The Sun.
London, England, 1867-11-29 00:00:00

LORD HOUGIHON'S LIFE OF KEATS.

Sixteen years ago, at the time of its original pub-
lication, we remember very well reviewing, at cow
siderable length is these columns, this exquisite
memorial of John Keats by Lord Houghton, then
a commoner, and member for the borough of Pon-
tefract. A re-examination of the work in its new
form—[it appeared originally in two small volumes,
whereas it is published now in one handsome tome
of goodly size extending to 363 pages, arrayed in
bevilled binding of a substantial character]-5 re'
examination of the work in its nresent form, and
with one or two noticeable modifications in its
general arrangement, only confirms us in our previ-
ous opinion, that the book is worthy at once of the
writer and of his theme. As a mere narrative, the
biography of John Keats, as it has here been
penned by Lord Houghton, has about it a fasninl-
tion that rivets the reader's attention a-, the outset,
and carries the charm on unbroken to the end.
Mingled with the story of the young poet's life,
however, running through it in subtle involutions as
a thread of gold might through a piece of tapestry,
there is a vein of most delicate and gracefully ap-
preciative criticism as applied to the consideration 01
Keats's poetic genius by the brother poet who has
assumed by sympathy the office of his biographer'
The work in its very title affects not to be simply 3
biography of the author of Endymion and hype'
rion—assuming, as it does, to be " The Life an'
Letters" of John Keats whose correspondence
thus naturally assumes to itself a certain prominence
or importance of its own as constituting a rather
notable portion of the work as a whole. There
is an anticipative charm for the reader in the very
dedication of the book, thus, to the wife of Barry
Cornwall—we are tempted to give the dedication in
its integrity— _ _

This
Life of Keats
Is dedicated to
Mrs. Bryan Procter,
A Poet's Wife, a Poet's Mother,
and
Herself of many Poets
The Frequent Theme and Valued Friend.
The work, in its new form, is essentially a nevr
edition. And as a token of the care taken in re-
gard to the mere arrangement of its constituent
portions, it is worthy of especial remark that no in'
considerable portions of the Literary Remains
instead of being appended to the biography as
sort of illustrative supplement, as was done in the
original imprint, are here, in this new edition in-
sorted in the body of the text at the places to
which they naturally belong, as having been
at those particular periods of the poet's life Pro-
duced. This, of itself, is a very great ial"
provement. And the mention of another easage
that has happily been decided upon enables us te
make what we certainly regard as a I.ll°,st
,
agreeable announcement —to the effect that t'
other portions of the Literary Remains not here ja"
troduced at their appropri tte places in the body of the
text of Lord Houghton's Life of Keats (not here in-
troduced by reason, we presume, of their length, as
for instance the Dramatic Pieces), are reserved ninre
fitly to form part of a New Edition of the Poet's
Works to be printed uniform with the preseew
volume, a new edition that we are left, therefore'
to conjecture, is now in actual course of prclJar.
(ion. Au appendix there is nevertheless—hapPili
let us say—even to the present carefully revisou
imprint of " Keats's Life and Letters" by ford
Houghton. Rather, perhaps we should say, more
correctly, three distinct appendices—to wit, first
specimens of Keats's criticism on Edmund Kean an,
Shakspere —secondly, another version of Keats 0
"Hyperion"—and thirdly, a fragment of Keatss'
of doubtful (shall we say of very doubtful ?) authea-
ticity. Prefixed to the work as it now stands, there
is an exquisitely engraved, and very delicately iPen-
cilled portraiture of John Keats, with his autograPi
characteristically askew beneath it—a head crown°
with hyacinchine curls, among which one almost
naturally looks to find interwoven the tendrils °
the vine, wreathed with grape leaves, and
leaves, and dittany—eyes luminous, sad, and tender
—a sensuous mouth and chin—a bacchic contour
altogether, in the general effect—the head of 6'
anacreontic anachronism, a true worshipper in these
later days of all the lovelier denizens of the P3ll.
them of the antique mythology.

MOXON'S MINIATURE POETS.
sere Two other volumes of this very charming 15e ri
have recently made their appearance : a Selectl°l;
from the Poems of Lord Houghton, and a Selecti°
from the Poems of Sir Walter Scott, the latter ill"
troduced by a subtilely appreciative comnieutal
upon the lyrical genius of that last and greatest °
the Scottish bards, and closed by the publicato.n
i
(now, for the first time) of the latest of all 315
poetical effusions, to wit, a copy of verses penned of
him, within the year of his death, in the album-
Miss Wordsworth. The particular charm of the
little volume dedicated to the selection here Mud°
precious fragments from the poems of Scott, &ll-
sists, as a matter of course, in their exceeding f34-IL-
liarity. Snatches of songs, refrains, conPle.t°g'
quatrains, rhrases, similes, what not—they rll3e
with a haunting melody upon our retnembrancli;
chiming, in the rhythm and the rhyme of then2l
can
a music of which who is there among us that
ever tire ?
Adieu for ever more, my love,
Adieu for ever more !

They carved of the meal with gloves of steel,
And drank the rad wine thro' the helmet barr'd•

Breeze, bird, and flower confess the hour,
But where is County Guy?

And bettor had they ne'er boen born
Who road to doubt, or read to scorn.

For all stood bare, and in the room
Fitaames alone wore cap and plums•

. ,
When pain and anguish wring the brow,
A ministering angel thou!

Cast your plaids, draw your blades,
Forward each man set ;
Pibroch of D)nuil Dha
Knell for the onset.

So daring in love an I S 3 dauntless in war, ?
Have ye e'er heard of gallant like you ng

. . .
Iu the lost battle, b3rne down by the ilyiag , ;r0...
Where mingle with rattle the groans of tho'aP—ne
Whereve
rwe open the little bijou-book NO 0
upon some pearl of price familiar to us all--Soule
"Jewel five words long
That on the stretched forefinger of all TIM°
Sparkles for ever." polarni;
As the frontispiece to the charming
we have the " counterfeit presentment" exiluihstitfct,i,
~s-a
engraved of Sir Walter's kindly, thoug
16c71..
manly lineaments—the likeness here obeing taken from a photograph of Itaebura's websk
known portrait of him. Contrasting with of
charm of familiarity which, as we have just no
remarked, invests the selection thus made from
ac_
poems of Scott as with a not easily resistible aura
tiou— the charm investing the selection made, ilLori
companion volume, from the peeres °f ite
Houghton is one arising out of the e:cactly °pia
characteristic--namely, their unialuiliaritY. 041 r