The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-11-05

This song of Lynette ls Zone Of those dainty
lyrics that Tennyson Is safond ofincorporat-
ing in his narrative poems. 1t is charmingly
inlercalated with remarks which show the
gradual decadence of dltgust In Lynette's
mind, and the slow growth of admiration and
of love. Thus, when the second brother,
calling himself the 'Nooaday Sum-" Is over
thrown in a combat In rpld.stream, Lynette
sings, intersperslng her verses with remarks
depreciatory Of Gareth: Z .7s5
$50 sum mot this strong fool whom thou, Sir
Hast ovsrthrown thro' mere unhapplness,)
% Sun, that wakenest all toIbliss or pain,
o moon, that layest all to sleep again,
Shine sweetly-twlce my iove hath smiled on
me.'" !.
what knowest thou Of love songor Of lover
Nay, nay. God wor, so thou vet .nobly born,
Thou hast q pleaeant presence. Yea, perchance-
80 dewy flowers that open to the sun,
o dewy flowers that close when day ts done,
BLOW sweeuy-twice my love hath smiiedon me-
"what knowess ,hou OF nowsrs except belize,
To psrnish meats within Hath not our good King,
Who lent me thee, the dowes OF kltchendom,
A foolish love for nowersp What stick ye round
FloWersP Nay, the boar hath rosemares and bay.
go birds that warble to the morning sky,
birds that warb.e as the day goes by,
Sing sweetly-twlce my love hath smiled on me.'"
"'what knowest thou Of birds, lark, mavs,
What dream ye when they utter forth
MAJ music growing with the grow ng light,
Their sweet sun.w0f-htpf These be for the snare,
$50 runs thy fancy these be for the spit,
Lardtng and basting."
But when the third champion Is vanquished,
Lynette sings her third cantlcle and accepts
Gareth as worthy knight:
III lead no longer; ride thou at my side;
Thou art the Eingllest OF all kitchen-knaVes.
40 trefol, sparkling on the rainy plain,
rainbow, with three colors after rain,
Shine sweetly; thrice my love hath smiled on me.
1t ls only when Gareth sleeps in the mysti-
cal cavern, to gather strength for the final
combat with the last guardian OF the Lady
OF Lyonors, that Lynette allows her heart to
speak. The scene and the words are among
the best passages of the poem:
Nigh upon that hour
When the lone hern f0rgels hls melancholy,
Let's down his other leg, and stretching dreams 1
or goodly supper In the dlstant pool,
Then turn'd the noble damsel smiling at him,
And told him OF cavern had at nand,
Where bread and biken meats and good red wine
or Southland which the Lady Lyonors
Had sent her coming champion, waited him.
Anon they passed narrow comb wherein
Were slabs OF rock with ngures, Knights on horse
Sculp,ured. and deckt In slowly waning hues.
"Slr Knave, my knight, hermit once was here,
whose holy hand had fashion'd on the rock
The war OF Time against the soul OF man.
Know We not theseY' and Gareth lookt and read
In letters like to those the vexillary
Hath left crag carven DER the streaming Gelt-
"Pnosphoras,n - then "MerIdies''-"Hesperus'i-
"Nox,i-"Mors,n - beneath five figures. armed men,
after slab Their f5s ssu sSsns that
With broken wings, torn ralment and loose hair,
For help and shelter to the hermit's cave.
"FolloW the faces, and we , nnd i, Look, u
Seek, TIL we find" And when they sought and
Cir Garsth i1ahui drank and ate, AMI all his life
past into sleep, on whom the maiden gazed.
..Sound sleep be thine sound cause TO sleep hast
thou.
Wake iusty Seem not as tender to him
As any mother2 All, but such one
AS all day long hath rated 1t her child.
And yext his day. but blesses him asleep
GOOD lord. how sweetly smells the honeysuckle
! In the hushd night, as II tue world were one
or utter peace, and 1--we, and gentleness
/ Pull merry am to find nay goodly knaYe
| ID Knight aud n0ple.
1t is with the easy defeat of the sham
knight called Mors, and the feasting In the
castle of the liberated Lady Lyonors, that The
Idyll closes.
As will be seen from the extracts We have
made from this Idyll, 1t is full of delicate
fancies and noble thought, clothed in language
that Is at once elevated and simple. It has
the romantic Interest inseparable from all these
tales of mailed warriors falling upon each
other in deadly fight. Old as they are, ant
familiar as Is the paraphernalia of closed
visors, rushing steeds, splintered lances, ant
flashing swords, there is a stirring charm
about them that never quite wears of. Be
sides, Teunyson has worked out his story
quite dramatically, and carries us on witt
heightenlng interest to the close. The poem
Will be found full of suggestions for the pencil
of the illustrator, and we are confident will
be the most generally popular of all the Idyll'
| IF bo Kfpn