New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1846-04-01
THE TRIBUNE.
Browuing,s Poems.

Country as indeed in his own, his lame can spread
but slowly, from the nature OF his works On this
very account,-of the peculiarly OF his genius,-we
arc DESTROYS 10 difuse the knowledge that there is
sncb person. thinking and writing, so that those
wbo here and there, need just him, and not another
NAV know where 10 turn.
Our first acquaintance with this subtle aud radiant
mind was through his Paracelsus," of which we
cauno, now obtain copy, and must write IRON
distant memory.
II is one of those attempts, that illustrate the SELF
Consciousness OF this age, to represent the fever OF
the Soul pining to embrace the secret OF the uni
verse in q single trance Men who are once seized
With this fever, carry thought upon the heart as
cross. instead of finding themselves daily warmed
and enlightened to more life and joy by the sacred
FIRE to which their lives daily bring fresh fuel.
Sometimes their martyrdoms greatly avail, as to
positive achievements Of knowledge for their own
good and that of all men but. oftener, they only
enrich by experience of the temporary limitations
Of the mind, and the inutility OF seeking TO trans
cend. instead OF working within, them.
OF this desire, 10 seize at once booty what 1t
was intended we should legitimately win by grad
ual growth, alchemy and the etiru rite were, in
the middle ages, ap, symbols. In seeking how TO
prolong life, meu wasted its exquisite sprlDg-time
and splendid summer, lost the clues they nigh! have
gained by imitation TO the mysteries OF the present
existence They sought to make gold in crucibes
through study of the laws which govern the mate
rial world, while within them was crucibe and
FIRE beneath it, which only needed watching in faith
and purity and they would have turned all sub
stances to treasure, which neither moth nor rust
could corrupt
Paracesus had one of those soaring ambitions that
sought the stars and built no nest amid the loves or
lures Of life Incapable Of sustaining himself in an
gelic force and purity he tainted, after while his
benefits, by administering them with the arts oil
charla,an, seeking TOO ambitiously the mastery oil
life he missed its best Instructions
Yet he who means noblcness. though he misses
his chosen aim, cannot fail TO bring down precious
quarry from the clouds. Paracelsus won deep knowl
edge of himself and his God. Love followed, ii 1t
could not bless him. and the ecstaces of genius wove
music into his painful dreams.
The holy and domestic love of Mchal that Ace
Maria Stella of his stormy life, the devotion OF
friend who living, for hms elf in the humility oil
genuine priest, yet is moved, by the pangs of SYM
psthy 10 take part against and "wrestie with
Heaven in his behalf the birth and bud OF the crea-
yespirit which besses ihroug the iulness OF FORMS
as expressed in Aprile all are told with beauty
and still more, pregnancy, unsurpassed amid the
works of contemporary minds.
The following poem will give some ioea Oh inc
scope and style OF Paracelsus:
Pardcelsus (sincs)-" Over the sea our galeys went
Cleaying prows in order brave,
With speeding wind and bounding wave
gallant armament
Each bark hewn out Of forest tree
Left leafy and rough as first II grew,
And nailed all over the gaping sides,
Within and without with black bulls'hdes.
Seethed in fat and supplied in flame.
So each good ship was made to see
Rude and bare to outward view
But each upbore stately tent;
Cedar poles in scented row
Kent out the flakes of dancing brine
An awning dropped the mast below,
Thnt neither noontde nor sunshine
Nor moonlight cold, which maketn mao
Might pierce the regal tenement
When the sun rose, gay and GLAD,
We set the sail and piled the oar;
But when the nightwind blew Ike oreatn,
For joy of one days voyage Ger,
We sang together on the wide sea
Like men at peace on piecetul shore
Each sail let loose to the wind SO Tree,
Each helm MADE sure BY the twilight star
We, the voyagers from afar,
Law stretched. Each weary crew
In r circle round the wondrous tent,
Whence cleaned soft light and curled rich scent
And with light and perfume music too
AT morn we started beside The mast
And still each ship was sailing last
Now one morn land appears
A speck dim trembling betwiNt sea and SKY,
Not such the isles our voyage must hnd
Should meet the longing eye
But the heaving sea was black behind
Many night and many day,
And land, though but n rock, was nigh
SO we broke the cedar pales away
And let the purple flap in the wind
Lo! a statue bright was on every deck!
We shouted, every man of US,
And sailed right Into the harbor thus,
With pomp and pzan glorious
An hundred shapes Of lucid stone.
AL day we built its shrine for each
Nor paused, till in The weseripg sun
We sat together on the beach
To sing because our task was done
When To- what shouts and merry songs
What laughter all the distance stirs-
A loaded ran, and happy throngs
OF gentle Islanders.
Our isles are just at hand" they cried,
Like cloudlets faint in even sleeping,
Our temple gates are open wide
"Our olive groves thick shade are keeping,
"For these Insjestic forms, they cried
Then We awoke with sudden start
To find, alas too late
How bare the rock, how deSolate
Which had received our precious freight.
Yet We called out, Depart
Our gifts given must here abide.
!" Our work is done. We have no heart
ITO cur work. We cried.
Parccelsus. Nay, wait,
All this is tracings rude on rugged stones
Strewu here and there, but piled in order once
Then folows-nsdrk what follows
The sGi rhyme Of The iosO proudly clNHS
To aseir Ers! ta4I, aud oiiisred IN their pride
Sordello we have never seen. and have been
much disappointed al not being able to obtain the
loan Of copy now existent in New England Ills
spoken Of as work more thckly envcloped in re.
hned obscurtes than any other that really had
ameaning and no one acquainted with Browning's
mind can doub, his always having valuable mean.
ing. thoash sometimes we may not be willing to
take the degree Of trouble necessary to ferret ii out
His writings have, till lately, been clouded by ob-
scurites, his riches having seemed to accumulate
beyond his mastery OF them, So beautiful are the
picture CLEANS SO full OF meaning the little thoughts,
that are always twisting their parasites over his
main purpose, that we hardly can bear to wish them
away, even when we know their excess TO be de-
tect They seem, each and all, too good TO be Topped
away and we cannot wonder the mind from which
they grew was at loss which 10 reject YET.