Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1827-05-08

-AIRs and t;RacsS The Countess OF t"r'se.-
Pot Youae iad.s md Maid Ssrpdnts. Far
rei's Ballad on Bsanfy
AIRS and graces, lady IN her a,rs,-an ar
Of sweetness, of sullrnness, sc. There was
an air about her, difficult 10 express. he
word air. used in 'hese senses, is IN ended 10
exnr4ss the most delicate and evanescent part
oflhok or manppr,--that which invests and
bresth-s around il ike an ATMOSPHERE; ar that
Gives il its ;urn and EFFECT, as the air affects the
weather-cock K; or that may be said TO modu!aie
and flow along with it, like an air in music: Tor
in the 81, as IN ali synonyms there Is CORES
pondence and reference TO the family root -
There seems defect in the expression, mas
much, as il implies something acting rather
from without than within w herr as l, would fam
express the turn j en- 10 a Derso, S 10 OF
manner by the immediate state OF the MUD
Thus there is no animal tha, appears TO give
itself so manv airs as the sW an; and yet ~ none
do we recognize more obvious principle oil
will and srlf-movement II is the same IN a
pigeon. when IL is courted The very phr 'Sr
'.give itself airs" is extremely internal per 81
In short, the word air and airs. seems 10 be the
next thing TO desperate gesticulation, when we
are in want ri words, and set about expressing
our meaning by saving the air itself, making
flourish with The finger, Sc aud saying "you
know anil SHAT kind OF thing. "-Iht
;e NJ scni qroi at the French is an air. Air Is
The most incorporsal and fugitive substance we
are acqaainte.i with, and we resort 10 IL to ex
press the most incorporeal aspect of bodily
movement. Air j. also the next thing 10 body
in point Of place: and we may imagine il shap-
ed and .c,ed upon A late poe,s speaking OF
l.. Cor, wi hp
car'ed, and alIegorlzine the effect of il by
myrtle, saws Of tina, plant "f Venus, thai 1t
"-Iifts is sweet head into the air, and feeds
silent space with corresponding green"
There j. exquisite gustr in this. Claude would
have put it IN his next picture. tpaints 10 us
thing invisible-an fec, that we feel without
seeing; AID inves,s The object with a sort Of e.
there al pulp aud sa,uranor, equally rich and
free This is what we mean, when we say OF
beauty, that there is charm abou, her. Drav
ton. speaking of a couple ofhsau,iful girls, says
with an agreeable hyperbole and great delicacy
Of expression,
"The air moves not but as you please,
So much, sweet nvmphs 1t owes you.
The winds do cast them to their ease,
And GENEROUSLY enclose you"
The ancien,s no doubt, meant 20 insinuate
our modern idea Of G. aces aud airs, when they
painted the goddess of beauty attended with
Cupids on the wing. II was No, 10 express
love ready TO fly away, but graces and loves fly
in around and 10; mixture of Cupid and lie
phyr "castng them 10 their eas,." They do
no, appear to have made use Of our word -
They have "qnip, and cranks" in pleny,
"Joci Delcixque, ct IllecebrS;''
but no airs; thong doubles these were included.
The gyaia proisrvitrs of Horace seems 10 imply
a beauty in her airs; aud was understood IN tina,
sense by Congreye, when he translated IL not
very weli,-
"And with graceful sullenness she charms"
1t should rather be called an agreeable way
wardness. Anacreon alno,, hi, upon ourphrase,
when he directed The painter Of his mistress 10
set the Graces hyiug abou, her
Upon whiSh passage NJ Moore has luxuri-
ated:-
'rhen beneath the velvet chin,
Whose dmplt shades a love within,
Mould her neck, with grace descending,
In heaven at beauty ending:
While AIRY charms, above, below,
Sport aud Autter ITS snow"
The word "air" applied to aspec, and ges-
,urr, is modern, and, we supect, Provengai.-
II comes TO US from the lands Of the roman
language, WneFS IL 10 Sill IN uSt; anu Is Just
the word for a beauty In the days Of chls airy -
The Greek and Roman women, generally speak
ing, were not allowed To give themselves airs,
like the Others. The musical term air, most
probably originated at the same time There
is no greater analogy than between the forms
of sound aud gesture; as every body has expr-
rienced, who has either played music, or listen
ed TO IL, with enthusiasm See AN enthusiast
at the piano forte, and mark how he sways a.
bout his body, bending and smiling to the sweet
shapings Of the air
Ii was well observed to us the other day, that
there is a difference between the two phrase s.,
of airs and graees. and graces and airs. The
former, now adays, is generally ased III bad
sense; the latter retains the spirit OF the old
meaning, but is seldom met with, rxcrp, in bal.
lads and ieur desprT The reason is, that the
abuse Of airs and graces gradually got them
bad name; and tina, the wits and poets, wishing
10 prese, We them (and al the same time To ac-
commodate their rhymes) inverted the arpella-
ton, and thus gave them the benefit OF an alias
The distinction is useful. and oughtto be kept
up. We win give few specimens in the for
mer sense which is the general one; and live
" ballad oil Parnel's IN honour Of the latter