New-York tribune., 1867-05-02

1.-THE Threnody." Since the publication Of his first
volume. he has gathered an audience whose minds
have been nurtured, and whose tasts have been
fashioned. by his plastic genius The novelty OF
iphrase az well as the bOfness of conception, which
once repelled the sensitive reader has become fam
lar: his influence has swayed the current OF opnion
his manner is associated with the freshest intellect
nal life of the age; the youthful genration which
looked upon his earlier productions with bewildered
wonder have hardened into the bone of manhood;
and have learned to recognize in tie apparently
erratc bard not only master of poetic imagery and
expression, but wise expounder of the marvellous
secrets of humanity,
SWINBURNE'S SONG OF ITALY
SONG or ITALY. BY AlGEENoS CHARIEs SSNBvRSE emo'
PIP ~. Tcknor Fields
The fervor of imagination which moro than any
elevation of thought beauty of expressions eharac-
'terizes the poetry of Mr. Swinburne kindlcs every
line of this patriotic efusiOn. 1t is outpOuring of
enthusiasm in behalf of Italy, n land which he has
learned to worship with an idolatroB passion, and
on which he lavshes the fiery endeaTnents that he
has heretofore celebrated in the dramatic utterance
of personal love- The vehemence o. his emotions
clothes itself in language of burning intensity,
afame with images of dazzling spendor yet presery-
ing q melody of rhythm, and frequent grace OF
illustration which bandly temper the ecstatic tone
of the poem. We are first ntroducedto the kneeEng
forn'of Italy at the feet of Freedom.
Iron windy night Of stars that fell
AT the winds spoken spell,
Swept with sharp strokes OF agonlZng ight
From the clear gulf Of night,
Between the fixed and fallen glOrles me
Against my vision shOne,
More fair and fearful and divine than they
That measure night and day
Aud wortmer worship and within mine oyes
The formless folded skies
Took shape and were uIsOlded Ike AZ flowers
And beheld the hours
As naidens, and the days as laboriDg men,
And the soft nights again
As weariet women To their own souls we'd,
And ages = the dead.
And over these living; and them that died,
From 10 the other side
lOrdler light than comes Of earth or air
Made the worlds future fair.
woman Ike 10 love IN face, but not
thing OF transient lot
And like TO hope, hut having hold on truth
And like 10 Joy or youth,
Save that upon rock her feet were set
And like what men forget,
Faith innocence. high thought, laborious peace
Being not as these are mortal but with eyes
And iei Glove ike wings or arrows their clear way
Through night and dawn and day
So fair presence over star and sun
For in the shadow ~ her shape were all
Darkcned aud held in thral
SO mightier rose She past them ana iet
Whose form, whose likeness lncit
with covered hair and face aud clasped her knees
And knew the first Of these
Was Freedom, and the second Italy.
The fair mother bids the prostrate child arise, and
speaks to her in words of tender cheer and promise
The dawning of new hope calls forth an invocation
from the poet.
Itaha by the passion Of the pain
That bent and rent thy chain;
Italia! by the breaking of the bands,
The shaking Of the lands;
Beloved, % mems mother, . mems queen,
Arise, appear, he seen!
Arise, array thyself In manifold
Queens Taiment Of wrought gold;
With girdes Of green freedom, aud with red
Above Sse {he ie' flush and frondSee Of the hills
And a ~ INV Clear biSht walls and warns with wings
The rose of resurrection. and the bright
Breast lavish Of the light
The lady lily Ike the snowy ky
Ere the stars wholly die;
As red as blood aud whittier than a wave,
Flowers grown as from thy grave,
From the green fruitful grass in Maytime hot,
Thy grave where thou art not
OF the ancient earth divine,
The holy heart Of things, the seed OF birth,
The mystical warm earth.
O thou her flower Of flowers, with treble braid
BE thy sweet head arrayod,
Who bore thee aud found thee good.
Her fairest-born Of children, on whose head
Her green and white and red
Are hope aud life and light, nyioate
OF any latter fate.
Fly, o our flag. through deep Italian air.
Above the flags that were
The dusty shrcds OF shameful battle flags
Trampled and rent In rags,
As wlthergg woods IN Autumns bluercst breath
Yellow, and black as death
Black crushed worms that scken In the sense,
Fly green as Summer and red dawn and white
The blind bright womb OF color unborn. that brings
Forth all far forms Of things,
As freedom all fair forms OF nations dyed
III divcrs-colged pride.
Fly fleet as wind on every wind that blows
Between her and SHOWS,
From Alpine white, from Tuscan green, and where
Nesuyins reddens air
Fly and let all men it, and all kings wall.
And priests faint and pale,
And the cold hordes that moan IN misty'paces
And the funereal races
And tle sie ser a "a
See thee and hate thee In vain
In the clear laughter Of all the winds and waves,
In the long sound OF fluctuant boughs OF trees,
In the broad breath OF seas,
Bid the sound OF thy flying folds bc heard;
And as spoken word
Full OF that fair god and that merciless
Who rends the Pyth0ness,
SO be the sound and so the fire that saith
She feels her ancient breath
Aud the old blood move In her immortal veins.
The heroes of Italian liberty are apotheosized In
thecexalted strains of devotional rapture.
But thou, though all were not well done, chief
MIST thou take shame or griefi
Because man Is not as thou or ten,
Must thou take shame for ment
Because the supreme sunrise Is not yet,
Is the young dew not weti
Wilt thou not yet abide little while,
Soul without fear or guile,
Mazzini-O our prophet, o our priest,
little hour of doubt and Of control,
Withhold thine heart our father, but an hosr;
Is 1t not blown and fragrant from the root,
And shall not be the fruti
Thy children even>thy people thou ha st made,
Thine, with thy words hriayed.
Clothed with thy thoughts aud sirt With thy desires,
Yearn up toward thee fires
Art thou not father. father, OF all these 7
From thine own GenOese
Toiwhere of nights thefower extreme lagune
Feels it's Venetian moon,
Nor suckAng's mouth nor mothers breast set free,
But hath that grace through thee.
The milk OF llfe6n deaths unnatural brink
Thou eayest them to drink.
The natural milk OF freedom; and again
They drank, and they were men.
The wIns and honey of freedom and Of faith