234 THROUGH LIBRARY WINDOWS 



same, but still the old quality is there and the 

 indulgence is delightful. 



There is no need to discuss the relation of 

 poetry to life, since poetry is the expression of 

 life in its best and highest possibilities. Its 

 function is not only to give pleasure, but inspira- 

 tion. All great poetry is the utterance of the 

 individual genius, half inspired, half insane, 

 if you will as if beside himself, careless of that 

 prodigality of giving the rarest and best in the 

 utter abandon of soul, and pouring song forth 

 as nightingales sing — in luxurious frenzy. All 

 the centuries have given the world but few real- 

 ly great poets, poets of the brand of Homer 

 and Dante and Shakespeare and Milton and 

 Wordsworth. Our generation may not bring 

 forth another great poet, but other generations 

 will, and they will find new themes or feel the 

 old ones in new ways with new imagery and 

 poetic fire. Prose cannot perform the func- 

 tion of poetry no more than a work horse can 

 match the thoroughbred racer. 



The poet was ever the great man of an- 

 tiquity, ever moulding into expression the higher 

 moral conceptions, the religious longings and 

 imaginations, the deep and far-seeing visions of 

 truth. He stirred to enthusiasm and patriot- 

 ism and religious fervor. He inspired hope 



