New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-01-23
HIAIVATHA AND KALEWALA.

We find in The London Afheneum Of the Goth alt
m article signed by the eminent German poet Ferdi
nand Freiligrath who thus sums up The controversy
as to whether the meter of Mr.. Longfellow's new
poem is derived from Spanish a Finnish model;
"The controversy on this subject has not yet been
settled. Perhaps few observations mot writ
ten at random but with the distinct desire Of bringing
the contest to a close may not be thought amss.
The case, briefly recaptulated, standA thus ut
present: Mr. Hewitt correctly refers the measure
Of Mr.. Longfellow's new poem 10 the Finns; Mr..
Mccarthy, on the other hand, attributes " the
Spaniards. ..l-,l.
"Tbere il not the least doubt but that Mr.. Hewitt,
in his assertions about the measure Of Hawatha,' 70
perfectly nght-though, peyhaps, he was led 10 tAm
more by his poetical judgment and metrica tact, than
by q precise CONSEQUENCES OF fact which, once
acknowledged cannot but place the question beyond
the range of further dispute Essentially, Mr.. Hewitt
has alluded to this fact when be speaks OF those rope
'titions Of ephets phrases, and lines which abound
in the Finlandc poetry but be seems not % DO
aware that these 'repetitions not only abound 10
the runes--that they by no means merely acci-
dental and arbtrary-but that they form altogether
characteristic and distinguishing feature Of THE poe
try, that they are rule and law Of II. This law, TO
name at once, Is ParaLei,sm, viz; The repetition Of
the thought, differently expressed In two, soSne-
times in three or four succeeding lines Parallel
ism together with twofoh sort Of ALTERATION, 10 the
peculiar attribute Of Finlandic poetry-and most
remarkable one, must ado, indicating It would seem,
"Mr. Longfellow has certainly-end most wisely
not adopted the artificial form Of ALTERATION, strange
ard antiquated would sound TO our modern ears,
when consistently carried through poem Of more
than 5000 lines. In this particular 1t must be oon-
ceded that the Of Hawatha does not closely
follow its Finlandc prototype. Neither has Mr. Long
fellow made use OF the sssonsnce, the distinguishing
feature Of the rochac meter Of the Spanards mot TO
be found, Of course, in Mr.. MCaItbys translson Of
'Caderon y 30 that for this reason may also dis
miss the idea of a Spanish derivation. Bot what Mr.
LopgfelIow has adopted, and used with skiil and
success remarkable in every page OF hawatha, IS
the paralesm of the Finnish runesa rhetorical fgufe
as have stated, altogether peculiar TO The group Of
national poetry. This, believe, settles the question.
will not say that Hiawatha Is written IN the old
national meter Of Finland; but there can be no
doubt that il IL written 80 modified FsaSss4 NICER
modified by the exquisite feeling Of the American poet
according TO the genius Of the English language, and
TO the wants Of modem taste. feel perfectly con
WINGED that when Mr.. Longfell0w wrote 'HiAwatha,
the sweet monotony Of the trochees Of Finland, and
not the mellow and melodious fall Of those OF spein
vibrated in bis SOUL =
"Apart from all internal evidence, which % Of itsel
sufficient TO put the matter beyond all question, may
mention that in the Summer Of 1912, when Mr. Long
fellow was on the Rhine, often amused ourselves
with the attractive meter and the quaint and IN
couth subjects Of the songs Of Finland. We read Q,
that time Dr. Won Sehr0ter's Finnische Runen. Fin
nisch und Deutsch Stuttgart ind Tdbngen, le34),
most instructive little book, which hrst msde Dy
countrymen acquainted with the folklore and national
poetry Of Finland-eRhteen years before Herr Bchief-
ners translation of the Kaevala made that acQuant
ance still more intimate. Only Goethes 'tinpisches
Lied and Platen's translation Of W&inaim5inep's
Hare from the Swedish version had preceded II.
These considerations win, hope leave but little
doubt that region Of poetry which has suggested
10 Mr.. LongfeIow the meter which has given nee 70
20 much controversy. FERDIsAsD FREILIoRATB.'