The Mermaid

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Excerpt from The Mermaid: And Other Pieces I have been asked to write a few words of introduction to this volume of verse, to stand as literary godfather to the first-born of an unknown Poet, but one who is deserving of being heard, even should the public mis-hear his singing and fail to grasp his message. It is, I know, an unusual thing for one to pen an introduction to another's work, except the latter be dead, when "elucidations" and introductions are worked out in laudatory fashion. The best praise is reserved for poets or for other men after they have passed beyond human aid and encouragement. Living, the critics sting them as they did Byron, Shelley, Keats, and Poe. But the days of Quarterly Reviewing are past, and there are some critics, who boast of their profession, and yet can discover some good in the present-day poets. It is no unusual thing to read in the literary papers criticisms, and just even laudatory, appreciations of minor verse of new poets. But by this I do not mean to assert that the carping critics are an extinct race, or that it is an easy matter for a Poet to gain a hearing for which he longs and works, and to which his ability justly entitles him. It is still the fashion of the majority of well-educated people to sneer at Poetry, and especially at the Local Poet. Should some acquaintance with a faculty for stringing together rhymes, or phrases with a jingling alliteration, chance to write in an Album "a Sonnet, " full of exaggerated praise of the supposed virtues of its owner, then it is possible that the contribution will be described as beautiful, exquisite, and "so very fine" - but alas! in how many cases does this sort of criticism and appreciation of poetry sum up the critic's knowledge of the subject. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.