22,1862.
Mr. Burroughs,--
My Dear Sir,--I beg your pardon a thousand times for having neglected
so long to acknowledge the letter containing your vigorous verses.
Excess of work, and then a dash of illness consequent upon this excess,
must be my excuse--by your kind allowance.
The verses are vigorous and flowing, good in sentiment, and
certainly worthy of being sent to "some paper," if you like to
print them. On the other hand, they do not indicate to me that
you have any special call to write verse. A man of your ability
and fineness of structure must necessarily be enough of a poet not
to fail altogether in use of the poetical form. But all that I
know of you indicates a predominance of reflective intellect--a
habit of mind quite foreign from the lyrical. I think it may be
very good practice to compose in verse, as it exercises you in
terse and rhythmical expression; but I question whether your
vocation lies in that direction.
After all, you must not let anything which I, or any one, may say
stand in your way, if you feel any clear leading of your genius
in a given direction. What I have said is designed to guard you
against an expenditure of power and hope in directions that may
yield you but a partial harvest, when the same ought to be sown on
more fruitful fields.
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