O retributio! stat brevis actio, vita perennis; nis, 5 Sidera vermibus, optima sontibus, astra malignis. 15 hexameters. It is true that uniting, as they do, the leonine and tailed rhyme, with every line broken up of necessity into exactly three equal parts, they present as unattractive a garb for poetry to wear, as can well be imagined-and this, to say nothing of the absurdly difficult laws which the poet has imposed upon himself. He, it is true, in that dedicatory epistle, glories in the difficulties of the metre he has chosen, which he acknowledges to be so great, that he is convinced nothing but an especial grace and inspiration could have enabled him to bring his work to an end. Besides the awkwardness and repulsiveness of the metre, which indeed is felt much more strongly at first than after a little use, the chief defect in the poem, one which appears even in my quotation from it, although there mitigated by some prudent omissions, is its want of progress; the poet, instead of advancing, eddies round and round his subject, recurring again and again to that which he seemed to have thoroughly treated and dismissed. But even with this serious drawback, high merits will remain to it still. Tunc erit omnibus inspicientibus ora Tonantis 25 25. Tunc Jacob Israël] The earthly man shall pass into the heavenly, as Jacob became Israel, and in sign of the new nature received the new name. According to Augustine (Serm. 122,) Israel Videns Deum, which gives an additional fitness to these words. et Lia tunc Rachel] It has been observed already (p. 205) that Leah and Rachel represent, respectively, the active and the contemplative Christian life. Leah becoming Rachel is the swallowing up of the laborious active in the more delightful contemplative, in that vision of God wherein all blessedness is included. Cf. Augustine, Con. Faust., 1. 22, c. 52—54; and Hugh of St Victor (Miscell., 1. 1, tit. 79): Duæ sorores duas vitas significant. Lia, quæ interpretatur laboriosa, significat vitam activam, quæ est fœcunda in fructu boni operis, sed parum videt in luce contemplationis. Rachel, quæ interpretatur visum principium, designat vitam contemplativam, quæ est sterilis foris in opere, sed perspicax in contemplatione. In his duabus vitis quasi quædam contentio est animæ sanctæ alternatim nitentis ad amplexum Sponsi sui, id est, Christi, sapientiæ videlicet Dei. Contendunt ergo contemplatio et actio pro amplexu sapientiæ. Qui in contemplatione est, suspirat pro sterilitate operis ; qui in opere est, suspirat pro jubilo contemplationis. There is a sublime passage with which Augustine concludes his Commentary upon St John, in which he makes the two apostles, Peter and John, in like manner to represent these two lives. It begins thus: Duas itaque vitas sibi divinitus prædicatas et commendatas novit Ecclesia, quarum est una in fide, una in specie; una in tempore peregrinationis, altera in æternitate mansionis; una in labore, altera in requie; una in viâ, altera in patriâ; una in opere actionis, altera in mercede contemplationis. 30 O bona patria, lumina sobria te speculantur, Ad tua nomina lumina sobria collacrymantur: Est tua mentio pectoris unctio, cura doloris, Concipientibus æthera mentibus ignis amoris. Tu locus unicus, illeque coelicus es paradisus, Non ibi lacryma, sed placidissima gaudia, risus. Est ibi consita laurus, et insita cedrus hysopo; Sunt radiantia jaspide moenia, clara pyropo: Hinc tibi sardius, inde topazius, hinc amethystus; 35 Est tua fabrica concio cœlica, gemmaque Christus. Tu sine littore, tu sine tempore, fons, modò rivus, Dulce bonis sapis, estque tibi lapis undique vivus. Est tibi laurea, dos datur aurea, Sponsa decora, Primaque Principis oscula suscipis, inspicis ora: Candida lilia, viva monilia sunt tibi, Sponsa, Agnus adest tibi, Sponsus adest tibi, lux speciosa : Tota negocia, cantica dulcia dulce tonare, Tam mala debita, quàm bona præbita conjubilare. Urbs Syon aurea, patria lactea, cive decora, Omne cor obruis, omnibus obstruis et cor et ora. Nescio, nescio, quæ jubilatio, lux tibi qualis, Quàm socialia gaudia, gloria quàm specialis: Laude studens ea tollere, mens mea victa fatiscit: 40 45 O bona gloria, vincor; in omnia laus tua vicit. 50 60 Urbs Syon inclyta, gloria debita glorificandis, Urbs Syon inclyta, turris et edita littore tuto, Te peto, te colo, te flagro, te volo, canto, saluto; 59-72. Let me, for comparison and contrast, quote a few lines from Casimir, the great Latin poet of Poland. They turn upon the same theme, the heavenly home-sickness; but with all their classical beauty, and it is great, who does not feel that the poor Clugnian monk's is the more real and deeper utterance,-that, despite the strange form which he has chosen, he is the greater poet ? Urit me patriæ decor, Urit conspicuis pervigil ignibus Et lunæ tenerum lumen, et aureis Fixæ lampades atriis. O noctis choreas, et teretem sequi Juratæ thiasum faces! O pulcher patriæ vultus, et ignei Dulces excubiæ poli! Cur me stelliferi luminis hospitem, Cur heu! cur nimiùm diu (œlo sepositum cernitis exulem? The Spanish scholar will remember and compare the noble ode of Luis de Leon's, entitled Noche Serena. [T. L. P.] 19 Nec meritis peto, nam meritis meto morte perire, 75 80 85 Spe tamen ambulo, præmia postulo speque fideque, 91 95 |