New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-05-05
ROBERT BROW NiNG'S POEM.
ARIsToPHANEss APOLOGY.
INCLUDING A TRANSCRIPT FROM EukiPinEs, BEING
THE LAST ADVENTURES OF BALArsrioN."

BalaustiOn the Rholan maiden, VINO hiId
saved AID her ri"nds rom sa.ei5 :" i
,oyn nv re,ny what remembered ~ the q 'SSis
came aftcrwrd Athens, sought cut Enriptss, anu
enve him thanks for her salvation ie rec'sIhg III eI
r." ,yn,t,v noonhye OF his own tragic nystErle~, Dc
slowed cn her the photographic " ,ierakes Mlnomel9s
the tahets wiereon ", ~ which he tuned
b chcric melodies. These RELIES having been duly placed
Sce,s tcmpe with Talauson for r>iestcss sac married
Enihulcs the pnokia1 and these two nwS. LOON te
town and threw down the famous Long Waus Fto.o we
h%SS ,y the NV two sa sSns s 9 n that had brought ten
FROM Sicily The din Of Siose and ciptie anu s
aroa the water and the galley arps scntn ny css ' h
the foam aleu- sSa%sIi9n .ca atb ss EM,hutrs
returning from the eXhibuo" oi ue OF his
eroTn and told his wife what had , oeeu
heard from Thrace The s Grnve converse about
him thew honored and had lost Sight drew Gu, guy
T Sr0, ny e NV recitation tragedy, din Of jewellers
e. s'Teei was heard te doors opeu'd ana ~ came
,,.mle4 by his KomoeoTew. such hn'aSons M
privacy be IL remarked were c"ncorl,"' n witn
tth'r,iop cu.toul. Tue miuics, actors u''V-
Hlayers and danelns-giris sinsnk away , rrnin
~ facc will the pr siess of triples. In sod
nEs wis, and hGu ;htily delivered himself % mt.y
st The 90 dead T. sia particular Exhaustion first
met argument OF the Cie Mag ny Sr' t heinz
own work from wonans point OF view; un'n, Drnn3
ur,,d 70 def nd EuJes diryety she ouS up ana ion
aloud t TO- nun .as What sSphokes mad done III sf
dcrpFe before hs judge, She chos' To do lof lsules
ard dictates 10 Euthukes, her husband and h9r soe
beguns thus tie sea,%ey between h M Kn,wpns
has invented for o the strOngcet cnt ne nae ever
Ts s y, sor caed Histophaness Apology" in
c,rinus or more felictous framework cVud not n' mag
IN The motiy os arc well-hosen prob be- draIuaci
mr. il n possible sufficiently toprals; the adron,Ss with
Inch the poet has SIZED an every SCRAP oil ns'y On
every tag Of antiquarian gossip which r"ud serve ms
taining ii does, tn: stun Tor many d.S ts'""s on
tue origin and olect Of Greek comedy on INC Su o
Athenan decay. on the poper esn'e OF E11pdy+ -
nnos tue Soitab0a Yet tnis learning lightly boz oc
n scarcely can be said 10 ONery the presentation Oh e
two chief per onages, ar to distract attention rum que
s i, nf their long debate The aim Of tie poem being
ray the eoriacauou Edripdcs the lnomeut selected
f y esing utter ruin through from the
"Fektr" Is stusat:Onaiy appropriate. by ldthtiiyns
tho man ol Phoks" mentioned III LyStn'ttrs nit oy
Putarrn with his own Euthusies, ar Browning rings
rounds his whole runance within Sp-cN Vi ptIl
slrover Of country ls now shown 10 nave Se"o sn
ning ~ he the yeituble crow Of AsistUphas pipe
their best and their worst oil tarouSh the pun
Tn nee made ot te advantages offered by these ar
lels and contrasts Is superb A sphis' ana r"vn
yaiod, and tales rIns with tne b'st w.i'e;. al
historical him % Se sp nSi pedSs u favor u
hs friends and against his foes IL is tr'it Iiat Ans
SpseeS true He ,t his COMEDY revealed updon
latent in Athenign lie. Bnt neither was EhIlpiurs N
smv ..I,sc savior itiahy regards them both ar
eqfaiy destructive: Arisoplanes because he ndaget
aualsm and praised soranSc III Sa.as e w. ~" csa
me whole fabric of Gu eek lhoasht and feeling in
ynien had not yet pSeis C"us sc tIe @
lac Jumped them tos.thef VI one 'oI S S,io
MIR ruwmins special pleading indicates the ehici ladi'
to he found with his poem Tne pont OF Wv Is
modern TIE SITUATION fe slIaineI M'sorh-
one. becoues the sc.Ipeguat of Athenian sin's
wnle Euiipides shines tortn SAINT as Wei as Te "a
lausIion her part beautiful us hcr conception tul ~
Taxes up position which even Piato cOud not nave Us
.qT med Int t aer aud most syIuaiic Hcr1
analyst She judges EuIiPdcs not at he 1lcivG to- s
who Are his work with that OF az the poets WA" nave
snc md ,wiEdcd rvpartecs his moral hair stne
and spnsr The shIl ing OF bis point OF view ou Such
tmr,. can overlook these bemses, while We dwell nr
qualities which make him tGird among tue sons oi Adc
SON But the eyes of The Greeks they wele Tar "tc
wise important. The rihtdry OF AriatniI.ties, watch
seems disgusting, and Oh which Mr. br1Wnn- IA
siss with II satire at "nee delicate ann 50 ,ns' war '
more corrosive OF good bre lug ana hlSl tone. H.,
THOUGH il seeus that Nh Browning az. cretitei
Ra ,Hsfi,n with views iu advance OF her oivLGOn he
cannot SAID To have violated drInntic proplety; 10
aud Euthuklcs savior OF hens through Erktft"
very priest and rr-sless "i Ennpl1esshou c0i, t
more poet of cur age has Sbcyed rishs lnstn1. W
is..,.,s,Ion his nlouthiiece- OF wOn,n IN Gre we
know Indeed next W nothing Bdt Mill 1en "s M
than urn and BLdusiiOn, be II sd IN passing /" worthy
We u,rass SeSwsen this highsplrited womn
shipper Of urpiCes The sac w,e OF tIs Ds ct
nerd and Aytrtophan"s tnc clustering, wlueswoiicl,
h atut monarch the Comic se1ic, wnV iOis mo Gef
highly Nc Not lcS pietn!Hh". !. IN. 10.
between the 1uiet home " Bsustion, WITH ts "taoy
raised beneath the portrait o. ,ne ,h seu pIc. -
thouQht and the hamefLced ruvels al tue B0lelln
supper party, With AristSlr'nes Tor b%ccsus, ehe
said sbUundf Tney dctonltc at every torn,
Indeed Ike CRACKERS, Father 10 tAe uehIhehl oi true
M Browning has shown his mystery by paint
Ing both pjrtraits, B;lanstiOn ami AristOpbancs,
viii egna force Hts ArIstoplanes Is no yul;lu eorc
turc Though the Elghsb uei bates him Tor ne i9u
ness, loathes him Tor his hes, aud scOins bis shabby
tricks Of trade ana eatebh my cauhes ne does mol
fail u spIresat@ the da4ug1c pIwcI, Tie creative
rnergy aud I've splendid imagination OF the author 81
the "jlouds" AristOphanes II drawn hike prinr'vh'
daeuon Titan-TyphOcus or Encea'!us-at war
With some La contemnH but !io is horn
by Fa;e'e decroe Ia Conquer lns u.nI ana nane AND
force Of genus whereby Ins conception OF Arston"ncs
Ia sustained, ovapo~cr All criticism u D.. only Mit
laying down The ees AMI AinsInS over H. tat VIC ui1
cover whai ls wsnting-thr aerial beauty which be
iOnxod TO tue true Artstophan.s. tn. delicate
drUlirry which Plato haf portrayed III the Sym
I.-iua" Mr. Browning ArtstCIianes roars and ramps,
and suots and hulos and dominates us with subl t. VI
iutect and strength o lung buFWlefe ID TIC hulid'eds
OF lines whch be pors fJrD dctcvt The TEACHER Of
toe Cnorls OF the Clouds, the singer o the Bird< in
their pa aDssisi He lie truly finest ana most uLluIy IL
picie in ,he passage witch describes his feelings when
tne news OF Enrpdess death reached him I'D tne MIDST
of his symposium MIR. Browning HE.rs to dramatic
climax m Ills MASTERPIECE OF pow crful delineatiOn
Meanwhile, Mis- Eunpdos Is Ia Withdrawn and
sIadowy, philosOphc pbaitoin, dear To- all initiated
cvds OF Greece, the beloved Of God lie sE@ais at
great length, ID his own Hodkles Nhleb bhdusuuu,
Nth wuultu's privilege down the nj half
drunk Arist0phanes- Du waIle his Comic Antagonist
40 carefully display ed ke cnihu upon tile corr 81
an entUuolnyIsI Tragic poet, assumed 10 be far
superior being, 10 only rpfiertri on tie mirror Of
liaussIon's wJuany uind H;fe again We tind dra
1.sis prvpr1cty OF tho drst k,lisUn is spe..s
hs. She cauDot Tut prvsuppose the supremacy OF nor
Wnn Slgu after an, lie the spolo,sy of Arstopbancs
which gvee the ute Ia tls oeinf 10 follow ia" di'i OF
sr,as l.t IN the ar. Of Psychological analysts inluSase
He has added, indeed, nothing with winch careful
plays of ArisOphanes will probably
ki.Dillaf.