New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-12-17
BOSTON.
LITERARY NOTES.

sPARNAseUsr TUE NEW BOOK OF fohiioAL 0"H"N
TONS EDITED AND PREFACED BY RALPH WALDO
EMERsoN-TwO CLASSES OF POETS THOSE WIN
ARE MADE AND THOSE WHO ARE BORN
lyman A REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE IRIpUNE.l
BosToN, Dec. 15.-The name of the books
published this Fall is legion; but were there Ten neS
as many there are new one edited by Ralph "aoo
Emerson would stii be Noticeable. "Parnassus ABOUT
to he published 10y j. r. OsGcod Co.. might be called
scrapboOk of Mr.. Emerson inasmuch as IL comprises
his favore poems collected by him from year to year.
aud prcfaced by an account OF its origin and dissera
tion on its contents. OF Its beginning Mr. bhietson
says:
This volume took origin from an old habit OF copy
ing poems lines that interested me nlo % panh
book. lu my selections hen ,he VS'H o
mandl1s All my favorites in one ALBUM instead OF
searching my aud other hbrar Tor desired spns
or verse and tie belief what charmed me probably
Lrgcd selection. know the convenience and merits OF
tie EXISTING anthooges, and the necessity OF printing
IN every collection many masterpieces which al Enesh-
MERLE bat have found that the best Of these collections
do contain certain gems OF pure user Whilst they
ocavos OF Anderson and Chalmers have the fault
of aud too little genus; and even the
too much that spare. am aware tnat no two
readers would make the same selection. or course.
shaii Sady nan with the puoe oe'er eoiiec'1oH 'an
mine.
requires tnat spcndor OF expression which carries
with II the proof OF great thonghts Great thonShts m
night word The poets are 'they who see that spiritual
s greater than material force, that thoughts rule
toe world Tue great poets judged by tne frame OF
mind they induce and to them, oI all men, tue se'eest
soule poems have inserted for their historical i'm
pOrtaace; some, for ther weight OF scns,; some, Tor
siugc cOupieis Ur lines, perhaps even Tor ~OrI; some
for magic Of style and have admitted verses WHEN,
In their structure 6erdy ueiect ~ 0ooc caf Oui nave
wealth oil truth which ougHt to nave ereaeI meoav
know The peril ddactics XII poetry, ana that
Wordsworth runs fearful risks to save his mental exp
ences. somc poems are external l!Ae 40 re - ana nave
only superficial meOdYi Othtf' iiAo Oha'ctFe hiFo
suc1 internal music as 10 forgive lodEbness ~ lhe
modern ear Whch IN tue m0AtA "a We p|iu US eo.in
Ior4res probably DID not detect. To ChaIcer MAY &c
Wen applied the word OF Heracntus. that " liaIuOny
Lteut Is vi erea,er Value tnan that Whch ~ patent
Mr. Emerson divides poets into two CdSseo-tbe poets
by education and practice, whom We respect ana the
poets by nature, whom We love- Pope WAS one Of the
poets by education taste and Wit d.d al for hiM they
could, bu he never TO grandeur. p&nOs. Milton,
also, had all the advantages Of culture Do, ne Was poet
born. Chduccr, Shakespeare. JOnSll, Herbert, Her
rick Collins, Burns-.hese were among the poets by
OF poets who slowly and wrote badly and
yet had true calling lie lustauced Wordsworth incum
bered for years with childish whims nut ct last b. his
religious Insight, lifted to genius tL!ak 1t was in Mr.
Enerson's last volume Of Essays thlt he protested
against readias new book; and in tl.s pgo.ace
We find somewhat tue same IDEA. do we
read all authors" lie asks "to C.cpc Cur Way
the besti No; but the word selects the best
and we select from these our best" lie urges tho read
ing Of ChauceT, who speaks ways sovereignty and
tucCFluY. 40 lover OF poetry nc tli-aS, @ilD -
neglect CAauccr, AMI only short study Is Quircd 10
COMMAND the arclui aus lis ELelish. rs Shake
speare, he and j. pOnJl IL.aI 10 The world,
and have required the hundred ard years
since his birth 70 familiar e thcnsc elves Wltl his
preme grnus. J3nsOn, Cfasaw. Herbert UsrIlc.l, Nj.
toDMr Emerson cEaracieIz5s tlo.H Il! wish il@,
insight % his from which taere appeal then he
dweils more a. length on the poetry OF Wordsworth.
concerning whom puyic O.lHIVn Oyea AucI ANA
90 long divided.
His carly poems wero written on false theory Of po-
etryi and tie critics deHouocci theme chd il. lie
persisted long 10 VINE ater MS own WhE; anu tn0GsL
he arrived at unexpected power, his readers were never
putting forward How Off rcJt from tho aOso-
lutte cOnccaiinent 81 Shakespeare Ia an his miraculous
dramas anu even 10 ais lOVe-poehs' 10 wch 0. eou!e
the lover must be perpeaaly pIes'u', bat always ~
Thought aud by buttOuS lHti. ullcs,i MO
tagne ls delightful IN MS cSot!sm 4! iou Is always
egOstlc, put LieTcs -S IN through i"o ssssc aAd
geuus Of his contest n or MS dcdaLce.
lie ascTibas to Wordsworth the merit Of jus. moral
perception. without that OK sslf % tic execution
Many Of ms earlier poems written IA sGc4a slip
shod manner that they seem almost II improyised,
while lis "LaOdam Is almost entitled % the euincAcc
that Lauder gave when be said, Here poem
which might b. fty read in y.;1m and the gods ana
heroes might gather round 70 listen" Tommy som NJ.
Emerson thinks "A. o;up Arabic felicity AL poetic
forms, surpas-ing n melody also, aud is brave,
tnoughtfdI E.e,hDan, unmatched III r.! tnnlc power
and beauty. TIE variety Of h.s poems dl.c.VseS tAe
wealth and health Of hs mind"
From the ilcu iuNe OF LD5i>I poorly, nom 1IGNeer
down, Mr. Emerson has mp 10 M bis s.rapJJok adding
TO 1t also poems from best American posts AID now
ana then from who are mol our best; ne
fesses be has Inserted things ~ for So e
OF single eouplet. or even of word. Bat al have
found place here because No. low bon, a4d because no
in the habit Of tuning back 20 them. again a.d
again huns Old on glad days and sad
days For this Teason5cclu.c these poems are not the
choice Of common bui OF Rilpa Waldo Emerson
this volume Of selections bids ar % Dc the most noted
tD our language.
1t makes q thck book-a crown octayO-and it's
divided into poems Of "Naturc," and "H Iman Lie"
"Heroic" poems, Portraits - Personal Pastures"
NARRATIVE Poems and Ballads" "scHss," Drges and
Pathetic Poems" Comic and Humorous" Poetry Of
Terror" aud "Oracles aud Counse!s." or course we
mud in this extensive collection tho dear old poems the
world has loved best but, also, find in il many wen
worthy Of love which almost unknown. TO cha-
lenge Mr. Emcr~on'- IA te an uuportineBce but,
doubles two would make up the scrap book,
and Mr. Emerson has not always chosen
from every poet the particular verses that
myself Ike h.st. Noble Stedman's John
Brown Of Osawatom. " 1t does rot seem 20 me his best
poem; and regret that man Of the large and fine i'm
sgnatOn Of ~ WassOn should be represented only by
"LOve against Love and Royalty" But one book OF
ordinary only contain small bouquet from the
wdes pread garden OF song and this fresh posy which
Mr. Emerson offers smell, sweet and blossoms from
the of the which represents. Were
only that these the poems that Mr Emerson loves
should certainly read them. for that reason, with the
keenest interest but tho casual turning OF the
leaves Will that Mr. nersons taste has, IN
the MAN. been aultlcss. Anon. the selections which
have not become hAckueyed from much is this gem
Of Walters
APOLOGY FOR HAVING LOVED BEFORE.
They that never had the
q! the Sfape's surprising juice,
To the first delicious cup
All their reason render up:
Neither do, nor care 10. Know,
Whether 1t be best