New-York tribune., 1875-05-18

Crusades with clOquence than 81 BeInaIu, ,nu
more fervor than many pilgrim VINO dipped n,b sciop
shell in the cOnsecrated waters He seems hguro 700
too womanke in the best sense ior nosc hnt
failed in actionno luepayer or improvlsator' ana ye.
nT TSf acf % Inc Si RS' Of Neapoan
caons mpregnated with the soft air OF sorrento versed
IN sunny anf e III the Minute pageanry and para
phernaa italian courts eGeminate newlat by the
ming music costly furniture flashing wit rich dresses
lordy dinners houses brilliant services In great cathe
dras my teriosy fragrant with incense and women;
lover OF pomp and high living. richly alive through
five powerful senses to tho world as II then was varic,
gated by costume superstition, rivalry, anu the luxury
OF opulcnt mobiles.
What queer the Italian poets and artists all were
Mr. Harrison says of Benvenuto Cen that his piey and
his enchanting snfuness contrast singularly suggest
ing how far back the moral Inconsistencies OF the present
race OF Italians may be traced One of the most fscinat
ing chapters in the book is entitled Venice OF the
vikings"
the II has not the paint and the POWDER the glory
and the glare of the otosower OF the Adratc the Ven
ice OF dreams and doges, that lies in halfswoOn Ike
Ttians Venus the heirloom Of an empire to modern art
The coos there re- are pale the skies are blue s as
low and largebranehed TO the waters edge, and the
mmer is baeR Ti as sDs It is ow low land
Just above the water fat and fertile and dank with veg
eation with its haunted by reeds and wild ducks
its pools loved by swans and Winter nights by
the thousand trembling spears OF the Northern light lt
is Denmark and the city Is Copenhagen. quaint city it
is too, odfashoned a sinster OF the last century,
quiet gray hair, noGcnsiye dove, honest as hon
csty itself yeined with canals like the threads of Per
sian carpet, bristling with m1ss like pincushion
with pins, and on sunny days sending down a scarlet
simmer from Its red tile roofs into the clear, quaint
streets below These streets clean sheet;
a needle could be picked up in them. The shops are as
vcred to tidness at the sight Of them. Behind the coun-
stand cranberry checked boys and girls In the win
dows of the provision shops arranged sqnadrons of
plates and dishes beautifully garnished with the queer
things the people eat.
Reading OF the life In Copenhagen, simple 80 honest
;I.rtIt.
ever themselves away from it. The vision Of this
fair northern City Of the Sea haunts you for days.
refuge from all the palms. perls and perpextcs OF this
evil word-a place where you could, you would like to
be immortal. Copenhagen is consecrated to Thoryad-
sen. There streets there which like memoir OF
him. ThorvadSen is Copenhagen, and Copenhagen ia
Thorvadsen 80 far AZ art Is concerned.
should ike TO dwell on the Swedish ImprOyisatOre,
Carl Michael Bellman, poet OF whom the English knoy
nothing, and the Germans little, but whose name Is
household word in Sweden The account OF him in Mr..
aTrlsons volume makes one long TO know more OF this
man, with his charm OF innocence and stain OF knowl-
edge his smile about The eyes that makes the lips
guiver" his individuality piquant that you could no
catch and ransx it than could harpoon but
terfy." The chapter on B6ranger adds little to the ad
mirable paper that poet in Bcsants French Hum0r
lists ;" but for those "Jasmn the Troubadour,'
Andre Ch6nicr" "Alfred de Mussct and BaudcaiIc,'
we Mr. Harrison thanks
And here come, from j. x. OsSood & Co., the proof
sheets of "A volume Of poems by John Godfrey SAKE
entitled LeisureDay Rhymes" Any special criticism
SaXos work unnecessary, since the proof OF the
pudding s in the eating. No fewer than seven complete
editions OF his poems advertised by Osgood Co !;
some OF them very elegant. This proves the public de
mand for his poems; it matters little to his success
whether he is poet in whom poets even critics, de-
light. lie has much fucncy bright Wit, an easy facility
OF versication; but he is not singer whose songs
haunt your twill gts who enters into your deepest emo
tons, or tells you what YOU feel better than You
could express it yourself. lie lacks Whittier's
earnestnCss OF soul, the polish OF LonGfeiows
art, the power OF LOwelP5 inspiring genus
but he is John Godfrey SAKE, a man and poet,
and with decided individuality OF his own. He dedi-
Gates his volume very appropriately thus To my good
friend Frederick Locker osq the most accomplished OF
living writer's of perS de SOct6, this book OF Leisure
Day Rhymes is very cordially inscribed" Very pretty
and playful Is the opening poem, The Chorus Cf the
Dryads" and full OF sound wisdom the Here ard Here
after which follows it, The book, should have said, Is
divided into four parts of which the first is Leisure
Day Rhymes" followed by Fables and Fairy Tales"
"Translations and Paraphrascs" and "Epgrams." or
these four divisions, the first pcascs me best Let me
give you taste of 1t in this little lyric gay aud
cynical but not finished tender, Thackerays
Love at Two Scorc":