Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1828-04-23

NOW stood high III official rank; and might
have one day unfiricd his pcnnant over .
the hrst nag ship Of the Nation. Had he !
bent ms whole devotion to the muses., he
might Ut no distant period, have become the
hrS' poet Oh the agc;--thc pride Of one hcmis-
Piere; ana the admiration of the other. Or
abandoning the muses., when nc first deter
miheo upon pursuing the rugged paths of lc
gal science, he might one day have worn the
mantle OF his father, and stood side bv side,
win nm, III the view OF posterity.
lie is not, however, lost to posteritv.-
ms poetry Will continue TO be read, 50
long as ms countrymen shall have sense to
appreciate, or soul to feel the elIjlsons Of ma
tive genius
All the principal fruits of pocticul excel
lence, subimity, beauty, harmony. taste and
Judgment, are the chura cteristicS Of his poe
Try lie seems occasionally to have caught
the spirit OF Goethe; but he was as ii were.
the antitype OF Byron. There was indeed
an extraordinary resemblance Of genius and
character between these two poets K is not
to be wondered at, that the more youthful
but Kindred bosom OF the American poet,
shouid have taken fire us he kncl: ut the al
tnF where Byron Lighted hi; torch Of cvcrlas-
ting fame, ard that he should have struggled
for the possession Of the bright glu.ies with
=
ed upon Byron as his prototype There is,
however, nothing in the versilicaton, or ina
! gerry OF PnHnsy's poetry, at all resembling
that OF Byron, yet there is Il likeness of spirit
"a kindred pe:vadlng cnthusiasn---a SINH
larlty oftcehng and of thought throughout
the whole poetry Of Pinknev, which reminds
us irre.;ist!bly Of Byroa-and when we add
10 this, the striking similarity between ,tem
IN many points of individual CHI aractcr, in a
TIT of superstition, we are almost disposed to
fancy that Tic soul Of the British Bard soar
ing alott, had pierced through the clouds and
storms of the great Atlantic, to mingle in
union and communion with the kindred spirit
ofthe poet of the West
=, " c nave not room tor coPlous cytrac Is
from the work of Mr.. rnknev--a few oulv
Will be necessary TO prove the truth Of O ur
cr!tIclsm-Wc begin therefore by cxtractin o
the third stanza of his poem on Italy:
~. looks dniIe ON the face of earth,
The seal of beauty and t.ic Shrine Of ,nir,h;
Mature is delicate an'i graceful there.
The places gcrius. feminine a, Il fair
lie winds awcd, dat 10 brea the a,o,yi:
The ain seems nrv:r To have borne a cloud,
Aud solemn smokes like a't,.s of the world
| Tn ice be tunl!-tn thai deli GIFTED spot
Garry Our maj. led hearts, all pain forga,"
In a!luslcn TO some OF these lines, the
North American Reviewers ask, Are they
not poetry, and grand poetry The simiIii-
tudes contained Ill them are such as the me-
mofy cannot refuse to keep and cherish,
because they arc rich in those sublime asso-
Citations which the memory loves, and loves
TO hoard among It's troasurcs.n
Seldom do we see in so narrow a commas
so many, and such beautiful ir1ama; as are
Contained iii the fourth stanza OF ss'Iho Ind;-
ans Bridc''-lt proves the author to have
been close observer. and intense admirer
Of the works Of Naturc:-
! ''Fhe world, ali they know Of H.
IS theiTs:-tur then tic are liz:
] II them the earth benea II is q cen,
! ne heavens above bright;
To: i!,rm the moon doth wax = nd wan.
And decorate tho gilt:
r them the branches of those trcss
Wave music in the vcInaI bfccZ..
Tor th-m upon hat dancing SPRAY
The freq bird sis aud siues
And ei.tiprins insects Git about
Upon e-ii.d wing.
~ them that S.""k, the hiak,s ar,org
hthT'nu's is small and druyvsy SOM:
"t mem the many colorc clouds
Their shapes DIVERSITY,
And change AT once Ike smiles and uwus,
Ih EXPRESSION of ;he sky &C.
The same praise belongs TO an etTusiou in
another part Of the work The following
extract from which is peculiarly bcautifrI
and fuIl Of originality.
alike happy islands o? tie .ky
The cleaning cloud rrposc on hin.
Each fixed sublime, deprived. or motion
A DeOs tn the inv OcpnD.
Jpou tile sti'css shore breeze
Shook the green drapery Of lilc trees
Or, rebel to Tranquility,
Awoke ripple u the sc1."
The comparison of clouds, in clear blue
and calm sky, to islands Of the blcSt-cach