New-York tribune., 1874-02-21
BOSTON,.
LITERARY NOTES.

"FAuEs IN soNGp by ROBERT, LORD LfIToN lo"fN
MEREpnHl-uALF PoETIcAL AND HALF PRosAO
1.-THE RECORD or MR.. Acorrs SCHOOL ~
MISS f. p PHABoDY-nIs scHoDL-ROoM AND Ills
MrTuops-SEw ANNOUNCEMENTS.
Irnos A REGULAR CORRESPONDENT oP THE rRTBuSS.I
Bosroy. Feb 1o.-AmOng the younger En-
plsb poets not one Of them has so steadily advanced III
schoarly attainments, and in dignity OF purpose as
Robert. Lord Lvttou," author OF "Poems by owen
yorod,,,, "J ucille and, now OF Fables in Song
vbicl, J. r. Osgood & Co. about TO publish. When
owen Meredith first began TO delight the world Win MS
verses OF society he was poet OF the bOuhor 1here
was n certain sensuousness about MIN; a sentiment
rbcl, som ,mes verged sentimentalty: ana an Az
nospDere OF "after-the-opera." Yet what tender
,noonlit grace was in some OF his rhymes. Wnat
could he more dainty and exquisite than lar Ide's
,tb thc lights burning low, and the singers voice ring
ing out from the donion towerf There was u gently
mocking SATIRE bright aud finished as Heines, ana
less bitter, in Madame La Marqtse and "Ihe FOR
trait" But always tie speaker seemed cross between
the man of the world and the troubadour-not
wholly earnest wholly mockirg; not quite scorniui
or yetE quite reyerent. Since those days no man
has changed more, If judge him by his work Do we
like him hetter nowi Honestly, do not know We
respect bin more, DOUBT but we do not pick him up
80 often in lazy moments. We give him more OF our
intellectual appreciation certainly, but do not so
easily learn him by heart. Sometimes 1t seems to me he
is less absolutely poetical than in those early days OF
love and romance In these Fables In Song" there is
now and then a tonch of Bcn-FraDklin-like wisdom,
which makes you feel he had kept his moral ever
before him; and yet the poetcal art Is often wemgh
perfect and some OF the Fables" are exquisitey
wrought out.
The first Fable" ia "The Thistle" One OF the most
noticeable characteristics Of these poems is that IN item
the souls of things are revealed; and all flowers ana
weeds that grow seen {, have human interest for u.s.
So indeed 90 all sures-bird. butterfly MOLE eagle
homely barnyard fowl, lion, fOx-we feel their very
hearts heat In this fale OF "The Thistle the snow
has been long gone the green graSsbades qulver the
flowers have come out, and been glad IN the sunshne
but,
rwaa long after the grass and the flowers, ono day.
That there struggling along inc way
A little traveller, some what late.
Tired he was; and down he sat
In the ditch by The road, where he tried 10 nestle
out OF the dust ana the nOODude neat.
Poor little yagabOnd way side Thstie!
In the ditch was his only sale Retreat
FuDg out Of the field found there,
Aud banshed the garden. where shOuiu he stay !
Wherever he IOam'd, still Fortune fr0Nnd lhelcJ
And wherever he settled spuru'd MN away
From place to place, had he WANDERED long
The weary hign road, pItcbod WIN thlfst'
Now here in the ditch, for whlle alnOnR
The brambes hidden. lac crOuchd; ana hrst
Wistfuly eyed. on the other side,
a fresh green meadow Win HoHGIeIs pcu'
And then. with pang. as he peep'd and pred,
"Oh, to rest there ~ he Thought, ana sign d
"Oh, TO rest there, 1t is al - ihr'