The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-07-02

duoed 10 perfect seriousness 10 illustrate the
weird " music Of Dopefcriow's verse.
10 Il clear that any deficiency in the power OF
consecutive movement and distinct cbaraoter-
izstion, essential TO success in Chaucer's vein,
would make itself more fatally conspicuous in
the Geld OF dramatic poetry. Nevertheless, MT.
Lonefelow has several times adopted a dra-
matte form, IN the spanish Studept." for in
stance, and the " Golden Legend" OF the for
mer II is enough to say that It 10 a comedy with
out actors, neither the student nor his Gitana
sweetheart being competent to impress us with
the reality of their existence. Two or three
songs, however, intercalated In the piece, have
been plucked from their cumbrous setting, and
placed among our household treasures.
We were Informed by the local critics who
stood sponsors to the latter poem that IL must
be esteemed an important American oontribu-
tlon TO those mystical metaphysical outgivings
Of which Faust and Manfred are types; and
number OF ingenious parallels were instituted
tending to exalt the psychological profoundness
and ethical worth OF the Golden Legend"
whoreupon the docile American public straight
way ranked II with those books which nobody
reads, but everybody comedies to be worth
reading What brave, robust, and Trustworthy
thing was our native criticism between the years
1880 and 1850, and what a ruthless eve II had for
shallow sentiment and nimsy thinkinei Is II
possible to imagine any spectacle more ridicu-
lous than the attitude OF those provincial wise
acres cooking their ears to catch fancied echo
Of Goethe's Titan song, and smiling doubtfully
at those modest lyrics upon which. In spite OF
the reaction here and there provoked by foolish
eulogy. LoD0fellow has built real and last
ing fame2
IL we examine the fundamental texture and
essential quality of this writer's work we End no.
thing In It distnctiveiy American 1t never occurs
TO us to say Of hts performances, as We are CON
tinually impolled to say OF Bryant's or whltticrs
this or that verse could only have been penned
by one born and bred 10 the atmosphere OF the
New World. Neither have Lonefellow's pro-
ductions an English flavor; indeed, II would he
difficult to name an English poet the cast aud
temper OF whose mind reveal any affinitles with
his. Few men have been more catholic In their
aympathles, more cosmopolitan In th.,,r range
Of study, ana we seem to trace In him at differ
ent epochs a balf-conscious surrender to the
influence OF three distinct foreign schools. But
while these have tinRed and shaped the larger
part OF his creations. his inquisitive and assimi
lative intellect has rambled into more seques-
tered fields, and delicate flowers from Provence
and Portugal, Us well "a hardy plants from Swe-
den and Gascony, have proved obedient to his
translating hand, and learned to thrive and
blossom In his garden. Take for instance the
following from the Swedish Of Bishop Teener:
Love among mortas
Is but an endless sgh lie longs and endures and
suffers, AID yet reolces and smiles with tears on his
Hope % /. called upon earth his recompen'e. Hope,
Does what she can, for she points evermore up to
p,r He Heaven we. And faithful 49,.
and beneath It Wv e'''
Psin,s more oesurful world. dim but asweet play
Add to this a single stnnza. which seems 70
exhibit the perfection OF translation from
Malherbe's famous consolatory epistle:
But she was Of the wori which iarcst things exposes
To fates the most forlorn
rose she too hath lived long AZ live the roses
The space Of ono brief morn.
To appreciate the finish Of work like this we
should SET the original beside It;
MATS ellie t,si d'un monde GU les plus bellies chooses
1t rose, ellie vecu &C que vvent les roses
Lespaee dun matin.
Excursions OF this sort, however, have been
only the episodes Of a long literary career. and
II Is chiefly from Calderon and Lope de Vega.
from Dante, Petrarch, and Tasso, but above all
from those German baiiadists like Burger, VIE
land. and INLAND, who have aimed TO resusct-
tate In sublime and dainty form the romantic
rhapsodies Of the Mnncsingers, that Longfellow
has drawn his inspiration. II will be noted
that all these writers, however distinct their
rank in the poetic hierarchy, and however d.
vergent the scope aud character of their
work, have yet one trait In common, a
certain gravity aud solemnity, a pervadinq
sense OF the seriousness OF life, and profound
acquaintance with human sorrows. In most OF
them there is scarcely trace Of humor but
their power over the stronger emotions Is extra
ordinary, and they are the sovereign masters Of
psthos.
Now 1t has doubtless been remarked by every
reader that In the wide range OF Longfellow's
poetry there IL absolutely nothing To evoke
smile, much less a laugh, while. on the other
hand, no English singer has more frequently
commanded the homage OF moistened eyes. 1t
10 not only tnat his verse abounds In moving In
cidents recommended to ympathy by a delicate
and p tient art, bat he has subtle pathetic
touches peculiarly his own which stir the heart
we know not why, and affect us with mys-
terious, nexpicable sadne. $. As Illustrations OF
that vogue, tristful manner We might cite my
Lost Youth" with its dreamy refrain:
The voice OF that Maynard song
IL silyllR and saving stIl
bDys VII II tle Nlnd's VIII,
Ahd the thoughts u youth are long long thoughts.
Or again, in a slightly different KEY, the two
nnal stanzas OF The Open Window" Its, Of
course, the last four lines to which We would
direct attention:
The birds sang In the branches
With sweet, familiar tone,
But the voices Of the children
VIII be heard IN dreams alone.