over the teacups-第15部分

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pas　seul。　　Consider　under　what　a　disadvantage　your　thinking　powers

are　laboring　when　you　are　handicapped　by　the　inexorable　demands　of

our　scanty　English　rhyming　vocabulary！　　You　want　to　say　something

about　the　heavenly　bodies；　and　you　have　a　beautiful　line　ending　with

the　word　stars。　　Were　you　writing　in　prose；　your　imagination；　your

fancy；　your　rhetoric；　your　musical　ear　for　the　harmonies　of　language；

would　all　have　full　play。　　But　there　is　your　rhyme　fastening　you　by

the　leg；　and　you　must　either　reject　the　line　which　pleases　you；　or

you　must　whip　your　hobbling　fancy　and　all　your　limping　thoughts　into

the　traces　which　are　hitched　to　one　of　three　or　four　or　half　a　dozen

serviceable　words。　　You　cannot　make　any　use　of　cars；　I　will　suppose；

you　have　no　occasion　to　talk　about　scars；　〃the　red　planet　Mars〃　has

been　used　already；　Dibdin　has　said　enough　about　the　gallant　tars；

what　is　there　left　for　you　but　bars？　　So　you　give　up　your　trains　of

thought；　capitulate　to　necessity；　and　manage　to　lug　in　some　kind　of

allusion；　in　place　or　out　of　place；　which　will　allow　you　to　make　use

of　bars。　　Can　there　be　imagined　a　more　certain　process　for　breaking

up　all　continuity　of　thought；　for　taking　out　all　the　vigor；　all　the

virility；　which　belongs　to　natural　prose　as　the　vehicle　of　strong；

graceful；　spontaneous　thought；　than　this　miserable　subjugation　of

intellect　to　the…clink　of　well　or　ill　matched　syllables？　　I　think　you

will　smile　if　I　tell　you　of　an　idea　I　have　had　about　teaching　the　art

of　writing　〃poems〃　to　the　half…witted　children　at　the　Idiot　Asylum。

The　trick　of　rhyming　cannot　be　more　usefully　employed　than　in

furnishing　a　pleasant　amusement　to　the　poor　feeble…minded　children。

I　should　feel　that　I　was　well　employed　in　getting　up　a　Primer　for　the

pupils　of　the　Asylum；　and　other　young　persons　who　are　incapable　of

serious　thought　and　connected　expression。　　I　would　start　in　the

simplest　way；　thus：



　　　　　　　　　　When　darkness　veils　the　evening。。。。

　　　　　　　　　　I　love　to　close　my　weary。。。。



The　pupil　begins　by　supplying　the　missing　words；　which　most　children

who　are　able　to　keep　out　of　fire　and　water　can　accomplish　after　a

certain　number　of　trials。　　When　the　poet　that　is　to　be　has　got　so　as

to　perform　this　task　easily；　a　skeleton　verse；　in　which　two　or　three

words　of　each　line　are　omitted；　is　given　the　child　to　fill　up。　　By

and　by　the　more　difficult　forms　of　metre　are　outlined；　until　at

length　a　feebleminded　child　can　make　out　a　sonnet；　completely

equipped　with　its　four　pairs　of　rhymes　in　the　first　section　and　its

three　pairs　in　the　second　part。



Number　Seven　interrupted　my　discourse　somewhat　abruptly；　as　is　his

wont；　for　we　grant　him　a　license；　in　virtue　of　his　eccentricity；

which　we　should　hardly　expect　to　be　claimed　by　a　perfectly　sound

Teacup。



〃That's　the　way；that　's　the　way！〃　exclaimed　he。　　〃It's　just　the

same　thing　as　my　plan　for　teaching　drawing。〃



Some　curiosity　was　shown　among　The　Teacups　to　know　what　the　queer

creature　had　got　into　his　mind；　and　Number　Five　asked　him；　in　her

irresistible　tones；　if　he　wouldn't　oblige　us　by　telling　us　all　about

it。



He　looked　at　her　a　moment　without　speaking。　　I　suppose　he　has　often

been　made　fun　of；slighted　in　conversation；　taken　as　a　butt　for

people　who　thought　themselves　witty；　made　to　feel　as　we　may　suppose　a

cracked　piece　of　china…ware　feels　when　it　is　clinked　in　the　company

of　sound　bits　of　porcelain。　　I　never　saw　him　when　he　was　carelessly

dealt　with　in　conversation；　for　it　would　sometimes　happen；　even　at

our　table；　without　recalling　some　lines　of　Emerson　which　always

struck　me　as　of　wonderful　force　and　almost　terrible　truthfulness：





　　　　　　　　　〃Alas！　that　one　is　born　in　blight；

　　　　　　　　　　Victim　of　perpetual　slight

　　　　　　　　　　When　thou　lookest　in　his　face

　　　　　　　　　　Thy　heart　saith；　'Brother；　go　thy　ways

　　　　　　　　　　None　shall　ask　thee　what　thou　doest；

　　　　　　　　　　Or　care　a　rush　for　what　thou　knowest；

　　　　　　　　　　Or　listen　when　thou　repliest；

　　　　　　　　　　Or　remember　where　thou　liest；

　　　　　　　　　　Or　how　thy　supper　is　sodden；'

　　　　　　　　　　And　another　is　born

　　　　　　　　　　To　make　the　sun　forgotten。〃



Poor　fellow！　　Number　Seven　has　to　bear　a　good　deal　in　the　way　of

neglect　and　ridicule；　I　do　not　doubt。　　Happily；　he　is　protected　by　an

amount　of　belief　in　himself　which　shields　him　from　many　assailants

who　would　torture　a　more　sensitive　nature。　　But　the　sweet　voice　of

Number　Five　and　her　sincere　way　of　addressing　him　seemed　to　touch　his

feelings。　　That　was　the　meaning　of　his　momentary　silence；　in　which　I

saw　that　his　eyes　glistened　and　a　faint　flush　rose　on　his　cheeks。　　In

a　moment；　however；　as　soon　as　he　was　on　his　hobby；　he　was　all　right；

and　explained　his　new　and　ingenious　system　as　follows：



〃A　man　at　a　certain　distance　appears　as　a　dark　spot；nothing　more。

Good。　　Anybody；　man；　woman；　or　child；　can　make　a　dot；　say　a　period；

such　as　we　use　in　writing。　　Lesson　No。　1。　　Make　a　dot；　that　is；　draw

your　man；　a　mile　off；　if　that　is　far　enough。　　Now　make　him　come　a

little　nearer；　a　few　rods；　say。　　The　dot　is　an　oblong　figure　now。

Good。　　Let　your　scholar　draw　the　oblong　figure。　　It　is　as　easy　as　it

is　to　make　a　note　of　admiration。　　Your　man　comes　nearer；　and　now　some

hint　of　a　bulbous　enlargement　at　one　end；　and　perhaps　of　lateral

appendages　and　a　bifurcation；　begins　to　show　itself。　　The　pupil　sets

down　with　his　pencil　just　what　he　sees；no　more。　　So　by　degrees　the

man　who　serves　as　model　approaches。　　A　bright　pupil　will　learn　to　get

the　outline　of　a　human　figure　in　ten　lessons；　the　model　coming　five

hundred　feet　nearer　each　time。　　A　dull　one　may　require　fifty；　the

model　beginning　a　mile　off；　or　more；　and　coming　a　hundred　feet　nearer

at　each　move。〃



The　company　were　amused　by　all　this；　but　could　not　help　seeing　that

there　was　a　certain　practical　possibility　about　the　scheme。　　Our　two

Annexes；　as　we　call　then；　appeared　to　be　interested　in　the　project；

or　fancy；　or　whim；　or　whatever　the　older　heads　might　consider　it。

〃I　guess　I'll　try　it；〃　said　the　American　Annex。　　〃Quite　so；〃　answered

the　English　Annex。　　Why　the　first　girl　〃guessed〃　about　her　own

intentions　it　is　hard　to　say。　　What　〃quite　so〃　referred　to　it　would

not　be　easy　to　determine。　　But　these　two　expressions　would　decide　the

nationality　of　our　two　young　ladies　if　we　met　them　on　the　top　of　the

great　Pyramid。



I　was　very　glad　that　Number　Seven　had　interrupted　me。　　In　fact；　it　is

a　good　thing　once　in　a　while　to　break　in　upon　the　monotony　of　a

steady　talker　at　a　dinner…table；　tea…table；　or　any　other　place　of

social　converse。　　The　best　talker　is　liable　to　become　the　most

formidable　of　bores。　　It　is　a　peculiarity　of　the　bore　that　he　is　the

last　person　to　find　himself　out。　　Many　a　terebrant　I　have　known　who；

in　that　capacity；　to　borrow　a　line　from　Coleridge；



　　　　　　　　　　〃Was　great；　nor　knew　how　great　he　was。〃



A　line；　by　the　way；　which；　as　I　have　remarked；　has　in　it　a　germ　like

that　famous　〃He　builded　better　than　he　knew〃　of　Emerson。



There　was　a　slight　lull　in　the　conversation。　　The　Mistress；　who　keeps

an　eye　on　the　course　of　things；　and　feared　that　one　of　those　panic

silences　was　impending；　in　which　everybody　wants　to　say　something　and

does　not　know　just　what　to　say；　begged　me　to　go　on　with　my　remarks

about　the　〃manufacture〃　of　〃poetry。〃



You　use　the　right　term；　madam；　I　said。　　The　manufacture　of　that

article　has　become　an　extensive　and　therefore　an　important　branch　of

industry。　　One　must　be　an　editor；　which　I　am　not；　or　a　literary

confidant　of　a　wide　circle　of　correspondents；　which　I　am；　to　have　any

idea　of　the　enormous　output　of　verse　which　is　characteristic　of　our

time。　　There　are　many　curious　facts　connected　with　this　phenomenon。

Educated　peopleyes；　and　many　who　are　not　educatedhave　discovered

that　rhymes　are　not　the　private　property　of　a　few　noted　writers　who；

having　squatted　on　that　part　of　the　literary　domain　some　twenty　or

forty　or　sixty　years　ago；　have；　as　it　were；　fenced　it　in　with　their

touchy；　barbed…wire　reputations；　and　have　come　to　regard　it　and　cause

it　to　be　regarded　as　their　private　property。　　The　discovery　having

been　made　that　rhyme　is　not　a　paddock　for　this　or　that　race…horse；

but　a　common；　where　every　colt；　pony；　and　donkey　can　range　at　will；

a　vast　irruption　into　that　once…privileged　inclosure　has　taken　place。

The　study　of　the　great　invasion　is　interesting。



Poetry　is　commonly　thought　to　he　the　language　of　emotion。　　On　the

contrary；　most　of　what　is　so　called　proves　the　absence　of　all

passionate　excitement。　　It　is　a　cold…blooded；　haggard；　anxious；

worrying　hunt　after　rhymes　which　can　be　made　serviceable；　after

images　which　will　be　effective；　after　phrases　which　are　sonorous；　all

this　under　limitations　which　restrict　the　natural　movements　of　fancy

and　imagination。　　There　is　a　secondary　excitement　in　overcoming　the

difficulties　of　rhythm　and　rhyme；　no　doubt；　but　this　is　not　the

emotional　heat　excited　by　th