The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-03-13
Tho Death Of Thomas Moore, the Poet.


occurred On Thursday last (Feb. 2j), tao pot
Moore died at his residence Of superior Cottage.
near Devices Forsevera years back the illustriouJ
deceased had been alive only in tho body. Like
Sir Walter Scott and s'outhey, the tcnacitY oil ply
steal existence had. in him. outlved IN, torn OF til,
mind. A year ago tho poat was brought 10 Bath
without any consciousness of whore he was or who
were around him, and he passed peacefully away
in the Same condition OF semislunbering uncOs-
scousncss
With Moore there is snapped tho last tic, save
perhaps one, represented by tho veteran Rogers,
which connects the present generation with the oat-
burst OF '.ail tho talents which sgnaliscd the op
ing Of the century. That great kindIng of gsnius--
embracing almost ali sides of imaginative literature,
OF criticism and philosophers fast becoming moro
thing history than thing of fact DAY by day. and
was the last cNtnguished before the present event;
and now, to all intens and purposes, the great
tai galaxy which poured such food OF blazing,
vyfyg light upon the literature of fifty years ago.
winch eXtinguiShed the school Of Rosa Matilda ic-
ton and Della Criscan poetry-which substituted
true criticism for technical cnrping upon philoogi-
cal points, and established new styles in every
branch Of the belies-icrcsthis great intellectual
constellation may now be said to have disappeared.
One of the brightest, if not of tho largest stars has
long beem obsourcd. IL is now distinguished.
What amount and what duration of fans Moore
will leave behind him, is fairly matter of discus
sion. IL cannot, wo believe, be denied that much
of his serious and more ambitious verse; founded
upon the promptings Of a moro luscious and Horid
fancy than the present tastes nclines to admit-and
no inconsidcrabie portion even of his sweet lyric
snatches, as being too wire-drawn and refined
to attenuation-are by no means much read or
admired as they were score or thirty years ago.
A severor and stener school OF poetry has sue
cceded to tone Of deeper feeling and moro sobc
revcllcd in sLalla Rookh," and delighted in til
strains Of Mr.. Little, now generally address them
selves to more staid and philosophc poetic musings
The Irish Melodies" too-cxquisite as is thei
word-music- fanciful as is their concepton-de
lightful as is thor playfuness and profoundly
touching as is their pathos-eyen the '1rish Melo-
dies" we believe to be declining in popular estima-
ton. The reasons are not far to seek In the frs
place, the Irish Melodies IRE not particularly
Irish; they have perfect grace, high and sparkling
fancy, delicious feeling; but they are too ins-spun
to do the worli-a-day duty Of popular songs AS
literary performances, nine-tenths Of Burnss songs
are inferior to Moore's; and oil Dibdin's ditties
are UNNECESSARILY and intellectually beneath them
Yet tho strong probability is that "When Willie
Brewcd," and .'Poor Tom Bowling" will be in the
full lido of their popularity and everyday use,
where erich and Rare" and sOh Breathe not
His Name will be unsung and forgotten. In
certain circle, and amongst people of certain read
ing and appreciation, Moore will live as long the
language; but his genius delicate and acute
rather than catholic and vast He had rich and
vivid play Of fancy, but mono Of the soaring ina
ginaton of a Shelley or u Byron. His mind, in
fact, Was a frs-cass second-rate. 1t had no
pretensions to stand in The foremost line of the
giants of cur dry Brightly fanciful, rather than
continuously giratiye--teeming with poetic i'm
agery-oving to sparkle along the aowerfest paths,
and beneath the bamiest skies-revelling always in
fays and fowers-in love and mingled intellectual
and sensual pleasures-playful in the extreme, and
always ready to stop to make mirth rs joyous and
as delightful as the passion-Moores muse in his
great romantic poems, is the incarnation of charm
ing Epicureansm; and the mirth and playful jollity
could go long step further Moore had wit, which
sparkled as brightly il could cut deeply; and the
humor, and sense Of the ludicrous which could be
well, if not eiecuolly applied to living per-
sons and actual things than to the creations of his own
fancy; and, accordingly, we find him loving to turn
from the ethereazed vouptuousncss of the Gloves of
the Angels" the mystic imaginings Of the spicu-
rean," to tho sharp and brilliant hitting of political
and social squibs-to the restless and biting satire
with which, in the "Fudge Family" and hundreds
of ephemera but not the less clever lays he uuizzed
his political and literary opponents abolished the
Earl of Mountcashell, or shot singing shafts of fun
through the very heart of the Bcnthnmitcs It is,
indeed, far from probable Tint Moores political and
Satire poetry, little, perhaps he thought of it Mt
the time, will live after his more ambitious works
have been--not forgotten, but sunk into that chronic
state Of classicism i'll which books are labelled with
an excellent character and shclvcd--turncd in fact
into the category Of works without which no gentle
mans library is complete, and accordingly doomed
not to actual obscurty, but to an honorable retire
ment.
The very last of the political squbs and short
poems published by Mr.. Moore, were given to The
world in the columns of the Morning Chronicle, and
referred principally to the earlier struggles Of tho
Anti-Corn Law Ieaguc--thc verses having in most
cases been evidently suggested BY the passing poll
teal events of the day.
Thomas Moore died mt the ripe old ago a. He
was born on the 18th Of May. 1850, in Angler street
Dublin, where his father, strict Roman Catholic,
carried on y grocery and spirit business AS child,
young Moore is said to have been remarkable for per-
sona beauty; but his appearance in after life hardly
carried out the promise Of infancy. He was short.
with heavy, expressive, but not handsome face,
Ill, l,.ca Ia q
engaged in animated conversation or singing
his own baed poetry. Young Moore was
educated at Dublin, and one Of his first
noted peculiarities fondness and talent
the boom as it was then considered the young
Roman Catholic was entered ut Trinity College. He
could not, of course, obtain degree; but some
English verses rendered at an examination, in lieu
OF the usual Latin composition, procured copy Of
the . Travels of Anacharsis - as reward The
wild times of the Irish rebellion were now approach
ing, and the future poet was naturally to be found
in the ranks led by the Emmotts and Arthur O'Con-
nor but his reasonable lucubrations in prose and
verse, though, as his own sister remarked, "rather
strong were passed over without any measures
being taken against the enthusiastic young cham
pon of Irish liberty. Politics. however, were by
no means the only subject of his muse. At the age
Of fourteen he published poetry in Dublin magazine
and afterwards composed many semi poetic semi
burlesque pieces for private representation.
In his twentieth year, giving up republicanism
at the Middle Temple, and to publish his transla-
lions. or rather paraphrases, Of Anacrcon. AS
may be imagined, he attended much moro to the
Greek than to "Coke upon Lyttleton," and per-
mission, obtained through the friendship of Lord
MORA, to dedicate the work to tho Prince Regent,
was tho means Of Moore's introduction to those ele
waited circles Of society in which he after
wards to move and shine. The Anacreontic para
phrases, brilliantly and warmly expressed, were
highly successful. They were speedily succeeded,
IN lsOl, by Poems and Songs, by Thomas
Little" Whatever objections may be raised by the
present generation to either Of these works, there
can be no doubt Of their vivid play of fancy, their
great grace of idea, ever when that idea
rot strictly proper, and their exquisite melody Of
ve,sifcaton. Moorc's TRANSACTIONS oftle Old Greek
Lover Of Women and Wine" are probably the
finest and richest versions Of these often translated
songs in the English languagc--always excepting
The rough but thoroughly racy version of the last o.
the lyrics in question by quaint old DR.. Dome
IN tho days OF the regency, poets came in for
and Mr.. Moore made registrar to the
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