The New York herald., 1875-11-03
Literary Gossip from All
Quarters.


would be strange indeed he should not be known,
wen by the fugitive pieces which printed without
ais name for the average OF magazine verse 10 so
vretched that anything really good stands out like
tar in a black sky, sparkes like "a rich jewel
Ethiopis ear Why periodical
literature should be poor in is difficult to tell
,ut the fact ndisputable that while American maya
have improved in general interest especially in
he departments Of felton, history, biography theology
md science their poetry has degenerated till much Of
is beneath criticism. Against this duh and mouoto-
ious background of mediocrity Mr. Gilders poems
have shone brightly. But they have more than this
relative values they have absolute merit when com.
pared with the books Of the poets prize
The story of 'The New Day' is one OF feeling not q
events It's construction is peculiar. Il divided into
four parts with prelude three interudes and an
''after song" The theme is love-from It's dawn Of
wonder and fear through ts passions o pam and JOY 70
its perfect peace and security The love which Is thus
nnfoded by hints ana intmations rather than By direct
expression is blended with rel sous exaltaton, which
gives solemnty 70 the subject The feeling Of the poem
isvery fine and pure the Hober elements q love are
exquisitely revealed In al the fundamental princi-
pies of true love poem i i complete, and Il we do
dwell upon these merits Or pure feeling and noble
purpose 1t IS SIMPLY because they are entitled TO IN
qualified praise. Earnestness which attains its end
der's first book principally as work Of art
The ohscurity OF the poem likely 70 be complained
OF by the general public, and without But
this obscurity the result Of deficiency in power
Of expression, but Of the nature Of the subject Poe
made this distinction When he defended Tenny
from similar charge No matter how
clearly mary expouad astronomy the explanation
will DC obscure to those ignorant Of the II
Mr. Glider had chosen 10 weave his songs INTO actual
story such that in Tennyson's 'Maud, = his mean
Ing would be made more niellgible BY eyonts But
the very scheme Of his poem excludes narration; he
rejects the material facts ana seeks express only tho
spiritual facts Thus the poem cannot justly be said
70 be obscure merely because effort Of Imagination
Is required from the reader
OF one fault Mr. Glider VIII certainly not be accused
rhere IS no direct imitation Of other poets in these
songs He has fortunately escaped the fascination Of
Tennyson whose diosyncrasies modern poets have
repeated till they have become almost odious
his own and unendurabe in the OF Others
has he surrendered to the spell OF Swinburne He
to have drawn from william Morris and
Rossett than from any other modern poets but his
style is in its deeper characteristics his It is
direct concise dainty and full Of color. Strangely
enough The poet whose influence to to be the
strongest and subtlest in this book il Dante
Fine descriptive powers shown By Mr.. Glider
throughout Lhe DOCK Inc pTefuue lS pedutliu ue-
scripton Of sunrise the sea- and may quote il as
specimen Of the vivid IN which he presents
picture Of gradual motion and change
The night was dark though sometimes faint star
A little while a little space made brigh.
The night was long and ike an iron bar
Lay heavy the land; till o'er the sea
Slowly within the east, there grew hight
which haf starlight, and half seemed TO be
The herald OF greater The pale white
Turned slowly 70 pale rose, and up the height
or heaven slowly climbed. The gray grew
Rose -colored Ike the sky. white gun dew
Straight toward the utmost boundary OF the East
Where slowly the rose gathered and increased
II was as the opening Of . door
BY one that in his hand a lamp doth hold,
Whose fame is hidden BY the garments fold
The stin ar moves, the room Is less din.
More bright the East became, the ocean turned
Dark and dark against the Frightening sky
sharper against tie sky the long line
The hollows Of the breakers the shore
Were green Ike leaves whercon no sun doth shine,
Though white the outer branches OF the tree
From rose to red the level heaven burned;
Then sudden, as II sword fell from on high,
a blade Or gold flashed Ga the horizons rim
wenay stop here 70 say that the parenthesis be-
tween thc rhymes or din and this passage
long What the use of rhyme ii poetry unless It Is
10 graty the ear By recHrrent sound2 But the in
torva or gLt destroys tho eject Of rhyme and
sound instead d being welded is divorced. But Mr.
elders use Or rhyme always melodious and delicate
and frequently novel Tie deficiency of rhymed words
she Eaglish language great that al poets have
shog1 a tendency 70 escape lato blank verso
as the highest I'D Teest form Of po.
eticaI expression Thus Milton emerged from
his "comus' into paradise LOST Shakespeare nom
xv..
poems into the "Excursion, and Tennyson from his
dainty melodies into ''rhs Idyls Or ;he KING" Even
the greatest masters Of rhyme this century such a.
Byron and Shelley could 10 anything with words
have been forced into blank BY the difficulty o
treating grand themes by any other method Ms
Browning Il an exception. She rebeled against tnt
tyranny Of language, but undertook 70 constran I
by lnyenllng arbitrary rhymes whose dreadful disso
nance INJURIES some of her dnest poems
As a specimen of Mr Gnder's treatment Of the son
net aud also of his mode Of thought and fecitous Il
lustraton sc quote inc following
LIKENESS N rNLKESSss
We are alike, and yct--oh strange and sweet
Each ID the other difference dscerns:
50 tho torn strands the maiien's finger turns
Opposing ways when they again DO meet
Clasp each 10 each, aaIue clasps INTO heat:
81 when my hanG my cool bosom burns,
Each sense ! lost i Tie other 50 two urns
Upon shelf the scfsam lines repeat;
But various color gves loveher grace,
And each y hner for is complement
Thus, Love, y was, did forget lhy face
As deeper INTO Thy deep soul went;
Vague 10 my mind i grew tl, ID its place,
Cne that knew not from ny osn was sent
''The New Day" Is a contributor to American poetry
which viii be welcomed BY tho sppreciatlye public not
only as AZ achievement, but a. promise "a hrs.
"a rIwoF,la .t,s
its maturity of thought The FORM however which
Mr. Glider chose 10 too narrow and confined FOR IL,
breadth and sweep Of expression which W think Il,
possesses. Both the song and sonnet perfect i
themselves, but their sphere n poetry Is limited an,
We think that even Shakespeare has shown that the,
are DOT adapted for a sustained narration of eithe
feelings or facts The typography q the book j. al