. . What though the field be lost?
All is not lost; the unconquerable will,
And study of revenge, immortal hate,
And courage never to submit or yield,
And what is else not to be overcome.
There, surely, speaks a genius to whose composition the Celtic fibre
was not wholly a stranger!
And as, after noting the Celtic Pindarism or power of style present
in our poetry, we noted the German flatness coming in in our hymns,
and found here a proof of our compositeness of nature; so, after
noting the Celtic Titanism or power of rebellious passion in our
poetry, we may also note the Germanic patience and reasonableness in
it, and get in this way a second proof how mixed a spirit we have.
After Llywarch Hen's:-
How evil was the lot allotted to Llywarch, the night when he was
brought forth -
after Byron's:-
Count o'er the joys thine hours have seen -
take this of Southey's, in answer to the question whether he would
like to have his youth over again:-
Do I regret the past?
Would I live o'er again
The morning hours of life?
Nay, William, nay, not so!
Praise be to God who made me what I am,
Other I would not be.
There we have the other side of our being; the Germanic goodness,
docility, and fidelity to nature, in place of the Celtic Titanism.
The Celt's quick feeling for what is noble and distinguished gave his
poetry style; his indomitable personality gave it pride and passion;
his sensibility and nervous exaltation gave it a better gift still,
the gift of rendering with wonderful felicity the magical charm of
nature.
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