New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1843-01-20


Magazine OF its class in ,hi. country and it COM
rnences its new volume with double number of
more than eighty closely printed pages in double
columns, we'll filled with contributions both in
Prose and Verse, from the most popular writers, in
the United States, accompanied by three Of the
finest engravings produced In any of the Monthly
Magazines, where illustrations of this sor, have be-
come SO fashionable. While, however, we thus
cheerfulIy acknowledge the decided superiority of
this Magazine over most Of its contemporaries, we
still beg leave to protest against styling it, as the
publisher does in his prospectus, the " American
Blackwood -; for we can scarcely find point Of
resemblance between the two, unless it be in the
general fact that both are excellent, leading Month
y Magazines; and comparison founded upon this
fact is. for our taste, too much like that of Men
mouth and Maccdon, quoted from Shakspeare's
Fluellen few days since by our correspondent
sod School -" Look you, Master Corner; there
isa rs0er liz Monmouth, md a river in Macedon,
and there are fishes in both.' The chief worth
Of Blackwood springs from its mastery crit
cs1ns, its powerful essays, political and moral its
splendid historical and biographical sketches, and
its learned and admirable papers on subjects of in
terest mainly to scholars and men Of thought Ora
hams Magazine excludes nearly all such papers,
aud confines itself to the lighter more fanciful and
pleasing, though far lower fields of literature Not
strong thinkers, sound scholars, or powerful essay
ist--as in Blackwood-are engaged to write for its
pages: but men who most successfully please the
fancy, crafty the taste, the leisure Of the
great body of fashionable readers. But there is,
cetainy, necessity for farther exhibiting the
trast which clearly exists, between these two peri
odicals thus vauntingly compared.
There are in this number several excellent tales.
COOPER continues his Autobiography of Pockel
Handkerchief which contains many pointed and
well-timed hits. WILLIS contributes story enti-
tied Born to Love Pigs and Chickens, an easy.
of-hand sketch of q natural and pleasant incident,
full of those neat turns and happy epithets which,
more than any other feature, mark all he writes.
Dr.. REYEELL COATES writes thrilling tale enti-
lied The Fire-Doomed,' and HorFMAN brief
Tennessee story Of The Enchanted Gun Rev.
G..B. CHEEvER of this city contributes brief and
pleasant sketch of A Few Hours in Venice There
are several other good prose sketches, which we
have not space to notice.
Among the Poems is one by LOWELL, which we
have already published, but concerning which we
wishnew to say few words, as it has importance
beyond its own merits, being in some measure q
fair typo Of the productions of certain school OF
Poets who have within few years sprung into
somewhat active and vigorous life. 1t is entitled
The Moon and aims, as nearly as we can inter
rret it to express the chaos of the Soul before it
has loved, by comparing it to the Sea before the
Moon ruled it. The Sen, in the absence of the
Moon, had no regular tides, but tossed its waves
without any law: So the Soul, before Love-
which is its sovereign Moon '-had risen uponit,
was restless and It's action aimless. This conceit.
for it rises no higher than an effort of the fancy,
Bpreuy and pleasing but it does not shadowforth
the real intensity of Love. II Love be the Soul
nothing more than is the Moon to the Sea, then all
who have written about it heretofore and we are
accustomed to rely with some confidence upon
their testimony have sadly exaggerated its power
and made quite too much ado about its triumphs
But not to quarrel with the thought, how is 1t
wrought out (? Well, in the main; though the SIM
ieis allowed completely to conquer the sentiment,
which is but family and very indisncty limited at
n,he last lines. Nearly the whole poem is de-
scription of the influence of The Moon over the
Ocean; the last few lines introduce what is intend
cd to be the chief thought of the whole-that for
which the rest was written. This, however, is not
uncommon, nor is it, in itself, very objectionable.
Is come a little nearer, however, and descend
pyerbal criticism. On reading the FIRST line,
"My soul ,pas like the sea-"
as FIRST thought that is suggested by the words
Used is, when was your soul :. like the sea I? and
he next line is accepted invoiuntarily as the
answer:
"Before the mcen was made"
Ibis is the interpretation made necessary by the
grammatical structure of the verse; but it is not
the usaning intended by the author, who undoubt-
edly meant to say that the sea, before the moon
sasmade, was proper emblem of his soluble
lore some ether point of time, which he no where
Specifies, except blindly at the very close OF the
poem. Now this, slight as it may appear, seems
'ous livery grievous fault in any poetry; it is not
merely re,;al sin, but one of which no real poet
should be guilty. Grammar and common sense
'N OF use to poets as to Others and their eblga-
a0os upon them ought to be quite as strong. In
Proceeding to describe the state of the sea at that
aas' the poet says that j, was
Moaning in vague immensely;
Its only voice vast, dan,b moan
OF at,trlsss anguish speaking"
now 1t seems 70 US that to style moan cast,
aaneaning: to call moan dsm5 is TO call it
aaaan at all; and to cab dumb moan, any kind