The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1851-02-26

Poem by Carlyle The Beetle.

Poem by Carlyle The Beetle.
Poor hobDlins beetle, nccd'st not haste;
Should ira, Her, TRAVELLER thus alarm
Pursue thy journey Though the waste;
No foot Of mine shall work thee harm.
WHO know, what orrand grave thou hast
Small family" thou have not dincd
Lodged under pebble iherc they fast,
Till head of house have raised the wndl
Mans bread lies 'mong the feet of men:
For cark and moil sufficient cause
Who canno; SOW would reap; ard then
In Bectlodom arc no poor laws.
And If thy wife and thou agree
But i'll, q. like when short of vicual,
l swear the public sympathy
rhy fortune mcriteth, poor beetcl
Alas and | should do thee scath--
TO realas of night with heciop send
W ho judged thee worthy pains of death,
On earth. save me. without friend
Pass on, poor beetle Venerable
/ Art thou were wonders nc'cr so rife;
/ Thou hast what Bel 20 Tower of Babel
Not gave, the chief of wondcrs-Lilc.
Also, Of ancient family"
Though small in size OF feature dark,
What Debrttt's peer surpasseth thee
Thy ancestor was u Noal's aIk
The above is from an old number o
'Hoqgs Instructors" an Edinburgh period
cal. lis gro;csque jocuarily, y,hinIy dsguis
irc real feeling, and the ragged, uncoulh
unkcnpi sly lie, are highly characteristic o
The author. Ii is a melrical curiosity
something in quite an unique manner
which, considering The subject, circumslan
ccs, aud all, miplt, to use phase Of hi
own, be called the "nmbulatory uccessil
Gus style Of composition. He has sal,
-" Rhyme that had no inward necessity t,
be rhymed-it ought to have told Us plain
ly, without any Jungle what il was aim
ing at" This inward necessity, which w
take to bc a duclie, musical sponlaneit,
Of lanfuage-lhe thought flowing i'll Al
element oil melody, does not seem very ap
parent ia his own case " @ believe h'
has published no other original verse eX
ccpt The Tragedy of the Night-Molh
among his NJ Miscellauies, Mr.. Carlye's po
elical sympaIhies appearing to be eNclu
sively directed por'rsyiug the trials, dis
con, lures, aud deaths Of destitute an,
misguided memhers of the insect tribes
The general bent of his genius, we think
would promise greater success in an cp
/ Iilhilamum or war-song for hippoputa
mus, or an ode to the big Indian" Shri
vanabalngol.
Taking this opportunity 10 speak goner
ally Of his singular author, we must say
that We cannot concur in the opinions nov
popularity expressed Of HIM, especially
those provoked 10y his latter writings. Cd
dry doubtless loimcd considerable par
Of his apparent originality, and something
ol noioriety is TO be deducted in esllmaln!
the real amount and valne Of his rcputa
ton. But there is wilhnl power abron,
in his books whirh is doiag brave an,
earnest work among the intense u,ilitAtial
activities of the age, lie employs the ny
ing artillery of the language, ana does no
indulge in the deIcacies of expression
his unimpeachably peculiar, thorough,
rousng aud startling style, goes grimly
pig.wise into dainty literary seusibilIies
AMUSED with his "pied ridiculous antics,
and aware Of his grave errors, VIC ye
must admire his incradicsble feeling 10
reainy,' With such a rare glow Of devo
ton 10 the interests Of literature, we shoul
submit 10 some smoke and n little annoy
ance ol clnders. Let him rave even to IN
extent OF wishing himself a big bull
necked niggcr," he may. if he please.
look back upon the twenty seven million
mostly foolsj" there are as many some
where. " As the births Of living creature
at first are ill,shapen, SO are all innovations
which are the births of time" Ills works
Emersons and others, we regard as tn
pregnant promise and frsnngs Of new
era in literature, its holy and indissoublr