New-York tribune., 1876-06-16

SaRg A0rN ANn rItSrINAGa 5d N isd TlbE v n9ff 54
e. E fa,bs.s s.sA
AsS.s kAs silence. Mr. Herman Melville
,,,..t, sss q. thc wold. No narrator of mar
,s,, st.,ee trolicG life and adventure, no more
,ssA s Ia ,tsscinathy, hali-provokng writer OF ro
sossses. eut poet with single work ID toui
sssqs. aud about 1000 lines 10 length We knew
aAx,sy that MI Melves genus has distinctly poet
t side remember stn his stirring lines ON sheIi'
dams Ride, commencing:
sloe the stced with silver,
Thai bare aim 10 TIE tfaN ]
But the present venture Is hasardons than am
bitious narrative poem of snch lsnggh donanCs all
the charms Of verse tic strength and Interest of plot
the pct uresqueneSs OF episode. and Oh, heuy o sen
mental on reflective grssicu which the authors srt
capable OF creating and then may lack the sub
tie spell which chains the pgder 10 its pcrusa.
"Clarel" We must frankly confrgs, is something
OF puzzle, both in desigu snd execution
short excursion Palestinehe four parts OF the poew
beiug entitled jerusalem tie Wilderness, Mar sa'a
and Rethlehem--eives u framework of andsclp" aud in
cident TO the characters, WHO Claro, student
douber and dreamer; Nehemiah. an old Rhode island
religious eBthusasi Vno, problemauc character
Ro c, "a messinste of the ecnents," Derwtht an En
eiSh Clergyman, GlHneou Smyrniote Greek, and Mort
nain an eccentric 5wece After lcv@pasSase between
Carei and Ruth young Jewish girl, in Jerusalem the
above characters make up party for Jericho the Jordan
ami the Dead Sea- returning by way OF the Grcek mOnas
terry of Mar Saba and Bethlehem The excursion lasts
but few days: they return 70 Jerusalem by night and
find Rath deal and about 70 be buried by toreh-ghi
Passion Week follows. and with 1t the poem closes
clarel with grief the other characters with their
several eccentiictcs, disappear suddenly from o yleW
There Is thus no plot the work but nei her do the
theological doubts questions and dsrutatons mduiged
IN by the ctos. aud those whom they moct have
any logical course lead To any dstinct CONCLUSIONS
The reader becomes hopeessy oewiIderod, ani
faes hinseli vdny In the effort 10 give personality
eyals II connection to
scenes which pc versey mold themselves separate from
each other The verse frequently flowing Tor few lines
WITH a smooth. agreeable current, seems To foam aud
chafe against unnanag ageabe words hike brook 10
stony glen there are fragments Of fresh mu1ica lyrics
sugg, stive both of Hanz and OF William Blake there are
passages 80 rough distorted, and commonplace withai
that the reader impaticnty shuts the book. II is IN this
respect medley such we have rarely pcrused'-a
mixture of skill and awkwardnesS. thought and a'niesS
fancy plan shattered by whin and melody broken o}
diseords 1t is difficult TO how any one capable OF
writing excellent brief passages should also write
such asto ishingly poor Oncs-Or the reverse.
The descriptive portions OF the poem are often bold
cloar and suggestive OF the actual We might
make collection Of admirable lines and coupets wLcl
have ring and sparke of true poetry On tue otnor
would he equally to multiply passages IKE
the following the of which is only reached with
difficulty and then proves hardly worth the trouble
OF seeking
put one there was land Clarel hel
Here caught CLEAN from source unspied,
As cliff may take on m0uBtttn-Slde,
When there one suial rlVwn cirque ye see,
Lit up in nIolr, how meiloSiy,
Diy going down In somber sAroud-
October pail
OF new emotion. iny held,
Taat 20 the long contention quelicd-
Lauguor aud indecislon. pain.
Was IL abrupt rCsoivef a strain -
Wiser than wis,ioaI's self might teachi
Yea, mow his hand would boldly reach
Aud pluck the nOddDg fruit " him,
Fl uit OF the Tree oil le
As contrast take Ut random few OF inc Brcai
passages scattered through tue work:
Noble gods the board,
Niele lord unto lord
Light pushes the carc-kilisug WINE
Urhanc IN their pleasure,
Superb ih their leisure
Lax ease
Lax ease after labor divfnei
With rose in thy mouth
Throu4h tue world lightly yeegi
ROse in the mouth
Makes OF the yearl
put through such strange illusions have they passed.
WHO M Hes pilgrimage have hailld stnVen-
Ev, u death may prove unteal 81 the last'
Aud stOics be astOnndcd iEto beaVeu
TIE ordinary reader win find himself in the position Of
one who climbs over loose mound of sliding stones and
gravel ia the search for tie crystals Which here aud
there sparkle the SOME may suspect graVer
enigma hidden in the characters OF the story, and study
them with that patience which the author ev,ieity pre-
suposes but all viii agree that little attention 10 tht
nrsf preiues Of poetic would have made their tsk
much moce agreeable. author has the right simply
"a an individual 10 disregard those principles. and mus
therefore be equally ready accept tue consequences
rher. In vein Of carpcstneas III Mr. heivi''S poein
uguary at variance with the carelesSness oi the ext
cuton but this only the impression OF coniu
sion which IL biakes.