The Poets and Poetry of England, in the Nineteenth Century (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from The Poets and Poetry of England, in the Nineteenth Century

The merits of byron and wordsworth have been amply discussed by'recent critics on both sides Of the Atlantic, and the claims of shelley begin to attract a share of the attention they deserve. If the author of Childe Harold excelled all others in the poetry of intense emotion, and the bard of Rydal in that of reflective sentiment, shelley has contributed no less to what is purely imaginative in the divine art. The graphic power of crabbe in dealing with actual and homely materials, the picturesque and romantic beauty of scott, the wildness, sublimity and feeling of coleridge, the gorgeous description and fine reflection of southey, the voluptuous imagery and happy wit of moore, the elegance and rhetorical energy Of campbell, have each in their degree influenced the popular taste; while the classical imagery of keats, the brilliance and tenderness of proctor, the cheerfulness and humanity of hunt, and the philosophic repose of milnes, interest the warm sympathies of different readers.

A taste for poetry is visibly increasing among us, especially for that poetry which celebrates the triumphs of humanity, the sacred claims of freedom, the holy associations of love, and all the scenes and sentiments which redeem life and make hallowed ground of the earth. There is much in the following pages fitted to promote and refine such a taste, and that they may essentially contribute to so desirable a result is the earnest hope of the editor.

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