The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-05-24
A Readable Review.


be an act of bankruptcy"
Readable Review.
DR.. Shelton Mackenzie, the well-known edi-
tor of tho "Noctes Ambrosiann" of the
Blackwood wits, aud. of late years, the wri-
ter Of tbs able and scholarly book-reviews In
the Philadelphia Press,-publishes in that
journal critique on the Masquerade and
other Poems," which we cory below. not
merely as an appreciative and discrimina-
ting review of Mr.. Saxe's new volume, but
also for the interese of the article in its men,
tion of certain famous poets of England and
their mode of composition:
Welcome as the flowers of May are the new
poems by John G. Saxe--or a collection of his
fugitive piece. Here is such dainty volumn,
got up in the best and neatest manner of Tick
nor Il Fields, and entitled 1.-The Masquer ade and
other Poems" In dedication TO DIR. l. +. Red
field, late chief Justice of Vermont, which also
does yeomans service preface, Mr.. SAKE
points out the sources from which some OF his
poems were derived 1.-The Masquerade" from
an incident in real life ; s'Mirslda," from popu-
lar legend in Ballou's history of Cuba; "The
Parrot of Nevers,n condensed from Jean Ores
sets amusing poem. He apologies for his "insI-
tations' of Beranger, whose spirit he has caught
and happily rendered; gives halt a dozen pleas
ant sonnets, and dozen of epgrans. All this
he does extremely well, but-even Achilles was
vulnerable in one place-he fails when he at
tempts to write the Irish brogue; Paddy speaks
broad enough, giving the fullest sound to the a,
but he never puts paole for people TraydsHa
for freedom" nor rads for ''read" Mr.. SAKE
has the rare fault, which is real virtue, of
writing very little-though he compensates by
writing very well. His facility appears great,
but he is never careless difuse. We surmise,
from his poetry, that his great aim is to express
his thought in the fewest words, consistent with
clearness. Such writers as Robert Browning
and Coventry Patmore seem resolute in not blot
ting, and therefore diffuse obscure. But
Byron, though almost an improviss tore, did not
disdain the labor lnaoe while the polished poetry
of Moore and the gushing passion of Shelley
were the result of immense painstaking, We
have seen pages upon pages of these great poets
manuscripts, which reveal this secret, being
darkened with blots, erasures, lines scored out,
until the felicitous expression came at last, to
bloom into Immortality. We have seen on one
page of foolscap, sixteen attempts by Shelley to
produce the line which satisfied him. We take
it for granted that Mr.. SAKE sometimes finds it
very hard to please himself. In his poetry, by
the way, he is as careful with his rhymes g.
Ell. Boxer, and never makes bad one. He is a
wit as well as an humorist, and now and then a
general satirst-
sWhose humor, as gay as the frefy's light,
Played round every subject, and shone as it
played,
Whose wit in the combat, gentle as bright,
Ne'er carried a heart-stain away its
blade"
Now that Praed and Hood have departed, and
the muse of Holmes seldom wings her fight into
the attic regions of familiar song, SAKE has a
right to be acknowledged at the top of the
tree. He remainds US of Praed, and then of
Hood, in his facility and his expression, but is as
original in his way as they in theirs. The
reader does more than smile over his verses-of-
times he lays in matter for future serious
thought, for SAKE has higher object than mere
ly to amuse.
Telling severe truth in pleasant way is
THE BLARNEY STONE.
- In Blarney Castle, on q crumbling tower,
There lies a stone (above your ready reach. !
Which to the lips imparts, it's said, the power
OF facile falsehood and persuasive speech
And hence, of one who talks in such a tone
The peasants say, Hes kissed the Blarney
Stone"
Thus, when see some fippant tourist swell
With secrets wrested from Emperor;
And hear him vauut his bravery and tell
How once he snubbed Marquis-I infer
The man came back,--if but the truth wer
By way of Cork, land kissed the Barney Stone
So, when hear shallow dandy boast
lin the long ear that marks brother Ounce
What precious favors ladies' lips have lost.
To his advantage; suspect, at once
The fellows lying; that the dog alone
Enough for him , has kissed the Bl.rne
Stonel
When some fine ady,-ready to defame
An absent beauty, with sweet a grace
With seeming rapture gteets hated name,
And lauds her rival to her wondering face
Fen Charity herself must freely own
Some women, too, have kissed the Blarne
Stone
When sleek attorneys, whose seductive ton
CUES,
Smooth with the JUNCTION of golden fee,
Breathe forth huge falsehoods from capaciou
lungs"*
The words are Juvenal's) tits plain to see
lawyer genius isn't all his own;
The specious rogue has kissed the BIarne,
Stone
When the false pastor, from HIS fain.;pu aoot
Wishholds the Bread of Life-the Gospe
news
To give them dainty works, lest he sho,,.
shock,
The fragile fabric of the paying paws,-
who Int must feel, the man, to Grace mn
known,
Has kissed NOT Calvary,-but the Barne
Stone!
xaImmensa cavi spirant memdacia foiies."
we could ouote other poems that struck US,
sr.ce allowed-but cui 6oaos Every one know
hov s.xe..an write, and here he has written b