New-York daily tribune., 1844-11-27
THE TRIBUNE.
English Poetry.

English Poetry.
qsy Porrs ASp PosTRy or ESeLAND in the Nineieenth
Us q easy Rytsi { hs M hs%G5n vol royal S'0
Mr.. Griswold's Poets aud Poetry of America
o,e Of the best.abused books of our time-is
,,s passing through its sirth edition, though its
*. was issued some two and half years ago
rs,bibits faults, both of omission and commits.
:,p-manly such as are iuseparable from a
nmpi!ation and criticism of the writings of CO.
,mpora,ies, by one in the habit of intimate CON-
sunion with many if not most of them-and yet
,sffords incomparably the best and completest
rev extant of American Poetry. Indeed, VIC
ioubt whether the nexttwenty years will produce
i, single volume entitled to supersede it. No
american library of any character or pretensiens
an be complete withoutit.
In compiling the volume before u.s. Mr.. Girls
vold labored under no such embaraesments as
psrred to s9mo extent the success of his former
sak. Tne Poets Of England are to him but Po-
t-nut friends, associates, nor even acquaintan.
ss He therefore writes of them more freely, di-
sc.ly and satisfactorily than he could write Of
ar American versifers. He speaks right to the
pint, and almost always justly. We do not con-
cor in all his opinions-for example, he does not
seen Wordsworth SO highly as we debut there
:rn be no serious injury done even by mistaken
uigments of Poets, when their works are fairly
po,ed on the accompanying pages, as here. As
fair specimen of MIR. Griswold's criticisms ard
Biographical notices all brief-take the follow
ag extract from his introduction to Shelley:
aSHELLEy's predominant faculty was his imagi-
nsion. Fantasy prevails TO such an extent in his
long poems thai they 100 abstract for the daly
tod' OF any but ideal minds. No modern poet has
,eated such an amount of nero iElagery. There
ii want Of simplicity and human iaterest about
his productions which render them "caviare to the
general" He has been well designated as the
sost for poets. Two or three Of his shsd pieces
.re models of lyric beauty. His Classic dramas
bound in rich metaphors. The Cenci is unques-
touably the most remarkable OF mo5ern plays.
Greek literature modified his taste, and d lie of
agular vicissitudes disturbed the healthul current
Ia soul cast in gentle but heroic mould. His
upiratons we're exalted and his genius of the FIRST
utaer. Notwithstanding all the injustice done him
bmcu prejudiced By his ireligious opinions, il is
nv belief from careful study of his lile that the
world has scarcely iuynshed more noble nature.
\, might have been Christian had he suffered less
fsm mans inhumanity. The weakness and wick
.!cess which made him an exile from his home and
mn,ry hardened mis- heart and petriied his feelings
uainst az Influence which is rarely powerful save
when il comes in the guse Of love-.
Tue limits assigned TO this work are mcst ju-
dicious. The English poetry anteeedent to the
present age had already baen well presented by
Campbell, Scu;hey and others. No American
might hope to improve on the fruits of their la
bors Yet precisely the same considerations that
embarrassed the compilation of Mr.. Grlswoics
Poets of America would have naued any Eng
:sh collection, by writer of mark, of the eo:em-
,orary Poetry of his own land. Mr.. G.'s oppor-
unties are therefore fur better than those OF any
one who has attempted to give full view Of CO.
temporary English Poetry, while his resources
and facilities are hardly inferior to those of any
other
The Nineteenth Century has been peculiarly
ich in English Poetry. Throwing out shaks-
pesre and Milton, we are inclined to think the
better half of that Poetry has been written since
1900. Yet few of us, in this busy, noisy age,
have any idea of the extent and richness of these
recently deposited treasures. We have read BY
np, Moore, Scott. Campbell, and Mrs. Hemans;
nmething OF Wordsworth, Ccleridge, and Rog-
ss, and something about Crabbe, Southey, and
Hunt; rather more of Tennyson, Barry Corn
wall. and others 'of that ilk but how much do
,he mass of us know of the genius and writings
Of Sterling, H. Taylor, Hood las genuine poct,)
Elizabeth B. Barrett, r. M. Mines, &c. &c. be-
,ond their casual contributors to the British
Nayszines, and an occasional notice in the Re
news 2. We, for instance, read, admired, and
copisd 'The Ramount of Margset' from Lon.
Don Magazine, years before we heard that ii was
r.,en bv Elizabeth B. Barrett, and even before
We knew there was such woman. Many read
e. Will first learn from MIR. Griswods work who
sro.e stanzas which have for years fingered III
heir memories.
-While we ara on the subject, let US give Mr.
Griswold's list of the English Poets OF the pre-
,ent century. Il will interest fomc, and the
space can hardly be erudged by any:
e r.h. Ebenezer Elliott Thomas Hood,
,ssME S,ssWEe Cs,Ss,v Reynnid feber, r. B Mncnulay,
wauen w p ,o, p,vss Allan Cunningham, D. Nj. Mor.
SSsuel Rogers, Beflt Z Ds.to"' 5f,S Nornn
~ SrEgerton BrytScS, iJe'eh nGuS, - Se,i,n.,
lasnaa Bailie. Byun VI f,1isol' fI,,' ST W ,cJ s,
knher Bloomfield. Henry nllNe w ''e' ;sa,iS S,r,,r
tonn 1 y; lIs,e, 'Ibnpns Pfnric Srf Bulwer,
Sr Walter Scott, William fete., ~ 1teI.' tie,yrv
.smcs Montgomery Rnnn heineuy, Iri,,S N u b, r,etf
saa1 s5, Sbeydn Knowlcs Vlnthrop NJ. Pfued,
Yoae,t S.mrSey Caroline l.. Bowles. Alfred Iennysoh
". Savage Lancor Henry n. aiiiuai' Ts"S,i W"de
iSayLLeSy o ~ oeis rh.yL.e Wolfe Robert Browning,
rbaos. ali Perry r Shelley Rch'd Henry Horne
Nla1 Herbert, Felicia Heinnns r psanCe. Ms,on Snes
81 humphry Invy, Sergeant niiono' n i'op.Iso p -
Sa.,.a =. S,h r. Wnyne. Rsyly Henry Afford,
Tnurlas Moore Geo-ge Cruly. hize Ccok.
Web e. Cotton, Nip. N9lneffwen' o. I, a. Ihs,
aen Kenyon, Robert PoioK, II. "'1'o
All these are quoted ana briefly commented on
tbis v,,k while from many of those most de-