The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1844-08-15

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The National Poetry OF America.
We publish our first page to-day, the second
volume of the national lyrics Of the United States.
The publication of the former series has, we an
ticipated, produced very great sensation in the
literary circles; and, indeed, do not recollect
any poetical productions, since the appearance of
the 'Border Minstrelsy," which was ushered into
the world under the auspices of the immortal w alter
Scott, which have attracted so much attention as
those contained in that choice collection of orgi-
nal, characteristic, bold, startling, and spirit
ring American ballads. This is, indeed the first
outburst of the national spirit. The great, heroic
soul the republic is at last gushing forth in song
lmpetuous, wild, and unrestrained as our own Mia
CARA
Never until now have we been able to give to
the world American poetry worthy of the name
The verslfiers OF the magazines and ANIMALS have
all been mere imitators-in continual vassalage to
the poetic spirit of another land they have written
nothing characteristic of their own country. And
yet what a boundless store OF materials for epic
and lyric poetry such as has never yet been chaunt
ed in the ear OF the world, exists in this mighty
land of solemn old woods-of rushing mountain
torrents-of unpeopled solitudes, silent since the
flood! We live now in the infancy of nation
such as the world has never yet seen, and Of the
vastness of whose future imperial glory and re-
nown, poet has never yet dreamed. This is en-
phatically new world and here daily mighty
work OF conflict and of progress goes on, afford
ing themes which infinitely transcend in poetic
interest, those petty squabbes of tabled gods and
heroes, that make up the epic Of the old ballad
singer of thei Grecian Isles; and from which
we even now see created, the first, irude, but ada
mantine, broad foundations of that poetry which
will live in the old age Of the word-stirring up
the souls OF men, when the rhymes of Homer and
of Virgil shall have persisted in the deep oblivion
of the past.
The people-the instituons-the social man.
ners-the history-thc very natural scenery itself
Of this land, are all eminently suggestive OF new,
exciting, peculiar, and characteristic poetic i'm
agery and expression The elements of power and
Immortality in epic poety, are here in inexhausti-
BILE profuson. Here the emancipatcj energies Of
humanity itself, are daily accomplishing deeds of
far greater submity than the Jupiter of Homer;
when, in all his terriers, he is represented as
shaking Olympus and firing the Heavens; or, when
Virgil describes him, he is taking counsel of the
gods, and laying plans for empires. And yet what
had we that we could call poetry, before this terri
blePresldenta conflict opened the food-gates ofpo-
etc genius and sentiment, and inundated the land
with Kentucky Warbers'' and "Polk and Dallas
Minstrels''-but other names for all that is bold,
lofty and inspiring, and whose souawakening
verses, like the army OF Ulysses, 'pour along like
fire that sweeps the whole earth before it,?
1t is supposed by many of the erudite antiquari-
ans, that the Had of Homer was composed Of
collection of ballads, the productions of various
poets; and that after having been transmitted from
one generation to another by the tongue Of grey
tradition, they were finally collected and arranged
into one epic poem by Homer, something in the
manner in which Shakespeare availed himself of
the labors Of the English dramatists who had pre-.
coded him, and scrubbed contemporaneously with
himself. Regarding these incompatible lyrics
which we have collected and given to the world, as
destined fall into the hands of the American Ho-
mer-a most rational and probable conJecture-it
will be at once perceived that they acquire peculi-
ar interest, and it becomes sort of duty to con-
trast them with the works of the Greek poet One
of the chief merits ascrbed to Homer by the learn
ed criticisms one MI. Alexander Pope, who made
favorable translation of his works. observes-isthe
surprising variety of his characters, and the exceed
ngly lively impressions of those which he has con-
veyed in his verses The furious Achilles-the self
confidlng Aiax-the vigilant Hector the courageous
Agammennon-the gallant Sarpedon-not to speak
OF the great heroes, Ulysses and Nesor, are all de-
picted with astonishing life disnctness and effect
In this vivid portraiure of character, the Homers
of this glorious land-the historians of the wrath of
Polk, and the thunderbolts of Clay-are peculiarly
happy and original. Indeed, we believe that they
considerably surpass old Homer in this faculty Of
painting their heroes. We submit single speci-
MEM
Adams is q turkey hen, Buys,
From his wing he shakes aquil
And scratches 'gainst bold Tyler
Come all in time, sc.
Old Henry Clays gobber,
That struts upon bank,
He fain would perch up higher,
But he's grown too foul and rank.
Come all in tine, &C.
Dan Webster is proud cock,
That has some Yankee game,
But he's too much fed, boys,
Our Loco feed to claim.
Come all in time, &c.
OldsTalmadge is gobbler
That's fed down to the gzzard,
He's OF the turkey tribe, boys,
That nauralists call buzzard.
Come all in time. &c.
But our birds eagle
Oftrue democracy,
Then let us rally round him,
II we would We. be free
Come all in time, ye Locos
Around the eagle throng,
And sweep n the wing turkies,
With pull long and strong
We defy DR.. Anthem, good as he is at picking
out and using to good purpose too, the beauties OF
Homer as well es the beauties of his commenta-
tors, to Gull any descriptive passage from the Iliad
which at all approaches to these sanzas in graphic
power and effect.
In truth, no matter what characteristic Of the
Homeric poetry may be named, we can find it in