New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1845-07-18
THE TRIBUNE.
Thomas Hood.

THE i hIDC Il.
Thomas Hood.
voxy almost the last light has gone out oil Inc ga
80, ,bs, made the first thirty years OF this age so
-, Wordsworth and Moore alone remain And
Z. ArDss,v that now reigns over the world OF wit
"A ooetry is poor and pale indeed, in comparison.
~. are anxious 10 pour due libations to the depart
!, zoe need not economizc our wine II will not be
often needed now.
GOOD has closed the most fatiguing career IN the
"A ,ba, Of q proiessed wit and we may say with
40, feeling than Of others who shuttle oil the load
g.sre nav he rest in peace The fa'igues oil
..ooeror missionary preacher, even OF an active
.a,,,hropst. like Howard. are nothing to those oil
...,essed wit Bad enough when he is only man
j.,cety. By whom every one expects TO be en-
..ed and relieved who can never talk gravely IN
nor without those around observing that he
"a have heard some bad news TO be so out oi
ss,-vho can never make simple remark while
eng peaceful dinner without the table being set
l., roar of laughter as when Sheridan. on such an
,.on. opened bis lips for the first time to say that
b. liked currani Jelly" For these unhappy men
.s,s are no intervals of social reposc no long 81
.,,e. fed by the mere feeling OF sympathy or gen
lveoeriained by observation, no warm quieiude IN
ts mild liyeries of green or brown, for the world
l..made up It's mind that motley is their only wear
,Dd,eazes them to jingle their bells forever
Rat far worse is il when the protested wit IL also
Nv proCesson writer, and finds himself obliged TO
cain for bread those jokes which in the irolic exu-
bsrsnce Of youth, he so easily coined for fun. we
can conceive of no existence more cruel so torment
inc and a, the same time so dull. We hear that
Hood WAS forever behind hand with his promises to
,pblsbers; no wonder But when we hear that he
in consequence, lost great part of the gains OF his
hard life and was in consequence, harassed by other
cares, we cannot mourn to lose HIM II
"Ancr liie's ii,iul fever he sleeps well,
or Il as our deeper know ledge leads us 10 hope he
: now engaged in "A better life, where his iancies
hal take their natural place and flicker IKE ght on
he surface of profound and full stream io"ins De-
wiki rich and peaceful shores, such as no less thah
he drawbacks upon his earthly existence are indi-
csted in the following
SONNET
The curse of Adam, the old curse of all
Though | inherit in this fcvensh lie
M worldly toll vain wishes, and hard STRIFE,
And fruitlcss thought in cares eternal thrall
Yet more sweet honey than OF buer gan
taste through thee my Eva my sweet VIE
Then what was Mans lost Paradise how ME
Ofbliss since love is with him IN his TALL
Such a. our own pure passion sun might frame
Of,his fair earth and It's delightful bowers,
limo fell sorrow like the serpent came
To trail It's venom Der the sweetest MOWERS
n,,o oh . nd
As only should be shed fol- guilt ana shainc
In Hood as in all true wits the smile lghtens on
he verge of tear. True wit and humor show that
sxou.e sensibity TO the relations of life that fine
oerceptjon rs TO slight tokens of its fearful hopeful
mysteries, which imply pathos TO still higher degree
han mr,h Hood knew and welcomed the dover
which na,ure gave him al his birth when he wrote
thus:
AN things are touched with Melancholy
Born of the secret souls mlstrust
Totee her fair ethereal wings
Weighd down with vile degraded dust
Even the bright extremes OF Joy
Bring on conclusions OF disgust.
Like the sweet blossoms OF the May
Whose fragrance ends in must
o give her then. her tribute lust
Her signs and tears and musings holy
There is no music in the life
That sounds with idiot laughter solely
There s not a string situncd TO mirth
But has It's chord in melancholy
Hood was true to this vow of acceptance He
vowed to accep, willingly the pains as well as Joys
Of lie for wba, they could teach Therefore years
expanded and enlarged his sympaihics, and gave to
bis hsh,e., Jokes an obvi ous harmony with a great
moral design. Not ob,rusively obvious, but enough
70 10 Give a sweetness and permanent complacency
10 our laughter. Indeed what Is written IN ms
ssyer mood has affected us more, as spontaneous
predictions always do than what he has written OF
lale with grave design and which has been so much
landed BY men TOO obtuse to discern latent mean
ins or to believe in good purpose unless they are
Umsry told that il exists
The later serious poems Of Hood are well known
81 are his ies, books and novel We have now IN
view 10 speak rather Of little volume OF poems
Published by him some years since, republshed
here bu, never widely circulated.
When book or person comes TO us IN the best
possible circumstances. we iudsc-not too iavora'
BY, for all that the book person can suggest is
part OF It's fate and wha, is not seen under the most
favorable circumstances is never quite truly seen
ether as to promise or periormance-bui we form
Judgment above what can be the average sense OF
be world in general as to its merits, which may be
esteemed after time enough has elapsed, ,olerably
air estimate of performance, though not of promise
suggestion.
We became acquainted with these poems in one
Of those country towns which would be called,
abroad. the most provincial Of the province. The
Inhabitants had lost the simplicity OF farmers habits
without gaining in its place the refinement. the va
rs,y, the enlargement; of civic life Their industry
bad received little impulse from thought; their
saasement was gossip. All men find amusement
ssossip-liierary, artistic, or social; but the de
srees in ii are almost infinite. They were at the
@lcm OF the scale; they scrutinizcd their neigh
'~s characters and affairs necessarily, impairment
Wand with minds unpuri6ed by higher knowledge
Consequently the bitter fruits Of envy and calumny
bounded
In this atmosphere was detained two months
Nd an.ng people very uncongenial both to my
ASes and notions Of right But had retreat OF
s"n beauty The town lay on the bank OF noble
nser behind il lowered high and rocky hull.
'a'oer every afternoon wen, the lonely stranger,
" await the fall of the sunset on the opposite bank