21. JEAN INGELOW, 1830?-1897. MISS INGELOW, since the death of Mrs. Browning, is certainly England's greatest female poet. By some the date of her birth is fixed as 1825, and by others as 1830, but since little is known of her private life, these dates cannot be considered as authentic. Her first success as a writer was won by a volume of poems published in England in 1863, and also immediately republished in America. It was received with great favor on both sides of the Atlantic, and at once won distinction for the author. Since then she has issued other volumes of poems, but none have so taken hold on the popular heart as her first effort. In prose Miss Ingelow has done but little, her chief work being a novel, Off the Skelligs, published in 1872. She is author also of an admirable collection of stories for children entitled Studies for Stories, among which "Mopsa and the Fairy" is one of the most charming. Miss Ingelow is chiefly a lyric poet, and her poems are characterized by a simplicity and gentleness found in few compositions. Among her best poems are "Songs of Seven," "Songs of the Night-Watches," "Songs with Preludes," "High Tide on the Coast of Lincolnshire," and "Songs on the Voices of Birds." She is still living (1882) in England, and her works have had, and still have, an extensive sale in both England and America. They have won for their writer a degree of popularity seldom conceded to a living author. CRITICISM. NOTHING appeared from her pen until the year 1863, when her little volume, issued under the modest title Poems, placed her at once among the foremost writers of England. Some of Miss Ingelow's poems, particularly "High Tide on the Coast of Lincolnshire," are characterized by considerable dramatic power, and all of them are marked by a simplicity and naturalness of language that have helped them to reach the popular heart and make them favorites with lovers of poetry. As a lyric poet Miss Ingelow has written some songs of rare merit. Her "Songs of the Night-Watches" and "Songs of Seven "-the latter representing the seven epochs in the life of woman-have won for her high distinction. THE MIDDLE WATCH. NOTE. The following extract is taken from Miss Ingelow's poem entitled "The Songs of the Night-Watches." I. I WOKE in the night, and the darkness was heavy and deep; I had known it was dark in my sleep, And I rose and looked out, And the fathomless vault was all sparkling, set thick round about With the ancient inhabiters silent, and wheeling too far mote In the sheen of their glory they float, ANALYSTS. 4 fathomless wault. What figure? What does the word all modify? Parse round about. 5. What is the difference between inhabiters and inhabitants! 6. Point out and name the figure in this line. 7. What is meant by sheen? Or man's soul, like a bird, to fly near, of their beams to par take, And dazed in their wake Drink day that is born of a star. I murmured, "Remoteness and greatness, how deep you are set! How afar in the rim of the whole! You know nothing of me, nor of man, nor of earth, oh, nor yet Cf our light-bearer,-drawing the marvelous moons as they roll, Of our regent, the sun. I look on you trembling, and think, in the dark with my soul, "How small is our place 'mid the kingdoms and nations of God! These are greater than we, every one." And there falls a great fear, and a dread cometh over that cries, "O my hope! Is there any mistake? Did He speak? Did I hear? Did I listen aright if He spake? And a light, baffling wind, that leads nowhither, plays on my brow. As a sleep, I must think on my day, of my path as untrɔd, doubt; Whose countries recede from my thoughts, as they grope round about, And vanish, and tell me not how. ANALYSIS.-8. Parse the words like and bird. 8-10. Name the figures in these lines. 11. What figure in the line? What is the object of murmured? Give the construction of Remoteness and greatness. 16. What does trembling modify? Name the object of think. 17 'mid. What figure of orthography? 19 Name the object of cries. 24 nowhither. Why nowhither, rather than nowhere! 10 15 20 25 Be kind to our darkness, O Fashioner dwelling in light, Look down upon this one, and let it be sweet in Thy sight, Oh watch whom Thou madest to dwell on its soil, Thou Most For this is a world full of sorrow (there may be but one); 30 Keep watch o'er its dust, else Thy children for aye are un-35 done, For this is a world where we die. II. With that, a still voice in my spirit that moved and that yearned (There fell a great calm while it spake), I heard it erewhile, but the noises of life are so loud That sometimes it dies in the cry of the street and the 40 crowd; To the simple it cometh,-the child, or asleep or awake; learned By his wisdom; its secret the worker ne'er earned By his toil; and the rich among men never bought with his gold; Nor the times of its visiting monarchs controlled, Nor the jester put down with his jeers (For it moves where it will), nor its season the aged discern By thought, in the ripeness of years. O elder than reason, and stronger than will! A voice, when the dark world is still: ANALYSIS.-29. O Fashioner. To whom is allusion made here? 30. feeding the lamps. What figure? 35. o'er. Explain the use of the apostrophe here. Dispose of the word else. 41. or asleep. What is the usual form? 42. What is the antecedent of they? 49. O elder. Why elder rather than older after 01 50. What figure in the line? 45 50 Whence cometh it? Father Immortal, Thou knowest! and We are sure of that witness, that sense, which is sent as cf Thee; For it moves, and it yearns, in its fellowship mighty and dread, An1 let down to our hearts it is touched by the tears that we shed; It is more than all meanings and over all strife; On its tongue are the laws of our life, And it counts up the times of the dead. I will fear you, O stars, nevermore; I have felt it! Go on, while the world is asleep, 55 60 Hark, hark to the words of sweet fashion, the harpings of yore! How they sang to Him, seer and saint, in the far-away lands, "The heavens are the work of Thy hands; They shall perish, but Thou shalt endure; Yea, they all shall wax old; But Thy throne is established, O God, and Thy years are made sure; They shall perish, but Thou shalt endure, They shall pass like a tale that is told.” Doth He answer, the Ancient of Days? Will He speak in the tongue and the fashion of men? (Hist! hist! while the heaven-hung multitudes shine in His praise, ANALYSIS.-52. Why is we repeated? 53. Dispose of the words mighty and dread. 54. Give the grammatical construction of let. 57. Give the grammatical construction of counts up. 60. Golden islands, etc. What figure? 65. What is the meaning of wax old? 68. What figure in the line? Parse like and tale 69. Give the construction of Ancient. 65 70 |