POE 



POI 



thers, who is not himself strongly excit- 

 ed ; no one can raise vivid images in the 

 m>nd of his reader who is not himself il- 

 lumined by the sportive light of fancy. 

 Verses strictly and legitimately measured 

 out, with due attention to pause and ca- 

 dence, but devoid of the animating spirit 

 which characterizes true poetry, are, like 

 the human body when deprived of the 

 principle of life, cold, cheerless, and of- 

 fensive. 



He who aspires after the title of poet 

 should never, indeed, forget, that the end 

 ofpnetryis to amuse the fancy and pow- 

 erfully to excite the feelings, and that 

 this is> effected hy impressing the mind 

 with the most vivid pictures. In the 

 course of her operations, poetry hurries 

 us beyond the reach of sober judgment, 

 and captivates by rousing the energy of 

 passion. Here then we see the cause of 

 the power of verse, nor wonder at the 

 efficaciousness which has, more especial- 

 ly in early times, been ascribed to the mu- 

 ses. For how easily are mankind guided 

 by those who possess the art of awaken- 

 ing or of allaying their feelings. Though 

 all unconscious of being under the guid- 

 ance of another, they turn obedient to 

 the rein. They are roused to insurrec- 

 tion, or moderated to peace, by him who 

 can touch with a skilful hand the master 

 springs that regulate the motions of their 

 minds. " The primary aim of a poet," 

 says Dr. Blair, " is to please and to move $ 

 and therefore it is to the imagination and 

 fhe passions that he speaks. He may, 

 and he ought to have it in his view, to in- 

 struct and to reform : but it is indirectly, 

 and by pleasing and moving, that he ac- 

 complishes this end. His mind is sup- 

 posed to be animated hy some interesting 

 object, which fires his imagination, or 

 engages his passions ; and which of 

 course communicates to his style a pecu- 

 liar elevation, suited to his ideas, very 

 different from that mode of expression 

 which is natural to the mind in its calm 

 rdinary state." 



As then it appears to be the leading 

 end of poetry to make a lively impres- 

 sion on the feelings, we may judge as 

 it were a priori of the amazing intense- 

 ness of its powers, and we shall find our 

 judgment verified when we come to in- 

 quire into the fact. In consequence of 

 the efficacy of poetry upon the human 

 feelings, the maxims of early wisdom, 

 the first records of history, the solemn 

 offices of religion, nay even the dictates 

 of law, were delivered in the poetic dress. 



VOL. V 



In the infancy of states, poetry is a me 

 thod equally captivating and powerful of 

 forming the dispositions of the people, 

 and kindling in their hearts that love of 

 glory which is their country's safeguard 

 in the day of peril. Whether we look to 

 the cold regions of Scandinavia, or the 

 delicious clirne of Greece; whether we 

 contemplate the North American Indian, 

 or the wild Arab of the desert ; we find, 

 that when mankind have made a certain 

 progress in society, they are strongly in- 

 fluenced by a love of song, and listen with. 

 raptured attention to the strains that re- 

 cord the tale of other times, and the 

 deeds of heroes of old. They listen till 

 they imbibe the enthusiasm of warfare, 

 and in the day of battle the hero's arm 

 fias not unfrequently been nerved by the 

 rough energy of the early bard. It is a 

 well known fact, that the Greeks were m 

 accustomed to march to the fight while 

 singing in praise of Apollo, and that the 

 songs written in honour of Harmodius 

 and Aristogiton, by being habitually re- 

 cited at their banquets and solemn festi- 

 vals, tended in no inconsiderable degree 

 to preserve among the Athenians an en- 

 thusiastic love of liberty. Nor is the 

 power of the muses done away by the 

 progress of civilization. Every nation, at 

 every period of its existence, possesses 

 some indigenous poetry, which nourishes 

 the flame of patriotism. 



Such is the wonderful influence of po- 

 etical composition. Like all other pow- 

 erful instruments, it may be-, and it ha? 

 been abused. But when directed to wor- 

 thy objects, it is one of the most pleasant 

 and most efficacious means of forming 

 the youthful mind, and of exciting the 

 emotions and enforcing the principles of 

 virtue. 



POHLIA, in botany, a genus of the 

 Cryptogamia Musci class and order. Ge- 

 neric character: capsule ovate, oblong, 

 placed on an abconical, narrower apophy- 

 sis ; peristome double : outer with six- 

 teen broadish teeth : inner with a sixteen 

 parted membrane. Males gemmaceous, 

 on a distinct plant. 



POINT, in geometry, as defined by Eu- 

 clid, is a quantity which has no parts, or 

 which is indivisible. Points are the ends 

 or extremities of lines. If a point be 

 supposed to be moved any way, it will, 

 by its motion, describe a line. See 



POINT, in physics, the least sensible 

 object of sight, marked with a pen, point 

 of a compass, or the like. Of such points 

 all physical magnitude consists. This 



3 H 



