Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-06-13
ELIZABETH BARRETT BLOWN :
ING.

poetry. Such taunt may be consider
ed as disposed of forever, If we are to
believe tradition, Sappho, wrote the fin
est lyrics the world has seen; but our
own generation has beheld woman's gen
ius take even a wider range. No wo-
man, as yet, has written great epic or
dramatic poetry of the highest order;
but how restricted is the number of men
who have done this What there is in
the nature Of woman, however. to for
bid her rivaling even the highest, we do
not know; all we can say is that genius
the dover Of the gods, in its most trans
eendent manifestation, has up to the
present, been bestowed upon man. 1t
may be, neverless, that we shall vet see
the female complement ofour great men
only it cannot be obtained unless wo
men have a wider personal sphere
Still, it is most interesting to note that.
IN this nineteenth century she has de-
monstrated the possibility Of a future
equality. What novelist, for instance.
has more conclusively made good her
claim to rank almost with the biphe st
than George ELLIOTT How many Of onr
artists; have excelled Rosa Ro~h-
~. wv S' ,,~cl,l quits? What writer has
exhibited greater breadth of magma
ton and power than George Sand? Last
~, where is the poetry which can be
considered superior to Mrs. Brown
ihSs? In poetry fiction, and art. at any
rate, man has little supremacy to boast
OF Tor thu last forty or fifty years. We
do not mean that this genius NAV not
have overtopped, in individual cases.
that OF woman, but the difference has
not been SO pereeptible as in past ages.
Woman is now more abreast of man.
her attitude is no longerf when COM
pared to him, tF4at Of Mont Balanc beside
Ohimoorazo. 1T is more than probable
mat we sf.nll never behold female
noner, ,ato or Shakespeare; but any
thlng 81 .ort of these woman may, and
most probable will becomd. Her dassion
Is as deep, if her ambition be not as great
a., mans As her sympathies widen, and
she bears more of that burden of the
world, experience-which, in its greatest
depths and most extended scope, has
hitherto largely pertained TO man-she
will produce work which shall be as
potent and as beautiful as his, and pos
sess the same inherent powers of immor
tality.
Meanwhile, let US be just to what she
has already accomplished A dispas-
slonate examination of the poems of Eli
zabeth Barrett Browning can, we main
tain only lead to this result, that she
is the equal of any poet of our time in
genius. In particular qualities she may
appear inferior to some who could be
cited, and whose names will itresistibly
suggest themselves; but in Others she
Is as Individually their superior; and, I'M
ri we cas- decide who is greater, Byron
or NaAsworth, Shelley or Colerid ge,
Homer or Shakespeare, we care not to
assign her precisr position. One thing
is certain however, her immortality is
assulcd-she stands already crowned.
As iong as one human heart throbs for
another she will be held 10 high esteem.
Her poetry is that which refincs, chast-
ems aud elevate. We could think that
with herself, as with one fher char
acter, ''some grand blind Love came
down and CROPPED her out, and clasped
her with kiss; she learned God that
way" And who were her teac hers?
Can we ask that question of one who
said, "Earth's crammed with hea ven
and every common bush aire with
GodP" The emerald beauty ola thous-
and valleys, embroidered by the silver
threads of meanderin grivers; the grand
cur of the everlasting hills with their
lofty and majestic calm; the terrible
rolling Of the restless and unsatisged
sea; the star that at midnight shine.
looking down upon us like the eyes of
those we love; rbove all, the whisper Of
Ged asit thrills throught the human
heart these were her informers and
teachers the sources OF her eminent
aspiration She sang of all these that
men might be nobler, freer and purer
Her apotheosis follows of divine right
with all the leaders of mankind; Go en-
dowed her, aud we exalt her.