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LETTER 81（第1页）

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LETTER81

CHARLESLAMBTOWILLIAMWORDSWORTH

[P.M.January30，1801.]

ThanksforyourLetterandPresent.Ihadalreadyborrowedyoursecondvolume.Whatmostpleasemeare，theSongofLucy….SimonssicklydaughterintheSextonmademecry.NexttothesearethedescriptionofthecontinuousEchoesinthestoryofJoannaslaugh，wherethemountainsandallthesceneryabsolutelyseemalive—andthatfineShakesperiancharacteroftheHappyMan，intheBrothers，

—thatcreepsaboutthefields，

Followinghisfanciesbythehour，tobring

Tearsdownhischeek，orsolitarysmiles

Intohisface，untiltheSettingSun

WriteFooluponhisforehead.

Iwillmentiononemore:thedelicateandcuriousfeelinginthewishfortheCumberlandBeggar，thathemayhaveabouthimthemelodyofBirds，althohehearthemnot.Herethemindknowinglypassesafictionuponherself，firstsubstitutingherownfeelingsfortheBeggars，and，inthesamebreathdetectingthefallacy，willnotpartwiththewish.—ThePoetsEpitaphisdisfigured，tomytastebythevulgarsatireuponparsonsandlawyersinthebeginning，andthecoarseepithetofpinpointinthe6thstanza.Alltherestiseminentlygood，andyourown.IwilljustaddthatitappearstomeafaultintheBeggar，thattheinstructionsconveyedinitaretoodirectandlikealecture:theydontslideintothemindofthereader，whileheisimaginingnosuchmatter.Anintelligentreaderfindsasortofinsultinbeingtold，Iwillteachyouhowtothinkuponthissubject.Thisfault，ifIamright，isinaten-thousandthworsedegreetobefoundinSterneandmanymanynovelists&modernpoets，whocontinuallyputasignpostuptoshewwhereyouaretofeel.Theysetoutwithassumingtheirreaderstobestupid.VerydifferentfromRobinsonCrusoe，theVicarofWakefield，RoderickRandom，andotherbeautifulbarenarratives.ThereisimpliedanunwrittenpactbetweenAuthorandreader;Iwilltellyouastory，andIsupposeyouwillunderstandit.Modernnovels"St.Leons"andthelikearefullofsuchflowersasthese"Letnotmyreadersuppose，""Imagine，ifyoucan"—modest!—&c.—Iwillherehavedonewithpraiseandblame.Ihavewrittensomuch，onlythatyoumaynotthinkIhavepassedoveryourbookwithoutobservation，—IamsorrythatColeridgehaschristenedhisAncientMarinere"apoetsReverie"—itisasbadasBottomtheWeaversdeclarationthatheisnotaLionbutonlythescenicalrepresentationofaLion.WhatnewideaisgainedbythisTitle，butonesubversiveofallcredit，whichthetaleshouldforceuponus，ofitstruth?Forme，IwasneversoaffectedwithanyhumanTale.Afterfirstreadingit，Iwastotallypossessedwithitformanydays—Idislikeallthemiraculouspartofit，butthefeelingsofthemanundertheoperationofsuchscenerydraggedmealonglikeTomPipersmagicwhistle.ItotallydifferfromyourideathattheMarinereshouldhavehadacharacterandprofession.ThisisaBeautyinGulliversTravels，wherethemindiskeptinaplacidstateoflittlewonderments;buttheAncientMarinereundergoessuchTrials，asoverwhelmandburyallindividualityormemoryofwhathewas，likethestateofamaninaBaddream，oneterriblepeculiarityofwhichis:thatallconsciousnessofpersonalityisgone.YourotherobservationisIthinkaswellalittleunfounded:theMarinerefrombeingconversantinsupernaturaleventshasacquiredasupernaturalandstrangecastofphrase，eye，appearance，&c.whichfrightentheweddingguest.Youwillexcusemyremarks，becauseIamhurtandvexedthatyoushouldthinkitnecessary，withaproseapology，toopentheeyesofdeadmenthatcannotsee.Tosumupageneralopinionofthesecondvol.—IdonotfeelanyonepoeminitsoforciblyastheAncientMarinere，theMadMother，andtheLinesatTinternAbbeyinthefirst.—Icould，too，havewishedtheCriticalprefacehadappearedinaseparatetreatise.Allitsdogmasaretrueandjust，andmostofthemnew，ascriticisButtheyassociateadiminishingideawiththePoemswhichfollow，ashavingbeenwrittenforExperimentonthepublictaste，morethanhavingsprung（astheymusthavedone）fromlivinganddailycircumstances.—Iamprolix，becauseIamgratifyedintheopportunityofwritingtoyou，andIdontwellknowwhentoleaveoff.IoughtbeforethistohavereplydtoyourverykindinvitationintoCumberland.WithyouandyourSisterIcouldganganywhere.ButIamafraidwhetherIshalleverbeabletoaffordsodesperateaJourney.

Separatefromthepleasureofyourpany，IdontmuchcareifIneverseeamountaininmylife.IhavepassedallmydaysinLondon，untilIhaveformedasmanyandintenselocalattachments，asanyofyoumountaineerscanhavedonewithdeadnature.TheLightedshopsoftheStrandandFleetStreet，theinnumerabletrades，tradesmenandcustomers，coaches，waggons，playhouses，allthebustleandwickednessroundaboutCoventGarden，theverywomenoftheTown，theWatchmen，drunkenscenes，rattles，—lifeawake，ifyouawake，atallhoursofthenight，theimpossibilityofbeingdullinFleetStreet，thecrowds，theverydirt&mud，theSunshininguponhousesandpavements，theprintshops，theoldbookstalls，parsonscheapningbooks，coffeehouses，steamsofsoupsfromkitchens，thepantomimes，Londonitselfapantomimeandamasquerade，—allthesethingsworkthemselvesintomymindandfeedme，withoutapowerofsatiatingme.Thewonderofthesesightsimpellsmeintonight-walksabouthercrowdedstreets，andIoftenshedtearsinthemotleyStrandfromfulnessofjoyatsomuchLife.—Alltheseemotionsmustbestrangetoyou.Soareyourruralemotionstome.Butconsider，whatmustIhavebeendoingallmylife，nottohavelentgreatportionsofmyheartwithusurytosuchscenes?—

Myattachmentsarealllocal，purelylocal.Ihavenopassion（orhavehadnonesinceIwasinlove，andthenitwasthespuriousengenderingofpoetry&books）togrovesandvallies.TheroomswhereIwasborn，thefurniturewhichhasbeenbeforemyeyesallmylife，abookcasewhichhasfollowedmeabout（likeafaithfuldog，onlyexceedinghiminknowledge）whereverIhavemoved—oldchairs，oldtables，streets，squares，whereIhavesunnedmyself，myoldschool，—thesearemymistresses.HaveInotenough，withoutyourmountains?Idonotenvyyou.Ishouldpityyou，didInotknow，thattheMindwillmakefriendsofanything.Yoursun&moonandskysandhills&lakesaffectmenomore，orscarcelyetomeinmorevenerablecharacters，thanasagildedroomwithtapestryandtapers，whereImightlivewithhandsomevisibleobjects.Iconsiderthecloudsabovemebutasaroof，beautifullypaintedbutunabletosatisfythemind，andatlast，likethepicturesoftheapartmentofaconnoisseur，unabletoaffordhimanylongerapleasure.Sofadinguponme，fromdisuse，havebeentheBeautiesofNature，astheyhavebeenconfinedlycalled;soeverfresh&greenandwarmarealltheinventionsofmenandassembliesofmeninthisgreatcity.IshouldcertainlyhavelaughedwithdearJoanna.

Givemykindestlove，andmysisters，toD.&your_self_andakissfrommetolittleBarbaraLewthwaite.

C.LAMB.

ThankyouforLikingmyPlay!!

[Thisisthefirst—andperhapsthefinest—letterfromLambtoWordsworththathasbeenpreserved.Wordsworth，thenlivingwithhissisterDorothyatDoveCottage，Grasmere，wasnearlythirty-oneyearsofage;Lambwasnearlytwenty-six.TheworkcriticisedisthesecondeditionoftheLyricalBallads.Thesecondandsixthstanzasofthe"PoetsEpitaph"ranthus:—

ALawyerartthou?—drawnotnigh;

Go，carrytosomeotherplace

Thehardnessofthycowardeye，

Thefalshoodofthysallowface.

Wrappdcloselyinthysensualfleece

Oturnaside，andtake，Ipray，

Thathebelowmayrestinpeace，

Thypin-pointofasoulaway!

St.LeonwasbyGodwin.

Of"TheAncientMariner，aPoetsReverie，"WordsworthhadsaidinanotetothefirstvolumeofLyricalBallads:—

"ThePoemofmyFriendhasindeedgreatdefects;first，thattheprincipalpersonhasnodistinctcharacter，eitherinhisprofessionofMariner，orasahumanbeingwhohavingbeenlongunderthecontroulofsupernaturalimpressionsmightbesupposedhimselftopartakeofsomethingsupernatural;secondly，thathedoesnotact，butiscontinuallyactedupon;thirdly，thattheeventshavingnonecessaryconnectiondonotproduceeachother;andlastly，thattheimageryissomewhattoolaboriouslyaccumulated."

"TheMadMother."Thepoembeginning，"Hereyesarewild，herheadisbare."

"Icould，too，havewished."Thepassagefromthesewordsto"dontwell

knowwhentoleaveoff，"usedtobeomittedintheeditionsofLambs

Letters.WhenWordsworthsentthecorrespondencetoMoxon，for

Talfourdsuse，in1835，hewrote:—

"Thereare，however，inthemsomepartswhichhadbetterbekeptback….Ihavealsothoughtitpropertosuppresseverywordofcriticism[Wordsworthmeantadversecriticism]uponmyownpoems….Thoserelatingtomyworksarewithheld，partlybecauseIshrinkfromthethoughtofassistinginanywaytospreadmyownpraises，andstillmoreIbeingconvincedthattheopinionsorjudgmentsoffriendsgiveninthiswayareoflittlevalue."

"Joanna."Joannaofthelaugh."BarbaraLewthwaite."SeeWordsworths

"PetLamb."

"ThankyouforLikingmyPlay!!"WemustsupposethispostscripttocontainatouchofsarcasLambhadsent"JohnWoodvil"toGrasmereandKeswick.Wordsworthapparentlyhadbeenbutpolitelyinterestedinit.ColeridgehadwrittentoGodwin:"Talkingoftragedies，ateveryperusalmyloveandadmirationofhis[Lambs]playrisesapeg."

HereshouldealetterfromLambtoRobertLloyd，datedatendFebruary7，1801，notavailableforthisedition.ItisoneofthebestletterswrittenbyLambtoRobertLloyd，ortoanyone.LambfirstpraisesIzaakWalton，whoseCompleatAnglerhelovedfortworeasons:foritselfandforitsconnectionwithhisownHertfordshirecountry，Hoddesdon，Broxbourne，AmwellandtheWareneighbourhood.TheletterpassestoathirdeulogyofLondon.LambclosesbyremarkingthatManningis"adaintychiel，andamanofgreatpower，anenchanteralmost."]

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