Page 12 - 1916 February - To Dragma

TO DRAG MA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI 91

8. comely
9. garish
10. quire
11. hermitage
12. prophetic
13. cloister

14. pale
15. consort
16. motes
17. sable

18. stole

In the classical allusions I give either the word actually occurring
in the poem or a related term which they will need to know in
finding the reference: for instance, to cover the reference to "Ceb-
erus," "Stygian" and "Cimmerian Deserts," I assign a study of the
Underworld. For all references I give exact pages, not simply
the name of the book in which the term is to be looked up, because
few high school pupils will be able, until they have had a good bit
of experience, to bring interesting or even intelligible information
to the class from general references. A l l such work for these two
poems I give out in Gayley's Classical Myths and Brewer's Hand-
book of Classical Allusions, as many books for such references are
lacking in ordinary high school libraries; and I wish to make my
suggestions practical, even with the meagre equipment which some
may have. The teacher's share of words consists of the allusions
about which it is hard to find complete, fascinating stories. For
example it takes a bit of ingenuity to make the three graces, "The
Mirthful," "The Bright" and "The Blooming" seem real person-
alities: and therefore "The Graces" and "Euphrosyne" must fall to
the lot of the teacher. Again the typical names of shepherds and
shepherdesses, Corydon, Thestylis, and Phyllis, which bring also an
explanation of the pastoral element in English poetry, can be handled
properly only by the teacher. Again she alone is able to give a
charm to the old English fairy tales and beliefs which cluster about
"Queen Mab," Robin Goodfellow," and " W i l l 'o the Wisp," who
appears as "Friar's Lantern" in L'Allegro. The teacher should
explain carefully, what they themselves cannot find, why Milton
chose Italian words and what he wanted each to mean. I n con-
nection with this, should come a little talk about the political and
religious struggle going on in England during Milton's time and
about the two attitudes toward life held by the Cavaliers and Puri-
tans, which so influenced Milton's literary life. I n the study of lyric
poems I advocate no preliminary study of the life of the poet except
where it connects vitally with an understanding of the poem. I n