New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-03-17
VICTOR HUGO.
HIS NEW POEM: "THE LEGEND or THE
AGES


new poem La L6qepde des Scles-" The Legend of the
Ages" Ii is published in two octave volumes, con-
tanning in all ia pages, or about 10000 lines OF
verse. Coming from an author who has already
passed his 10th birthday, and who announces, on
the back of these volumes. three more new works
"A POEM The Art of being Grandfather" to be
published in May, 1877; "Thc History of the Crime
of the Second Of December" to be published in Dc
tober 1877: and Poetry: The Complete Tyre
(Touie Ia LyG, to be published in February 1873
they give evidence of phenomenal productiveness
an activity of creative intellect which far supasses
anything told us Of Sophocles or the Persian saadi
Nav the one sentence Of preface to this Legend of
the Ages" dated the 26th of February, only three
weeks ago quietly says: "The completion of the
Legend Of the Ages will be shortly published, pro-
vided that the end of the author does not take place
before the end of the work. Therefore. this great
collection of epic fragments is not yet complete!
But in fact the conception of the work, and por-
ton Of It's contents, are already twenty years old
In 1859 Victor Hugo published The Legend of the
Ages in two volumes.-nOt the present poem, but
one entirely similar in design. In his preface
thereto he indicated that it the first part of
trlogy, Of which the two succeeding parts would be
entitled The End of Satan" and Cod The pub
LEGATION, al that time, made great IMPRESSION
beyond the circle of the authors devoted followers
1t is evident that the plan of the whole work has
been essentially modified since then; but we have
ONLY at present to deal with what he now offers to
the world.
IL spite of intellectual and moral alterations SO
fantastic and reckless that they have rarely been
equaled in the history of any individual life, there
are elements OF true genius, and of both organizing
and disorganzing energy in Victor Hugo which en-
force recognition. He is the purest type of what
Goethe called " problematic nature" He uses the
freedom now conceded by the world to intellect with
a daring and an arrogance which have never been
surpasse and he illustrates equally the profit aud
the danger Of such self-asscrted literary lordshp
There are qualities in him which make Ii difficult
for us to understand why he should not have at
tanned the very highest success, until, through a
clearer and more objective study Of his works, we
perceive his impotence of all truth which conflicts
with hs personal pIcjudiceS, his reluctance to SINK
the wilful activity of his mind in devotion to pro-
founder knowledge of Man and History, and his in
ability to uulcam that habit of asserting his ndi-
vidual self which was born Of his early triunphs
His character cannot be understood without recall
ing the story of his life. From 1922 to 1882 he
fought as gallant fight is recorded in the annals
of literature He began single-handed, and ended
by seeing France at his feet lie chiefly right,
at the start; but as in all revolutions, he opposed
al extreme to an extreme.
Then followed what hold to be Victor iiugos
great mistake as an autDOI liSiCdt VI SNlhSlie
back to some intermediate line Of true literary prin
ciple he simply intensified those principles through
which his victory was gained. In many great au-
thors We find these three stages of development:
first subordnatiOn 10 forms accepted as classic;
secondly a rebellion Of the free creative power,
which finds its own method of expression, whether
through the romantic school, or otherwise; and
lastly return to the laws of elevation, proportion
and reposc. which are forever classic in poetry
Victor Hugo hating at the second stage and filed
with vast visions of some yet undiscovered organic
force in literature has dashed off into space and be-
come a comet of incalculable elements, instead of
serene, silyer-shining planet, filling its punctual
place in the common heaven of song His work has
thus grown more and more chaotic: genius, the
dcXtefitv of the literary craftsman, narrow preju
dice broad gmpses into the infinite of human fate
tenderness, rant, idylc sweetness and tine buster
of simulated passion are so mingled III his later
productions that we are tempted to call them great
and trivial insane and prophetic, in the same breath
The Legend Of the Ages is even better Illus
trqtion Of tins singular development of the authors
mind than his recent prose works. His leading idea
is 10 paint the struggle of the human race with
superstitiOn kngly oppression, and all other woes
Of the Past and Present, in series OF detached pic
lures drawn from all lands and all ages But it is
ouite impossible to guess what law guided him in
his selection of subjects. Many of the poems have
not the slightest apparent relevancy TO the plan;
others either willfuly distort history OF overlook the
general progress of the race; and the Lack OF any
advancing solution of human woe and trouble,
through the original design of the Eternal Wisdom,
leaves a bitter aftcrtaste in the mouth of the reader.
These are the titles Of the Is general divisions Of
the poem: "The Earth; Supremacy; Between
Giants and Gods; the Vanished City; After Gods,
Kings: Between Lions and Kings; the Banished
~ VII nf 0shOr. Warnings and ClaS-
tisc,ucnts: the Seven Wonders of the World"
Here the first volume ends "The Epic of the
Worm; the Poet to the EaTth-wOTm; Purity of
Sonl: the Falls: the Pyrcnean Cycle the Comet; ;
Change Of Horizon; the Group of ldylls all the
Past and all the Future the Present Time; the
Plaques Eegy: the Little Ones; Above; the Noun
tains; the Temple; TO Man; Abyss"
There is, however, a Prologue, called, The
Vision ont Of which this Book has arisen" Here, as
elsewhere throughout the work there are traces OF
the influence of Dante upon the author; but the
latter has aimed AT reaching the gloomy grandeur,
not the sharp distnctness of thought and image OF
the Tuscan poet. The versifcation is frequently
marked by intentional roughncss Only when Vic
tor Hugo falls upon quiet idyllic theme do we find
again his Incompatible sweetness and harmony.
For this reason in transatng the Introductory pic
ture. we prefer to retain the original measure, and
drop the rhyme which is less loss to French he
roic verse owing 10 the repettions which the lam
guage allows. Such rhymes r0gae and rdGae, or
sombre aud somJre aud the mutitudes of such half
rhymes rs tente and coRteate, d6cde and Hrde, der
and d'etr which we find in these volumes, would be
iutolerabe 10 English The following " vision
is put forth as the argument of the work:
I had dream the Wall of the Ages unto me
sppeared-of live flesh and rough granite built.