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　the　tuneful　ordering　of　sounds。　　Let　it　be　repeated；　therefore；　that　for　the　traffic　of　letters　the　senses　are　but　the　door…keepers　of　the　mind；　none　of　them　commands　an　only　way　of　access；　…　the　deaf　can　read　by　sight；　the　blind　by　touch。　It　is　not　amid　the　bustle　of　the　live　senses；　but　in　an　under…world　of　dead　impressions　that　Poetry　works　her　will；　raising　that　in　power　which　was　sown　in　weakness；　quickening　a　spiritual　body　from　the　ashes　of　the　natural　body。　　The　mind　of　man　is　peopled；　like　some　silent　city；　with　a　sleeping　company　of　reminiscences；　associations；　impressions；　attitudes；　emotions；　to　be　awakened　into　fierce　activity　at　the　touch　of　words。　　By　one　way　or　another；　with　a　fanfaronnade　of　the　marching　trumpets；　or　stealthily；　by　noiseless　passages　and　dark　posterns；　the　troop　of　suggesters　enters　the　citadel；　to　do　its　work　within。　　The　procession　of　beautiful　sounds　that　is　a　poem　passes　in　through　the　main　gate；　and　forthwith　the　by…ways　resound　to　the　hurry　of　ghostly　feet；　until　the　small　company　of　adventurers　is　well…nigh　lost　and　overwhelmed　in　that　throng　of　insurgent　spirits。

To　attempt　to　reduce　the　art　of　literature　to　its　component　sense…　elements　is　therefore　vain。　　Memory；　〃the　warder　of　the　brain；〃　is　a　fickle　trustee；　whimsically　lavish　to　strangers；　giving　up　to　the　appeal　of　a　spoken　word　or　unspoken　symbol；　an　odour　or　a　touch；　all　that　has　been　garnered　by　the　sensitive　capacities　of　man。　　It　is　the　part　of　the　writer　to　play　upon　memory；　confusing　what　belongs　to　one　sense　with　what　belongs　to　another；　extorting　images　of　colour　at　a　word；　raising　ideas　of　harmony　without　breaking　the　stillness　of　the　air。　　He　can　lead　on　the　dance　of　words　till　their　sinuous　movements　call　forth；　as　if　by　mesmerism；　the　likeness　of　some　adamantine　rigidity；　time　is　converted　into　space；　and　music　begets　sculpture。　　To　see　for　the　sake　of　seeing；　to　hear　for　the　sake　of　hearing；　are　subsidiary　exercises　of　his　complex　metaphysical　art；　to　be　counted　among　its　rudiments。　　Picture　and　music　can　furnish　but　the　faint　beginnings　of　a　philosophy　of　letters。　　Necessary　though　they　be　to　a　writer；　they　are　transmuted　in　his　service　to　new　forms；　and　made　to　further　purposes　not　their　own。

The　power　of　vision　…　hardly　can　a　writer；　least　of　all　if　he　be　a　poet；　forego　that　part　of　his　equipment。　　In　dealing　with　the　impalpable；　dim　subjects　that　lie　beyond　the　border…land　of　exact　knowledge；　the　poetic　instinct　seeks　always　to　bring　them　into　clear　definition　and　bright　concrete　imagery；　so　that　it　might　seem　for　the　moment　as　if　painting　also　could　deal　with　them。　　Every　abstract　conception；　as　it　passes　into　the　light　of　the　creative　imagination；　acquires　structure　and　firmness　and　colour；　as　flowers　do　in　the　light　of　the　sun。　　Life　and　Death；　Love　and　Youth；　Hope　and　Time；　become　persons　in　poetry；　not　that　they　may　wear　the　tawdry　habiliments　of　the　studio；　but　because　persons　are　the　objects　of　the　most　familiar　sympathy　and　the　most　intimate　knowledge。


How　long；　O　Death？　　And　shall　thy　feet　depart　Still　a　young　child's　with　mine；　or　wilt　thou　stand　Full　grown　the　helpful　daughter　of　my　heart；　What　time　with　thee　indeed　I　reach　the　strand　Of　the　pale　wave　which　knows　thee　what　thou　art；　And　drink　it　in　the　hollow　of　thy　hand？


And　as　a　keen　eye　for　the　imagery　attendant　on　a　word　is　essential　to　all　writing；　whether　prose　or　poetry；　that　attempts　the　heart；　so　languor　of　the　visual　faculty　can　work　disaster　even　in　the　calm　periods　of　philosophic　expatiation。　　〃It　cannot　be　doubted；〃　says　one　whose　daily　meditations　enrich　THE　PEOPLE'S　POST…BAG；　〃that　Fear　is；　to　a　great　extent；　the　mother　of　Cruelty。〃　　Alas；　by　the　introduction　of　that　brief　proviso；　conceived　in　a　spirit　of　admirably　cautious　self…defence；　the　writer　has　unwittingly　given　himself　to　the　horns　of　a　dilemma　whose　ferocity　nothing　can　mitigate。　　These　tempered　and　conditional　truths　are　not　in　nature；　which　decrees；　with　uncompromising　dogmatism；　that　either　a　woman　is　one's　mother；　or　she　is　not。　　The　writer　probably　meant　merely　that　〃fear　is　one　of　the　causes　of　cruelty；〃　and　had　he　used　a　colourless　abstract　word　the　platitude　might　pass　unchallenged。　But　a　vague　desire　for　the　emphasis　and　glamour　of　literature　having　brought　in　the　word　〃mother；〃　has　yet　failed　to　set　the　sluggish　imagination　to　work；　and　a　word　so　glowing　with　picture　and　vivid　with　sentiment　is　damped　and　dulled　by　the　thumb…mark　of　besotted　usage　to　mean　no　more　than　〃cause〃　or　〃occasion。〃　　Only　for　the　poet；　perhaps；　are　words　live　winged　things；　flashing　with　colour　and　laden　with　scent；　yet　one　poor　spark　of　imagination　might　save　them　from　this　sad　descent　to　sterility　and　darkness。

Of　no　less　import　is　the　power　of　melody　which　chooses；　rejects；　and　orders　words　for　the　satisfaction　that　a　cunningly　varied　return　of　sound　can　give　to　the　ear。　　Some　critics　have　amused　themselves　with　the　hope　that　here；　in　the　laws　and　practices　regulating　the　audible　cadence　of　words；　may　be　found　the　first　principles　of　style；　the　form　which　fashions　the　matter；　the　apprenticeship　to　beauty　which　alone　can　make　an　art　of　truth。　　And　it　may　be　admitted　that　verse；　owning；　as　it　does；　a　professed　and　canonical　allegiance　to　music；　sometimes　carries　its　devotion　so　far　that　thought　swoons　into　melody；　and　the　thing　said　seems　a　discovery　made　by　the　way　in　the　search　for　tuneful　expression。


What　thing　unto　mine　ear　Wouldst　thou　convey；　…　what　secret　thing；　O　wandering　water　ever　whispering？　Surely　thy　speech　shall　be　of　her；　Thou　water；　O　thou　whispering　wanderer；　What　message　dost　thou　bring？


In　this　stanza　an　exquisitely　modulated　tune　is　played　upon　the　syllables　that　make　up　the　word　〃wandering；〃　even　as；　in　the　poem　from　which　it　is　taken；　there　is　every　echo　of　the　noise　of　waters　laughing　in　sunny　brooks；　or　moaning　in　dumb　hidden　caverns。　　Yet　even　here　it　would　be　vain　to　seek　for　reason　why　each　particular　sound　of　every　line　should　be　itself　and　no　other。　　For　melody　holds　no　absolute　dominion　over　either　verse　or　prose；　its　laws；　never　to　be　disregarded；　prohibit　rather　than　prescribe。　　Beyond　the　simple　ordinances　that　determine　the　place　of　the　rhyme　in　verse；　and　the　average　number　of　syllables；　or　rhythmical　beats；　that　occur　in　the　line；　where　shall　laws　be　found　to　regulate　the　sequence　of　consonants　and　vowels　from　syllable　to　syllable？　　Those　few　artificial　restrictions；　which　verse　invents　for　itself；　once　agreed　on；　a　necessary　and　perilous　license　makes　up　the　rest　of　the　code。　　Literature　can　never　conform　to　the　dictates　of　pure　euphony；　while　grammar；　which　has　been　shaped　not　in　the　interests　of　prosody；　but　for　the　service　of　thought；　bars　the　way　with　its　clumsy　inalterable　polysyllables　and　the　monotonous　sing…song　of　its　inflexions。　　On　the　other　hand；　among　a　hundred　ways　of　saying　a　thing；　there　are　more　than　ninety　that　a　care　for　euphony　may　reasonably　forbid。　　All　who　have　consciously　practised　the　art　of　writing　know　what　endless　and　painful　vigilance　is　needed　for　the　avoidance　of　the　unfit　or　untuneful　phrase；　how　the　meaning　must　be　tossed　from　expression　to　expression；　mutilated　and　deceived；　ere　it　can　find　rest　in　words。　　The　stupid　accidental　recurrence　of　a　single　broad　vowel；　the　cumbrous　repetition　of　a　particle；　the　emphatic　phrase　for　which　no　emphatic　place　can　be　found　without　disorganising　the　structure　of　the　period；　the　pert　intrusion　on　a　solemn　thought　of　a　flight　of　short　syllables；　twittering　like　a　flock　of　sparrows；　or　that　vicious　trick　of　sentences　whereby　each；　unmindful　of　its　position　and　duties；　tends　to　imitate　the　deformities　of　its　predecessor；　…　these　are　a　select　few　of　the　difficulties　that　the　nature　of　language　and　of　man　conspire　to　put　upon　the　writer。　　He　is　well　served　by　his　mind　and　ear　if　he　can　win　past　all　such　traps　and　ambuscades；　robbed　of　only　a　little　of　his　treasure；　indemnified　by　the　careless　generosity　of　his　spoilers；　and　still　singing。

Besides　their　chime　in　the　ear；　and　the　images　that　they　put　before　the　mind's　eye；　words　have；　for　their　last　and　greatest　possession；　a　meaning。　　They　carry　messages　and　suggestions　that；　in　the　effect　wrought；　elude　all　the　senses　equally。　　For　the　sake　of　this；　their　prime　office；　the　rest　is　many　times　forgotten　or　scorned；　the　tune　is　disordered　and　havoc　played　with　the　lineaments　of　the　picture；　because　without　these　the　word　can　still　do　its　business。　　The　refutation　of　those　critics　who；　in　their　analysis　of　the　power　of　literature；　make　much　of　music　and　picture；　is　contained　in　the　most　moving　passages　that　have　found　utterance　from　man。　　Consider　the　intensity　of　a　saying　like　that　of　St。　Paul：…　〃For　I　am　persuaded；　that　neither　death；　nor　life；　nor　angels；　nor　principalities；　nor　powers；　nor　things　present；　nor　things　to　come；　nor　height；　nor　depth；　nor　any　other　creature；　shall　be　able　to　separate　us　from　the　love　of　God；　which　is　in　Christ　Jesus　our　Lord。〃

Do　these　verses　draw　their　power　from　a　skilful　arrangement　of　vowel　and　consonant？　　But　they　are　quoted　from　a　translation；　and　can　be　translated　otherwise；　well　or　ill　or　indifferently；　without　losing　more　than　a　little　of　their　virtue。　　Do　they　impress　the　eye