SCIENCE AND POETRY. 365 



the poet's imagery the less. He places before us, as a poet, 

 and in the vein and mood of fancy, the appearance of the 

 bow j and our poetic sense, apart from all ideas of causation, 

 responds to the well-chosen thought Nor may we for the 

 same reason undervalue the imagery of the Preacher, because 

 he maintains that " it compasseth the heaven about with a 

 glorious circle, and the hands of the Most High have bended 

 it." Because the rainbow is not 



" Made up of tears and light," 



there is nevertheless no questioning the aptitude and beauty 

 of Coleridge's simile ; and even if one be heterodox enough 

 to deny the Deluge, he need not dispute the beauty of the 

 idea which gave to the ancients a promise and surety of 

 future safety from terror by water. 



In such instances capable of being multiplied to an 

 indefinite extent we clearly see that the poet's thoughts 

 about nature gratify us independently of any attempt, at 

 explaining the cause and origin of the phenomena described. 

 Indeed, were such causation a matter for poetic settlement,, 

 the varied, not to say impossible, causes assigned by poets 

 to the phenomena of nature would present a choice and 

 variation hardly to be excelled in any other department of 

 human thought. The origin of things, then, may be safely 

 left to science and philosophy] poetry has no place what- 

 ever as an explanatory aid to the universe. You may dress 

 the explanation in poetic guise, it is true, but poetry in such 

 a case is the mere drapery and not the figure or entity itself. 

 Principal Shairp's definition of physical science, which I 

 have read to you, fully brings before you the part played by 

 science as the true expounder of causes and relationships. 

 Poetry looks at the world with a view of its own. It in no 

 sense originates the idea of cause and effect, but at the 

 most only tints the explanation with a fervid glow, or 

 strengthens the imagery wherewith the ideas of causation 

 are brought home to the human mind. 



If it be objected, however, to this idea of the entirely 



