New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-06-24

Ilht Oh 4 IduCcetd ia
offers an appreciation in itself IS poeiical as -
critically acute, poetic qualities thai place Inc
author in the same rank with Homer and SHAKE
speare. he denies to the poem completeness as
whole denies It's underlying profundlty u Ph'lo'"
pby. thinks that It's apparent obscurlty is redl oo
security, IT, apparent defects are real defects. -
curious TO see what a storm of attacks this smpe
utterance Of opinion brought upon its anthor
Italian journalists have fallen foul Of the kindly
natured poet as though he were the bltterest enemy
Of their country. His remarks, which, rlght VT
wrong, were at least phrased with the gen'iehe's
and courtesy that belong to bis nature, have oeen
replied TO with warmth, and. in some cases, Win
yiralence that reminds one of the old style Ct theo-
logical controversy or the modern style OF not Po-
lical poemics. They have also excited considerable
discussion this side the Alps Dante has become vi
late wears favorite study with the French. Lamar
tine was personal friend when he commenced his
Diplomatic career Of NJ. Artaud, the first trehcn
translator of the Divina Commedia; that was Only
some thirty years ago, and now there axe sc'oH
French versions, partial or complete, of that poen'
Commentaries abound Every year brings out some
new theory Of explanation OF It's esoterlc meaiiIs
and. quite recently, Sebastian Rheal de Cessna mas
ptgun the lrdIlsdll'u VI Idht' pi''' "'it'''
will of themselves be thinks illuminate the dark
ness Of his poems. ~.
In The last number Of his Familiar Course o. Ln-
,yofure LamaItiue takes Italian literature tor MS
subject and commences critical review or ratner
writes the preface of critical review, OF the DIVINE
Comedy, which will be continued IN future num-
bers. A part Of the present number is occu'
MED with his own defense against the attacks re-
ferred TO above, which is presented with courtesy,
tr,a aulIupsg that fltlst nave
all the.pngency Of an epigram for his oyerzeaious
orpouents To show his readers how little he de-
serves the harsh language To which he has been
treated he repeats part OF his observations origin
ally printed in the SieciC, adding that be finds little
10 retract from their spirit at the present time.
There is not space here TO transcrbc them III uil'
| make room for a sentence or two:
ct seems to me that the poem Of Dante may be
cassed with that local, national, temporary poetry
which emanates from the genius Of the place from the
nation and the epoch. When the poet Is only on
level with his county his people and his epoch, sucn
poetry swept down the current OF ages ana passes
away with the crowd TO whose tastes 1t was suited
When the poet is great man, as Dante was, he sur
wives eternay, and endeavOr to make the poem
survive entire, but we do not succeed. To
comurehend the poem Of DaHte, it would need to re-
su,citae all the Forentne mob Of the time the pOpu
lace that exiled him. and burned him in efigy, and
tore down his house, for the opinions the popular
tiles ard the unpOpularitles OF that mob that lie has
sung He hes been punished where he sinned: /. e.
he Parg for the time posterty does not understand
him All that we can understand Is that this
exclusively Tuscan poem of Dante was sort OF
aveneing satire of the politician upon all the parties
that had aroused his hatred This idea Is little, and
unworthy poet
What Lamartne admres as grand, distinctive
and mperishabe, in the poem, is It's style. Dantes
power of expression was above his themes. =" n
great man and bad poem, is the comprehensive
Judgment passed upon the book and him who wrote
it, Ofthe much-taked-Of wearisOmely recommended,
but never clearly.deyeloped esoteric teaching sup
posed to underlie the surface of the poem, Lamar
tine gives bis opinion briefly, sensbly and Wltty IN
these words: "YOung Frenchmen to-day are
busted in obstinate search for this hidden sense in
'the pursuit of which the Tuscans themselves are
grown weary May the god OIL chaOs De prOp-
"lious to their studies ~
From Dante TO Shakespeare, the transition is nat
ursl Although men who must know better (and
here do not speak of academicjan and playwright
NJ. Ponsard who perhaps does not know better
persist still occasionally in writing him down VIII
liams there is nOtew Orthy change IN frencnnleh
interest in and comprehension OF Shakespeare since
the DAYS when NOltaires wretched limitation OF paris
Of Julius Caesar Iassed for faithful translation OF
that poem Beside new cheap editions of transla-
lions of his complete works, George Sands Imlta-
ton of AS You Like 1t, performed last year AT tne
Francois and an adaptation OF Henry the fourth,
perforIned the same year IN one OF tie provincial
heaters. we had at the beginning OF this year
translation of the Sonnets of William Shakespeare
by Francois Victor Hugo, whoproves himself therein
the worthy son of worthy sire, and new edition
of Leon Ilalevy' 5 translation of Macbeth.
Three weeks ago read large poster announcing
that the play Of Hamlet Prince OF Denmark would
be performed at the Cirque Imperial The Cirque
Imperial is large, popular, far,up'town theater
devoted mainly to military and swush-buckier
dramas, fairy spectaces Bengal lights, compllcate
Il II hnlas.l. rau.ri and aDOtlepsls OF
virtue generally clothed in scant gauze, and illum-
mated with blue and red lights at the close OF the
fifth act 1t was not the place where one would
expect TO find the most subty philosophical OF all
Shakespeare's characters. | went from curiosity
agreeing beforehand with my French companion
that should be free to come away at the close 0l
the second act. ! never saw, and must doubt II
there had been ever seen on the stage, Jlser
conception more completely executed OF shake
speaIean parsonage, than was that OF d. h0I'iere
Hamlet. certainly never saw out oil real lie sucn
real insanity painfully real aud true 10 nature
II was in the eye in the gait when III MOTION III the
face when at rest: the delicate nerves oi Drain ana
heart were laid bare, and you saw them quivering
with Over.tensiOn aud threatening momeily 10
break. till your excited sympathy became distress
nely painful and then almost more paihiti 70 see
the method running through the madness cuiihngly
covering up all these external Signs oil INSANITY aha
revealing an acuteness oi VII nnd cooi sense that
battles completely the wles OF the courtiers. had
not thought that the part could be made so unaiiec-
eddy, so beautifully pathetic. With all this there
was throughOut-in he maddest as in the quIetest
scenes--a certain peculiar gentcmanllnesS' a certain
undesirable nobleacss Of blood and race mat
Ike all the other qualities Of that marvellous acting
seemed not studied but 10 belong TO the man. NJ
ROuvieres conception of the character o iauiie Is
entirely in the sense Vi Goethes appreciation OF IT,
and the essential pathoi of the part, when pre-
sented and cumulstes in answering harmony
IL. 1 L. nra.ssl