ABSTRACT
Poems descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery, by John Clare, a Northamptonshire peasant, have lately been edited and published by a gentleman well known in the literary world, for the benefit of the author. To judge from the sketch given of the humble and laborious life of this obscure genius, we are surprised to discover such a display of poetical talent and force of mind in circumstances so little favourable to the development of the human faculties. Considered as the productions of a common labourer, they are certainly remarkable, and deserving of encouragement and commendation: but, to maintain that they have the smallest pretensions to comparative excellence with the writings of others out of his own sphere, would be ridiculous and unjust, and would be trying them by a poetical law from which they ought to be exempt. We do not therefore require that they should possess the correctness and elegance of more classic bards. We must decide upon them by their own merits, and the positive degree of excellence they may possess. We shall not even insist upon Horace’s rule, that neither gods nor men will listen to mediocrity in poetry, as we are aware such a radical latitudinarian principle would prove highly detrimental to the claims of the majority of our countrymen from the throne to the cottage. As it is an art of 77entertainment, however, rather than of use and necessity, we have a right to expect some sort of good in it. The value of poetry must depend upon its positive powers of pleasing and instructing. Without these requisites, it is vain and foolish to offer the excuse of untoward circumstances and luckless fates ‘dooming the morn of genius to the shade.’ Without intending directly to apply these remarks to the present publication, we are of opinion, that there is often much mistaken kindness in the idea of patronizing neglected worth, as there is seldom one out of ten humble aspirants after fame, who have finally justified the hopes entertained of them. The patrons and the protegées are often both equally mistaken. The opinion, that much is to be conceded to them, from a consideration of the difficulties under which they wrote, is apt to mislead them. These will be forgotten, and they will then be tried by their own native merit. The reputation of Burns and Bloomfield was not granted to them in consideration of their humble station in society, but to their superior excellence as poets. Though Mr. C.’s poems are not devoid of merit, they will not stand the test of a trial by themselves. That he is not without the elements that constitute a poet, the following quotation will sufficiently evince:
