The New York herald., 1874-12-21

sooA u ASSu CHJuymtHt III auveHtufOuS eUcOuuteES
with the wariiKe mountaineers in the Caucasus.
His restless spirit sought excitement rather than
fame. HIS scorn was not affected. 1t was inborn
ana genuine. He went into battle as some men
seek the gaming table-for distraction and relief
from himself But with all this hatred OF society.
all this scornful renunciation or it's pleasures
and Eivohties, he possessed . deep and
passionate love Of nature. The sight Of
beautiful iower awoke the tenderest emotions In
his heart" "iis poetry" says Mr.. Conant," is the
expression OF some strong emouon-either love or
hatred admiration or scorn; and In many or his
works we and the same strange mingling Of pashos
and irony, wit and humor, go characteristic OF
the poetry OF Byron.n The translation OF the
poems is rne specimen Of clear, simple, re-
nned English. little song embodied in il will
give an idea OF Lermonton-s poetic Iancy and Mr..
Conant's felicity Of transating poetic expression.
Oh stay with me,
Aha nevermore depart:
Life in the stream is always free, tr
VI cool and Quiet heart
IN summon all my sisters here,
And merry dance ana play
And tighten ali the day.
And soft thy bed shall ever be,
Benea h the waters deep;
The murnurng shall sing for thee,
Auu charm thee into sleep.
love thee, and would have thee share
TINS Tranquil life Of mlne
And it snail ali be thine.
Mr.. Bret Harte has added another volume to hts
already respectable collection OF works, which
Osgood h Co publish in style uniform with their
standard edition OF the poets. The volume Is
entitled "Echoes From the Foot Hills" and con-
talns twenty snort poems. six OF them are on
Spanish subjects, suggested BY Mr.. Harte's rest
dence in California; six of them are In dialect;
the remainder are miscellaneous poems. Some Of
ana forri itta~ e;o
magazines They are all marked with Mr.. Harte's
originality OF expression, and. show traits or,
more accurately, perhaps, resembances, Of Mr..
Harte's unquestioned genius. Our general crlti-
cism is thai these poems have been carelessly
done ana do not show that advance In his art
which we had hoped rom writer who has attained
the high and jnst celebrity Of Mr.. Harte The best
poem In the book is 'srhe Babes IN the Wood" 1t
is the story OF runaway couple who fly from the
restraints OF civilization, or with some darker
motive, perhaps, into the Big Pine Flat country,
where they live in disguise.
Two lean lads in their teens, and greener
Than even the belt OF spruce and nr
Where they built their nest each Gay grew
They hide in frontier seclusion, keeping their
secret until one evening, "out OF the sunsets
rosy glow" the Sheriff of Mariposa arrives with
warrant for their arrest, and then comes the
catastrophe:- l t#
400 idN tHcy Huu seen MIN Cross the nliis
ran to their tent aud found them lying
Dead in each others arms, and still IT, ll@l
Caspng the drug they had taken flying.
s sae and 0S the
Wo xsrs sey shams As na or
The sun IN that visits their grave So lightly; i,
All.of their lite but its love forgot
Everything tender and soft anc mystic. F
We can hardly call Mr.. Hartes book real CON.
frthutfOn Ha
mucn better work than anything in this volume,
and we hope to see him vindicate his reputation
by something more worthy Of MS genius. 's6 ~
James Miller, OF Broadway, sends us q new edi-
ton Of the works OF Shelley, with memoir oy
James Russell Lowell This Is really an Old book
reprinted IRON the old plates which were first
used nearly fourteen years ago. 1t now comes to
us with red lines around the page. For second
hand book Mr.. Miller has made pleasant looking
volume We wish that some OF our publishers
would really give us this royal poets works In q
style worthy Of his genius and fame. MIR. Loweps
sketch Of shelley's life was written many years
ago, and It Is imperfect In this, that it
does not contain the latest Information
IN reference to Shelley. Although this
singuarly gifted and brilliant gentleman
died more than fifty years ago, he was q very
young man at the time, scarcely out Of his boy
hood. He might stin be living, in the course OF
nature as Proctor, who only passed away the
other day, was his senior. Shelley was born In
1892, and had ne lived he would be in the eighty.
second year OF his age; consequently, must be
considered as really man OF our own time. Any
edition OF his works that PROCESSES to be o stand
ard should give US the true story OF his life, and
not the obsolete memoir OF Mr.. LowelL--a sKetch
so hastily written that 1t does not mention even
the date or his DEATH So much is known OF the
pOet his brilliant. brief eccentriO career that IL
would be almost like telling an old, old story to
repeat any Incidents OF his life. or even to at.
tempt an estimate OF his genius AL.
though he has not exercised as deep an i'm
nuence on the Imagination of the century as
Byron, or upon the poetical conscience OF the age
as Wordsworth, yet he shows genius In some
respects higher than either-rlch, overnowlng,
courageous, daring. Time and experience would
have chastened 1t into style that might have
been surpassed only by that Of Shakespeare, for
Shelley died an exceedingly young man, scarcely
out OF his boyhood IN his twenty-ninth year.
Therefore. the best OF his works were, after ALL the
crude expressions Of early genus. His death was
q calamity to literature, and, although many Of
his poems will be forgotten on account OF their
atheism and political illusions, the discussion OF
events that have long since lost their interest,"
there are passages that viii live as long as the
English language. 2-|
LITERARY CHIT-CHAT. r