The Portland daily press., 1875-05-29
Recent Publications.

THE DEFENSE OF GUENEvERE, and other poems.
By William Morris. Published by Roberts Broth
ers: Boston. For sale by Loring, Short & Har-
| mon.
| This reprint of Mr.. Norris early poems, apart
from the admirable quality that his work must
always possess has also great interest as dis
playing some of the phases that his talent
assumed in attaining its present form. 1u
| this volume, he seems powerfully influenced
| by the clique to which belonged also the Ros-
| settis, William Blake and many others more
or less distinguished-a coterie of painters and
writers, some uniting the two .profess sions,
These artists most of them original aud pow
erful in their departments, some of them
eccentric, ali agreed that in medieval subject
and manner was alone to be found the true re-
gion of art; and adopted antique forms of Ian
guage, combined with a Pre-Raphaeite atten.
tion to certain details, and, elsewhere,
vagueness of outline which gave to their poems
the effect of time-a literary process similar to
the skllful use Of dark varnshes. known to
modern painters of ancient Originals" Here,
however, the parallel ends-for this knot of
artists had no thought of insincerity in their
work. They believed simply, that a renais
sance of old poetic forms was desirable, be-
cause there were strong singers of the deeds of
those days, and because the refined self-con-
sciousness of the present age is apt to fall into
either vers de societe. or into metaphysics
essentially unpoetical. In a degree, they were
doutless right, but their mistake was to neg
lect the advantages that progress of thought
and language afforded them. Among these
artists, Mr.. Morris love of the treasures of
song and story with which the middle ages
reward research; his appreciation of the early
English and Romance literature his admira-
tion of the noble and severe figures of the
heroes of chvalry, which are dimmed yet
made greater by the mists of tradition through
which they appear to us,-found place and
delight; and for time, as is evident in the
''DefeDse of Guenevere, and other Poems"
his talent cast itself in the moulds made
ready for it. In this volume there is of course
much to admire and praise, and it is rather
by the light of his latter work that it
Is to be criticised than by any other
standard. The power is there, fettered
by forms imposed upon it.; the rich
thought is there, purpOsely at timss made
meagre to accord with the tone of an outgrown
age; the sense of melody and beauty is there,
forced to accept, for fitness sake. crude harmo-
nies and hard outlines. But genius, real as
that of William Morris, directed by fine and
exquisite taste-was not long subject to arbitra-
ry rules, founded upon mistaken theories. The
learning that he gained his antiquarian stud
les, his sympathy with the beauties of media
vel poetry, apart from its mere accidents of
- l.. ftar
the publication of "Guenevere." his Earthly
Paradise" These poems, too we'll known to
need more than passing mention, are perfect of
their kind; the verse, musical, warm and rich
Y co!ored moves with an absence of effort,
with grace and dignity that prove it to be the
result of no outside mannerism, but of a
thorough preparation for, and pleasure in the
poets task Every detail is perfect; yet moth
ing is too prominent for the harmony of the
whole. In Mr.. Morris latest publication,
Glove is Enough his art rises, in some re-
spects still higher His superb management
of the aliterative measure, which he has re-
vived, and to which he has added melody and
expressiveness by the rich variety of cadences
which he employs in it's the most notable
point in the technical merit of the work.
AS poem, it is not less admirable. The story
of Pharamond and Azalais is represented as
play, in celebration of the marriage of an old
time king; and the speech of welcome by the
worthy mayor, the simple dialogue of the rus
tic bride and groom, and the stately, yet no.
less natural utterances of the royal pair--form
the prelude to the drama. The story OF the
dream-led Pharamond is sbadowy, uncertain
it seems masque Of happy ghosts Yet so
delcately is it drawn, SO pure are its pale tints,
that i. leaves no impression.of discord with to-
day. Through its pages we move, as in dream
ways-and the land of dreams has no years.
Here is precisely the difference between the
early and the later work of Mr.. Morris. An
example of the beauties and defects OF his
younger style is poem in the volume under
consideration, "The Wind" 1t is full of
singular charm. and the coloring is wonderful
but in the outlines there is the over.distinct
ness of certain points, and vagueness of treat
ment as whole, that has been previously
spoken of in this review. An old man sits lis
tening to the "widgoing wind round by the
gardenwall,'' as if dead to all deeds, save those
of days that are Dead taking half unconscious
note of the sombre details that surround him:
My chair is heavy and carved, and with sweeping
1t is hung and the dragons thereon grin out in the
gusts of the wind;
On its folds an orange lies, with deep cash in the
If move my chair it will scream, and the orange
will roll out far,
And the faint yellow juice ooze out IKE Dloou from
And the dogs will howl for those who went last month
to the war.
This strange, pathetic figure stands out with
startling clearness that is almost grotesque,
while the recital of his old grief .has the dim,
eluding incohereuce of q dream. Again and
again comes the refrain, musical, uncompre-
hended:
Wind, wind! thou art sad, art thou kind?
Wind, wind, unhappy! thou art blind,
Yet still thou wanderest the lily seed to hnd
Powerful unique as is the impression that
this poem makes, is lacks the harmony, the
unity of the poets later writing, and is not
wholly satisfactory in its art. "The Blue Clos
ct" has the same faults, and is still less intelli
gible. In "Rapunzel' is to be seen faint,
far-off prophecy of "Love is Enough" "The
Chapel in Lyoness'is fine, though exceedingly
mystic; and the enjoyment of 1t is rather in a
sense of it's beauty as whole than in any one
clearly presented idea. "Sr Galahad" is Doble
aud elevated-the scenic direction: "Enter Two
Angels in white. with scarlet wings; also -Four
Ladies in gowns of red and green; also an An
gel, bearing in his hands surcoat of white,
with red cross has the fine, formal outlines,
tho pure, strong coloring of medi@vsl art, but
seems decided mannerism at the present day.
Two Red Roses across the Moon" is charm
ing ballad, which will be transferred to another
column. One of the finest passages in the vol
ume, and penetrated with the spirit Of early
English verse, is the dirge which ''one sings
from outside" in "Sir Peter Harpdon's End,
which is dramatic poem of much power. 1t
is testimony to the worth and progress of Mr..
Morris genius that criticism is to be made upon
this volume of his early writings, The fine
traits apparent in it, having freed themselves
from the mannerisms that bound them, now
appear in the perfection .of their repose Of
beauty and strength.
| McCREADY's REMINIs CENcEs; and selections from
his Diaries and Letters. Edited by Sir Frederick
Pollock, Bart. New York: Harper 81 Brothers
For sale by Loring, Short & Harmon
This book contains the autobiography ano
| diaries of one of the most remarkable men OF
his time. His life included the spoce OF eighty