Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1845-09-18

I.
ing the subject of conversation bein
changed, he Immediately onquired 'Yo
have written poetry then We'll, ye
said the young man something 10 which
, attached the name of poetry Has
} ever been published?' said |. mo he re
piled, and never will be, reflection ha
taught me that whatever have written il
that line is mere trash Were it other
wise should have no desire for its publ
cation. After moments pause, in which
his evidently gay disposition seemed Il
torsake him, he added, 'The world ha
gone hard with me in the course of my
life thus far, and | have abandoned al
wish for its favor or applause, | am OF
the way to my native place. | know no
that shall ever reach it. | have ye
some siX-hundred miles to travel, and my
purse cant boast a sixpence, In thai
respect SAID J-it resembles the purses
OF most poets. That circumstance is no,
peculiar, but there must be something un.
usual your history since at an early
age you have become Disguised with the
world and determined no longer to court
its favors'
well, said the Poet my career has not
been very remarkable one, but marked
with few rough passages which if you
like, will detail to you He then with
with some few preliminary observations,
not necessary to be repeated, told his sto-
ny so far as can rccoIect in nearly the
the following words:-'My name is Page,
| am the only child ola wealthy planter
of Augusta county Alabama. My father
intended that | should pursue his own w.
cation. This however did not prevent
his putting me at an early age under the
tuition of an excellent private teacher
lie regarded good education as equally
necessary TO the tll,er of the soil as to
the professional man. Before / had at
tanned the age cf twelve | had made con-
siderable proficiency in the Greek and
Latin, and gone the round of such studies
as arc usually assigned to boys of that
age, About that time unfortunately |
read Mungo Parks travels in Africa and
adventures OF several other distinguished
travellers. was Immediately transferred
to an ideal world. walked the same
wastes and bore up under the same SUI
lerings as did Park. | determined to
travel and visit all the scenes of which
had read This state of mind however
did not continue long, for young physi-
clan Of the mel ghborhood knowing my
penchant for books, sent me Byron's Pc.
ems, lfI had read prose with pleasure |
read that poetry with enthusiasm. Before
laying aside the volume | had nearly
committed to memory the most exciting
parts of Mazeppa and the seige Of Corinth.
| thought those two peiccs contained poe
try in the highest degree beautiful,
still think some of the best poetry Byron
ever wrote is to be found in those poems.
the description Of the wild troop horse
that sprung from out lyon tuit of black
cning fires to welcome their old mate up
on which Mazcppa was tied, is striking
in the extreme. You have read it, and
am sure your knowledge of its pictur-
csqe beauty, will pardon me the repetition
of it,
With flowing tail and flying name,
Mouths bloodess to the bit or rein,
And feet that iron never shod,
And TANKS ulscarred by spur or rod,
A thousand horse, the wild the free,
Like waves that follow DER the sea
Come thickly laundering on
As if our faint appro ach to meet;
They stop, they start, they snuff the air
Gallop moment here and there
Approach, retire, wheel round and round
Then plunging back with sudden bound,
They snort-they foam--negh --swerve
aside
And backward to the forest fly
BY instinct from human eye.
You may not agree with me in opinion,
but | think that passage cannot be sur
passed in truth iullness and force Of de-
scriplion by any thing in the language,
mean the particular description. 9th
er things possessed in themselves of NOR e
interest than troop of horse may be
portrayed in language equally forcibIe,
and perhaps more beautiful But the Pc
culiar chasm Of the passage have quot
cd is that the peet has invested so ordi-
nary topic, with such interest. His
Midnight Scenes in the seige of Corinth
is undoubtedly more poetical but then the
subject is of such kind, that we should
he much disappoipted if genius like his.