New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-09-29

How wound we through the SOLID weod,
With all Its broad bOughs hung IN green,
With lChen-mosses trald between!
How walked the spotted beasts Of prey,
Deep sleeping from the face Of day,
And dash'd them like q troubled dOod
Down some dehle and denser wood
And snakes, long 1.-the and beautiful
As green and grsceful-bOuGhd bamboo,
Didtwis and Irvine them through az. and through
The bougbs that hung red-fruited full
One, monster-sized, above me hung,
Close eyed me with his bright PINK eyes,
Then raised his folds and swayd and swung,
And lickd like lightning his red tongue,
Then oped his wide mouth with surprise;
He writhed and curved, and raised and lOwerd
His folds like fittings of the tide,
And sank so low touched his side.
As rode by, with my broad sword
The trees shook hands high overhead,
And bow d and intertwined across
The narrow way, while leaves and moss
And luscious fruit gUld-hued and red,
Through all the canopy Of green,
Let not one sunshaft shoot between
Birds hung and swung Eteen-robed and red,
Or drOOpd in curved lines dreamily,
RainbOws reversed, from tree tO tree,
e sbs 20 YSv s Il 4sg si &Ss1 aS slept,
Fang faint like some far waterfall,
And took no note OF us at all,
Did crush and crackle as we slept.
- Wild lilies tall as maidens are.
As sweet OF breath, as pearly fair,
As fair as faith, as pure Is truth,
Fell thick before our every tread,
As q sacrifice 10 ruth,
And all the alFw with perfume ind
Moro sweet than ever man dIstiDd.
The ripen'd fruit fragrance shed
And hung in hand-reach overhead,
IN nest OF blossoms on the shoot,
The bending shoot that bore the fruit.
How ran the monkeys through the leaves!
TI;,w FnshHa them through. brown clad and blue,
Like ehutles hurried through and through
The threads q hasty weaver weaves!
How quick they cast us fruits Of gold,
Then loosend hand and all foothold,
And hung lump, Timber, as II dead
Hung low and istless overhead;
And all the time with halfOped eyes
Bent full on US In mute surprlse-
LOOk'd wisely too, ns wise hens do
That watch you with the head askew.
But we need not multiply quotations to show the
quality of the poets genius, which seems to be Of
singularly uniform fiber, and not impelled by in
stinct or training to attempt expression in wide
range of fancy, or to soar above the confines of q
limited, and 1t must be confessed. somewhat vul-
gar experience. The poems are marked by reality,
az stern and wild as the daily life Of the border
whose exploits they fondly celebrate
They make few excursions into the fairy realms of
ideal beauty. With the tender charities of civilized
society, the affections of the domestic hearth and
the exercise of tranquil friendship with Nature and
with God, they betray but slight degree of sympa
thy. They are all pitched on the same key, with as
little variety Of tone sentiment as concert with
a single instrument Even the language and i'm
petual repetition and at length awaken q sense Of
which their frequent exquisite beauties
fail to relieve Few modern poets, even with far
s0hter pretensions than the author indulge in such
wearisOme use of few favorite expressions. II
would be curious to calculate for instance how often
the epithet broW either by itself IN contrast with
blse recurs in the volume. The following lines with
one exception, are found In q single poem and most
Of them in close proximity to one another:
kissed by kline and the broen sweet boz"
% His brow was Drowned By the sun and weather."
"And maidens are broom a. the cocoa brown"
"Fretting her curIs with her fingers sropn."
SHOW, her eyss wore black 1nd her akin brOsen."
at seemed 70 zee her with her brora hands lifted"
"And her S1nAn bSoDa hands lay prone, or lifted"
with her brosra hand pointing 10 the burning skies
"And hsr brOsn hands a my knee"
unfair that mystical orown winged moth"
"Ths full Axed eysA and the sad broWn face"
"PCr che love Of blonde BY SuD-brevnsd lover"
" That have wrought when the sun tans brOtVH."
I'll am burnt BY the sun, Am brOWned bysths sea-"
/" Looking Tor we, her sun-brOvHsd lever"
"Yst tAos 70 iacs; end her feee was eresVnL"
IAN shasls'd. and In SiaSaDs ny ArowH tscs Over.D
"For my bourd's 20 long. and my sHta'so Srorn."
Similar examples may be gathered from various
pAFts Of the volume, which almost lndicrously
illustrate the tendency Of The aath0a mind 20 ran
In single groove. No d0ubt the impression made
BY AEst reading Of the poems h thai Of a sgTste