Lallegro

L'ALLEGRO, the poet is waked by the lark, hears the huntsman on the hill and the plowman nearer by, takes a country walk and joins the youths and maidens of the upland hamlets in their merry-making, he goes home and spends the evening in reading and music, or, accord ing to another intepretation, he goes to town and enjoys the gay life of society. The poem

is to the average mind old-fashioned and for mal; it is classic in form and allusion and has little in it that seems inspired by deep poetic feeling. But on the other hand each word and phrase is so full of meaning and so character istic of the poetic mood that it makes a definite place in the mind of every lover of poetry. Some other general considerations are noted under (II Penseroso.' There are a good many editions of Milton's Minor Poems, mostly made for school purposes. The first volume of Masson's edition of Milton or Verity's edi tion of the Minor Poems may be especially noted.