Wisconsin herald, and Grant County advertiser. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1844-1845, 1845-10-25


musical humhugs of the day, spiced
with very fair sprinkling Of satire
upon the author of "The sea, the sea-"
here parodied in "The tea, the tea."-
Also parody Of Tom Moore's "Oft
in the Silly night" but the first scrap
diverse below, commencing "Soon the
cry began to languish," is an imitation
of our poet Mr.. Poe, who is himself SO
cuttingly caustic upon all other writers,
is the best thing in it:
Chinese Music and Psctry.
America has frequently been visl-
sedby celebrated poets and musicians
Ole Bull has fiddled the Yankees into
admiration. and Braham has sung theni
into delight. Numberless professors
have put forth theiI claims to consider
alton, but undoubtedly the greatest mu-
steal lion who has eAer visited our
shores is the celebrated and profound
" learned Professor LE-KAw-HING.
who is now exhibiting his wonderful
powers at the Chinese Museum in this
city.
Professor LE-KAw-HING is ore OF
the most extraordinary men Of bis age
and times. In his native land he was
teacher of music, but having become
an inveterate opium user, his brilliant
genius evaporated in smoke, and his tai
ents were hid in an opium pipe. To
cure himself of this bad habit, and to
afford the outside Of the world an OPP
portunity of basking in the effulgent
rays of his genius, he consented TO
leave for time the .central flowery
nation" and bestow the benefits OF his
learning and science on the barbarlans
of Boston. Accordingly the Anacre-
on and the Apollo of China is in our
midst. May his shadow never be
less!
The personal appearance of this great
poet and musician is striking and pecu-
liar. Would that the "pen and ink
sketches" might describe him! His
eyes are small and deeply set beneath
a low receding forehead, which termi-
mates ia a shaven crown, from which
hangs one long plated lock of hair,
which it is supposed communicates
with his ideas, and by which he pulls
them up as necessity or occasion re-
auires. His countenance has all the
gravity of thinking man, of a Words
WORKMAN Chinese; and when lighted
up as he sings one OF his own inlmlta-
bic melodies, it is wonderfully striking.
But his voice is the chief attraction
Unlike anything elsein nature, it stands
(ifa voice can be said to stand) by IT.
self alone. Like Niagara, there is
nothing with which to compare it; and
once heard, it can never be forgotten.
We once heard lady say happily, that
it was purely feline in its character,
and more Catalini-ish compliment
could not have been paid. We have
ourselves heard serenadcs which have
reminded us of some tones of the Pro-
fessor's voice; and great living poet
has thus graphically described such
midnight-music:-
"Soon the cry bsgan to languish, melting into
plaintye anguish,
Like the Tyre Eoian, lulling 10 a tender, slender
tone;
grdlons broiling,
Or some fond mamas were spelling (just because
they were their own)
Half a hundred blubberng babies Gust because
they were their own
Such the sounds heard alone.
uering and suffering
Then shrek SO shrill and piercing that il cut me
to the bone.
Like the death cry of lonely, los, and loveles'
being only
Like tina, awful death cry only, sinking to gasp
ing groani
Then the silence fell, as falleih floating feathei
downward prone,
And once more 1 seemed alone"
But LE-KAw-HISG is poet, and
Prof. Longfellow in his recently pub
lished yolumn on the "Poets and Poe
try of Europe" having by the most un'
accountable negligence omitted loi1 2
ish us with translation OF the Chinese
poets verses, we have ourselves under
taken the task; and it will he seen
that some great English poets have
written verses which bear wonderful
resemblance to LE-KAw-HrSe's. Fol-
instance take the following with winch