Too bad you weren't around when Hardy was struggling
with his poems; you could have taught him a lot.
I think "stealing" is a good word: it calls up not
only the movement of the moon across the sky but
the suggestion of all that time has stolen from him
and his wife. The lutes stand not so much for life
as for young love & courtship & song; as it happens,
Hardy was a very good violinist, but lutes are stringed
instruments more apt in this context. And "strewn"
is adequate, at least; it has a number of meanings
and can certainly mean dusted or covered as with a
powder. A bit literary? Yes; and okay with me. The
rest of the sentence doesn't seem all that convoluted,
and "white" is an excellent touch. I would agree that
the poem has flaws and is here and there a bit too
poetical, and maybe a little awkward too; but it's
still alive and convincing. Not among his greatest
lyrics, but good enough, and better than many much
smoother and more graceful poems. If you're looking
for elegance, Hardy's not your man. He has something
better than elegance to offer.
Well, that's enough, more than enough. Hardy doesn't
need to be defended.
|