New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-12-20

the soul with the loss forever Of the body sight
IIe1pres.ibty pathetic was his interview with Mar
iau-sud beautiful and noble was the spirit in her
which put back bis preferred hand, and laid it in
the hand born for bis at frt-the hand 50 long
wthbe d-gven at ls,t so grandly and grsciously
-of Aurora Leigh
And like the swelling 6oale Of an anthem peal
ing through Cathedral aisles the music Of the poem
ri,es with its meanings to the end, and leaves
vibrating in our hearts the deepest chords that
thrill therein to beauty love and life.
So runs the story of Aurora Leigh" How
broad and bright the current is, how deep and how
melodious, those Of our readers who know Mrs.
Browning best, will best imagine. For Mrs.
Brownipg's genius grows upon our admiration with
study. 1t is go full Of Iife so intensely real, so
substantial and warm, that it charms us lees than
i, rewards us, and inspires us even more than il de-
lights u.s. In her earlier poems indeed, there were
plain aud obtrusve defects, which at first repelei
us more strongly than the irresistible vitality Of the
works attracted u, Quaint and mystical phrases,
fantastic forms of words, Irregularities of rhythm
and ine,egancies OF rhyme all the usual accom-
payments, in short, of Oh Over-norbid individual
ity Of mind vexed at once the spirit and The ear,
and iDterposed the unpleasant barrier Of diseased
expression between the healthy integrity of the
poets thoughts and the readers sympathy. When
you bad dice Oyerstepped this barrier you found
yourself go closely drawn to the living reality
within, that you the risk of forgetting how IN
desirable thing it was that such barrier should
exist at ALL to be overstepped.
But Mrs. Browning herself Cn this finely vindi-
eating the artistic instincts of her naure has not
forgotten this and she has steadily worked on,
removing one by one the obstacles which habit and
the diosy of her character had erected to her
attain ment of absolute poetic expression with such
success that now, in this her last poem and her
longest the most fastidiOus foe to her earlier
nersms Will hardly find trase of them. In fact,
but for certain unnecessarily bald and fragrant
phrases which Mrs. Browning has picked up, We
fear, among pre- Rsphaeltes of poetry and paint
ing, "Aurora Leigh" is not less remarkable for the
dignity, sweetness, and simplicity OF its language
than it is for the variety and vigor Of it's music.
Mrs. Brownng's control of the most difficult of
measures-blank vene-is such as few masters
of the ant of poetry have attained. She yields 1t
with quiet, nervous felicity which is perpetual
delight What living hand could wake from words
harmony more rich with mOdulated changes than
this passage, for instance pathetic, varied, dreamy,
as reverie of Chopin:
"Alas long suffering and most patient God,
Thou need st be sureler God TO bear with US
Than even to have made US ! thou, aspire, aspire
From benceforth for me thou who hast myself,
Endured this feshhood, knowing bow, as a soaked
And sucking vesture it would drag -s down
And choke us in the melancholy Deep,
Suaf hat xpith thea l w W
Resisting breathe me upward thou for me
Aspiring, who art the way, the truth, the life
That no truth hencefoIth seem indifferent,
No way to truth laborOus, and no life,
Not even this life i've ntOlerable!
The days went by. took up the old days
With all their Tuscan pleasures, worn and spoiled
Lie rome lost book we dropt in the long grass
On such happy Sumner sfternoon
VIII, last we read it with loving friend,
And find in Autumn, when the friend is gone
The grass cut short, the weather changed, too late,
And stare at as at something wonderful
For sOIrOw-thinkiDg how tTo hands, before,
Had held Up what is left to only one,
And Low We sniled when such q vehement nail
Impressed the tiny dint here which presents
This verse in fire for ever! Tenderly
And mouinfuy lived. knew the birds
AId insects-whlch look fathered by the flowers
Al emulOus of their hues: recognized
The moths with that great overpOise OF wings
Which makes myttery Of them how at all
They can ttop flying butterflies that bear
Upon their blue wings .uch red embsTs round,
They seem to scOrch the blue air into holes
Es Oh fight they take: and fire-he that suspne
In short soft lapses of transported fame
AcIoss the tngliDg Dark While overhead
The constant and inviOlable stars
Outburn those lighisoflove: melodi ous owls,
(lf music had but note and was cad
'Twould sound just so) and all the silent swirl
OF bats, that seem to follow in the air
Some grand circumference Of q sbadowy dome
To which we are blind and then, the nightingale
Which pluck our heart across agarden wall,
when walking in the town and carry 1t
DO hioh ipt0t hfh no
We trembe and are afraid, and feel ash
The golden flood Of moon light unaware
Dissolved the pillars Of the steady earth
And made it lees substantial. And knew
The harmless opal snakes, and large mouthed rogs
Those noisy vsunters Of their shallow streams)
And lizards, the green lightnlnss OF the wsn,
Which, if you cit down still, nor sigh too loud,
Will fstter you and take you for stone,
And 6ash Familiarity about your ieet
With such prodigioas eyes in such small heads -
knew them though they had somewhat dwinded
from
Ny childish imsgery-and kept In mind
How last l sat among them equally,
In fellowship and msteship, as child
Will bear him still toward insect, beast and bird
Before the Adam in him has foregone
All privilege of Eden-makDg friends
And talk, with ouch bird or such goat,
And buying many two-inch wide rush-cage
To let out The Gagged cricket on tree.
Saying, Oh, my dear grllino, were you cramped
And are you happy with the lex leaves
And do you love me who have let you got
Say yea in singing, and III understand
But now the creatures all seemed further of,
No longer mine nor like me; only there,
gulph between rs. l could yearn indeed,
Like other rich Len, for drop VI dew
To cool this heat-a drop Of the early dew,
The irecoverabe child-nnOce0ce
Before the heart took FIRE and withered life
When chldood might pair equally With birds
But now the birds were grown too proud for rs
Al. tbox forbi ida tha dew