Philosopher contemning wealth and death, Yet docile, childlike full of life and love,--
though they are not among the very finest parts of their author's thoughtful and beautiful poetry.
No loftier, purer soul than his hath ever With awe revolved the planetary page (From infancy to age) Of knowledge: _sedulous and proud to give her The whole of his great heart for her own sake; For what she is; not what she does, or what can make._[150]
And mighty voices from afar came to him; Converse of trumpets held by cloudy forms, And speech of choral storms. Spirits of night and noontide bent to woo him-- He stood the while, lonely and desolate As Adam when he ruled a world, yet found no mate.
His loftiest Thoughts were but like palms uplifted; Aspiring, yet in supplicating guise-- His sweetest songs were sighs. Adown Lethean streams his spirit drifted, Under Elysian shades from poppied bank With Amaranths massed in dark luxuriance dank.
Coleridge, farewell! That great and grave transition Which may not Priest or King or Conqueror spare, And yet a Babe can bear, Has come to thee. Through life a goodly vision Was thine; and time it was thy rest to take. Soft be the sound ordained thy sleep to break-- When thou art waking, wake me, for thy Master's sake![151]
[148] [For the correct dates of the Lectures see p. 167 of this volume.]
[150] Here seems an allusion to an anti-utilitarian maxim of Bacon's, which is very expressive of my Father's turn of mind:--Et tamen quemadmodum luci magnam habemus gratiam, quod per eam vias inire, artes, exercere, legere, nos invicem dignoscere possimus, et nihilominus _ipsa visio lucis res praestantior est et pulchrior, quam multiplex ejus usus; ita certe ipsa contemplatio rerum, prout sunt, sine superstitione aut impostura, errore aut confusione, in se ipsa magis digna est, quam universus inventorum fructus_. Novum Organum, Part of Aph. CXXIX.
[151] From a volume containing _The Search after Proserpine_, _Recollections of Greece_ and other Poems by Aubrey de Vere, author of _The Fall of Rora_.
LETTERS CONTAINED IN THIS WORK DRAWN FROM JOSEPH COTTLE'S _EARLY RECOLLECTIONS_ (1837), AND HIS _REMINISCENCES_ (1847)
_E. R._ _REM._ LETTER 15 Vol. i, p. 150 p. 74 " 16 " 184 97 " 17 " 164 84 " 18 " 165 85 " 19 " 166 85 " 20 " 169 87 " 21 " 172 90 " 22 " 171 88 " 23 " 140 67 " 24 " 137 65 " 25 " 141 68 " 30 " 144 70 " 31 " 145 70 " 32 " 159 81 " 38 " 173 90 " 41 " 209 115 " 48 " 197 107 " 49 " 229, 188 130, 100 " 50 " 230 130 " 51 " 219 122 " 52 " 213 118 " 53 " 224 126 " 54 " 232 132 " 55 " 211 117 " 56 " 190 102 " 57 " 239 136