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It is said that Moliere was in the habit of reading his comedies to an 

 old woman who was his housekeeper, as she sat at her work by the 

 chimney corner, and that he could foretel the success of his play at the 

 theatre from the reception it met with at his fireside, for the audience 

 always followed the old woman, and never failed to laugh in the same 

 place. What Moliere found to be true with regard to the perception of 

 wit and humour, is equally true, I believe, with regard to genuine poetry. 

 If expressed in intelligible language, it will be felt by the purest child of 

 nature. In fact the spontaneous language of nature and childhood 

 very often is poetical. The language of the uncivilised North Ameri- 

 can Indians is almost made up of most truly poetical imagery. 



Let us try to form a distinct notion of what we mean by poetry. 

 The word poetry, or poesy, (from the Greek Troiria-is,) properly means 

 the art of making or creating, because it creates or re-embodies the 

 impressions which the poet has imbibed into his own mind. This 

 faculty of producing from such elements the impression of individual 

 character, action or scenery, is the power which is termed Imagination. 

 Poetry is that mode of conceiving and describing anything, which is 

 natural to the imagination and the heart. True poetry is always 

 prompted by some degree of emotion or sympathy. That part of 

 poetry which consists in the mere conception of curious, ingenious or 

 beautiful imagery, without any impulse of feeling, we call Fancy ; but 

 poetry does not deeply interest us, unless sustained by the warmth of 

 Imagination, properly so called. Poetical ideas have been defined to 

 be " natural, but not obvious," that is, I'ecognised at once as just and 

 beautiful when pointed out and expressed for us by the poet's superior 

 sensibility and power of discernment. Hence the power of poetry often 

 depends upon the imagination of the reader, the poet using expressions 

 which excite the imagination without gratifying it, suggesting rather 

 than depicting an image. Thus Milton, speaking of the Messiah going 

 forth to expel from heaven the rebellious angels, says — 



" Far-off his coming shone," 

 Making the reader strive to imagine for himself the splendour of what 

 is hinted in the indefinite phrase, "his coming." Again, in his 



celebrated description of Death, he says — 



" The other shape, 

 If shape it might be calleil that sliape had none, 

 Or substance might be called that shadow seemed. 

 For each seem either." 

 It is in this power of vague and undefinable expression, forcing the 

 imagination of the reader to make an clfort beyond what is actually 

 described, that the art of poetry is superior to that of painting, which 

 is generally compelled to portray everything with exact completeness. 



