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Cultivating an understanding of curiosity as a seed for


creativity
Madeleine E Gross1, Claire M Zedelius1 and Jonathan W Schooler

Curiosity—the desire to know—is a powerful motivator for We begin this review by highlighting the limited existing
learning and behavior. Theoretical and anecdotal discussions research examining the relationship between curiosity
have also linked curiosity to creativity and innovation, but there and creativity, as well as possible shared mechanisms
is little empirical evidence for this connection, aside from a that may drive the relationship between these two char-
handful of recent studies. We review the existing evidence and acteristics. We end this section by highlighting important
discuss potential mechanisms through which curiosity may methodological issues currently limiting progress in
facilitate the creative process. We further discuss important understanding this connection. In particular, we note
methodological issues that have limited past research on the the largely correlational nature of existing research which
relationship between curiosity and creativity. One limitation is relies almost entirely on self-report, trail-level
the lack of studies investigating curiosity as a psychological questionnaires.
state that fluctuates over time and with changing contexts
rather than only as a trait. Another limitation is the scarcity of In the following two sections, we call attention to the fact
behavioral measures of exploration and curiosity. We discuss that curiosity, while varying across individuals, also fluc-
the few existing behavioral measures that have been used and tuates within individuals. We suggest that future experi-
introduce a new measure relying on real effort. mental research should examine the consequences of
states of curiosity on creativity; however, we note that
Address such research requires reliable behavioral measures that
Psychological and Brain Science Department, University of California, capture momentary states of curiosity, which are currently
Santa Barbara, CA, USA
lacking. To this end, we propose a novel effort-based
Corresponding authors: behavioral measure. We conclude this review by noting
Gross, Madeleine E (madeleinegross@ucsb.edu), Zedelius, Claire M several intriguing directions for future research.
(claire.zedelius@psych.ucsb.edu)
1
The first two authors contributed equally to this paper.
The relationship between curiosity and
Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences 2020, 35:77–82 creativity
This review comes from a themed issue on Curiosity (Exolore versus Curiosity involves the pursuit of new knowledge and
Exploit) experiences. Creativity involves transforming existing
Edited by Daphna Shohamy and Ran Hassin knowledge, ideas, or objects into something novel and
interesting. When framed in this way, it is easy to see the
overlap between the two—both revolve around novelty.
But is this a superficial similarity, or are curiosity and
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2020.07.015 creativity tied to one another in a fundamental way?
2352-1546/ã 2020 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
A number of recent studies have begun to address this
question. First, individual differences in curiosity have
been linked to people’s perceptions of themselves as
creative [1,2,3], as well as predicting entrepreneurial
and workplace innovation [4–6]. A recent study investi-
gating individual differences in exploratory eye move-
I have no special talent. I am only passionately
ments also found correlations between curiosity and
curious.
creativity [7]. In this study, two types of curiosity were
—Albert Einstein, from Letter to Carl Seelig, 1952.
examined: Epistemic Curiosity [8], or the desire for
knowledge, and Perceptual Curiosity [9], an interest in
Curiosity—the desire to know—is a powerful motivator novel sensory experiences. Both types of curiosity were
for learning. The wealth of positive life outcomes associ- correlated with self-reported creative behaviors (e.g. mak-
ated with this trait has inspired news outlets to herald it as ing crafts or painting), creative personality characteristics,
a ‘superpower’, a seductive enabler of innovation. But and performance on a creative drawing task. Interestingly,
despite a long history of research on curiosity, much is still the strength of the correlations was similar for perceptual
unknown about it. One question in particularly dire need and epistemic curiosity, indicating that both the more
of further research concerns the association between intellectually oriented curiosity as well as the desire for
curiosity and creativity. new sensory experiences may be important for creativity.

www.sciencedirect.com Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences 2020, 35:77–82


78 Curiosity (Exolore versus Exploit)

It has been argued that a sense of curiosity is a necessary, of a causal relationship. To date, very few studies have
though not sufficient, condition for creativity [10] in that experimentally manipulated curiosity to look for causal
curiosity may facilitate the desire to engage in creative effects. In a recent meta-analysis gauging the strength of
behaviors. In line with this reasoning, a recent study the relationship between curiosity and creativity, the
found that curious individuals ask more open-ended included studies were all correlational and relied on
questions to feedback providers while working on a self-reported trait measures of curiosity [32]. Indeed,
creative design task, which in turn enhanced the quality one issue that currently limits curiosity research is the
of their creative designs [11]. Curiosity has also recently lack of studies—particularly studies using behavioral
been found to impact the generation stage of the creative measures—that assess curiosity as a psychological state
process [12]. In this investigation, epistemic curiosity rather than only as a trait.
was again examined, and the study further distinguished
between its two subcomponents; diversive curiosity, also Curiosity as a psychological state
referred to as interest curiosity, which is characterized by Most definitions of curiosity describe it in an inherently
a broad interest in new information; and specific curiosity, dynamic way, as a ‘desire’ or ‘motivation’ rising and
also referred to as deprivation curiosity, which is charac- declining depending on context, comparable to physical
terized by a desire to gain knowledge about a particular hunger [33]. We are in a constant flux between seeking
topic in order to fill a knowledge gap [13,14]. It was found and satisfaction [34]. It is therefore peculiar that empirical
that diversive, but not specific, curiosity predicted crea- research has almost exclusively operationalized curiosity
tive problem solving. This effect was mediated by infor- either as a stable trait or as the product of inherent
mation seeking in the early stages of the creative process. qualities (e.g. novelty, complexity or perceptual ambigu-
ity) that make a stimulus interesting to most people
Specific curiosity, in contrast, may benefit creativity when [35,36,33,37–39]. While some individuals are generally
specific expertise is required. When looking for a creative more curious than others [40], and some stimuli generally
solution for lowering carbon emissions, for instance, one more curiosity eliciting than others, it also seems clear
might benefit from an intrinsic desire to learn everything that a topic can fail to capture our interest one day, yet
there is to know about carbon emissions. In line with this send us down the proverbial rabbit hole the next. This
reasoning, a recent investigation found that specific curi- may have more to do with the cognitive processes going
osity promotes creative thinking via idea linking, a sequen- on in the moment [41] than with the qualities of the
tial process of exploration by which information on a stimulus or our personality characteristics. Yet, rarely has
specific topic initiates a cascade of ideation that eventu- curiosity been studied as a state that differs not only
ally leads to a solution [15]. between individuals but also from one moment to the
next [see Refs. 42,34].
What can this recent work tell us about the mechanisms
linking creativity and curiosity? The studies reviewed A handful of studies examining how curiosity can be
thus far speak to several mechanisms through which evoked stick out as exceptions. Even though curiosity
curiosity can facilitate creativity. These include basic is generally theorized to be an intrinsic motivation, studies
exploratory tendencies (i.e. exploratory eye movements) have found that framing a topic as having practical value
and more complex information seeking behaviors (i.e. (e.g. being relevant to ‘important scientific and medical
asking questions, linking ideas). Creative cognition is now breakthroughs’) makes people more curious about the
also widely thought to involve attentional mechanisms [e. topic than introducing the topic matter-of-factly [43].
g. Refs. 16,17], specifically, an inability to filter irrelevant Similarly, people are more curious about questions that
information. Curiosity similarly is characterized by a wide are deemed more interesting by others [44]. However, it
scope of attention, as indicated by neuroscientific and eye remains unclear whether such cues of value trigger only
tracking studies [18–20,7]. Thus, in addition to explo- superficial curiosity or translate to deep, sustained inter-
ration and information seeking behaviors, a wide scope of est in a topic.
attention may be another mechanism through which
curiosity facilitates the creative process. Moreover, zoom- Other research has examined how engaging with infor-
ing out to a more temporally extended level of analysis, an mation by making guesses affects curiosity. In one set of
individual’s perpetual desire to acquire knowledge may studies, participants were shown obscure words (e.g.
lead them to deeply engage with unfamiliar ideas for hispid) and asked how curious they were to learn their
sustained periods of time. This sustained engagement meaning [45]. Participants were more curious when they
may help them discover something original or bring about were asked to guess the meaning of the words before
a substantial body of creative work. seeing the answer. In another study, participants were
shown trivia type questions (e.g. ‘x out of 10 animals are
It should be noted that empirical evidence to support the insects’) and were asked to either generate a relevant fact
creativity-curiosity connection is still very scarce. The about the topic (e.g. ‘ants are insects’) or guess the answer
aforementioned correlational designs are only suggestive [46]; guessing increased curiosity. One explanation for

Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences 2020, 35:77–82 www.sciencedirect.com


Curiosity as a seed for creativity Gross, Zedelius and Schooler 79

the results is that making a guess requires effort and deep curiosity [47,48]. A similar behavioral measure, likewise
engagement with the content, which in turn may increase based on the idea that curious individuals are willing to
curiosity. Alternatively, making a guess may evoke curi- incur a cost in exchange for information, is willingness to
osity because it motivates people to confirm whether they wait [10,49].
were correct [41].
Other recent research has looked at people’s styles of
The few studies that have attempted to experimentally information-seeking by analyzing the contents of Wiki-
induce curiosity, though promising, leave big questions pedia entries participants explored in over 5 hours of
unanswered. For instance, once curiosity is triggered by a browsing [50]. The research found that individuals higher
cue, a question, or a guess, might it carry over to another in specific curiosity were more likely to explore a small
topic? Does asking questions or making guesses lead to selection of tightly related content, whereas participants
deep and sustained curiosity? And does the effectiveness higher in diversive curiosity were more likely to browse
of such manipulations depend on moderating factors, loosely connected content. The strength of this approach
such as a person’s expectations, the perceived cost asso- lies in the ecological validity of observing intrinsically
ciated with exploring information, or a person’s Openness motivated and spontaneous exploratory behavior in a
to Experience, need for closure or need for autonomy [see naturalistic context. However, the method is time inten-
Refs. 34,31]? And most critical to the present discussion, sive, and it is not clear to what extent it taps into
do manipulations that increase curiosity subsequently differences in trait curiosity or can capture the ebb and
impact creativity? Finding the answers to these questions flow of a person’s momentary curiosity.
will not only be valuable for our scientific understanding
of curiosity, but will be essential for interventions aiming Recently, we have developed another behavioral measure
to boost curiosity for the benefit of learning and creativity. adapted from economics research [51,52]—an effort task
Indeed, to the best of our knowledge, despite the highly in which participants can ‘work’ for information. This
suggestive relationship between curiosity and creativity, work consists of moving sliders to target positions. The
to date, only one published study has specifically dem- task is effortful and time intensive, but self-paced and
onstrated an experimental link between induced states of extremely simple. Therefore, an argument can be made
curiosity and creativity [15]. that it captures a person’s willingness to exert effort for
information, independent of specific skills. A potential
Assessing curiosity through behavior advantage of using effort over monetary cost is that it
As we take the next step toward experimental interven- mimics ways of satisfying one’s curiosity in real life.
tions to boost curiosity, we will need to rely more strongly Acquiring knowledge usually requires effort, but rarely
on behavioral measures in addition to the usual self-report do we directly exchange points or money for knowledge.
measures, which raise issues of expectations and social Our research has shown that participants exert more effort
desirability. Thus far, this is the rare exception. A meta- for answers to trivia questions that they previously had not
analysis of studies examining curiosity within educational been able to solve. We also found that effort in exchange
settings found that over 90% of the reviewed studies used for answers to questions was predicted by self-reported
self-report measures. Aside from self-reports, neurobio- curiosity for those questions, and effort in exchange for
logical and behavioral measures such as fMRI, pupil solutions to the problem of plastic waste was predicted by
dilation or exploratory eye movements have occasionally self-reported concern for the environment. Effort on the
been used to indicate curiosity [e.g. Refs. 46,7,37,33]. task also correlates with trait curiosity, though to a lesser
Furthermore, in at least one study, these indices have extent. Thus, the task is a good candidate measure for
been related to creativity. Specifically, Gross et al. [7] future studies assessing the effects of experimental
observed that exploratory eye movements were associ- manipulations of curiosity.
ated with performance on a creative drawing task. How-
ever, measures such as exploratory eye movements are Several questions remain to be explored. To what extent
indirect and can also be driven by salience attribution do effort-based measures overlap with or have (dis)advan-
processes not necessarily related to curiosity. tages compared to self-reports and willingness to pay or
wait? One potential benefit of using effort over self-
One behavioral curiosity measure that has been used in reports or willingness to pay is that a self-report or
several studies is a person’s willingness to pay points or payment in exchange for information provides only a
money in exchange for information [e.g. Refs. 47,48,37]. snapshot of an individual’s curiosity at one time. Effort
The elegance of measuring curiosity with willingness to is more dynamic. A given person may initially invest high
pay is that it is directly aligned with the definition of effort into obtaining information but quickly lose moti-
curiosity as the desire to acquire information. Research vation and give up. Another person may persist in exert-
using this measure has shown that people are willing to ing effort over a long stretch of time. Both individuals
pay for information even when doing so does not have any might have named the same high price if asked how much
instrumental value other than satisfying a person’s they are willing to pay for the information, but the first

www.sciencedirect.com Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences 2020, 35:77–82


80 Curiosity (Exolore versus Exploit)

person exhibits less curiosity in their behavior over time seeking, and stress tolerance were revealed as distinct
compared to the second person. This dynamic aspect also types of curiosity. These types may be relevant for
makes the effort task more closely resemble real-life creativity, yet they have almost never been examined
behavior, which is typically extended in time. Only in that context. For example, stress tolerance—the ability
willingness to wait is a similarly dynamic measure. How- to handle the distress or anxiety inherent in novel experi-
ever, willingness to wait may be more difficult to experi- ences—may be relevant to creativity. In the real world,
mentally control compared to an external task like the creative endeavors are often risky, thus an ability to
effort task, because the subjective cost of waiting may handle the stress of creative pursuits could be important.
depend in part on what is going on in a person’s mind.
Waiting may feel less costly to a person who is engaged in The current lack of experimental research leaves open
an interesting daydream [53]. In this case, a greater many other possible pathways for linking curiosity and
willingness to wait may not necessarily reflect eagerness creativity. One important consideration is the role curi-
to get information, it may simply reflect greater tolerance osity may play in the relationship between other person-
toward waiting. Thus far, however, these arguments ality traits and creativity, most notably Openness to
remain speculative, and future research should directly Experience. There is abundant evidence linking Open-
compare real effort to self-reports, willingness to pay, and ness to creativity [22–25]. Most measures of Openness
willingness to wait. have subdimensions that map onto curiosity; the NEO
PI–3 ideas dimension [26], the BFAS intellect dimension
Another open question is how effort tasks can be designed [27], Woo’s curiosity dimension [28], and the HEXACO
to distinguish different types of curiosity. Depending on inquisitiveness dimension [29]. Future research is neces-
the type of information participants ‘work for’, might sary to determine whether the relationship between
versions of the task be suitable to capture the aversive Openness and creativity is driven especially by its curi-
state associated with specific (or deprivation) curiosity or osity related subdimensions. Similarly, boredom prone-
the appetitive state associated with diversive (or interest) ness has been found to predict both creativity and curi-
curiosity? In our studies, effort tended to be more strongly osity [30], while flow states have also been suggested to
associated with diversive than with specific curiosity. connect curiosity to creativity [31]. Measures such as
However, in our studies, participants worked for a chance these should be included in future research to tease
to satisfy their intrinsic curiosity about a broad topic (i.e. out the active ingredients that may drive this relationship.
ways to protect the environment). Different results may
emerge when individuals work for answers to trivia ques- Our understanding of the curiosity–creativity relationship
tions or answers that have more instrumental value for is limited, and there are many intriguing future directions
solving a very specific personal problem. Further research for examining this topic. However, such research is ham-
into these design considerations is needed along with pered by methodological limitations, particularly the
experimental manipulations that evoke the different scarcity of state and behavioral measures, as well as
types of curiosity. experimental manipulations evoking states of curiosity.
Initial evidence relating epistemic and perceptual curios-
Concluding remarks and future directions ity to creative behavior and performance largely relies on
Many theoretical discussions have linked curiosity to correlational designs. Therefore, we do not know conclu-
creativity and innovation, but empirical evidence directly sively whether curiosity is really a cause of curiosity, or
supporting this link is currently extremely scarce. whether engagement in creative acts may lead to curios-
Although research on each respective construct indicates ity, or whether curiosity is linked to creativity through
mechanistic links, more research is necessary to deter- some other factor(s). Future experimental research
mine how different aspects of these two constructs are exploring how or even whether it is possible to promote
related. Are perceptual and epistemic curiosity under- creativity via curiosity will surely open up many more
scored by the same attentional and motivational pro- fruitful avenues for research and further our understand-
cesses? Are these same processes linked with visual ing of how to harness the benefits of curiosity.
and verbal creativity, or Scientific and artistic creativity?
Future investigations should aim to determine the over- Funding
lap between the processes that underlie the many facets This work was supported by a grant from the John
of these two incredibly broad and multi-dimensional Templeton Foundation [#60844].
constructs.
Conflict of interest statement
This review largely focused on epistemic curiosity; how- Nothing declared.
ever other types of curiosity exist. Kashdan et al. [21]
identified at least five distinct factors of curiosity. Two
map onto epistemic curiosity (deprivation sensitivity and
References and recommended reading
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Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences 2020, 35:77–82 www.sciencedirect.com


Curiosity as a seed for creativity Gross, Zedelius and Schooler 81

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Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences 2020, 35:77–82 www.sciencedirect.com


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DREAM.

I dreamt that, standing on a height,


I wished to plunge me in the sea,
When, lo! a spirit of peace and light,
This wondrous song sang unto me:
‘Await the spring! I’ll soon be here;’
I’ll say, ‘Again let manhood rise!’
The mist from clouded brows I’ll clear,
And dreary dreams from heavy eyes.
Back to your Muse her voice I’ll give,
And once again you’ll find the days
All blessed—as you bind the sheaf—
Reaping your unmown upland ways.
A SICK MAN’S JEALOUSY.

A heavy cross, the lot Fate laid upon her—


“Suffer! be silent! weep not! feign the smile!”
And he, to whom her love, her youth, her will,
Her all, she’d given, her torturer proved the while.

For years no greeting with a friend knew she;


Subdued, in sadness, and in trembling fear,
Bitter, unreasoning, sarcastic jeers,
Without a murmur, ’twas her lot to hear.

“Hush! tell me not you’ve lost your youth for me—


That you’re distracted by my jealousy;
Nay, tell me not! My grave is close at hand,
While you are fresher than spring’s blossoms be.

“That day, the day when you at first loved me,


And heard from me, ‘I love,’ in whispered breath,
Curse not that day! The grave is near for me!
I will right all, redeem all, by my death.

“Cease! Tell me not the days for you are sad;


This invalid a jailor cease to name.
For me remains the cold gloom of the grave;
For thee the embraces of another flame.

“Full well I know thou dost another love.


To spare, to wait, this seemed a tedious plan.
Oh, wait awhile! my grave is very near!
Let Fate end that which Fate in me began!”
Such cruel, torturing, insulting words—
Lovely, yet pale as chiselled marble—she
In silence heard, and only wrung her hands.
What could she answer to such jealousy?
THE LANDLORD OF OLD TIMES.
(Loquitur.)

Before the Emancipation of the Serfs.

To whom I like I mercy show,


And whom I like I kill;
My fist—my only constable,
My only law—my will.
A blow from which the sparkle flits,
A blow that knocks the teeth to bits,
A blow that breaks the jaw!

After the Emancipation of the Serfs.

The mighty chain is snapped in twain,


Is snapped and bounds asunder.
The landlords clutch one broken end;
At t’other peasants blunder.

The fields remain unploughed and bare;


The seed is left unsown;
No trace of order anywhere,
O mother-land, our own!
Not for ourselves thus sorrow we;
We grieve, O native land, for thee!
Oh, true-believing peasantry!
Russia’s your mother small;
The Tsar’s your little father.
And that for you is all!
THE RUSSIAN SOLDIER.

Then up there comes a veteran,


With medals on his breast;
He scarcely lives, but yet he strives
To drink with all the rest.
“A lucky man, am I,” he cries,
And thus to prove the fact he tries.
“In what consists a soldier’s luck?
Pray, listen while I tell.
In twenty fights, or more, I’ve been,
And yet I never fell.
And, what is more, in peaceful times
Full meal I never knew;
Yet, all the same, I have contrived
Not to give Death his due.
Again, for sins both great and small,
Full many a time they’ve me
With sticks unmercifully flogged,
Yet I’m alive, you see!”
FROM MAIKOF.
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM.

For a long time last night I for sleep vainly yearned.


I arose, my room window wide throwing;
The night with its silence oppressed me, and burned,
O’er me odours intoxicant blowing.

Of a sudden the hedge ’neath my window-sill shook;


My curtain blew back with a shimmer;
And in floated a youth with a beaming look,
Just as if from the moonlight a glimmer.

Gliding up to my couch, came my wonderful guest,


Whispered he, as a smile his lips parted,
“Why from me, with your cheek ’neath the pillow prest,
Like a startled wee fish, have you darted?

“Look up! I’m a god—god of visions and dreams,


Secret friend of the innocent maiden;
And for thee, my own queen, for the first time, I ween,
With a bliss from on high come I laden!”

He spoke—and his hands my face lovingly seek;


From its nook he it tenderly presses;
Then a burning kiss fell on the curve of my cheek,
And his lips sought my lips in caresses.

Neath the breath of his mouth my strength seemed to have flown,


From my breast unclaspt arms I extended,
And there breathed in my ears, “You’re my own! you’re my own!”
Distant notes, with harp’s melody blended!
Swiftly glided the hours; when I opened my eyes,
Rosy dawn through my chamber was streaming;
Alone, locks dishevelled, I trembling arise,
And I know not the drift of my dreaming.
WHO WAS HE?
A STORY OF PETER THE GREAT.

Upon the mighty Neva’s bank,


Along the winding woodland way,
A Horseman rode, in forest wilds
Of elm, of pine, of mosses grey.

Before him rose a Fisher’s hut;


Beneath a pine, by the blue stream,
An aged, bearded Fisherman
Was mending his boat’s broken beam.

The Horseman said, “Grandsire! Good-day!


God help thee, friend! how liveth thou?
Doth thou catch much? and tell me, pray,
Where doth thou sell thy takings now?”

The old man answered sullenly,


“Are fishes in the river few?
And other market have I none,
Except the town, there, close to you.

“And how am I to fish to-day?


What kind of turmoil’s here, you see!
You fight; and, in the fight, a shell
Has smashed my fishing-boat for me!”

The Horseman bounded from his horse,


Without a word the tools he grasped;
And in a twinkling planked the boat,
The rudder in the stern set fast.
“See, now, old friend, thy boat’s all right!
Out on the water boldly set;
And, in the name of Peter’s luck,
Cast forth into the deep thy net.”

He vanished. Mused the stern old man:


“I wonder who the de’il was he!
In every inch he looked a king,
But plied the hatchet splendidly.”
THE EASTER KISS.[8]

Soon “the Sun-bright Feast-day” cometh,


I will claim my Easter kiss.
Others, then, will stand around us;
Pray, my Dora, mark you this!

Just as if I never kissed you,


Blushing red before the rest,
You must kiss, with downcast eyelids;
I will kiss, with smile represt.

FOOTNOTES:
[8] It is the custom in Russia for all friends meeting on Easter
morning (known as “Sun-bright Feast-day”) to exchange kisses
three times in the name of the Trinity.
ON LOMONOSSOEF.[9]

God chose him from his earliest years;


Revealed, ’mid glittering icebergs stood,
In northern light, in gleam of stars,
In roar of wave, in hum of wood,
And bade him leave his Fisher’s net,
And led him forth from town to town,
That “Rus”[10] to him from gloomy cot
To sparkling palace, might be known;
And led him to famed Western climes,
That there his genius might obtain
All knowledge, from the earliest times
Made known to mighty chosen men;
That, from their torch of knowledge, he
Might light his own, and, with right hand
Uplifted high that all might see,
Illume with it his native land.

FOOTNOTES:
[9] Lomonossoef—the first great Russian scholar—was the son
of an Archangel fisherman.
[10] Ancient name of Russia.
PROPRIETY.

Ferdinand, the King, was courtly!


Pink of nice refinement he;
All the naked plasts of Venus,
Placed he under lock and key.

But the Herculean statues,


Left he in their places bare!
Men he did not mind offending;
Hurt the ladies? He’d not dare!
THE SINGER.

Beautiful I’m not, I know;


Useless I in fight;
How to men and maids am I,
Such a dear delight?
Songs, like sounds that ’mid strings stray,
Fill this breast of mine,
Smiling round my lips they play,
In my eyes they shine!
A LITTLE PICTURE.
AFTER THE PROCLAMATION OF THE 19TH FEB., 1861,
FREEING THE SERFS.

See, in peasant’s cottage, flickering


Shines a little fire,
Where, around a little maiden,
Draws a circle nigher.

And from word to word her finger


Slowly pointing leads,
As, with effort, to the peasants
She a paper reads.

Deep in thought, intently listening,


They a silence keep;
Save when some one bids the women
Hush the babes to sleep.

Mothers soothe their crying infants


With the teething toy,
While they, too, to catch the reading
All their ears employ.

Seated in the chimney corner


Now for many years,
With bent head the grandsire gazes,
Though he nothing hears.

Is the maiden clever, that they


Thus to her give heed?
Nay! but simply in that household
She alone could read:
And her lot it was to read out,
To the peasants old,
The glad news of longed-for freedom,
Which the paper told.

The full meaning of the message


Knew not she nor they;
But all, darkly, felt the dawning
Of a better day.

Brothers! see, the day-dawn flushes!


Darkness yields its place,
Sons of yours, ere long, will look on
Daylight face to face.

More and more let darkness lighten!


Day arise in might!
Even now, in vision, see I
Rays of rising light.

They are shining on the forehead,


Gleaming in the look,
Of that thoughtful little maiden
With her little book.

Freedom, Brothers! This is only


First step on the way
To the kingdom, where, in knowledge,
Shines eternal day!
THE ALPINE GLACIER.

Dank the darkness on the cliff-side;


Faintly outlined from below,
In their modest maiden gladness,
Glaciers in the dawn’s blush glow.

What new life upon me blowing,


Breathes from yonder snowy height,
From that depth of limpid turquoise
Flashing in the morning light?

There, I know, dread Terror dwelleth,


Track of man there is not there;
Yet my heart in answer swelleth
To the challenge, “Come thou here!”
THE MOTHER.

Little sufferer—all on fire!


All’s to him so trying!
On my shoulder lean thy head,
On my bosom lying!
I will walk about with thee,
Sleep, my own sweet dearie.
Shall I tell a little tale?
“Once there lived a fairy”—
No? Thee likes not silly tales?
P’r’aps a song will take thee!
“Pine-wood rustling dark and dank,
Big fox, wee fox, wakes he.
In the dark pine-wood will I——”
Is my own pet sleeping?
“Gather blackberries for thee
Brimful baskets heaping.
In the dark pine-wood will I——”
Hush! he fast is sleeping.
Open wide his feverish lips,
Like a wee bird, keeping.

“In the dark pine-wood will I,”


Walks the mother, singing—
Till the long dark night declines,
Back the day-dawn bringing.
Singing—while her weary arms
With dull pain are tingling—
Walks the mother; with her sighs
Frequent tears are mingling;
And scarce stirs the restless child,
Tossing in its fever,
Ere again that song resounds,
Soft and low as ever.
With thy scythe depart, O Death,
Spare the tender blossom!
Fierce the fight ere she will yield
Baby from her bosom.
With her whole soul will she shield,
E’en though sore affrighted,
That mysterious flame of life
Which from her was lighted,
For scarce rose that little flame,
Ere to her revealed was
What of love,—of wondrous power,—
In her breast concealed was.

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