Even with his overplus of heart it would have been quite
impossible for him to have had enough to go round had there been so
numerous actual demands upon it.
Thus much may be conceded to Herrick's verse: at its best it has wings
that carry it nearly as close to heaven's gate as any of Shakespeare's
lark-like interludes. The brevity of the poems and their uniform
smoothness sometimes produce the effect of monotony. The crowded
richness of the line advises a desultory reading. But one must go back
to them again and again. They bewitch the memory, having once caught
it, and insist on saying themselves over and over. Among the poets of
England the author of the "Hesperides" remains, and is likely to remain,
unique. As Shakespeare stands alone in his vast domain, so Herrick
stands alone in his scanty plot of ground.
"Shine, Poet! in thy place, and be content."
End of Project Gutenberg's Ponkapog Papers, by Thomas Bailey Aldrich
*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PONKAPOG PAPERS ***
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