Buchanan County bulletin and guardian. (Independence, Iowa) 1866-1869, 1868-12-18
From the Chicago Journal.
FIJI Z.GREENE NALLECK. i.

Appleton 4 Co. are the first to bring out
complete edition Of Halleck's poems. "The
Poeiical Works of Fnz Greene> Halleck
Drake, edited by James Grant Wilson," II
is dedicated to Hon. William II. Seward.
Halleck's "slarco Bozzaris" il familiar to
all. School books, readers and speakers,
are sure TO contain il. We doubt If any
poem is better known in this country. 1t is
q very fine thing; yet we findin this volume
poems of higher order Of genius, that have
escaped general notice. We are amazed
that complete edition of his productions
should have been delayed so long. 1t must
be the poet under estimated the children OF
his bra in, and dared not trust them to the
world in book form. Ifso, his modesiy was
only exce!led by bis genius. Fitz-Greene
Haleck come the nearest Of any Of our po-
cts to being a second Byron, in all save de-
bauchery. A pure and sweet tempered man,
he seemed never to have been 10 the least
afflicted with Byron's misan,hropy and
gloom; but there is the ease and ininitable
Blending of the pathetic and ridiculous which
is so captivating. II we add to this com.
parison that Ha.leck closely resemLled in
spirit and temperament Washington Irving.
we suggest proper idea Of his character
and genius. There is kindness and quiet
humor running through all bis writings.
He and Irving were bosom friends and lad
in youth experienced the same affection
each lost his bero,hed before she became q
bride, and over them both there ever after
rested shadow, which was halowing rather
| than chilling. Both treasured their grief
too sacredIy to ever lisp their heart ache to
the world, and in both it wrought radical
change '.Diedrich Knickerbocker's' his>
tory of New York has q rollieking, joyons
wit, as if the writer was bursting with laugh.
ter; all lrving's subsequent writings more
than half persuade you that a tear brinmed
his eve, for all there was merry twinkle in
it. Between the adolescent poems Of Hal.
leck and those written after the crisis Of his
life, there is the same difference; ouly once
does be refer to that eycut. Being solicited
by the daughter of poet friend TO contrib
ute to her album he excused himself by say
ing:
''Gone are the pluines and pcnnons gay
Of young Romance
There lingers but her ruins gray.
And broken Lance"
And then in explanation he explains:
"Youth's coffn-hnsh, the tale it tells!
be silent, memory's funeral BELLS"
Halleck was q cotemporary Of Bryant
and Dana. The latter two still live, BIZ,
they belong to previous generation. They
were to that generation what Longfellow.
Whittier, and Lowell are to this. They were
the frstto make American poetry respectable.
Until tLeir day no poetry had been written
in this country deserving place in the per-
manent literature Of the language. Hall
lecks "Red Jacket" written when he was
in his ffteenth year, was at that time the
best ofthe American poems. Neither Dana
| nor Halleck wrote any thing equal to Bry>
| ants "Thanatopsis," but that one poem
aside, both excelled him, and even taking
that into the estimate, Fitz>Greene Hal
leck is TIE bes: poet Of the trio.