ESSAY IX.

On THOMSON'S SEASONS.

G

ENERAL Criticism can say little

of the SEASONS, that has not been faid already. The ingenious Mr. Aikin, in the Effay prefixed to his edition, has explained their plan and character; and to Dr. Johnson's opinion of them, there is no great reason to object. Particular criticism cannot be expected to pursue her task regularly, through a Poem of fuch length; but the examination of fome detached paffages, will perhaps fufficiently point out the nature of its beauties and defects.

Thomson obferved clofely, and defcribed forcibly. He feldom diftracts the reader's attention by the introduction of heterogenous ideas; he has few fimilies, and few allufions; but he errs, by endeavouring to imprefs his fubject on the mind, with a pomp and reduplication of expreffion. He often, in attempting energy and dignity, produces bombaft and obfcurity; and in avoiding meannefs, becomes guilty of affectation. His language is indeed a kind of anamoly, for which he had no example, and which it would not be easy to imitate.

The country wears one of its most beautiful appearances, when the orchards and hedges are in bloffom; this he defcribes as follows:

I purfue my walk,

And see the country far-diffus'd around,
One boundless blush, one white-impurpled shower
Of mingled bloffoms; where the raptur'deye ·

Hurries

Hurries from joy to joy, and hid beneath
The fair profufion, yellow autumn spies.

This paffage gives a general confufed
idea of the subject, but they are extreme-
ly deficient in correctnefs. To term the
country a boundless blush,' because it is
covered with trees in bloom, however
bold, is perhaps justifiable; but to term
that country a • white empurpled shower,'
because the trees have shed their blossoms,
is furely rather too violent. That the
raptured eye hurried from place to place,
might have been faid properly; but to
fay it hurried from joy' to 'joy,' when
nothing of joy had been previously men-
tioned, feems carrying figurative language
almost to abfurdity.*
He who fees trees

in bloom, must naturally suppose that they will bear fruit, and his imagination may behold them fraught with it; but his eye may look in vain among the

* The Author meant undoubtedly, the places or profpects that afforded joy or pleasure.

bloffoms,

bloffoms, to spy the poetical perfon autumn. There is befides fomething whimfical, if not ludicrous, in the fuppofed concealment and discovery of the imperfonated feafon.

Our poet's picture of the approach and descent of a vernal shower,' is one of his capital pieces. pièces. It is a fair specimen of his general manner; its beauties and defects are fo intermixed, that it is no eafy matter to separate them,

-Gradual finks the breeze

Into a perfect calm; that not a breath,
Is heard to quiver through the clofing woods,
Or rushing hum the many-twinkling leaves.
Of afpin tall. The uncurling floods, diffus'd
In glaffy breath, seem through delufive lapfe
Forgetful of their courfe. Tis filence all,
And pleasing expectation. Herds and flocks
Drop the dry sprig, and mute-imploring, eye

GRAY has been cenfured for the use of this com

pound many-twinkling, but his censurers have not remarked that Thomson had ufed it before him.

The

The falling verdure. Hufh'd in short suspense,
The plumy people ftreak their wings with oil,
To throw the lucid moisture trickling off;
And wait the approaching sign to strike at once
Into the general choir. Ev'n mountains, vales,
And forefts, feem, impatient, to demand
The promis'd fweetnefs. Man fuperior walks
Amid the glad creation, mufing praise,
And looking lively gratitude. At last,
The clouds confign their treasures to the fields
And foftly-fhaking on the dimpled pool,
Prelufive drops let all their moisture flow,
In large effufion o'er the freshen'd world.

There are here two kinds of circumftances, one actually exiftent in nature, and one the product of the Poet's imagination. The calm is of the first fort, and is forcibly expreffed by the quiefcence of the aspin, and the glaffiness of the water. The floods feeming forgetful of their courfe,' is of the fecond, and might be an allowable hyperbole; but in the present cafe, it wants propriety, A poetical mind too feldom thinks with precifion; imagination is apt to act without