a study of bible-第34部分

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We　need　not　go　into　detail　about　these　writers；　though　they　are　most　attractive。　Bryant　did　for　us　what　Wordsworth　did　for　England。　He　made　nature　seem　vocal。　〃Thanatopsis〃　is　not　a　Christian　poem　in　the　narrow　sense　of　the　word；　and　yet　it　could　hardly　have　been　written　except　under　Christian　influence。　His　own　genial；　beautiful　character　was　itself　a　tribute　to　Christian　civilization；　and　his　life；　as　critic　and　essayist；　has　left　an　impression　which　we　shall　not　soon　lose。　Professor　Richardson　thinks　that　the　three　problematical　characters　in　American　literature　are　Emerson；　Hawthorne；　and　Poe。　The　shrewdest　estimate　of　Poe　that　has　ever　been　given　us　is　in　Lowell's　Fable　for　Critics：

　〃There　comes　Poe　with　his　raven　like　Barnaby　　　　　　Rudge；　　Three…fifths　of　him　genius；　and　two…fifths　sheer　　　　　　fudge；　　Who　has　written　some　things　quite　the　best　of　　　　　　their　kind；　　But　the　heart　somehow　seems　all　squeezed　out　by　　　　　　the　mind。〃

That　says　it　exactly。　Poe　knew　many　horrible　situations；　but　he　did　not　know　the　way　out；　and　of　all　our　American　writers　laying　claim　to　place　in　the　first　class　Poe　shows　least　influence　of　the　Bible；　and　apparently　needs　it　most。

Irving　was　the　first　American　writer　who　stood　high　enough　to　be　seen　across　the　water。　Thackeray's　most　beautiful　essay　is　on　Irving　and　Macaulay；　who　died　just　one　month　apart。　In　it　he　describes　Irving　as　the　best　intermediary　between　the　nations；　telling　us　Americans　that　the　English　are　still　human；　and　assuring　the　English　that　Americans　are　already　human。　Irving　was　trained　early　and　thoroughly　in　the　Bible。　All　his　life　he　was　an　old…fashioned　Episcopalian　with　no　concern　for　new　religious　ideas　and　with　no　rough　edges　anywhere。　Charles　Dudley　Warner；　speaking　of　Irving's　moral　quality；　says：　〃I　cannot　bring　myself　to　exclude　it　from　a　literary　estimate；　even　in　the　face　of　the　current　gospel　of　art　for　art's　sake。〃＇1＇　Like　Scott；　he　〃recognized　the　abiding　value　in　literature　of　integrity；　sincerity；　purity；　charity；　faith。　These　are　beneficences；　and　Irving's　literature；　walk　around　it　and　measure　it　by　whatever　critical　instruments　you　will；　is　a　beneficent　literature。〃


＇1＇　American　Men　of　Letters　Series；　Washington　Irving；　p。　302。


Then　there　is　Emerson；　a　son　of　the　manse　and　once　a　minister　himself。　He　was；　therefore；　perfectly　familiar　with　the　English　Bible。　He　did　not　accept　it　in　all　its　religious　teaching。　Indeed；　we　have　never　had　a　more　marked　individualist　in　our　American　public　life　than　Emerson。　At　every　point　he　was　simply　himself。　There　is　very　little　quotation　in　his　writing；　very　little　visible　influence　of　any　one　else。　He　was　not　a　follower　of　Carlyle；　though　he　was　his　friend。　If　there　is　any　precedent　for　the　construction　of　his　sentences；　and　even　of　his　essays；　it　is　to　be　found　in　the　Hebrew　prophets。　As　some　one　puts　it；　〃he　uttered　sayings。〃　In　many　of　his　essays　there　is　no　particular　reason　why　the　paragraphs　should　run　one；　two；　three；　and　not　three；　two；　one；　or　two；　one；　three；　or　in　any　other　order。　But　Mr。　Emerson　was　just　himself。　It　is　yet　true　that　〃his　value　for　the　world　at　large　lies　in　the　fact　that　after　all　he　is　incurably　religious。〃　It　is　true　that　he　could　not　see　any　importance　in　forms；　or　in　ordinary　declarations　of　faith。　〃He　would　fight　no　battle　for　prelacy；　nor　for　the　Westminster　confession；　nor　for　the　Trinity；　but　as　against　atheism；　pessimism；　and　materialism；　he　was　an　ally　of　Christianity。〃　The　influence　of　the　Bible　on　Emerson　is　more　marked　in　his　spirit　than　in　anything　else。　Once　in　a　while；　as　in　that　familiar　address　at　Concord　（1873）；　you　run　across　Scripture　phrases：　〃Shall　not　they　who　receive　the　largest　streams　spread　abroad　the　healing　waters？〃　That　figure　appears　in　literature　only　in　the　Bible；　and　there　are　others　like　it　in　his　writings。


As　for　Longfellow；　he　is　shot　through　with　Scripture。　No　man　who　did　not　know　Scripture　in　more　than　a　passing　way　could　have　written　such　a　sentence　as　this：　〃There　are　times　when　the　grasshopper　is　a　burden；　and　thirsty　with　the　heat　of　labor　the　spirit　longs　for　the　waters　of　Shiloah；　that　go　softly。〃　There　are　two　strikingly　beautiful　expressions　from　Scripture。　Take　another　familiar　saying　in　the　same　essay　when　he　says　the　prospect　for　poetry　is　brightening；　since　but　a　short　time　ago　not　a　poet　〃moved　the　wing　or　opened　the　mouth　or　peeped。〃　He　did　not　run　across　that　in　general　current　writing。　He　got　that　directly　from　the　Bible。　In　his　poems　is　an　amazing　amount　of　reference　to　the　Bible。　One　would　expect　much　in　the　〃Courtship　of　Miles　Standish；〃　for　that　is　a　story　of　the　Puritans；　and　they　spoke；　naturally；　in　terms　of　the　Bible；　yet；　of　course；　they　could　not　do　it　in　Longfellow's　poem；　if　Longfellow　did　not　know　the　language　of　the　Bible　very　well。　One　might　not　expect　to　find　it　so　much　in　〃Evangeline；〃　but　it　is　there　from　beginning　to　end。　In　〃Acadia；〃　the　cock　crowed

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　〃With　the　self…same　　Voice　that　in　ages　of　old　had　startled　the　penitent　　　　　　Peter。〃

And；　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　〃Wild　with　the　winds　of　September；　　Wrestled　the　trees　of　the　forest；　as　Jacob　of　old　　　　　　with　the　angel。〃

Evangeline　saw　the　moon　pass

　Forth　from　the　folds　of　the　cloud；　and　one　star　　　　　　followed　her　footsteps；　　As　out　of　Abraham's　tent　young　Ishmael　　Wandered　with　Hagar。〃

There　is　a　great　deal　of　that　sort　of　thing　in　his　writing。　He　has　done　for　many　what　he　did　for　Lowell　one　day。　Discouraged　in　settling　the　form　of　a　new　edition　of　his　own　poems；　Lowell　took　up　a　volume　of　Longfellow　just　to　see　the　type；　and　presently　found　that　he　had　been　reading　two　hours。　He　wrote　Longfellow　he　could　understand　his　popularity；　saying：　〃You　sang　me　out　of　all　my　worries。〃　That　is　a　great　thing　to　do；　and　Longfellow　learned　from　the　Scripture　how　to　do　that　in　the　〃Psalm　of　Life〃　and　all　his　other　poems。

We　need　only　a　word　about　Lowell　himself。　He　was　the　son　of　a　minister；　and　so　knew　the　Bible　from　his　infancy。　He　belonged　to　the　Brahman　caste　himself；　but　a　good　deal　of　the　ruggedness　of　the　Old　Testament　got　into　his　writing。　It　is　in　〃The　Vision　of　Sir　Launfal。〃　It　is　in　his　plea　for　international　copyright　where　the　familiar　lines　occur：

　〃In　vain　we　call　old　notions　fudge；　　And　bend　our　conscience　to　our　dealing；　　The　Ten　Commandments　will　not　budge；　　And　stealing　will　continue　stealing。〃

There　is　hint　of　it　in　his　quizzical　lines　about　himself　in　the　Fable　for　Critics。　He　says　that　he　is　in　danger　of　rattling　away

　〃Until　he　is　as　old　as　Methusalem；　　At　the　head　of　the　march　to　the　last　New　Jerusalem。〃


Whittier　needs　no　words　of　ours。　His　hymns　are　part　of　our　religious　equipment。　〃Snowbound〃　and　all　the　rest　of　the　beautiful；　quiet；　Quaker…like　writing　of　this　beloved　poet　are　among　our　national　assets。　We　join　in　his　sorrow　as　he　writes　the　doom　of　Webster　and　his　fame；　and　we　do　not　wonder　that　he　chose　for　it　the　Scriptural　title　〃Ichabod。〃

Whatever　is　to　be　said　about　an　individual　here　or　there；　it　is　true　that　great　American　literature　shows　the　influence　of　the　Bible。　Like　everything　else　in　America；　it　has　been　founded　on　a　religious　purpose。　Writers　in　all　lines　have　been　trained　in　the