The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-07-14
LITERARY NOTICES.

"THALATFA: A Book for the Seaside" Boston
Ticknor, Reed, & Fields.
Under this title, suggested by a passage in
IsnOphon's Expedition of Cyrus where the
army climbed the hill and looked out upon the
sea- throwing up their arms and shouting
'Thalatta Thalatts !" we have here an admi
rsbe collection of poems more or less init
nately connected with the ocean and its ad
uncts The writer's are of all ages and local.
ties from Homer to Longfellow-from Spain To
Massachusetts, The selections have been made
with good taste and Judgment and will be
found pleasant reading, not only by sojourners
at the seaside during our hot season, but also
by those who are compelled to forego the pleas
ure of ride on Nahant, Or bath at Newport
TOthese latter, sweltering in their inland homes,
we would especially commend this little vol
ume. 1t is redolent of the salt sea breezes. 1t
can scarcely fail to transport its readers from
hot prairie or dusty city to the cool margin Of
great understanding everything about them,
as on Prospero's island,
Suffer a sea change
Among our old favorites in this volume is
what Coleridge has well called "The grand
ballad of Sir Patrick Spens" Nothing supe-
rlor to it can be found in all the quaint old bal
lad literature, and no modern imitation has
ever equalled its simple grandeur, picturesque
descriptions and dramatic energy.
The ladyes wrang their fingers white,
The maidens tore their hair;
A for the sake o. their true loves,
For them they'll see nae MAR
"Oh lang lang may the ladyes sit,
Wi their faces in their hand,
Before they see Sir Patrick spens
Come sailing to the strand
And lang lang may the madens sit,
WI their gold kames in their hair,
Awaiting for their ain true loves,
For them they'll see nae mair
Here are also Goethe's Fisher" Uhlanfs
W'erd and beautiful "Vineta," and Shelley's
pathetic lament at the Bay of Naples. Among
the novelties may be mentioned two or three
rare gems from Allinghsm, tho gifted young
hesan poet, and two remarkable little sea
sketches from the pen of Charles Kingsley, au-
'0OF oil Alton Locke The following song, in
rs SIMPLE reality Of pathos, might well have
oeen sung around fisherman's hearth on the
'aore of Dee, to the drear accompaniment Of
Voc growing roar Of the evening tide, over
sweeping the sands with its "cruel, hungry
foam ="
Vh Mary, 20 and call the cattle home,
And call the cattle home
And call the cattle home
Across the sands of Dee
lie Western wind was wild and dank wi fosm,
And all alone went she.
LIE creeping tide came up along the sand,
And DER and o'or the sand
And round and round the sand
as lar as eye could see
-He binding mist came down and hid the land,
ma never home came she.
!" weed or fish, or floating hair,
a tress Of golden hair
4. uowned maiden's hair
II, NooVe the nets at sea,
never salmon yet that shone so fair
""'Ong the stakes of Dee
Iowed her in across the rolling foam,
Inc cruel, crawling foam
The cruel, hungry foam
40 her grave beside the sea,
sun the boatmen hear her call The cattle home.
across the sands Of Dec"
we cannot resist the desire TO copy the fol
wing seaside picture by Allinghsm
THE CHAPEL BY THE SHORE.
ny the shore q plot of ground
"ps ruined chapel round,
,.ere''ed with grassy mound,
"nere day and night and day go BY
"u orng no touch Of human sound
O. washing Of the lonely seas-
paA'ns Of tho guardian trees
''p'ng Of the salted broere
and day and night and day 20 BY,
10 the endless tone Of these
" "sen winds and waters keep
s' nush more dead than any slsep