The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-08-05

pine with IT'S slender whispering leaves, the
ieathery larches, the rugged and shaggy ce-
dars--all unite to form such goodly fellow
ship" that one is inclined to think for the time
that no son OF the forest can comuare with
them. But the spruce is the prince among
them all. Far or near you see it, slender ohe-
lsk OF dark green, rising singly amid forests
OF oak or maple, or marshalled together in
serried ranks over distant hills or woodinc
lnnumerable points, whose fantastic outlines
lnterlace the slvery sea, The heavy blue
green OF these distant pines forms a beautiful
contrast to the glitter of the waters. and af
fords fine background, to throw out the small
white wings of sail boats, which are ever pass
ing from point to point among these bays and
harbors. One Of the most peculiar and ro-
mantle features Of these secluded wood.embo-
somed waters Of Maine is this sudden appari
ton of shipping and sea craft, in such wild
and lonely places, that they seem to YOU, as the
first ships did to the simple savages TO be visit
ants from the spirit land You are riding in
lonely road, by some bay that seems to YOU
like secluded inland lake you check your
horse to notice the fine outline of the various
points when 10! from behind one of them.
Swan-like, with wings all spread, glides in
ship from India or China and wakes up the
silence by tumbling her great anchor into the
water. A ship of itself a child Of romance
dreamy cloud-like, poetic thmg-and that
ship connects these piney hills and rocky shores.
these spruces and frs, with distant lands of
palm and spice, and speaks to you, in these
sOlitudes, of groves Of citron and olive. We
pray the day may never come when any busy
Yankee shall find substitute for ship sails,
and take from these spirits of the wave their
| glorious white wings and silent, cloUd-like
movement, for any fuss and sputter Of steam
and machinery. Ii will beSiust like some
Yankee to do it. That race will never rest
till everything antique and poetic is drilled out
OF the world. The same spirit which yearns
to make Niagara mill-seat, and use all its
pOmp and power of cloud and spray and rain
bow, and its voices of many waters for Access
series to cotton factory, would, we suppose
| be right glad to transform the winged shin
into some disagreeable greasy combination of
machinery, lift would only come cheaper. The
islands along the coast of Maine are study
for a tourist. The whole sail along the shores
is through never-ending labyrinth of these
some high and rocky, with castellated sides,
hammered with pines-some richly wooded with
forest trees-and others again, whose luxuriant
meadow land affords the finest pasturage for
cattle. Here are the cottages of fishermen
who divide their time between farming and
fishing. and thus between land and water
make a very respectable amphibious living
These people are Supplemented kindly, hardy
with good deal of the genial broad hearted-
ness that characterizes their old father, the
ocean. When down on one of these lonely
islands, once, we We're charmed to find, in a
small cottage. one of the prettiest and most
lady-like of women. Her husband owned
tishing-smack and, while we were sitting con-
yersng in the house, i'll came damse from
the neighborhood arrayed, in all points, cap
ape, according to the latest city fashions
The husband came home from II trip while
we were there. He had stopped in Portland
and brought home q new bonnet for his wife,
OF the most approved style and pair of gaiter
shoes for his little girl One of our company
was talking with him, congratulating him on
his retired situation.
You can 90 all about, trading in your YES
sci, and make money! he said and here on
this retired island there is no way to spend it.
so you must lay up a good deal
Don't know about that said the Young
man; " there's women and girls everywhere F;
and they must have their rings and their pins
and parasols and ribbons There's ways enough
for money to 60"
On Sunday mornings, these islanders have
out their sailboats. and all make sail for some
point where there is a church. They spend
the day in religious services, and return at
evening. Could one wish more picturesque
way of going to meeting Of calm summer
morning!
30 beautiful a country, one would think must
| have nurtured the poetic sentiment and
11a.. Ia,
| truest pOets-Longfellow Popular as his 20,
etry is, on first reading, it is poetry that i'm
proves and grows on one by acquaintance and
stud "; and more particularly should be studied
under the skies and by the seas Of that State
whose beauty first inspired it. No one who
views the scenery of Maine, artisticaIly. and
then studies the poems of LDngiellow can
avoid seeing that its hues and tones, its beau
tiful word-painting, and the exquisite variety
and smoothness of its cadences, have been
caught, not from books and study, but from
long and deep heart communion with Nature.
We recollect seeing, with some Indignation,
few years ago what seemed to us IA very cap
tious criticism on LOnglellOw and it simply
occurred to US then, that if the critic had
spent as much time in the forest az the poet
and become as familiar with the fine under
tones Of Nature, such a critique never would
have appeared. A lady who has lately been
rambling with us among the scenery of
Maine. and reading I.ongfellow's poems said
the other day" He must have learned his
measure from the sea there is ust its beau
tIful ripple in all his verses "a very beautiful
and very just criticism. There are some fine
lines in Evangeline, that give us the pine for
ests Of Maine like "A painting
This il the forest primevn- the murmuring pines
and the hemlocks
Bearded with moss and with garments green ndis
tinct in the twilight
Stand like pruids Of Ed, with voices sad and pro-
phetic
Stand like harpers hOar, with boards that rest ON
their bOsOms
Loud from its rocky cayerns the deep-yoiccd neigh
boring
Speaks, and in accents disconsOate answers the wall
of the forest
Drawn to the very life We have seen
those very Druids-graybeards dusky garments
and all, on the shores Of Maine, many time
and if anybody wants to feel the beauty and
grandeur of the picture, he must 60 to some Of
those wild rocky islands there.
Longfellows poetry has the true seal Of the
bard in this that while it is dyed rich az an
old cathedral window in tints borrowed in for
eign language and literature-tints caught in
the fields of Spain, Italy, and Germany-yet
after all, the strong dominant colors are from
fields and scenes Of home. So truly is he
poet of Maine, that we could wish TO zee his
poems in every fsherman's cottage, through
all the wild islands and among all the roman
tic bays and creeks Of that beautiful shore
1t would be a fine critical study to show
how this undertone of native imagery and feel
ing passes through all that singular harmony
which the poets schoarcraft has enabled him
to compose from the style Of many nations
and some day we have it in heart to do this in
future letter. At present we will not bestow
any further tediousness upon you.