The New York herald., 1869-02-03
NEW PUBLICATION.

NEW TO6IiOA iION.
--
THE POLITICAL WORKS OF CHARLRS q. HALPu1
miles O'Reilly), edited by Robert b. Roosevelt
New York: Harper q Brothers.
Whatever OF fame attaches itself to the name Of
Charles Graham Halpine will, probably. depend upon
the merits Of his poetcal works. His geniality asa
companion career as politician, kindness OF heart
and the many amiable qualities which marked his
nature can only be remembered In the future when
connected with the poetry he wrote; for 1t viii bs
readily admitted his prose writings better than
those OF numerous other journalists in this country
What opinion, then, can we give OF the poems con-
tanned In the elegantly printed and bound volume
which the Messrs. Harper have placed before the
pubIics Halpine was no great poet. Although no
possessed the genius OF one he lacked the stability
OF mind and studousness OF habits which are
italy necessary for the production OF great
works. And yet mis- poetry VIII not DO
soon neglected or forgotten. There Is charm about
his verses which must make them ever welcome.
Tenderness sentiment aud humor abound in them;
the absence OF malice bitterness Is characteristic
Of the writer's whole-souled nature The poem ION
Raising Monument to the Irish LEGION Is pro-
duc.ioD OF more than ordinary merit. There
true poetic spirit dPhiladelphia,n . commencing
Be merciiu to the South,
sS sDs ms4o nss nj sps sss N yoas
To Z: ap vss ss sssss but fought wells
is poem worthy Of notice for the generous. even
cniyaric tn @tnougnts i c0nyeys .stanpng out"
We give the end Of the last stanza:-
Our hate though .S s,,. hot . r PAT p.sns hate
And shs .cspre Z from from you sppins
But stamp away with your brutal hooi,
yT Mb % daS, % az y'S srs %oo
your shroud the fatos weaving.
'sTo the Chief Justice'' Is fine, calm and dignined
porm Many, perhaps too many, OF Haipnes poems
oA. Unt fOoI Qnh
productions are excellent. "lack Loyalty" Is ono
OF those serlo-comc poems with just suniciency a
old idea given in new language and gaining by the
change:-
Ii frat TO breathe the Sigh;
as But si se ns x sses q s ,s
Ne'sr lets ~ Misery .s see the light IT.
The sss s.rmsns. ns.o oS IL: S:p ssis IL n:h
We return now to the first three poems In the
Hymn" is full or sentiment and religious fervOr.
The last stanza, which we give below, IL lne:-
6ssesads iaaSs o1 !: Ss Ssnssd Sdsa s1S% Sas
While. silent a. the yoicelss. tomb,
ns4s Ess s.a S ass,S s:' s,s Sisss ssssI
Where frost chills, no tempest lowcrsi
'After the Bath" is an exquisite little gen. fun
OF warmth and imagery. This poem mas been crilt-
cised as being too extravagantly worded. We think
not Had the language been tanner It would have
thing that Halpine ever wrote Is ton Raisng MOnu.
ment to the Irish Legion" 1t begins With appro-
pirate tenderness:-
To raise a column o'er the dead,
To strew with flowers the graves OF those
nS Ma9 rssss Gns sHs H. n Sos issf%s ~ sss
Beside us faced Southern foes;
To honor these-the unshriven. unhaar3ed-
To-day we sad survivors come
With colors draped and arms reversed,
And all our souls In gloom immersed.
With silent fife and muHled dru-a.
Dye, the small surviving band,
D. Irish race, wherever spread,
win w wans % yoice and 1s X. wrSsIs al hand
Think Of her Legon's countless dead
Speaking OF the widows and orphans OF the heroic
dead, he says tenderly:-
But at their nelds were won,
. And pious pity for their loss
In streams OF generous aid should rum
To help them say ''rhy viii be donew
Az bent in grief they kiss the
Had Halpine written less and written more care
fully he would have taken foremost position
among the poets OF the day. His gealus was versa
Tile and prolific and too much But even as it ts
the book OF poems before US will hold no OBSCURE
place In poetic literature. That the author, in these
days or Tennyson, LongfellOw, Browning. Whittier,
Swinburne. Bryant and other poets conld rise above
medi0crity and become widely known is the best
recommendation for his works If we throw aside
the severity Of the critic and look these poems
with the interested eye OF the reader BAT one con-
cuson can be arrived at-they are, like the author,
both brilliant and erratic. Yet withal we cannot
resist regret that SO gifted man AZ Halpine IN
d0ubtedly was should not have left behind s0me-
thing with which to link his name to immortality.
ne was true poet as MS We verses ses attest; nad he
would have produced poem far superior to any
thing he ever wrote. His last poem ('0n lsasing
Monument TO- the irish Legion"l which Is un-
doubtedly his best, show that as his intellect ma
tured It's inspiration became grand r. As II IL, We
must thank the editor and publishers for she gift
they have offered TO the literary world Few can
read the poems without pleasure, none read
them without interest.