This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1903 Excerpt: ... old poets had the best of us. The subject was new in poetry in all countries once; but we are late in the day, and it grows hard to write original love songs. The old poet could write, 'If she be not fair to me, what care I how fair she be.' In these days we take two verses to say that, and we never say it as well. ...
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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1903 Excerpt: ... old poets had the best of us. The subject was new in poetry in all countries once; but we are late in the day, and it grows hard to write original love songs. The old poet could write, 'If she be not fair to me, what care I how fair she be.' In these days we take two verses to say that, and we never say it as well. Similes are exhausted and sentiment is getting attenuated. Yet Gilbert has a dainty little bit after all in 'The Mountebanks.' Old? Yes, old; but to me very dainty." Whispering breeze Bring me my dear; Windshaken trees Beckon him here; Rivulet, hie, Prythee, go see; Birds as ye fly Call him to me 1 Tell him the tale of the tears that I shed, Tell him I die for the love that is dead. "Yes, that is rather pretty." "Ah, pretty! That is all we say. We have to Ballads sing love nowadays. Love words do not move us now. Well, the words don't mean much in the usual love ballad, anyway, now." "They 're rather sensible, sometimes." "The old English opera words had to be concealed. That's why most operatic singers are never heard, so far as what they are saying is concerned." "It doesn't matter at all," put in the Candid Man. "But I don't like this new style of love ballad very much. It is something between heavenly and earthly, between poetry and prose. I wonder how many of them end in T love thee!' Some interesting statistics might be made out of love songs. For instance, I would like to know the proportion of I's, and thees, and yous, and thines, and mines, and dears, and loves there is to all the other words of the language in them? Well, it is for the most part nonsense, anyway, and misleading." "Misleading?" queried the Sentimental Man. "Yes, misleading. It has always see...
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