Page:In the dozy hours, and other papers.djvu/164

 150 because there are details in which everybody does not chance to agree with him? In so wide a world there must of necessity be many minds, and the opinions of a poet are not always beacon fires to light us through the gloom. Even the musician has been for some time prepared to step into the critical arena, and Mr. E. S. Dallos, in "The Gay Science," quotes for us a characteristic extract from Wagner, which probably means something, though only a very subtle intellect could venture to say what.

"If we now consider the activity of the poet more closely, we perceive that the realization of his intention consists solely in rendering possible the representation of the strengthened actions of his poetized forms through an exposition of their motives to the feelings, as well as the motives themselves. Also by an expression that in so far engrosses his activity, as the invention and production of this expression in truth first render the introduction of such motives and actions possible."

After this splendid example of style and lucidity, it may be that even the ordinary,