The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-08-15
FIIZ GREEN HALLECK.
!" EDITORIAL "REMINISCENCES. :


EDITORIAL "REMINISCENCES.
I'll Newark Daily journal
Fitz Green Halleck was one of our earle
and ablest satrical and humorous poets.
Il was born at Guilford, in Connecticut in 179
: and was distinguished in his early youth as
writer of verses of more ability and sweetne
than usually mark the poetry of your
: asplrants. Almost every college boy has hs
/ his love spells, when the maiden who ha
charmed him was enshrined in juvenile 6
forts at poesy, which friends were bored
hear read, and the editor of the near loo
journal tortured to print. These amatory e
tusions of love sick writers rather pail upo
the taste, but Halleck's is of different order
At the age of eighteen he removed to Nev
York, and his verses of more pretensions be
} gan to appear in the EUening Post of that city
!; The satiracal force of these writings al
tracted great attention and curiosity and wer
attributed to many different writer's Will,
the secret Of their authorship was kept. H
wrote originally over the signature of "Croak
er, but afterwards wrote in conjunction will
his friend Joseph Rodman Drake, when th'
articles were signed q Croaker & Co." Thes.
writings were personal and political satires,
pungent and singing, and acquired q wide
j
men and events of that day, the point to the
present reader is in a great degree lost
Soon after he published his longest and most
celebrated poem, entitled Fanny"
| This was followed by calvin Castle, ""Mar-
co Bozzaris, Red Jacket, and a number Of
| smaller poems of spirit and excellence. Mr..
Bryant, his surviving friend and brother poet,
In kindly criticism upon his writings, says:
"He delights in ludicrous contrasts produced
by bring the nobleness of the ideal world into
comparison with the LONELINESS of the actual. +"
His poetry is full of these startling contrasts
and surprises. For instance, such as this:
A girl Of sweet sixteen,
Love darling eyes and tresses like the morn,
Without shoe or stocking, hoeing corn.
And in the midst of fine description he sud-
denly pauses and tells the reader that he
Is busy in the cotton trade
And sugar line.
His lines on the death of his friend, Joseph
Rodman Drake. have touched many hearts
by the sincere sorrow so beautifully expressed.
The opening verse is familiar, and is often
quoted, though not always known as Hell
leck's
Green be the turf above thee
Friend of my better daysl
None knew thee but to love thee
None named thee but to praise.
His poem upon :'Burns" has some very fine
'tanzas, and we can not omit to quote one of
Them:
Such graves as his are pilgrim shrines,
Shrnes to no code or creed confined
The Dolphin Wales. the Palestines,
The Meccas of the mind.
His Marco Bozzaris is unquestionably the |
most popular of all his writings and has
been recited by thousands of ambitious |
NV
The sentiments of the poem are fitted to in
pire speaker, and in its rhythmcal flow
las very fine declamatory possibilities Well
noWn as 1t is, we cannot resist the tempta-
ion to quote the closing lines of the fine
postrophe to Death:
But to the hero, when his sword
Has won the battle Of the free
Thy voice sounds like the prophets word
And IN its hollow tones are heard
The thanks of millions yet to be.
Come, when his task Of fame is wrought
Come with her laurel leaf blood bought
Come in her browning hour, and then
Thy sunken eyes unearthly light
10 him ID welcome as the sight
vi SKY and stars to prisoned men;
Thy grasp is welcome as the hand
OF brother in a foreign land;
Thy summons welcome as the cry c
That told the Indian isles were nigh !
10 the world-seeking Genoese, =
When the land-wind from woods of palm
And orange groves and fields Of balm
Blew DER the Haytien seas. :
Mr.. Halleck never married, but for many !
BARS of his life was clerk for John Jacob !
'tor, was finally promoted to be the princi- y
u superintendent of his eff iirs and was made ,
dependent in his latter days by the legacy G
# him by his friend. the millionaire. His 2
lsiness duties won him from the muse, and y
wrote but little for many years before his 2
ath. 1t was to this he doubtless alluded in =
$ grotesque introduction Of the lines above !
oted. 1t was his way, however, Gin the -
DIST OF stream of harmonious diction to y
rprise by an irresistible stroke of ridicue." y
No man had wider circle of attached -
ends than Mr.. Halleck, and with him, Mr.. 10 ~
ashington Irving, and Clark of the Knicker- :. ~
'her, at the table, the " fun grew fast and ~
'ious, and puns, wit and gay humor winged i
, hours. To have enjoyed one of these Or Or
sn1ngs compensates one for growing old, ~
we feel that we have husbanded something
It fate can not attach nor the rudest blasts o "a
fortune sweep away. The past is assured, az
nsecrated and our own by secure possession. en-
doing the steady duty of the hour we dis m
use with the favors of uncertain hope, while tn
hold fast to the prize of memory-live over 70
scenes OF the past" shoulder our crutch nu
4 show how the fields were won." az
q