New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-01-10

moss
1nent of her task. Her power OF description Is re-
rnarkablc and she las great colhIl"lu ot peil.
and EXPRESSIVE imagery. In her choice OF language
Che often fleets an antique phraSeoogy when gives
nm air of stateneSs, sometimes OF suilhesS' 10 neF
lines; but on the whole, her sSle MAINTAINS ny ~,
,rn,,o harmony with the dignity ot her theme. Iho
desrriton of the happy island contains passages OF
rare picturesque beauty, eyncmg true poetic eye,
and an admirable play OF fancy Oe Oh wv" Oh lcsc
viii enable our readers TO judge the correctness OF our
statements.
There shells Of crimson srewcd the shadowy sands,
As sunset LIQUIDS ashen skies aiioat;
Aud there an birds that dwell in light some lands
Shook wines Of flame and sal and scared remote,
Tin fain the senses ceased thereon 10 dotc,
And but the happy heart with song was sweet
And ah the deepening floods Of light that sinote
The lcafy gates of every dim retreat, ,
And on the wayeess lakes made "teeaeh AoWeiy e't'
There rudiy fruits on iowiy tendIils chung
Splicing each breeze Ger field aud fertile cape;
AIl'tropc drupcs from rustlng branches hung
SunsteeVcd, delicious, fair 81 hue ana shape
And vines f,r-clhnhinE such as grccniy drapc
Unsghtly rocks DER every boulder , Et g ", .r,ro
Dark waved me cioWutii Cl',.'l t w ~
Their swelling globes eartls IaIest sweetness drew,
TIL warm and rich thoy swung adIip WIN purple "'N'
po,co ep,ootbcd the velvet sward OF every slope;
Farthquale nor anchc dared the stiffness shock
Iv swift cascaOcs the lItl" ltml|d antelope,
As flectly vaulting. leapcd from rock 20 rock
Zach glen did some pure fountain source 1liu'kt
Where panther ounce. and tawny non oi3hk
Beside the antlrIcd nerd and iloocy Hook
Nosrgrict death might stain or wave OF bank,
I,1 none his fellow ycNcd-uo mcnaced wcaking shrauk
There human voices, cycrs soft and clear. ,,.o,,
,rJ frrmiI"us iaugItcis igt and sweet TO hear,
Trhos fine buclas frntly did Vrolong:
Gentle and free the race and brave aud strong
Ashl.thc and kindly ~ the showers al Spring;
It's graceful youth the hios,oln'd ways uu 'hl"nt,
With smiles and bushes bright as Love may hiluf
In beauty blOoucd they all. and none went Hollo"lhs
The destruction of the island doomed 10 perish for
the crimes of her children, presents m0uIhIGl pc
ture. H.. iii,
Burst then the tcIrurs of the hour of doom
All. then how shook the riycr-nurturcd lsl',
III a a
Hurled DER It's cliffs ala briuy surgcs loom,
Un'gaihcrcd from the valleys Of the deep;
Yawncd underneath the Mills then wetcring tomb.
And waves th"refrUm did ccdarn harvest, reap
Sank glade and topping DOME tan palm ana cloVen te'p
sank-whHc ON high the shcctcd lighuines burned
Aud wasting clouds were Whic WIN mloM{ Aie-
Arose and sank, as yet The scI-qneen yc%ined
Lifting from midnight CULTS the shattered spire,
The city oycrthrown. the fallen hight
TIL all revealed and rhalned with ruin dire .
The wrah-lOomcd realm sUw-sinhing, vanished quite
With all her pride aud pvnp. her beauty and her might
Rolled over an the devastating floods:
No more shall lovers haunt the babbIng MIS-
No more shall summer drcS, her golden LnGs,
or wind her misty wrcaths among the hills
No more shall breezy night bc sweet with TINS
In light, delicious, music morfcls tossed:
But still the sca-born kings recount their Ills,
Nor evermOre their uDdruful theme exhaust
OF All thine ancient worth thou island loved and lost
The poem closes with the obvious application of
the moral of the fable.
My Country, thus with Truth and Freedom best,
Who for Thy hurt had dared To barb the dart,
Save that thine arm, farrcachinr from The West,
Had plunged the knife IN Affir's bleeding heart.
O guilty nation ieCrng 10 the mart
Where men scourged ana swarthy maidcns sold.
roe WA ann nls 'oc n
Down dropped tlc night Of Death! Al then what heart
was bold
While yawned amid the dccps thy wcltcring tomb
LO yet thy late repentance winged the prayer
Heaven smiling heard blue skies began to bloom.
Dawn touched Inv hills and wrapped thy valleys fair
Woke all thy scers, Of deepening light aware
sTift-falng famGs jhy crimson altars caught
" a.,
And hurled him down the pit. and thy salvation wrought
on Freedoms golden threshold mute he stood
His dropping brow believed with sweat 81 blood,
His sad eyes stepped In tcars OF love divine
His cluging crown Of thorns halfsnatchcd away,
His wan lips wet with cifiNiou-wiuo-
While Judas paused afar and whispered "slay hm-sla'
Opcople wallmg for the first born. dead!
o morn transpicndcni, qncnched IA utter nightf
martyr, hcaycuWard caught nom owe night!
Yet in the book shall listening prophets write!
Walls shall yet be gwen and swords shall smitc;
10, Babylon the Great shall fail To rise no more!
Come ont Of her my Country-stand afar!
To heaven her smoke Of torment fhali Dc IoIc4;
Her sroIFb nilt temples cIrinblc, waNingod
Woe for her fruits. her mcrc handse unsold,
Her precious wood. her pearls and linen fine,
The kings Of earth are drunken win her wine
Partakc not OF her sins make her judgments thine
forth for thee the golden city wallis.
Within whose guarded wall b. found no night:
OF lucid pearl are all IT, shining gates
10, its foundations gdruslcd are aud bright
With sartOnyX aud cbaiccdOny white,
Sapphire and sarsius and clrysolite
Jacnth and amethys and hcryl fair:
Who shall the length and breadth ana hight thereof
declarci
large portion of the smaller poems in the volume
have been suggested by yarious incidents of the
which they celebrate IN strains of mingled energy
and pathOs.
Mr. Weekss volume bears the impress of athought-
full and imaginative spirit Many of the pieces have
n sweet lyrical flow combining tenderness of senti-
ment with earnesness of reflection. The problem of
life, III its various illusive forms often suggests the
burden of his song and is treated with a certain
pensiye hopefuness We give the "Mocking Bird" AZ
"A favorable specimen of his poetic musings.
The bird whose singing love the best.
OF al the birds that yet have heard,
think must he this knocking bird,
Whose song, a. it follows unchecked aud free
The widening course Of lbs sympathy,
Has clearly the power Ia make me biest,
Above the singing of oil the rest.
Not Mocking Bird but Interpreter
OF Joys and longings the others In vain
Had tried to iufIsc ia their feeble strain,
TIL the full song rose, aud the thoughts astr
IN the lesser songs were at once made l>iu
And the sweet birds wondered TO hear hIln fling,
In his sunlkc way, 10 the waiting air
The sIangost wealth of unccasing song;
70 whose completeness all sounds belong
OF flowing waters, and WAVING trees,
And the changing voice Of the wandering breeze,
And the dreamy noises of early spring,
That lmGuidy borne on the moist, warm air,
Whsper-whO knows what message i-tlcre.
And Interpreter, too, for me. All vest
too may listen and wonder To hear,
Ia an unvcXcd music, pure and clear,
That song OF beauty, 80 hard To express
Which yet shall De born Of eartb's Tcstlcssness,
When the passionate warnings that nOught awaited,
The love that stammercd, the faith that failed,
The souls true dream that 10 could not prove,
All good thoughts, meant for the sky above,
That faltered and fell from feeble lip
Shall make music at l0st-ah hearts that long -
And the discoId be changed TO a perfect song
That cannot faltcr, uprising strong
From the fun, free faith OF a living love,
And the JOY OF an infinite fellowship!
MI. Dryden Phelps expatiates chiefly on religious
subjects, and his effusions show much pety butltle
poetry.