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LETTER 17（第1页）

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LETTER17

CHARLESLAMBTOS.T.COLERIDGE

[LittleQueenStreet，NightofDec.9th，]1796.

IamsorryIcannotnowrelishyourpoeticalpresentasthoroughlyasIfeelitdeserves;butIdonotthelessthankLloydandyouforit.

Intruth，Coleridge，Iamperplexed，&attimesalmostcastdown.Iambesetwithperplexities.Theoldhagofawealthyrelation，whotookmyauntoffourhandsinthebeginningoftrouble，hasfoundoutthatsheis"indolentandmulish"—I"eherownwords—andthatherattachmenttousissostrongthatshecanneverbehappyapart.TheLady，withdelicateIrony，remarksthat，ifIamnotanHypocrite，Ishallrejoycetoreceiveheragain;andthatitwillbeameansofmakingmemorefondofhometohavesodearafriendtoehometo!Thefactis，sheisjealousofmyauntsbestowinganykindrecollectionsonus，whilesheenjoysthepatronageofherroof.Shesaysshefindsitinconsistentwithherown"easeandtranquility"tokeepheranylonger，&infinesummonsmetofetchherhome.Now，muchasIshouldrejoycetotransplantthepooroldcreaturefromthechillingairofsuchpatronage，yetIknowhowstraitendwearealready，howunablealreadytoansweranydemandwhichsicknessoranyextraordinaryexpencemaymake.Iknowthis，andallunusedasIamtostrugglewithperplexitiesIamsomewhatnonplusd，tosaynoworse.ThispreventsmefromathoroughrelishofwhatLloydskindnessandyourshavefurnishedmewith.Ithankyouthofrommyheart，andfeelmyselfnotquitealoneintheearth.

BeforeIoffer，whataloneIhavetooffer，afewobviousremarksonthepoemsyousentme，Ican[not]butnoticetheoddcoincidenceoftwoyoungmen，inoneage，carollingtheirgrandmothers.Love—whatL[loyd]calls"thefeverishandromantictye"—hathtoolongdomineerdoverallthecharitiesofhome:thedeardomestictyesoffather，brother，husband.TheamiableandbenevolentCowperhasabeautifulpassageinhis"Task，"—somenaturalandpainfulreflectionsonhisdeceasedparents:andHayleyssweetlinestohismotherarenotoriouslythebestthingsheeverwrote.Cowperslines，someofthem，are—

"Howgladlywouldthemanrecalltolife

Theboysneglectedsire;amother，too.

Thatsoftername，perhapsmoregladlystill，

Mighthedemandthematthegatesofdeath."

IcannotbutsmiletoseemyGrannysogaylydeckdforth:tho，Ithink，whoeveraltered"thy"praisesto"her"praises，"thy"honouredmemoryto"her"honouredmemory，didwrong—theybestexprestmyfeelings.Thereisapensivestateofrecollection，inwhichthemindisdisposedtotrophisethedepartedobjectsofitsattachment，and，breakingloosefromgrammaticalprecision，changesfromthe1sttothe3rd，andfromthe3rdtothe1stperson，justastherandomfancyorthefeelingdirects.AmongLloydssonnets，6th，7th，8th，9th，and11th，areeminentlybeautiful.Ithinkhimtoolavishofhisexpletives;thedosanddids，whentheyoccurtoooften，bringaquaintnesswiththemalongwiththeirsimplicity，orratherairofantiquitywhichthepatronsofthemseemdesirousofconveying.

ThelinesonFridayareverypleasing—"YetcallsitselfinprideofInfancywomanorman，"&c.，"affectionstotteringtroop"—areprominentbeauties.Anothertime，whenmymindweremoreatease，Icouldbemoreparticularinmyremarks，andIwouldpostponethemnow，onlyIwantsomediversionofmind.TheMelancholyManisacharmingpieceofpoetry，onlythe"whys"（withsubmission）aretoomany.Yetthequestionsaretoogoodtobeanyofemomitted.Forthoselinesofyours，page18，omittedinmagazine，Ithinkthe3firstbetterretaind—the3last，whicharesomewhatsimpleinthemostaffrontingsenseoftheword，betteromitted:tothismytastedirectsme—Ihavenoclaimtoprescribetoyou."Theirslothfullovesanddaintysympathies"isanexquisiteline，butyouknewthatwhenyouwroteem，andItrifleinpointingsuchout.Tisaltogetherthesweetestthingtomeyoueverwrote—tisallhoney."Nowishprofanedmyoverwhelmedheart，Blesthour，itwasaLuxurytobe"—Irecognisefeelings，whichImaytasteagain，iftranquilityhasnottakenhisflightforever，andIwillnotbelievebutIshallbehappy，veryhappyagain.Thenextpoemtoyourfriendisverybeautiful:needIinstancetheprettyfancyof"therockscollectedtears"—orthatoriginalline"pourdallitshealthfulgreennessonthesoul"?—letitbe，sinceyouaskedme，"asneighbouringfountainseachreflectthewhole"—thothatissomewhatharsh;indeedtheendingisnotsofinishdastherest，whichifyouomitinyourforthingedition，youwilldothevolumewrong，andtheverybindingwillcryout.Neithershallyouomitthe2followingpoems."Thehourwhenweshallmeetagain，"isfinefancy，tistrue，butfancycateringintheServiceofthefeeling—fetchingfromherstoresmostsplendidbanquetstosatisfyher.Donot，donotomitit.YoursonnettotheRiverOtterexcludesthoseequallybeautifullines，whichdeservenottobelost，"asthetiredsavage，"&c.，andIpreferthatcopyinyourWatchman.Ipleadforitspreference.

Anothertime，ImaynoticemoreparticularlyLloyds，Southeys，DermodysSonnets.Ishrinkfromthemnow:myteazinglotmakesmetooconfusedforaclearjudgmentofthings，tooselfishforsympathy;andtheseill-digested，meaninglessremarksIhaveimposedonmyselfasatask，tolullreflection，aswellastoshowyouIdidnotneglectreadingyourvaluablepresent.ReturnmyacknowledgmentstoLloyd;youtwoappeartobeaboutrealisinganElysiumuponearth，and，nodoubt，Ishallbehappier.Takemybestwishes.RemembermemostaffectionatelytoMrs.C.，andgivelittleDavidHartley—Godblessitslittleheart!—akissforme.BringhimuptoknowthemeaningofhisChristianname，andwhatthatname（imposeduponhim）willdemandofhi

C.LAMB.

Godloveyou!

Iwrite，foronething，tosaythatIshallwritenomoretillyousendmewordwhereyouare，foryouaresosoontomove.

Mysisterisprettywell，thankGod.Wethinkofyouveryoften.Godblessyou:continuetobemycorrespondent，andIwillstrivetofancythatthisworldisnot"allbarrenness."

[Thepoeticalpresent，asthelateMr.DykesCampbellpointedoutinTheAtheneum，June13，1891，consistedofLloydsPoemsontheDeathofPriscillaFarmer，towhichLambhadcontributed"TheGrandame，"andofalittleprivately-printedcollectionofpoemsbyColeridgeandLloyd，whichtheyhadintendedtopublish，butdidnot.Thepamphlethaspletelyvanished.Inadditiontothesetwoworksthepoeticalpresentalsoprisedanotherprivately-printedcollection，alittlepamphletoftwenty-eightsonnetswhichColeridgehadarrangedforthepurposeofbindingupwiththoseofBowles.ItincludedthreeofBowles，fourofColeridges，fourofLambs，fourofSoutheys，andtheremainderbyDermody，Lloyd，CharlotteSmith，andothers.AcopyofthispamphletispreservedintheSouthKensingtonMuseu

"Thepoemsyousentme."ThiswouldbeLloydsPoemsontheDeathofPriscillaFarmer.WhenLambreprinted"TheGrandame"inColeridgessecondedition，1797，heputbacktheoriginaltext.

InowtakeupMr.DykesCampbellsmentsontheletter，whereitbranchesofffromthePriscillaFarmervolumetothevanishedpamphletofpoemsbyColeridgeandLloyd:—

BeginningwithLloyds"MelancholyMan"（firstprintedintheCarlislevolumeof1795），he[Lamb]passestoColeridgespoemonleavingthehoneymoon-cottageatClevedon，"altogetherthesweetestthingtome，"saysLamb，"youeverwrote."TheverseshadappearedintheMonthlyMagazinetwomonthsbefore….ThatLambscounselwasfollowedtosomeextentmaybegatheredfromaparisonbetweenthetextofthemagazineandthatof1797:—

"OnceIsaw

（Hallowinghissabbath-daybyquietness）

AwealthysonofCommercesaunterby，

Bristowascitizen:hepausd，andlookd，

Withapleasdsadness，andgazedallaround，

TheneydourCottage，andgazdroundagain，

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