few　weeks　on　one　of　those　favored　isles。　　A　brief　association　with　that　cabritt…bois　would　be　likely　to　cool　the　enthusiasm　of　the　most　ardent　imperialist。　　　　　　An　incalculable　amount　of　specious　sentiment　　has　been　lavished　upon　daybreak；　chiefly　by　poets　who　breakfasted；　when　they　did　breakfast；　at　mid…day。　　It　is　charitably　to　be　said　that　their　practice　was　better　than　their　preceptor　their　poetry。　　Thomson；　the　author　of　〃The　Castle　of　Indolence；〃　who　gave　birth　to　the　depraved　apostrophe；
  Falsely　luxurious；　will　not　man　awake；
  was　one　of　the　laziest　men　of　his　century。　　He　customarily　lay　in　bed　until　noon　meditating　pentameters　on　sunrise。　　This　creature　used　to　be　seen　in　his　garden　of　an　afternoon；　with　both　hands　in　his　waistcoat　pockets；　eating　peaches　from　a　pendent　bough。　　Nearly　all　the　English　poets　who　at　that　epoch　celebrated　what　they　called　〃the　effulgent　orb　of　day〃　were　denizens　of　London；　where　pure　sunshine　is　unknown　eleven　months　out　of　the　twelve。　　　　　　In　a　great　city　there　are　few　incentives　to　early　rising。　　What　charm　is　there　in　roof…tops　and　chimney…stacks　to　induce　one　to　escape　even　from　a　nightmare？　　What　is　more　depressing　than　a　city　street　before　the　shop…windows　have　lifted　an　eyelid；　when　〃the　very　houses　seem　asleep；〃　as　Wordsworth　says；　and　nobody　is　astir　but　the　belated　burglar　or　the　milk…and…　water　man　or　Mary　washing　off　the　front　steps？　Daybreak　at　the　seaside　or　up　among　the　moun…　tains　is　sometimes　worth　while；　though　famil…　iarity　with　it　breeds　indifference。　　The　man　forced　by　restlessness　or　occupation　to　drink　the　first　vintage　of　the　morning　every　day　of　his　life　has　no　right　appreciation　of　the　beverage；　how…　ever　much　he　may　profess　to　relish　it。　　It　is　only　your　habitual　late　riser　who　takes　in　the　full　flavor　of　Nature　at　those　rare　intervals　when　he　gets　up　to　go　a…fishing。　　He　brings　virginal　emotions　and　unsatiated　eyes　to　the　sparkling　freshness　of　earth　and　stream　and　sky。　　For　him　a　momentary　Adamthe　world　is　newly　created。　　It　is　Eden　come　again；　with　Eve　in　the　similitude　of　a　three…pound　trout。　　　　　　In　the　country；　then；　it　is　well　enough　occa…　sionally　to　dress　by　candle…light　and　assist　at　the　ceremony　of　dawn；　it　is　well　if　for　no　other　purpose　than　to　disarm　the　intolerance　of　the　professional　early　riser　who；　were　he　in　a　state　of　perfect　health；　would　not　be　the　wandering　victim　of　insomnia；　and　boast　of　it。　　There　are　few　small　things　more　exasperating　than　this　early　bird　with　the　worm　of　his　conceit　in　his　bill。
  UN　POETE　MANQUE
  IN　the　first　volume　of　Miss　Dickinson's　poet…　ical　melange　is　a　little　poem　which　needs　only　a　slight　revision　of　the　initial　stanza　to　entitle　it　to　rank　with　some　of　the　swallow…　flights　in　Heine's　lyrical　intermezzo。　　I　have　ten…　tatively　tucked　a　rhyme　into　that　opening　stanza：
  I　taste　a　liquor　never　brewed　　　　　　In　vats　upon　the　Rhine；　　　　　　No　tankard　ever　held　a　draught　　　　　　Of　alcohol　like　mine。
  Inebriate　of　air　am　I；　　　　　　And　debauchee　of　dew；　　　　　　Reeling；　through　endless　summer　days；　　　　　　From　inns　of　molten　blue。
  When　landlords　turn　the　drunken　bee　　　　　　Out　of　the　Foxglove's　door；　　　　　　When　butterflies　renounce　their　drams；　　　　　　I　shall　but　drink　the　more！　　　　　　Till　seraphs　swing　their　snowy　caps　　　　　　And　saints　to　windows　run；　　　　　　To　see　the　little　tippler　　　　　　Leaning　against　the　sun！
  Those　inns　of　molten　blue；　and　the　disreputable　honey…gatherer　who　gets　himself　turned　out…of…　doors　at　the　sign　of　the　Foxglove；　are　very　taking　matters。　　I　know　of　more　important　things　that　interest　me　vastly　less。　　This　is　one　of　the　ten　or　twelve　brief　pieces　so　nearly　per…　fect　in　structure　as　almost　to　warrant　the　reader　in　suspecting　that　Miss　Dickinson's　general　dis…　regard　of　form　was　a　deliberate　affectation。　　The　artistic　finish　of　the　following　sunset…piece　makes　her　usual　quatrains　unforgivable：
  This　is　the　land　the　sunset　washes；　　　　　　These　are　the　banks　of　the　Yellow　Sea；　　　　　　Where　it　rose；　or　whither　it　rushes；　　　　　　These　are　the　western　mystery！
  Night　after　night　her　purple　traffic　　　　　　Strews　the　landing　with　opal　bales；　　　　　　Merchantmen　poise　upon　horizons；　　　　　　Dip；　and　vanish　with　fairy　sails。
  The　little　picture　has　all　the　opaline　atmosphere　of　a　Claude　Lorraine。　　One　instantly　frames　it　in　one's　memory。　　Several　such　bits　of　impres…　sionist　landscape　may　be　found　in　the　portfolio。　　　　　　It　is　to　be　said；　in　passing；　that　there　are　few　things　in　Miss　Dickinson's　poetry　so　felicitous　as　Mr。　Higginson's　characterization　of　it　in　his　preface　to　the　volume：　〃In　many　cases　these　verses　will　seem　to　the　reader　like　poetry　pulled　up　by　the　roots；　with　rain　and　dew　and　earth　clinging　to　them。〃　　Possibly　it　might　be　objected　that　this　is　not　the　best　way　to　gather　either　flowers　or　poetry。　　　　　　Miss　Dickinson　possessed　an　extremely　un…　conventional　and　bizarre　mind。　　She　was　deeply　tinged　by　the　mysticism　of　Blake；　and　strongly　influenced　by　the　mannerism　of　Emerson。　　The　very　gesture　with　which　she　tied　her　bonnet…　strings；　preparatory　to　one　of　her　nun…like　walks　in　her　　garden　at　Amherst；　must　have　had　something　dreamy　and　Emersonian　in　it。　　She　had　much　fancy　of　a　quaint　kind；　but　only；　as　it　appears　to　me；　intermittent　flashes　of　imagination。　　　　　　That　Miss　Dickinson's　memoranda　have　a　cer…　tain　something　which；　for　want　of　a　more　pre…　cise　name；　we　term　quality；　is　not　to　be　denied。　But　the　incoherence　and　shapelessness　of　the　greater　part　of　her　verse　are　fatal。　　On　nearly　every　page　one　lights　upon　an　unsupported　exquisite　line　or　a　lonely　happy　epithet；　but　a　single　happy　epithet　or　an　isolated　exquisite　line　does　not　constitute　a　poem。　　What　Lowell　says　of　Dr。　Donne　applies　in　a　manner　to　Miss　Dickinson：　〃Donne　is　full　of　salient　verses　that　would　take　the　rudest　March　winds　of　criticism　with　their　beauty；　of　thoughts　that　first　tease　us　like　charades　and　then　delight　us　with　the　felicity　of　their　solution；　but　these　have　not　saved　him。　　He　is　exiled　to　the　limbo　of　the　formless　and　the　fragmentary。〃　　　　　　Touching　this　question　of　mere　technique　Mr。　Ruskin　has　a　word　to　say　（it　appears　that　he　said　it　〃in　his　earlier　and　better　days〃）；　and　Mr。　Higginson　quotes　it：　〃No　weight；　nor　mass；　nor　beauty　of　execution　can　outweigh　one　grain　or　fragment　of　thought。〃　　This　is　a　pro…　position　to　which　one　would　cordially　subscribe　if　it　were　not　so　intemperately　stated。　　A　sug…　gestive　commentary　on　Mr。　Ruskin's　impressive　dictum　is　furnished　by　his　own　volume　of　verse。　The　substance　of　it　is　weighty　enough；　but　the　workmanship　lacks　just　that　touch　which　dis…　tinguishes　the　artist　from　the　bunglerthe　touch　which　Mr。　Ruskin；　except　when　writing　prose；　appears　not　much　to　have　regarded　either　in　his　later　or　〃in　his　earlier　and　better　days。〃　　　　　　Miss　Dickinson's　stanzas；　with　their　impos…　sible　rhyme；　their　involved　significance；　their　interrupted　flute…note　of　birds　that　have　no　con…　tinuous　music；　seem　to　have　caught　the　ear　of　a　group　of　eager　listeners。　　A　shy　New　England　bluebird；　shifting　its　light　load　of　song；　has　for　the　moment　been　mistaken　for　a　stray　nightingale。
  THE　MALE　COSTUME　OF　THE　PERIOD
  I　WENT　to　see　a　play　the　other　night；　one　of　those　good　old…fashioned　English　comedies　that　are　in　five　acts　and　seem　to　be　in　fifteen。　The　piece　with　its　wrinkled　conventionality；　its　archaic　stiffness；　and　obsolete　code　of　morals；　was　devoid　of　interest　excepting　as　a　collection　of　dramatic　curios。　　Still　I　managed　to　sit　it　through。　　The　one　thing　in　it　that　held　me　a　pleased　spectator　was　the　graceful　costume　of　a　certain　player　who　looked　like　a　fine　old　por…　traitby　Vandyke　or　Velasquez；　let　us　say　that　had　come　to　life　and　kicked　off　its　tar…　nished　frame。　　　　　　I　do　not　know　at　what　epoch　of　the　world's　history　the　scene　of　the　play　was　laid；　possibly　the　author　originally　knew；　but　it　was　evident　that　the　actors　did　not；　for　their　make…ups　re…　presented　quite　antagonistic　periods。　　This　cir…　cumstance；　however；　detracted　only　slightly　from　the　special　pleasure　I　took　in　the　young　person　called　Delorme。　　He　was　not　in　himself　inter…　esting；　he　was　like　that　Major　Waters　in　〃Pepys's　Diary〃〃a　most　amorous　melan…　choly　gentleman　who　is　under　a　despayr　in　love；　which　makes　him　bad　company；〃　it　was　en…　tirely　Delorme's　dress。
  I　never　saw　mortal　man　in　a　dress　more　sen…　sible　and　becoming。　　The　material　was　accord…　ing　to　Polonius's　dictum；　rich　but　not　gaudy；　of　some　dark　cherry…colored　stuff　with　trimmings　of　a　deeper　shade。　　My　idea　of　a　doublet　is　so　misty　that　I　shall　not　venture　to　affirm　that　the　gentleman　wore　a　doublet。　　It　was　a　loose　coat　of　some　description　hanging　negligently　from　the　shoulders　and　looped　at　the　throat；　showing　a　tasteful　arrangement　of　lacework　below　and　at　the　wrists。　　Full　trousers　reaching　to　the　tops　of　buckskin　boots；　and　a　low…crowned　soft　hat　not　a　Puritan's　sugar…loaf；　but　a　picturesque　shapeless　head…gear；　one　side　jauntily　fastened　up　with　a　jewelcompleted　the　essential　por…　tions　of　our　friend's　attire。　　It　was　a　costume　to　walk　in；　to　ride　in；　to　sit　in。　　The　wearer　of　it　could　not　be　awkward　if　he　tried；　and　I　will　do　Delorme　the　justice　to　say　that　he　put　his　dr