宋晓星

【Abstract】A. E. Housman was an English classical scholar and poet. His poems are lyrical and epigrammatic in form， evoking the dooms and disappointments of youth in the English countryside. This poem belongs to his volume A Shropshire Lad， on the purpose of defending for the kind of poetry he wrote.

【Key words】epigrammatic； disappointment； defending

As most people like reading cheerful and optimistic material， this poem begins with someones complain that “the verse”（5） he makes “gives a chap the belly-ache”（6）； the voice also wonders why “Terence”（1） which is Housmans poetic name for himself makes such “stupid stuff”（1）-his frustrating poetry， in this satire voice， his genre of poetry can dead a cow， and even kill a man. The voice even begs Terence to let people off the torture， acclaiming that “pretty friendship”（11） is to make a happy poetry to match the dancing people before they are tortured to mad by it.

In part two， Terence sends back the advice that “pipe a tune to dance to”（14） raised by the voice in part one. He indicates a “brisker pipes than poetry”（16） to liven things up： liquor. He uses drink as a contradicted proof to testify that escaping from reality by dancing or liquor makes no difference to the matter. And liquor is remarkable both in discovering truth and entertaining life as it is “livelier than Muse”（20） and does better in justifying Gods way to man than Milton who has declared this purpose in his epic poem Paradise Lost. But the pleasant truth the drunken fellows find through ale is a dream-like illusion after drunk： “look into the pewter pot to see the world as the worlds not”（25， 26）. Faith is everywhere， mischief nowhere， which is just the world the fellows want. The drunker still has conscious that “I have been to Ludlow fair”（29） for Ludlow beer and “left my necktie” when carry beer “half-way home”（31）； at that time， the drunker feels “the world seemed none so bad， and I myself a sterling lad”（33， 34）. But quickly there is an anti-climax， he wakes up and becomes sober after he slipped in muck： “the tale was all a lie； the world， it was the old world yet， I was I”（38， 39， 40）. He comes to the crucial reality； the world does not change at all， all the beautiful thing last night is only a dream. He can do nothing but “begin the game anew”（42）. The game is a metaphor， means drinking.

The next part gives a brief summary to the poems philosophy， deepening the meaning through the comparative between brewing ale and making pessimistic poetry. “Therefore， since the world has still much good， but much less good than ill， and while the sun and moon endure lucks chance， but troubles sure； Id face it as a wise man would， and train for ill and not for good” （43-48）. The six lines is the topic of the poem， simplifying authors philosophy thought to this desperate world. Trouble is everywhere， but luck can be got only by chance； people endure the life day after day， night after night. So Terence says he will make full preparation to confront the ill from time to time； good of life is little enough to be ignored in his poetry. Then he refers to his pessimistic poetry-“the stuff I bring for sale”（49） “is not so brisk a brew as ale”（50）， using a metaphor to compare the both： “Out of a stem that scored the hand”（51）， “I wrung it in a weary land”（52）. Terence tries his best to make and hand out the pessimistic poetry from the gloomy world. It is the pessimistic smack that does better for “the embittered hour”（54）. And this sad poetry offers a way for people to speak out. Terence even indicates that “it should do good to heart and head when your soul is in my souls stead”（55-56）. If you have the consonance with me in soul， then we can be friends in this “dark and cloudy day”（58）.

In part four， an example is offered to support and further the view that pessimistic poetry is like a consistent preparation to confront the ill in life： “Mithridates”（76）， a king of Pontus， and “reigned in the East”（59）. He has accustomed himself to other drugs by continually trying them as means of protection against poison of others. “He gathered all that springs to birth from the many-venomed earth； first a little， thence to more， he sampled all her killing store”（63-66）. But the other kings “get their fill before they think with poisoned meat and poisoned drink”（61-62）. Thus， when there are betrayer “put arsenic in his meat”（69） and “poured strychnine in his cup”（71）， he is immunity to poison and still alive. But these people who “stared aghast to watch him eat”（70） and “shook to see him drink it up”（72） are hurt by their own poison. Mithridates is also a pun， means an almighty antidote which has immunity to any poison. At last， this king “died old”（76） rather than being poisoned by others. On this point， the king does not ignore the potential danger from poison， but confronts it through his full precautions， making him successfully defeat his foes. It is the precaution that contributes to his win. So， Terence thinks his pessimistic poetry have the same function with this. Applying this history tale as the ending of this poem， Housman offers another strong argument to support his view that his kind of poetry is not stupid stuff at all.

References：

[1]Housman，A.E.“Terence，This is Stupid Stuff”.SOUND AND SENSE.Ed.Laurence，Perrine.P.14-16.

[2]https：//en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._E_Housman.