beyond the deep.”
* * * * * * * *
“There is a tale about these gray old rocks.”
* * * * * * * *
“The wild old woods resounded with her songs.”
These duplicates occur so frequently as to excite a smile upon each repetition.
Prof. Poulton again says, —
In another place we read as follows: —
“Till the last link of slavery's chain,
Is shivered to be worn no more.”
Here of course the poet means to say that the chain shall be worn no more, but he does not say so — he tells us that the last link shall be worn no more.
Poe says, — [column 2:]
Of merely grammatical errors, Bryant is rarely guilty. Faulty construction are more frequently chargable to him. In the “Massacre of Scio,” we read, —
“Till the last link of slavery's chain,
Is shivered to be worn no more.”
What shall be worn no more? The chain of course, but the link is implied. It will be understood that I pick these flaws only with difficulty from the poems of Bryant. He is in the “ minor morals” the most generally correct of our poets — ”
Prof. Poulton says, —
Here too is a passage which to us sounds rather halting and imperfect:” —
“And Rispah, once the lovliest of all,
That bloomed and smiled in the courts of Saul.”
Poe says, —
Bryant, however, is by no means always accurate — or defensible, for accurate is not the term. Now and then he gets out of his depth in attempting anapestic rhythm, of which he makes sad havoc’ as follows; —
“And Rispah, once the loveliest of all
That bloomed and smiled in the courts of Saul.”
Prof. Poulton says, —
The Summer Wind is, in my opinion, the most imaginative of Bryant's poems. Listen to these beautiful quotations: —
“For me I lie,
Languidly in the shade where thick turf,
Yet virgin from the kisses of the sun,
Retains some freshness, and I woo the wind
That still delays its coming.”
Poe says, —
There is a fine “echo of sound to sense” in the Sum- mer Wind, — for example: —
“For me I lie, &c. &c.
About the conclusion of his criticism, Prof. Poulton says, —
The endowment of inanimate objects with life through poetry, is one of the rarest things in any author, and it is one of the most difficult. In a little piece entitled the “ Autumn Woods,” there is a fine example of this giving to objects sentiences, or acharacter [[a character]] not their own. It is as follows: —
“The mountains that enfold,
In their wild sweep, the colored landscape round,
Seem groups of giant things in purple and gold,
That guard the enchanted ground. &c. &c.
Poe says, —
The following passage is especially beautiful. Happily to endow inanimate nature with sentience and a capability of action, is one of the severest tests of the poet.
“The mountains that enfold,
In one wild sweep the colored landscape round, &c. &c.”
In the language of the immortal Poe himself, Is this plagiarism, or is it not? I merely ask for information.
TROUBADOUR.
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Notes:
None.
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[S:0 - WM, 1853] - Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - A Poe Bookshelf - Poetry and Plagiarism (Troubadour, 1853)