242 THROUGH LIBRARY WINDOWS 



Milton, "Lycidas," one of his earlier produc- 

 tions, and what a singular grouping of flowers 

 and seasons irrespective of time or place, or 

 order; it was Nature just as it grew in old Eng- 

 land, just as he had seen it hundreds of times 

 and knew it all perfectly, and he used it to illus- 

 trate his subject as it pleased him and made it 

 one of the most perfect poems in the English 

 tongue 1 Who that loves poetry thinks or cares 

 about the exact season of those flowers, or the 

 places where they blossomed or just the week 

 when certain birds came. No one save the lit- 

 tle critic, but the all-important thought is con- 

 cerning the swing and sweep of that grand 

 poem. You may call it poetic license, so it is, 

 but it is more, it is the free use of Nature's 

 wealth Of material just when and how and as it 

 best suits his poetic spirit and his sublime vision 

 of just what he would create. 



Nature is ever impressive and full of rich 

 suggestion. Truth and beauty are everywhere 

 and in rich variety. It is the poetic spirit that 

 perceives and feels and interprets because so 

 sympathetic with its endless moods. The 

 sculptor interprets his own ideal and carves it 

 out of the marble. 'Tis the soul's own music 

 that stirs deepest feelings and compels song and 

 instrument to aid in expression. The outward 



