Contents -BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD

Ralph Waldo Emerson, comp. (1803–1882). Parnassus: An Anthology of Poetry. 1880.

The Origin of Didactic Poetry

James Russell Lowell (1819–1891)

WHEN wise Minerva still was young,

And just the least romantic,

Soon after from Jove’s head she flung,

That preternatural antic,

’Tis said to keep from idleness

Or flirting,—those twin curses,—

She spent her leisure, more or less,

In writing po—, no, verses.

How nice they were! to rhyme with far,

A kind star did not tarry;

The metre, too, was regular

As schoolboy’s dot and carry;

And full they were of pious plums,

So extra-super-moral,—

For sucking Virtue’s tender gums

Most tooth-enticing coral.

A clean, fair copy she prepares,

Makes sure of moods and tenses,

With her own hand,—for prudence spares

A man- (or woman) -uensis;

Complete, and tied with ribbons proud,

She hinted soon how cosey a

Treat it would be to read them loud

After next day’s Ambrosia.

The Gods thought not it would amuse

So much as Homer’s Odyssees,

But could not very well refuse

The properest of Goddesses;

So all sat round in attitudes

Of various dejection,

As with a hem! the queen of prudes

Began her grave prelection.

At the first pause Zeus said, “Well sung!—

I mean—ask Phœbus,—he knows.”

Says Phœbus, “Zounds! a wolf’s among

Admetus’s merinos!

Fine! very fine! but I must go;

They stand in need of me there;

Excuse me!” snatched his stick, and so

Plunged down the gladdened ether.

With the next gap, Mars said, “For me

Don’t wait,—nought could be finer,

But I’m engaged at half-past three,—

A fight in Asia Minor!”

Then Venus lisped, “How very thad!

It rainth down there in torrinth;

But I mutht go, becauthe they’ve had

A thacrifithe in Corinth!”

Then Bacchus,—“With those slamming doors

I lost the last half dist—(hic!)

Mos’ bu’ful se’ments! what’s the Chor’s?

My voice shall not be missed—(hic!)”

His words woke Hermes; “Ah!” he said,

“I so love moral theses!”

Then winked at Hebe, who turned red,

And smoothed her apron’s creases.

Just then Zeus snored,—the Eagle drew

His head the wing from under;

Zeus snored,—o’er startled Greece there flew

The many-volumed thunder;

Some augurs counted nine,—some, ten,—

Some said, ’twas war, some, famine,—

And all, that other-minded men

Would get a precious ——.

Proud Pallas sighed, “It will not do;

Against the Muse I’ve sinned, oh!”

And her torn rhymes sent flying through

Olympus’s back window.

Then, packing up a peplus clean,

She took the shortest path thence,

And opened, with a mind serene,

A Sunday school in Athens.

The verses? Some in ocean swilled,

Killed every fish that bit to ’em;

Some Galen caught, and, when distilled,

Found morphine the residuum;

But some that rotted on the earth

Sprang up again in copies,

And gave two strong narcotics birth,—

Didactic bards and poppies.

Years after, when a poet asked

The Goddess’s opinion,

As being one whose soul had basked

In Art’s clear-aired dominion,—

“Discriminate,” she said, “betimes;

The Muse is unforgiving;

Put all your beauty in your rhymes,

Your morals in your living.”