Litchfield enquirer., 1860-01-26

For tho Litchfsld Enquirer. A BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL
 SKETCH OF THE POET MOORE.
 Thomas Moore was born in 17sO at Dublin, where his father Ia Roman Catholic,) carried on ths business of grocer and spirit dealer; which may possibly account for the poets fondness TOT Anscreontic guzzling ballads.
 Leigh Hunt gives the following description o. his personal appearance He IS very shor' o' stature. His forehead is bony and full of char acter, with bumps of wit large and radiant enough to transport phrenologist his eyes are as dark and fine as you would wish to see under set Of vineleaves; his mouth generous and good hu- mored, with dimples his nose sensual and pro minent, and at the same time the reverse of aqui- line there is very peculiar characteristic in it, as if it were looking forward to and scenting feast or an orchard The face upon the whole is Irish, not unruffled by care and passion; but festivity is the prominent expression. In con- versation his manner is as bright as his talk is full of the wish to please and be pleased"
 Thus much as to the personal appearance of Moore. Let us now look at him as poet. At the age of twenty, he published his edition of the Odes of Anacreon, which obtained much popu- larity at the time when the moralities of respec- table literature were not so strictly enforced by public opinion as at the present day. Their light gayety and sensuous joyousness are more skilful- y rendered by Moore than by any previous Eng fish translator. It must be said, however that some of his favorite similies are greatly over- done. Rose color pervades the whole series in overpowering profusion-rosy lips, rosy cheeks, rosy hands, rosy breath, rosy smiles, we almost think rosy tears and rosy teeth
 At the age of twenty-two, Moore published collection of puerle rhapsodies, which were still more objectionable than the Odes. The worst of them have been omitted from the recent editions of his works, and we believe no one has deplored their original publication more than the author, in his latter years.
 Ten years after, Moore attempted the drama, by writing an operatic piece called "An M. F., or the Blue Stocking" It received such on em- phatic condemnation, that the first appearance proved to be the last. The poet showed his wis., dom by giving up the drama for his genius was not at all creative. We know forevermore Juli- ct and Desdemona; but Zelica and Hinda never have any reality to us as living women. Moore subsequently, produced his Melodies" which immediately obtained immense and we'll l-deserved popularity. It is upon these that his fame as a poet must chiefly rest |; and no one can deny that as whole, they exhibit great felicity of express sion, and much graceful tenderness of thought and feeling, frequently relieved by flashes of gay and genial wit and humor. He is not poet of strong emotions though there is genuine pathos in many of his beautiful songs. It must not be forgotten in estimating their value, that before his time, fashionable English songs were almost without exception, mere rubbish, as far as the words went and he effected a valuable reform in this department
 In 1912, Moore determined to write an East ern tale in verse. He retired to Mayfeld Cot tage, in Derbyshire, and commenced working himself up to proper Oriental state of mind, by reading every authoritative work on Eastern eli mate, religion, manners, customs, ceremonies, languages, topography, zoology, ornithology, en- tomology, Horticulture, horticultuse, and agricul- ture! So perfect did he become in these various branches of knowledge, that great Eastern tra- veller on reading Lala Rookh," and being as- sured that the poet had never visited the East, remarked that, if it were so, a man might learn as much of those countries by reading books, as apon the back of camel! After giving his brain this prolonged Oriental soaking, Moore tried to write, but by his own confession, the slightest exterior interruption or contradiction to the imaginary state of things he was trying to conjure up, would throw all his ideas into confu- sion. For twelvemonth he vainly strung to- gether, peris and bulbuls, and sunny apples of Totkahar,-the inspiration would not come. Each story, however trppingy it begun, soon Tagged, dropped, and expired of collapse after a few score lines. Finally, gleam of light, in the idea of Fire Worshippers, broke in upon the poet and the multifarious collection of Eastern materials deposited in the chambers of his brain -pSw arranged themselves in flowing numbers, without encountering any further accident, and jat the end of three years, Lalla Rookh" was ushered before the admiring world. Its success was immense, and the work rapidly ran through many editions.
 Paradise and the Peri," the second story, though not so much praised as the first and third, is probably much the most read of the four From its light ringing tone, it's delicate and ten der sentiment, its graceful and musical flow, it will always be principal favorite with the ad- mirers of Moore, as to exteriors, but it goes no further. The actors, so far as they possess indi- viduality, are all Europeans chiefly English and Irish. Hafed talks lofty patriotism, just as OConnell would if he had the faculty of verse :: Al Hassan is the stereotyped European tyrant. NUrn EnN NrE A-sI