New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-09-24
NEW ORLEANS REPUBLICAN SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER q 1874

altogether unsatisfactory. She ia the same
person who appears throughout the book in
slightly varying apparel; Byronic lay.
prairies, and looking among them even
more t;.wdry and artificial than at home.
This is the one serious fault which is ap-
parent in Mr.. Joaquin Millers poems. An
excessive admiration for Byron has led
him into following of Byron's least ad-
mirable manner, by, which he often does
himself grave injustice. Instead of being
strong and natural, as he can be when he
then tries to be shadow of Byron, and
50 becomes artificial and turgid. The poem
entitled California" is all but spoilt by
this unfortunate propensity. And the same
cause makes it quite impossible to say
at present what may be his real power Of
insight into character. There are some
signs indeed that Mr.. Miller has observed
removed from his eyes, he has no chance Of
really seeing woman. Time and wider
experience may be trusted, we hope, to give
him courage to look at humanity, as he has
looked at the forests and the Sierras, with
the untrammeled strength of his own eyes,
As it is. Mr.. Miller is often happy in dealing
with single phases of emotion. There is
true and spontaneous poetry in this paint
ing.
~ passion tossed and bleeding past,
Part now. part well, part wide apart
As ever ships On ocean slid
Down, down the sea hull, sail and mast;
Aud in the album of my heart
Let hide the picture of your face,
With other pictures in their place
Sid over like a collins lid
The poem called "Ina," from which this
is taken, is in form dramatic. 1t hardly
pretends to any unity of construction, but
there is often great merit in the dialogue.
NJ hos ,1nl u ~,
culties OF dramatic blank verse far more
successfully than most OF those who attempt
the metre which is apparently the easiest,
and really the most difficult, that writer
OF English verse chan choose. Indeed. Mr..
Miller is almost always melOdious, though
IN some places attention is required to seize
the rhythm. Once OF twice there is start
ling resemblance to Mr.. Swinburne's me-
trical effects. as in these stanzas of Ina's
song:
20 hearts flrd Of fevers, of fires.
Reaching forth from the tangible blossoms
Reaching far for impossible things;
Beat not nor break your warm wings
On the cruel, cold bars any more.
Leaves fade and the frosts are before US;
Leaves fall and the winter winds are;
Loves fail! Let US cross and deplOre us;
Loves die Lit your hands at war:
Lift your hands to the world ar d deny it;
Lift your voice cry aloud and deny;
Cry aloud IT'S Eer and belle it,
With lives made a beautiful lie
However. We do not believe the resem-
blance was intended. Rather the cOinci-
dence shows that Mr.. Swinburne's manner
is not so artificial or unnatural as is COM
monty supposed.
There is yet to be noticed another piece
of evidence, valuable because quite unde-
signed. of the. primitive atmosphere of
thought in which these poems were written.
Thrice the speaker is represented counting
on his fingers. not as civilized man may do,
using them only as an aid or check, but as
the savage does, to whom they are the sole
instrument and symbol of numeration:
II lifted my fingers
That had dwelt where the sun goes down
Four full hands, and q finger Overt!
"They were so few
linear could count them hand.'
Il count my fingers over, so,
And hnd it years and years ago
The significance of this will readily be
seen by readers who have Mr.. Tylors chap
ter on finger-cOunting fresh in their memo
ries. 1t has been made to appear, we trust.
that the virtues OF Mr.. MilIer's poetry are
of kind likely to be further developed,
and the faults of kind likely to be out
grown. Ii he escapes the dangers of prema-
ture success land he has the strength to
escape tnelnl, ne may We'll achieve lar
greater things in the future.
We have received from the publishers,
I. B. Peterson & Brother, Philadelphia.
through the house of George Ellis & Brother,
Montetll 3 French, German, Spanish, Italian
and Latin. Without Master. This book
may have its uses, but can not be relied
upon to perform all the undertakings of its
anthor.
The Clitfords of Clytfe heretofore noticed,
has been received by Ellis.