New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-02-05
NEW PUBLICATIONS.


nprAn-1IFF: A FABLE OF THE SEASONS. BY TX.
MARVEL. l2mo PIP 1886. Charles scfisner
The seasons of human life afford the key
note TO this delightful, harmonious burst OF SOUL
music In the same pensive, tender, and lyrical
strain. as the "Reverles of Bachelor" this
volume discourses swcety and sadly on the
manv.colored phases of existence, gathers pa
thetlc "reminiscences from the experience OF all
ages and blends them into a soft flowing nara
tive whose melody reminds one OF the sound oil
distant streams. From most writers, two success
sjye volumes Of this character would be super
fuity. They would tempt us to eat too much
honey. which is not WISE But TX. Marvers sen
timent does not often run into sentjmentalty;
his pathos is too genuine to repel the reader; ne
touches the feelings, without clOying the imag-
nation and his most tender illusions are sus
tanned by such truthful perceptions Of reality,
that they never take US out of the sphere of IA
ture and every day experience. Still. we hope
this favorite author will change his hand before
another volume, and not exhaust a vein of COM
nosi,ion which however delicious at III ISL, can
scarcely fail to pail upon the sense by frequent
repetition.
We have alluded to Tx. Marveps tendency to
the meditative and pathetic; but 1t would be
wrong to class him in the category of merely
sentimental writer's for his books abound IN de-
scriptive passages of the most dewy freshness,
and are enlivened with touches of hHmor, whose
delicacy is equaled only by their point. Here
is miniature Epicture which will bear study,
for lis exquisite finish, no less than for its sweet
naturalness Of feeling
The sparrow that is twittefipg On the edge OF my
ba'c ny, is calling up to me tins moment world OF
memofles that reach over half my lifetime, ana
world Of hope that stretches farther than any Hight OF
spsIows. The Tose-tTee which shades his mOule1
coat is full of buds and blossoms and each bud and
blossom is token OF PROMISE that has issues cover
ing life, and reaching beyond 6ealh: The quiet sun
shine beyond the flower and beyond the sparrow
glsteIiss upon the leaves, and playing IN delicious
waves of warmth over the reeklDg earth, is lighting
both heart ard hope, and quickening into activity
thousand thoughts OF what has been, and OF what
will be. The meadow stretching away under its
GOLDEN food-waviIg with gram, and with the
fCathCIy b,ossems OF the grass, and golden butter
cups, and white, nOCdmg daisies, comes 10 my eye
like he lepse OF fading childhood, studded here
and there with the bright blossoms OF JOY, crimsoned
al with the flush of health, and eBaneled with
memories that perfume The soul The blue hllls be-
yond, with deep blue shadows gathered in their
bosom, lie before me like mountains of years, over
which / shall climb through shadows To the slope of
Age, and 60 Gown to the deeper shadows Of Death
The following description of the Dawn of
Spring, deals in familiar images, and wall per-
haps strike no one by lis originality. But it
breathes the fresh life of nature with such in
horn sympathy, that it has all the effect of gazing
on the landscape with our own eyes:
love 70 trace the break Of Spring step by step
love even those long rain.siorms that sap the ICY
SHOWS upon the hills. and swell the mountain
brooks that make the pools heeve up their CLASSY
ceIemens of ice, and hurry down the crashing
frag ments into the wastes of ocean.
l love the gentle thaws that you can trace day by
cay, by the stained snow banks, shrinking FROM the
grass and by the gentle drip OF the coLsdeeeaves.
love to search out the sunny slopes by southern
wiH where the rejected sun do's double duty 10
the earth, and where the frail snemone or the faint
blush OF the arbuus, in the midst OF the bleak March
atmosphere, ill touch your heart, Ike "A nope OF
Heaven, IN field of graves Later come those
soft, smoky DAYS when the patches Of winter grain
show green under the shelter Of lealess woods and
the last reduced to shrunken skeletons OF
ice. lie upon the slope of northern hliis' LEAKING
away then life.
the spioutlng grain, and the buds upon the llacs
swell and burst. The peaches bloomupon the wall,
and the plumbs wear bodlces O' white. The spark
ling OIlole picks string for his hammock on the
sycamore ard the sparrows t~ilteT in pairs. The
cd e.ms throw down their dlDgy flo Ters, and color
their spray with green and the brooks. where you
throw your worm or The nlnnoW, float do Wn whole
fleets OF the crimson blossoms Of the maple. Finally
the oaks step into the opening quadrille of Spring
with gIaylsh tufts OF Il modest yerdure, which, By
ami and by viii be long ana glossy leaves. The
6ogwoOd pitches his broad, white tent, In the edge
Of the forest the dandelons lie along the hlocks,
like stars IN a sky OF green and the wild cherry,
growing in all the hedse-rows without other culture
than Gods, lifts up TO Him, thankfully tstremulous
White fingers.
Amid all this, come the rich rains Of Spring. The
affections OF 10y grow up with tears to water
them and the year blooms with flowers. But the
CLOUDS hover over an ApIh sky timidly-ike |
shadows upon innocence. The showers come |
gently, AID drop dalntily to the earth,-with now |
ard then glimpse OF sunshine to make the drops |
mehi-llke so many tears of JOY.
The rain OF Winter is cold and il comes in bitter |
sCuos That blind you but the rain OF April steals
upon you coyly, half Teluctantly-yet lovingly |
III e HE steps OF bride to the Altar.
II does not gather like the storm-ccuds of Win !
ter, grey ana heavy along the horizon, and creep /
Win subtle and lnsenslole approaches dixie age) to
tne very zenith 0ut there are scorce OF white 4
winged swimmers afoat that your eve has chased, /
as you lay iatgued with the delicious languoT OF /
an April sun nor have you scarce noticed that |
itile beyy OF those floating clouds had groupedt to
gelher IN q sont1e company. But presently, you |
IKE ines OF mlsls, from the gieen bosom Of the !
valley, TO that spot Of sky where the company of |
ei5uos Is lettering and with an easy shifting of the
helm, The heet OF swimmers come drifting over YOU,
ard drop Their burden into the dancing pools and |
make the flowers elisten, and the caves drip with |
their crystal bounty.
The cattle hDger still, cropping the new.come
grass and Childhood laughs joyously at the warm
rain or under the cottage roof, catches with eager
ear, The paIter Of its fall
We give another specimen Of different color.
which We regard no more than an average
sample Of the authors skill in character-draw.
ing
NEw-ENGLAND SQUIRE.
Frank has grandfather living in the
country, good specimen of the old fashioned New
England farmer. And-go where one will the world |
oveI-l know Of no race OF men, who taken to- |
gether, possess more integrity, more intelgence.
and more Of those elements OF comfort, which co |
TO make home beloved, ana the social basis 6rn
than the New England farmers.