Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-08-09


If the angel had not in his splendid phrase shadowed
the eyes Of Milton with bis wing think you that the Latin
secretary would have found time inclination steal away
from the confusion Of the contention Of dplomatists
pen more than an occasional sonnet Il was not until his
eyes closed upon the visible world that he invoked the
heavenly TO aid the adventurous song which to
gt /" assert eternal Providence,
And justify the ways Of God to men,"
And who that has read the opening Of the third
Book in Paradise Loaf has Imagined has other an blind
Milton could have written them
He who would scale Parnassus must desert the forum he
who would slaks his thirst the pure fountains Of Castsy
must cease to fsh in the muddy waters Of politics. Our
ideas Of the poets Life associated with the bubblng flow Of
some secluded Vaucuse fountain the sunny side Of
Ryda mount where earth and ar and sky conpe heghen
the glory in the grass and the splendor in the flower" In
like these i that genius most generally eaborates
the finished products Of her creative energy, noseless
its workings than the hands that reared the
temple Of Solomon. beneath which, though g there was
neither hammer axe, any tool Of iron heard in the
house while il in building yet temple rose in all its
symmetry and grandeur and overlad within with pure
gold" To be poet and diplomsti, to write novels and
treaties with the pen to ndie protocol and sonnet
entered into the cogG ct vso Of Bacon. Without
nsinuang therefore, that Mr. Fay is either prodigy
sss naurs it must be admitted that he has tsdden two
walks Of life that have always been considered most divergent
Uric is poem Of very facile versfcaton, reminding
the reader perhaps Of the easy aow Of Sir Walter Scott
than any other English poet Il possesses in great degree
those minor qualities Of English which constitute the
and substance Of such French poetry the Joceyn"
of Monsieur and natural ideas expressed
in very me,rical yersi6caon If there any one book
than another worthy Of the attention Of American poets
and postasers, would suggest it is "Guess English
Rhythm - for republican poets have generally evinced
conumacous independence Of the laws ha. govern the
disposition Of and eadences excepting Of course that
unequaed Of English rhythm the late Edgar A. Poe
The flow Of Mr. Fays is rarely mared and obsruced
by the metrica anastomoses Of misplaced faulty
cesura pause, and aushs Of must be found with
Uric" the complaint would probably be that its style and
sentiments are too often rather propriora
The moral and tendency ofhe poem is unexceponabe
The scene is laid in Germany
Where, slowly flowing, winds its way,
BY wood and plain, the modest Spree,
And bathes the castle and the wall
OF Brandenbourg's old capital
and the time about the middle Of the sixteenth century,
when the faith" Of Luther had been embraced by the
eec,or Joachim H. Uric Rosenberg, young rmeister
or captain Of cavalry, becomes convert to these doc
trnes and avows bis faith BY public profession and from
that time forth the moral struggle between
science and inclination, which Mr. Fay ymbozes under the
supernatural solcitng Of voices addressed from heaven
and lower sphere The following extract being Canto W.
may be taken as specimen Of the moral and style Of the
entire poem.
II was the hour Of midnight deep,
Uric lay stretched in balmy sleep,
When 10 q shape obscene,
With steathy pace and envious leer,
Did sudden At his side appear,
And o'er his bosom lean.
ESQ ho while yet thou may'st, pure one,
In virtues pleasing dream sleep on
Thou 'scap'st not thus hell's every snare
Let all thy angels if they dare,
Pretend to save thee Effort vain!
mark thy foul hearts fatal stain
Sleep on sleep on We meet again
Thus the remosseess temper breathed
His threatening words, in vapor wreathed,
Which, with volupuous influence faught
OF erring hope and poisoned thought
In loveest forms Of earth arrayed,
Around The unconscious sleeper played
Down sinking slowly, half incose
The cheek, where modest virtue glows, ~
And then, in beauteous visions, roll
Across his mind and through his soul.
And s,raightwsy Uric seems to roam,
With sweet one--he knows not whom
Der many meadow, lbrgh. and broad.
Through many deep and solemn wood
Thus far, when started from the bed.
With terror struck the iend had fled,
Ashamed, unable, and afraid
An angels glance to meet
So the hyena foul st night,
That seeks, with monstrous appetite,
OF some new grave the inmate bright
With conscious fear and guilt takes fight
Disturbed BY human feet.
And as be vanished, wrapped in gloom,
tender radiance filed the room;
So ones our Saviour empty tomb
And Ulric's poisoned slumber broke
Who with convulsve start awoke,
As one who falls into the
From some high moontsin suddenly
And clear voice, ell low and STILL
Flowed through his veins with secret thrill.
"Ulric, we'll done thou hast BY faiths pure light
Escaped psrdition. AZ thy IPs.dd pray,
Around thee gathered hosts Of angels bright,
| Ready To- guide thee to eternal day.
For know the Epii One doth haunt thy wsy,
| And for thee weaves another, deadier
| Watch thy weak hsart-it leads thy steps sstray,
Nor cling to earthly thing, how sweet 30 e'er
Oh, Uric tremble ! watch beware beware !"
AMUSING ScrSE.-At z o'clock on Thursday evening,
while the Convention dscussing amendment Of Mr.
Wise the schedule restricting the Legislature (under
the old constituion) the passage Of the bill and other
provisions necessary 70 the carrying Of the government
Mr. Hays the hoorthe gas lights from some cause sud-
denly out. Mr.. Bolts warned the Convention that the
gas escaping would M the room and unless they adjourned
at once, the chok body woud be boUn Ypi He repeated
the warning, and after the animated scamrering We
have witnessed the body LEFT the room-vong while
running, to take recess until p M Mr. Bots by this
proceeding. succeeded in slarmng the whole Convention
whose members had idea Of being blown up least until
the Constitution Is adopted. Richmond Inquirer.
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