The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-25 00:00:00

LITE R AT UR E.

Poonis. By Edward Capern. Bogue, Fleet-

street.

The author of these poems is a " rural post-
man," earning ten-and-sixpence per week, fulfilling
the several duties of husband and father with
credit and respectability, and yet finding. time and
talent to indite a volume of lyrics which merit
considerable praise. Mr. Capern has the true
feeling of the poet in him, and stands boldly and
gracefully out from the mob of scribblers who
fancy they can set the world on fire with a few
sheets of spoiled paper. He is unassuming,
though philosophical ; and diligently patient,
though highly sensitive, blending the refined taste
of a son of the Muses with the vigorous industry
of a son of Labour.

We do not mean to say that Mr. Caperu's pro-
ductions are perfect. They are frequently weak
in expression and defective in construction. Like
many painters in words, he is apt to pay more
attention to the pleasing variety of his colours
than the correct development of his forms ; yet
we perceive so much of beauty and mental health
in his songs that we most warmly commend them
to our readers.
We quote the following morsel of melody as a
sample of his power :

COME TO THE GREENWOOD, COME!
Come, come to the greenwood, come !
Come, ere the cuckoo's note dies on the lea ;
Come,. whilst the hawthorn blows
Beautiful summer snows,
And holey-bees sing in the sycamore tree.
Come, come to the greenwood, come !
Come, and I'll crown thee with leaves from the bough;
Come, whilst the sooty bird
Soft as t lute is heard,
Waking the hill from its base to the brow.
Come, come to the greenwood, come !
Come, whilst the turtles aro talking above ;
Come, and I'll weave for thee,
Down by the willosv-tree,
Songs full of flowers in the loom of my lava.
Come, come to the greenwood, come !
Come where the violet-wing butterflies play ;
Como whilst the heather-ball
Rings in the hollow dell,
Come, my sweet Lily-love, come, come away.
The above is well contrasted with these rough
and stirring lines :
" Up ! there's a work for the world to be done—
A battle to fight, and a race to be won :
Up, my lads, up, if the laurels you'd wear ;
Do, if the palm of the victor you'd bear.
" The timid ' A lion ! a lion !' may shout,
And Oren, like a fngleman, turn right about ;
But onward, lads, onward ; have courage to pass,
And soon you'll discover 'tie only an ass.
" Up, ray lads, up! though your talents aro small,
Ye mast all act your part, if ye'd win, one and all;
The weakest, the strongest, the peasant, the peer,
The humblest and ablest, have work enough here.
" There's vice to be trampled, and virtues to sow,
And depths to be fatkomed of error and woe ;
And ere ye can have the bright noontide of truth,
The sunlight of knowledge must dawn on your youth.
" Whilst there's want in the land, or a pang in the heart,
There's a need tkat you act the Samaritan's part;
_ _

And though Priestina,n and Levite both fail to bestow
Their oil, wine, and twopence, lads, up ye, aid de."
We see that Walter Savage Landor has dedi-
cated his last work to Mr. Capern—no mean com-
pliment from the venerable critic to the "rural
postman." We suppose the gifted author of
"Imaginary Conversations" believes that Edward
Caperu has the right stuff in him. We are of
the same opiuion ; and conclude our notice of his
interesting volume by hoping that the People"
Willi:my him better as a " man of letters" than
the Government does.

Margaret and her Bridesmaids. By the Author
of " Woman's Devotion." 3 Vols. Hurst and
Blackett.
This tale is distinguished by the same freshness
Of feeling, and enthusiasm of spirit, as characterised
its predecessor. Unmistakeably it is the produc-
tion of no ordinary talent, and hence it hears a
charm in,its pages that attracts irresistibly. We
are:borne along, in admiration, in sympathy, and
in pity for the heroine, who conducts herself with
dignity, meekness, and fortitude: It is true that
surne of the other personages,
_estimable though
they are, and interesting in every way, do not
altogether come up to our expectations ; but Mar-
garet's character is perfect, in her joyous youth, in
her bridal hour of hope, in her more mature hours
Of promise, and lastly in her sorrow. A forlorn
widow, when life seemed so bright and smiling
around her, she for a time seems sunk into the
shade of care, but she comes out from the cloud
more splendid than ever. The weakness of her
mind was strengthened by the struggle, and the
tenderness of her heart gave softness to her dispo-
sition, without overwhelming it with grief. It is
a sad story, but an interesting one, that of Mar-
garet Leigh. Her young friends are all admirably
sketched in their different ways ; but it is in Lotty
that we feel most disappointed. She is a charming
character all throughout, and natural while fasci-
nating, a result not always attained by novelists ;
but in her marriage with Philip she destroys much
of the illusion created by her former career. It is
true that there were peculiar circumstances attend-
ing it, but net even the death-bed of a parent
sanctions an ill-advised hasty union. Poor Philip
was the greatest sufferer, as he deserved to be, and
bitterly did he rue his rashness and precipitation.
Lotty, as she was familiarly termed, belonged
to a noble-hearted family. In describing the
genial natures, warm affections, and worthy senti-
ments of the Beauvillians, the author has achieved
a great success. "Peace on earth, goodwill to
men" might have been appropriately chosen as
their family text, for it pre-eminently displayed its
glorious truths in their lives, their thoughts, and
actions. The stately old father was a worthy chief
of such a house, and the only thing to be regretted
in his course was, his suffering his judgment to be
warped in regard to his daughter's marriage.
Many others appear to add interest and grace to
the scene ; also some minor individuals, who form
an amusing background. The brother and sister,
Basil and Millicent, are very deserving of atten-
tion ; and Gerald Herbert is meritorious, but his
zeal was greater than his discretion. He is well
shown to us as an instance of the peculiar evil that
can only be wrought by the good, who make reli-
gion a terror instead of a blessing, and can only let
others see it through their own perverted mediums
of right and wrong. Lady Katharine, the mother-
in-law of Margaret, is another example of the sin
of pride and self-sufficiency. Harold Leigh, the
unworthy husband of the gentle Margaret, is
naturally exemplified in his wavering and unstable
temper. His sad end throws a veil over his faults
which the critic respects. It is a. relief to the
mind of the reader when Margaret declares her
intention of contracting no second marriage. It is
true that if she had been united at first to Basil
Erle she would have been happier, and have found
a more kindred spirit and congenial nature ; but,
her heart once given, though perhaps unwisely,
was for ever, with one like her. It was useless for
the vivacious Lotty to talk of future bliss realising
past promise of early days. Margaret felt that the
present was to her what, best contained the glories
of what had been and what might be, the past was
reflected in its mysterious halo, the future fore-
shadowed in its splendid promise. The last letter
received from Harold seemed to Margaret as corn-
ing from another sphere ; purified from faults, and
sobered by sorrow, her husband had spoken in his
last hour to her—the writing, preserved till he
was given to her. The winds
had raged above, the waves of
ohfadthdeeptaermteptst
the ocean had rolled below, but the words that
wore to speak comfort to a broken heart
were saved, and reached their destination,
while the gallant ship had been struck to
pieces, and the manly hearts within her ceased
to beat for ever. Till the sea should give up
her dead was Margaret's devotion centred therein,
not that she is left a mourner, her ideas are
engaged in benefitting the property, and in put-
ting into practice those plans, which it would have
been her delight to have seen Harold carry out.
In the society of her early friends, the care of her
infant I• c iildren, the exertions for the welfare of her
tenants, she is left fully employed in the noblest of
human labours. It is of one like Margeret that we
can realise the idea of her children and friends
rising up and calling her blessed. A more ro-
mantic end might be expected from the outset of
the story, but the path of the bride is strewn with
flowers for the first day, afterwards the thorns are
visible. Happy would all be who, like Margaret,
could derive profit from the stings, as she drew
pleasure from the sweets of life, and

" As the same fair flowers look up in sunshine with a smile
And gently bend in showers."
In the marriage of Lotty with Basil the same
fault cannot be found as was apparent in his
union with her friend as she desired, and there-
fore it is so far a satisfactory termination to
the difficulties in which all seemed hopelessly
involved, but it is to be regretted that so fine
a character as that of Lotty should be marred
by being joined to Philip Leigh, so immeasurably
her inferior. This was exemplified in her nature
rising with a rebound after the severance of her
ties, not like Margaret's clinging like the ivy to the
ruined tower of her hopes. Basil is a glorious in-
stance of an unselfish and lofty mind keeping its
vantage-ground above temptation, en7y, and
snares. lie was influeueud by higher motives than