Washington sentinel., 1853-12-06

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for such trivial offences, were il not ihfTe see
in his poetry merit of high order, wt needs
but 10 be pruned and cultivated in ordto bring
forth rich and abundant fruit The "a OF the
poem is striking, the machinery wepstaned,
the style earnest, impressive, and solel. It's de-
sign is TO illustrate the utter inabilipf earthly
prosperity and earthly fame TO securubstanial
happiness 10 man. Apheila, the droyer, the
ever-present, ever-watchful demon no delights
TO seize the cup of happiness as it ipout to pass
the lips OF the hopeful dreamer, is fly imagined
and finely sustained We contesiurselves as
yet too young and happy to apprelte the deep
Byronic despair that breathes ihroh the poem,
and we sincerely trust that our gift author takes
this sad view Of human life only pyn wandering
through the groves of Parnassus.
When the unfortunate Epimesus had lifted
the lid of that fatal gift, which oded happy
world with misery, he halfredmed his error
by securing the "charmer Hope|who "lingered
still behind" But in these denerate days II
would seem that man had provehimself unwor-
thy of this lingering benson, a that this, too,
had taken its final flight from : human heart
We doubt the moral of this ny edition of the
fable, and would fain believe tn the province Of
poesy is not alone TO tell man ~ sad truth which
all must learn--that he is unhay
"What need Of snakes or fruit tell US that"
But if this be our poets phiophy and his idea
ofthe poets duty, most ably h he discharged it,
This great leading idea ofhe poem is Illus
trated in three stages of life, bhe three strongest
emotions of the heart-hopeOve, ambition. II
opens with fine descriptioof a youth, full of
high hope, who believes that e world is made of
happiness, and made for him and who sees the
future spread out in vista befe him, as bright and
beautiful as the soft April dawhich he describes.
The lover next appears
SIN arbor SYLVAN shady mad6r wooing gentle lady
with his fair Alvora by his si,, and draws sweet
picture of their future pathW, where
"Joy before them lightly trppr like tuneful trouba-
dour,
They will wander evmore'.
The last scene Of all, with ends this strange,
eventful history of blighted ppe is laid in vast
and solemn temple, where ie hero sees, in long
and grand procession, trai of
"Heroes great in story, monahs crowned in glory;"
and in the ardor Of his yo,hful hope he almost
feels the golden round" erircling his own brow.
But, alas to all these thelark, dread, relentless
Apheila comes and, with ;demoniac smile of de-
rision, dashes down the ca$es of gossamer, which
subtle fancy has built in thr golden future.
Such is q brief prosy ouine of the poem, which,
for the qualification of ,ur readers, we have
placed in another columnand for which we pre-
dict brilliant success anipopularity. The other
pieces Of the collection With which Mr.. Bradley
has favored us are possessed Of various merit
but we have not the tim to notice them more
fully.
Wishing him all prospeity and success in his en-
terprise, we again give 3 Mr. Bradley our hearty
thanks for pleasant ho,r passed in his society
and assure him that, in thus leading us through
the green pastures, an by the still waters o.
poesy, he has restoredDur soul, and the better
fitted us for the stormybattle which il is our des
tiny to wage.