The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-01-20
THE REPU BtllC
From the Boston Post

From the Boston Post
Poem by lyio--Th~ Ueetle.
Poor hobbling beetle, need'st MT haste;
Should TRAVELLER, TRAVELLER tlaus alarm
Pursue thy Journey through the waste;
No foot Of mine shall work thee harm.
Who knows what errand grave thou hast
''small family that have not dncd'
Lodged under pebble, there they fast
Till head Of house have raised the wind
Mans bread lies 'mong the feet of men
For eark and moil sufficient cause
Who cannot COW would reap and then
la Bcet!edom are no poor laSs.
And if thy wife and thou agree
But i'll. aS like when short ct VISUAL,
swear the public sympathy
Thy fortune merlteth, poor bte ut
Alas and | should do thee siaith--
To realms Of night with hcel,op send
IiFho judged thee worthy pains Of death,
On earth, save me, without friend
Pass on, poor beetle Venerable
Art thou, were wonders neer so rife;
Thou hast what Bel to Tower of Babel
Not gave: the chief OF wonders Life.
Also, OF 'ancient family"
Though small in size, Of feature dark
What Debrett's peer surpasseth thee?
Thy ancestor was in Noah's ark
The above is from an old number of "Hogg's
INSTRUCTOR" an Edinburgh pefio iical Its gro
tesque iocularity thnly Disgusting real feeling,
and the ragged, uncouth, unkempt style hi ghly
characteristic of the author. II is metriCn curl
osity--somcthing in quite unique manner,
which, considering the subject circumstances,
and all, might 10 use phrase Of his own, be called
the ''anbulatory necessitous style of composition.
lie has said Rhyme that had no inward neces
siy ~ be rhymedit ought tohave told us plainly,
without any jingle what il was aiming at" This
inward necessity, which we take to- be ductie,
musical spontaneity of language--the thought
flowing in element of melody, does not seem
very apparent in his own case We believe he
has published no other original verse except the
"rrigedy of the Night Moth" among his Miscel-
anies, Mr. Carlyle's poetcal sympathes appear
ing 10 be exclusively directed to portraying the
trials, discomtitures, and deaths of destitute and
misguided members Of the insect tribes. The
general bent OF his genius we think, would pro
mise greater success in an epithalamium war
song tor hippopoamus, ode to the ''big In-
dian" Shrivanabalagol
Taking this opportunity to speak generally o
this singular author, we must say that we cannot
concur in the opinions now popularity expressed o.
him, especially those provoked by hslater writings
Oddity doubtless formed considerable part OF his
apparent originality, and something Of notorety
TO be deducted in estimating the real amount anG
value of his reputation But there is wthal power
abroad in his books which s doing n brave and
earnest work among the intense ntihtarian activi
ties of the age He employs the flying artillery o
the language, and does not indulge III the delica
ces OF expression; his unimpeachably peculiar
thoroughly rousing ana startling style, goes grmly
pig wise into dainty literary sensibitics. Amused
with his "picd ridiculous antics, and aware OF b
grave errors, yet must admire his ''ineradicabl,
feeling for reality" With such rare glow Of de
voton 10 the interests of literature, we should sub
init to some smoke and a little annoyance of Gin.
ders. Let him rave even 10 tho extent OF wishing
himself ''big bull -neckcd niggcr," he may. if he
pcases, look back upon the "twenty seven mil
lions mostly fools" there many somewhere
'.As the births Of living creatures ut first are i'll
shapen, all innovations, which the birth
of time" lis works, Emerson and othora, W
regard the pregnant promise and Lrstlings OF
new era III literature, its holy aud indissolubl
union with religion; when truth will be its central
sacred light, and the devuut investigation and liv
ing portraiture of that, the sole way to is subm
emoumcnt5, too much misty hidden heretofore
by fancy Matched vanities and foolery and chat
scattered from windy skulls ID.