58 ON Goethe's scientific researches. 



find them vivid and characteristic, but as physical eluci- 

 dations of the phenomena they are absolutely irrational. 



In conclusion, it must be obvious to everyone that the 

 theoretical part of the Theory of Colour is not natural 

 philosophy at all ; at the same time we can, to a certain 

 extent, see that the poet wanted to introduce a totally 

 different method into the study of Nature, and more or 

 less understand how he came to do so. Poetry is con- 

 cerned solely with the ' beautiful show ' which makes it 

 possible to contemplate the ideal ; how that show is 

 produced is a matter of indifference. Even Nature is, in 

 the poet's eyes, but the sensible expression of the spiritual. 

 The natural philosopher, on the other hand, tries to 

 discover the levers, the cords, and the pulleys, which 

 work behind the scenes, and shift them. Of course the 

 sight of the machinery spoils the beautiful show, and 

 therefore the poet would gladly talk it out of existence, 

 and ignoring cords and pulleys as the chimeras of a 

 pedant's brain, he would have us believe that the scenes 

 shift themselves, or are governed by the idea of the 

 drama. And it is just characteristic of Groethe, that he, 

 and he alone among poets, must needs break a lance 

 with natural philosophers. Other poets are either so 

 entirely carried away by the fire of their enthusiasm that 

 they do not trouble themselves about the disturbing 

 influences of the outer world, or else they rejoice in tha 

 triumphs of mind over matter, even on that unpropitious 

 battlefield. But G-oethe, whom no intensity of subjective 

 feeling could blind to the realities around him, cannot 

 rest satisfied until he has stamped reality itself with the 

 image and superscription of poetry. This constitutes 

 the peculiar beauty of his poetry, and at the same time 

 fully accounts for his resolute hostility to the machinery 

 that every moment threatens to disturb his poetic repose, 

 and for his determination to attack the enemy in his own 

 camp. 



