Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1853-11-18
BYRON AND MOORE.
BIZ DR.. OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES.

l.
third lecture oflis course, at Hope Chapel before
the Mercan lie Library Association. The house
was crowded with fashionable audience. The
lecturer was loudly choercd On making MS ap-
pearance. lie said:
/ have seen fit to devote but single lectures TO
the two most illustrious poets Of the pered over
which my course extends. Either of them. espe
cially Byron might be made the subject of the
whole course Childe Harold alone would wei
suffice to occupy all the time. But the reason
for crowd:ne Byron and Moore into single lee
ture is simply this: Hardly any other poets Of
The period treat of SO generally familiar
and hardly any others have littleleft to be ex-
planned. understood or appreciated. l have
brought thtm together not merely because hey
were cotemporaries, friends and one has writ
ten the life of the other, but because of this COM
muni of charac' er between them, namely: That
these two. of all feef5-ts e. 5-ts best entitled to be
called he poets of passion. Between some D}a's
there is an affinity between others & polar anag
onism and this fac. have made principS q
arrangement, which now follow. Lord Byron
has eversbo en- n well used theme for herafl ma
iferotldi no; only how and what he wrote, Sut
his private life his habits, his sc wants, his Fg
his wife how he swan and how he boxed thve
been made common topics. Strangers pursiod
him, saints prayed for him and sinners set teir
caps az him. Even the poet Pollock took BYtn,
as Byron took gin, for an inspiration. / lave
before six portraits OF Lord Byron :one lq'Te
/ sents him at seven years of age-and Ii brings
tears into the eyes to lock at it. Thcret a"e he
well cut, beautiful and delicate f a.ures of ByroT,
but there are also innocence and peace. 1t might
so femininly lovely is is charac er, be the Ike
ness of Matty Duff, Miss Chaworth, or ;ny
child who awaked Byron S childish love. lh,
next shows him at 10, in a sailors dress withhi'
hair and handkerchief blown aside by the wind
Already the boy was in the whirlwind. OF rhe
rest only oxle is edurablC. 1t is the one comna,n
/ " known which represen' S him leaning on that
( beautiful hand ofwhich he was so proud. His
bust by Thorswaldsen (which is in Bos onl is
/ 3ingularly sof and ftminine. 1t Icing remarked
/ to Byron thai his portraits Ind feminine air. he
/ allowed his whiskers to grow, and thus they are
shown in his portrait by Count D Orsay. Byron S
position as a man and poet may be considdCd
as pretty well settled so that there can he no.h
/ ing very new in the views which shall express
of his personal and mental qualities neither WI
it be wCll to take up your time by quo ing ar
author who is already quoted 20 dCaJh you mus
no: expec. detailed picture, nor yet piece O
patchwork. Reviewing the race from wbici
/ Byron spruug we find him born heir TO high pas
sion and an ungovcrnable will. HIS oarlies
youth was not highly favored by fortune tn
death of an old and eccentric uncle took him nu
ola poor boarding house almost out ofdcs ion
and brought him to peerage, Newstcad Able,
and competence. Very few tell tie carly emo
/ tons of there hearts Rousse an and Byron hav
done so, and they have told much that has bee
though exccptionabie. Childe Harold ellis usiu
it's opening lines as much as We want to know Ct
the poets youth :; it is enough TO know that he
had swept all the chords of passion b. fore roach
ing maturity. His Hours cf Lllcness,' Bycn' :
I first publica ion, was coHt6mptuously tpRnd BY
the reviewers and how he rcvong,d himstf II
his g English Bards and SEQ. ch Reviewers" " notC
not be told it settled his account with the Ie
viewers and left sonnet hing to his crcdit Durihg
the brief period of the two subsequent Yeas, Ii.
powers grew to maturity. Chi'de IIa.o'd run,
in the worlds ears like theShcld of Pallas fain;
ino the citadel OF Ilium. The effcc: was elect ri
his fame had not to wait for ordinary gradaton
IL sprung up llNe lIlt pa4dCe ol EdlfF lale, III
night: Lord Byron and Ch;lde Harold bccam
the theme of every tongue. But l am not fellow
ing his triumps from the opening line OF Child
Harold to the closing stanza of Don Juan. Byron
personal cha:ater is accuTa ely projected fDn
poetry. Stately had come with carly manhood
The love Of truth and fame struggled wi h III
lower elements ofhis nature. The descent can
traced from Chide Harold, the self abandonmen Il
to his lower nature, down to the groggy briliiauc
Of Don Juan. However, let no. forget his bet
ter traits his noble self devotion 10 the cause q
Greek liberty, may be allowed to qualify tn
judgment which have expressed not from can
not to secure The favor ofmiddle aged morality
but from conviction. Much insight into Byron
character may be gained from his priva letters
they exhibit such an amounnt Of smartness the
indulge in the use Of expressions so suitable t
! Tom Crib and the ring, that we are compelled t
/ accuse him who was more proud of being a gen
/ tleman. a descendant of crusaders than of bcin
a peer OF tngi"nd-of rul -arity. This may seen
impossible TO those who think that alI that
written BY titled poet IrIIf71c .
nifty from its source but so il is. All that By
ron writes, letters or poems, bears tie impression
of the man. He reproduccS himself in the mos
striking manner. As jeffrey said, his Giaour
Cain, Lucfer, Childe Harold Lara are all on
individual. lie cannot versify charac. ers il
presenting hssdifesent heroes he does little NOR
than repeat himself What was this man, hos
character, thus reproduced, forms rart of tn
worlds literature? We think of him as he wa
at his prime; as if he inherited the richest gifu
! of fortune from his bir,h but his carly circum
sances were poor his beauty was marrtd by
deformity: though dangeror TO women in afte
life, he was far from favori;e with the youn,