, 1875-04-04

fatal instrument: but he bethought him.s,, p
then 9eemed to him that he Tor the Grs. s;ras
understood al that he had lived, seen ~
learned: He thought Ut his rocks snd ais n.:if !
mountains, and began to cHy. When Ia reso M
he decided not to break his violin, but 70 ~ ~
artist.
The history Of cur poets real inner lila :,
aays his critic, Mr. Edouard SEIZURE, net ro,:s.
that OF this thoughtless fiddler. Lits h,n
the imposing aspects Of Nature and thought .n5
sung with al the enargy OF his soul C1ss
upon the world, he neither knew how to e-rIs@s
nor to control the emotions which oYe-powor,1
him Ho beloved himself struck power,rss -
tho very moment that the console sscns :
the despair Of the Artist Who isat t..
reached the end Of his folly, but at ii, :, -
time discovered his true course in life. In ~,
resolved to become an artist, aud to derrs -
country and his feliow-countzyu,eu, to ta:i ~
story Of their hard and simple life. Hs hns nst s
failed in his endeayor.
The mos. characteristic Of h;s rural s.stcb.,
are the stories Of 1'Arne" and the ..E..;...
Maiden" the htter Of which at leaat is to 10 ks5
in Engiah.
HIS DRAMAS.
But Boernsen's ambition was not to te s,u..
FED BY tho compoeltion Of stories, or depie:.u.
the Norwegsans OF to-day. His great a1I;ii.,ss
vas to be the father OF the Scandinavian div.
and, il he has not entirely succeeded in th;a H.
has the merit OF baving coma very near +, !.
His predecessors in the sa1ne field were tae 1,ns
Oehlenschlager and the Svedo Tcgne,
But these bad not gone beyond ia
heroio traditions Of Norway had .!a..s
singular attraction for Bloernaen. The e,s1.
enta and thirteenth centuries OF our ere, tia na
riod at which fancy and fact arc auange,7 u;x,t
in Norwegian history, and when ths .a~!Ia:s
had extended their power to tho Orc.d9s L.
land. and over all the Northern seas, ls tia tirn
in which his Imagination was most ut home. .n1
in which it loved to tevel.
We have space Il to refer to bnt ons ct
his drumss,-hia first. It is ono of
those domestic tragedies which nboapj.
ed among the iarls OF the o!tlen tt+ae;
Houlda is the last survivor Of family that I'D
aluavs been at war with the As'aks. Uce .l.s
her father was carried TO her homa .a.Ica. Al
the sight, the mother, too, died happi;- fer t:r
her daughter said. Houlda, tho orptan ja: u.
ter, is led bY force to the house Of tco A=ls:s.
and brought up with the soma Of he. f=.;,e.:4
them. II waikod," she says, '.amoa; iassa
mon rs il in the twilight Of gigantic f.2.es;s
whose tops whisper to o1e anothe.. r:,:Ic Il
their foee reigus tue ailenca ct ca.:h.
walked disquieted among tbs leale:s tl,.oas,
seeking way out md finding none" The s;,:s
OF Aslak are taken with the kauGhty hsa:4:;. sad
S~E4
she ahall be. She hates them all, but, to *: rid
OF their opportunities, favors tn. ss.G>::csa,
Gudleik- Some time after. she meets E:.If ;i,:-
7on. Chief OF the Norwegian armies. She l;,s.es
towards him. and fxes hin to tho e2o: y::a
look. She says TO him little later: ''!s ca.5
tho fault shat when We nat bolov there. Is tie
church, we both turned deathly ps!.:" Fsom.
That moment tlay are one, with pa ,s;5n vE;cR
may be inferred from the character OF tbs apa
But abe is still Gudicik's wife, the si,vs Il "a
Asek. She excites her 1oTer to offer him ;r:=,.-
Eiolr kills hin. Here iho t:a:r..7
ov in the path that Hou:da points!ou:, :u::, ~
:er thu determination Of her eusnya s.3.::. -
With her in exile to Iceland Love urc LIN IL
t. Ambition holds him back- lia C'a!'7
decides to cost his lot vi:n heEs
out the Queea's ladies' sot & sra:s
y namo Swanhido, and they suddenly ,.hkce
,er into h1s presence in tho forest IT TO loyal
;astle. He ia overcome by the re:oli;a..taa II
IL the past, and by the sweetness end ,::;osioa
II his first love- He agreea to m.e- lcr thai
night at the hall. Houlda, hidden ia I'll, 7',4.l,
swanhilde. But gAo knows thai, 5. IL Lila
promise, he will return during the n.t Sid
20, as he had previously pro:aiseA. wi.h
lar to Iceland Ee con1ea, ia fscs
oaie aud Bad, but not to 60 With
Ter. He comes to bid her goodbye. T!o 10
Eooner, however, hears her voice than lc is hcs
aptive again. Knowing. however, his rac1;ll-
ion, she says to him: He thai ID wo:.:7 q
owe is worthy Of death; aud, shou!i ~. i:7s
,undred years, yen will never unde:a!a,1si Lev
lava loved You. 4 whole lifetime wouI! act to
:nough to make up for what have suffered to-
ne If thou canHt- In thy strong 1oac.1 lis
overed that which might have rzisoI r.o 70 I
Iizzy height I httached myself to thlo, and,
y high aeaveu, no one ever letd Es