Cooking the Books?
“Why rushed the discords in but that harmony should be prized?”
(Abt Vogler: by R. Browning)
Perhaps we should not scorn those vulgar works
Which often have offended our concern
For purity and beauty; for what irks
Our minds and brings some bitter taste to burn
The palates of our sensibilities
May serve as complements to underline
The subtler flavours which our method tries
To cook into the poems we refine
With so much tender care. For it is sure
That too much sweetness in a meal can be
As disappointing as can too much sour:
A contrast adds delectability.
So let them do their worst, those whom our own taste loathes;
We’ll be the honey to their baked ham’s acrid cloves!.
