It is where he describes a mourner whose grief has all the bitterness of self-condemnation: "It was the season sweet of budding leaves, When he leaves the subject which he has "The living throne, the sapphire blaze, "Where angels tremble while they gaze, "He saw, but, blasted with excess of light, "Clos'd his eyes in endless night." The transition is immediate from what the poet saw, to what he suffered; yet the associations are highly poetical, and so clear as in no way to interfere with each other. its own; hence the strong disposition shown "And Pelion shook his piny locks, and talked Shakespeare abounds in examples of this kind, in no one instance more touching or powerful than in the lament of Constance, after the French king tells her she is as fond of grief as of her child : "Grief fills the room up of my absent child, The following example from Cowper is remarkable for its elegance and beauty. Alluding to the lemon and the orange trees— "The golden boast of Portugal and Western India," It is related of the Emperor Nero, when in the last mental agonies of his wretched life, he sought from others the death he shuddered to inflict upon himself, that finding none who heeded his appeal, he pathetically exclaimed, "What! have I neither a friend nor an enemy ?" Although no man could possibly be thinking less of poetry than the he says, they fallen monarch at that moment, yet such is the language which an able poet would have used, to express the three separate ideas of the helplessness of Nero's situation, his pitiful appeal to the kindness of his people, and his internal consciousness that if he had not a friend, he had at least done enough to deserve the stroke of an enemy in his last hour. Personification is another figure of speech by which poetical associations are powerfully conveyed. It seems to be peculiarly in accordance with the infant mind-infant either in experience or in civilization, to identify every thing possessed of substance, motion, form, or power, with an intelligence of "Peep through the polished foliage at the storm, The next figure of speech noticed by Blair is metaphor, of immense importance to the poet, because, if for one moment he loses the chain of association, an image wholly out of place is introduced, the charm of his metaphor is destroyed, and his verse becomes contemptible. From Lord Bolingbroke, whose writings abound in beauties of this kind, Blair has selected one example of perfect metaphor. The writer is describing the behaviour of Charles the First to his parliament. "In a word," says he, "about a month after their meeting, he dissolved them; and, as soon as he had dissolved them, he repented; but he repented too late of his rashness. Well might he repent, for the vessel was now full, and this last drop made the waters of bitterness overflow." The works of Ossian abound with beautiful and correct metaphors; such as that on a hero: "In peace, thou art the gate of spring; in war, the mountain storm." Or this on woman: "She was covered with the light of beauty; but her heart was the house of pride." Young, in speaking of old age, says, "It should "Walk thoughtful on the silent solemn shore "Of that vast ocean it must sail so soon." ries of the Irish Peasantry, that we are chiefly indebted for our knowledge of what is peculiarly national and characteristic in his native language. He gives us a spirited and amusing chapter upon Irish swearing, by no means confined to those malevolent wishes which it would be a painful task to transcribe, but which, as they issue from the impassioned lips of the Irishman, have something of that sentimental nature (though far deeper in its character) triumphantly displayed by Acres before his friend. "May the grass grow before your door," conveys a striking picture of desolation and ruin. "May you melt off the earth like the snow off the ditch," is another figure of the same description. In the following lines Prior gives us an If positive good had the power to neutraexample of allegory, which may be regard-lize evil, we might comfort ourselves in read ed as continued metaphor. "Did I but purpose to embark with thee "On the smooth surface of a summer's sea, "While gentle zephyrs blow with prosperous gales, And fortune's favour fills the swelling sails, "But would forsake the ship, and make the shore, "When the winds whistle and the tempests roar?" Beyond these figures of speech, there yet remain hyperbole, apostrophe, comparison, and a variety of others, which the young poet would do well to study, and which are scientifically described in books expressly devoted to the purpose; I shall therefore pass on to the colloquial language of the Irish--the simple, unsophisticated, genuine, Irish, which has always appeared to me particularly imaginative, powerful and pathetic; but unfortunately for the writer, it is only heard in moments of excitement, of which the feelings alone keep a record, and this record being one of impressions rather than words, it is difficult to recall the precise expressions which, striking the chords of sympathy, produce a momentary echo to the music of the soul. Mrs C. Hall, in an Irish story, illustrative of the strong and metaphorical language of the Irish peasantry, makes this observation proceed from the mouth of a poor man, had listened to the recital of the misfortunes of one who was brave, just and virtuous. who "The gardener pierces the vine even to bleeding, and suffers the bramble to grow its own way." ing such expressions as these, with what the author goes on to tell us, that the Irish have a superstitious dread of the curse of the pilgrim, mendicant, or idiot, and of the widow and the orphan. And so high is his idea of the duty he owes to these, that his heart is ever open to their complaint, and his hand ready to assist them. Thus it is not uncom mon for them to say of a man whose affairs do not prosper, "He has had some poor body's curse;" and a woman who unexpectedly receives a guest, welcome in no way except that she was a stranger and a wanderer without a home, is described as exclaiming, "The blessing o' goodness upon you, dacent woman." The frequent recurrence of the word heart in its unlimited capacity, gives a warmth and fervency to their expressions of tenderness heart." "Father! son of my heart! thou art or sorrow. "The beloved fair boy of my his heart." "The world's goodness is in dead from me!" "Heavy and black was your heart." "Light of my eyes, and of my heart;" but above all," Cushla machreethe pulse of my heart," is most expressive of that deep-toned affection which the heart alone can understand. What can exceed the following words for refined yet genuine and fervent sympathy, such as those who have been intimately acquainted with suffering alone can feel; and hence it is that the Irish derive their pathos, But it is to the author of Traits and Sto- for what strain of human misery can be touched, to which their own experience has said he, "the poor creature is sadly afflicted not an echo? "Hunger and sickness and sorrow may come upon you when you'll be far from your own, and from them that love you." Or, "He's far from his own the crather-the pretty young boy." "Mavourneen dheelish-my sweet darling," is expressive of great tenderness. "My father, the heavens be his bed!" when uttered with fervency has both solemnity and pathos. In their good wishes the Irish are most ingenious. "May every hair of your honour's head become a mould candle to light you into glory." "May you live a hundred years and a day longer," which last words seem to be added from a sudden impulse, to throw another weight into the scale, or to heap another blessing into the measure alrea ly overflowing. There is also a great deal of imagination in the manner in which they account for what they do not, or will not understand rationally always referring directly to the principles of good or evil. Thus a hard and unjust steward who wore his ears stuffed with wool, was said to have adopted this custom that he might not hear the cries of the widow and the orphan. In reply to instructions that were to prove his constancy, a peasant exclaims, "Manim asthee hir, my soul is within you." A mother thus regrets her son's approaching marriage, "You're going to break the ring about your father's hearth and mine." A brokenhearted mother exclaims, "My soul to glory, but my child's murthered!" In a note by Crofton Croker, in his Fairy Legends, he remarks, "The Irish, like the Tuscans, as observed by Mr. Rose in his interesting Letters from the North of Italy, are extremely picturesque in their language. Thus they constantly use the word dark as synonymous with blind; and a blind beggar will implore you to 'Look down with pity on a poor dark man.'” It may be observed here that the Irish, like the Scotch, by a very beautiful and tender euphemism, call idiots, innocents. A lady of rank in Ireland, the lady Bountiful of her neighbourhood, was one day asking a man about a poor orphan: "Ah! my lady," with innocence !" And another peculiarity in the phraseology of the Irish, is their fondness for using what Mr. Burke would term "sublime adjectives," instead of the common English adverbs-very, extremely, &c. Thus an Irishman will say, "Its a cruel cold morning;" or "There's a power of ivy growing on the old church." There is a peculiarity of constitution both mental and bodily, observable in the Irish people, for which it is difficult to account. One of their most amiable characteristics is the absence of satire, perhaps it would be more correct to say contemptuous satire; for the Irish are quick to see the ridiculous, but they can see without despising it. Unacquainted with that qualifying medium between what amuses them, and what excites their passions-that medium which an Englishman fills up with every variety and degree of contempt, they pass immediately from laughter to indignation; and thus amongst the least civilized classes of the Irish, the social meeting too often terminates in the deadly fray. Madame de Stael in speaking of the Italians, makes the same observation with regard to the absence of contemptuous satire from their national character; and it is to this amiable trait, in connection with great natural enthusiasm, that we may reasonably attribute the poetical constitution of both people. It is impossible to imagine that those combined ebullitions of music and verse, for which Italy has been celebrated, and which have unquestionably given a poetical tone to the character of her people ;— that those bursts of impassioned feeling finding at the same time a language and a voice, should ever have flourished under the auspices of John Bull; or that he should have sat by, aud witnessed with delight those exhibitions of irrelevant tropes, and metaphors, and splendid perorations, and flashes of wit, and peals of passionate eloquence, for which Irish oratory has been distinguished. No; there is nothing more destructive to enthusiasm and poetry, indeed to genius in its most unlimited sense, than contempt. It is true, the calm judgment of the censor is often necessary to restrain the exuberance of undisciplined fancy, but he who prides himself upon being able to put down with a sneer, whatever is unnecessary in feeling, and extraneous in taste and imagination, ought to feel bound to supply, with something equally conducive to happiness, the void which this practice must necessarily occasion in the highest range of intellectual gratification. And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wing of the wind.-Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away and be at rest.—Hide me under the shadow of thy wings-If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea-Riches make themselves wings-Wo to the land shadowing with rings!-The wind hath bound her up in her wings.-The sun of righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings. The word wing is here used not only as the instrument of conveying aloft, or away; but as the means of sheltering and protecting; from the two different associations which we have with the flight of a bird, and the brooding of its young. If other evidence were necessary, beyond what is afforded by the nature of the human mind, to prove that poetry may not only be mingled with, but highly enhance all that we enjoy and admire, we have this evidence in the Bible, abounding as it does in every variety of poetical language which it has entered into the mind of man to conceive. A slight examination of the different meanings attached to words of common and familiar signification, will sufficiently illustrate the high tone of imaginative interest flowing despised in the thought of him that is at ease-I was through the whole. The words I have selected are, hand, wing, foot, head, mind, heart, and soul, of which hand is perhaps the most unlimited in its application. HAND. His hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him.--And the children of Israel went out with an high hund.-The day of their calamity is at hand. -The Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. The hand of the Lord is sore upon us.-For he put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine.-As soon as the FOOT. He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness.-He maketh my feet like hinds' feet-Ile that is ready to slip with his feet, is as a lamp eyes to the blind, and fee! was I to the lame - Ile shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet.-Suffer not our feet to be moved-My feet were almost gone.-Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations. Her feet go down to death.-How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings.--Thon hast put all things iu subjection under his feet. No man lifted up his foot in all the land -The flood breaketh out from the inhabitant: even the waters forgotten of the foot; they are dried up, they are gone away from men. We see by these passages that foot is used in a very unlimited sense, as a foundation and a stay, as well as a means of establish kingdom was confirmed in his hand --I will set his handing, confirming, moving, overcoming, and also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers-In the shadow of his hand hath he hid me.-Would we had died by the hand of the Lord.-The hand of the Lord is gone out against me. The hand of the Lord was strong upon me. If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.—I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High - A wise man hears at his right hand. -Let my right hand forget her cunning.-Is there not a lie in my right hand.-If thy right hand offend thee, cut it off-They gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship. Here we find the word hand is not only used for the instrument of performing, maintaining, and possessing, but that it supplies. the place of power, in all its different modifications of will, action, and suffering. WING. As one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wingYe have seen what I have done unto the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto destroying. HEAD. Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and shall restore thee unto thy place.-Thou hast kept me to be the head of the heathen.-Thy ood shall be upon thine own head.-Though his excellency mount up into the heavens, and his head reach the clouds.---Mine iniquities are gone over mine head.-Blessings are upon the head of the just.-Thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head.- Mine head is filled with dew.--Thou hast built thy high places at every head of the way.-Thy dream and the visions of thy head upon thy bed.-For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head, because of the angels. We find head used here as it is in our or dinary language, not only as the chief portion of any whole, and the centre from whence our ideas flow; but as a figure it is most frequently made to stand for the bighest part of man's nature-that which is most capable of being exalted or depressed-most calculated for receiving honour, as well as suffer myself. A full reward be given thee of the Lord God MIND. And they put him in ward, that the mind of the Lord might be shown them.-Bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors.-Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee.-Sitting clothed, and in his right mind.-The carnal mind is enmity against God. -Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mindEven their mind and conscience is defiled.--Be all of one mind. It was in my mind to build an house. To do good or bad of mine own mind.-I know the forwardness of your mind.-Gird up the loins of your mind.— Comfort the feeble-minded.-A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. Here we see that in the language of scripture, precisely the same license is used as in that of our poets. The word mind represents an ideal centre from whence volitions flow, and relates almost exclusively to the understanding, the memory, and will. HEART. And God saw that every imaginatiou of the thoughts of man's heart was only evil continually.-And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not. -Pharaoh's heart was hardened.-Lay up these my words in your heart. My brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt.-For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.-And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart.-David's heart smote him.-His heart died within him. And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.-His wives turned away his heart.-I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.-A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.-By sorrow of heart is the spirit broken. -I am pained at my very heart.-I weep for thee with bitterness of heart.-Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts. Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also-Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked by the way. Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart. The difference between heart and mind is nere apparent. Heart comprehends the understanding and the affections, but has nothing to do with either memory or will, except as the affections may be considered as the moving cause of impressions upon the memory, and operations upon the will; while mind confined to the sphere of the intellects has nothing to do with the affections. SOUL. And man became a nving soul.—Set your soul to seek the Lord. The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.—He satisfleth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.-Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell-He hath poured out his soul unto death-My soul is weary of my life.-Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.—We were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.-In patience possess ye your souls. -He that winneth souls is wise.-Thou fool, this night shall thy soul be required of thee.-Take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen.-Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me? As the hart pauteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God!-My soul shall be joyful in the Lord. Save me, O God, for the waters are come in unto my soul.-Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.-My soul fainteth for thy salvation. My soul is even as a weaned child.-I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul. -The Lord is my portion, saith my soul.-My soul doth magnify the Lord. We now find that every attribute both of the mind and the heart are comprehended in the meaning of the word soul. Not only is the soul capable of willing, acting, and suffering, but also of loving; and when we pursue the idea of love through all its gradations, down to simple preference, we shall have traversed a region comprising every impulse by which our nature is capable of being influenced. But in addition to the most extensive signification of mind and heart, soul obtains a character more dignified and profound, from being associated with the principle of life-with man's moral responsibility—and with eternity. In examining these few words we are struck with the idea, of how much they would lose in beauty and interest by being confined to their literal and absolute signification; and just in the same proportion would our intellectual attainments and pursuits be robbed of their ornament and charm, by being separated from the poetry of life. THE POETRY OF LOVE. On entering upon the poetry of the human mind, the passions naturally present themselves as a proper subject of interesting discussion; because as poetry belongs not so much to the sphere of intellect, as to that of feeling, we must look to the passions, as to the living principle, which gives intensity to perception, and vividness to thought. All mankind who are gifted with common sense, are capable of writing verses, but all cannot feel, and still less can all write poetically. In order to do this it is necessary to feel deeply. By the exercise of intellectual power |