The Portland daily press., 1878-12-14
SATURDAY MORNING., DECEMBER IA.

tuo Wiuo nICu tudt Opeuo upOa buo gray bWl>
light land Of Hsdes. The chorus of ghosts, of
which the dull chords have no resonance, is
the very voice of them that wander, without
need, upjudged, In the airless, dim space of
the world of dead men. The description of the
spirits that fit and hubble around the Stygian
ferry, is as strongly imagined as by Dante's
touch. Charon is admirably drawn; he is
somewhat humorous, looking for the obolus
between ghostly lips and laid on dead lids, aud
complaining that his business is lessened, his
river drying, and "soon dishonest ghosts may
wade across" The contrast between the wall
of the ghosts and the grotssque complaint of
the. ferryman Is daringly imaginative eff
feet, fully justified by success. The chorus,
closing the scene, contains in its increase of
musical variety, vague hints of life in these
ghosts who are made glad to feel some sharp
ness Of pain. Next, Daukalion aud P5rrha
visit the Elysian fields; and the dialogue when
Deukalion meets the great, misjudged Prone
theus is most elevated in q lality. Prometheus
commsnds Eos, the dawn goddess, as guide
to these who seek the day; and as one after
another calls her name, the voices seem like
the low, quivering lights tina. stream up here
and there, before the new morning. The invo-
ca ion to Eos is magui6cently lyric; it resem-
bles In its cadenecs the Hunts mans prayer to
Artemis Of ATLANTA in Calydon. To this sue
ceeds group of speeches, brilliant aud sonor-
ousin their music, finely coutrasted 10 metres,
where the lesser voices answer the mystic coup
lets Of the Mother of Morning. Toe first scene
Of the second act shows Dsukalon sitting near
q wayside shrine, looking sadly upon the brok-
en- images Of the sunny belief in beauty and
gladness, and mourning the false religion that
would give sorrow for Joy, aud substitute the
contortions Of mistaken zsal FIR the "fair dis
crowned Seventies Of Gods The shepherd
and shepherdess, true to their honess simple
time-ssrvice, sing hymn to Santa Barbara.
The poet-bslow whose wreath shins Dante's
eyes-kisses with half-afraid passion the bruised
mouth Of the broken marble muse. The ger
sfa,sh, the delight ia beauty, the sacrad
fire and fear Of song, that give suchlfa to this
figure Of the poet-are not more true to the
known character of Dante than 10 UNCONSCIOUS
portraiture of Mr.. Taylor himself. Medasa
lives again as the embodiment OF religious
tyranny. The absolute splendor aud force Of
her message to tue corners of the earth, is in
dramatic contrast to the soliloquy. The nobles
affronts of Daukalion are left almost without
answer By her, and are emphasized By the al
ternate strophes of the chorus aud ant-chorus
In the following scene Deukalio1 and Pyrfha
speak of the world despoiled of its early beauty
Of belief and given over to fantastic supersti-
ton. To them comes the mighty Pfometheus,
whose words are as Ere brought to rekindls
their hope; and to this trio is added the voice of
Eos, invisible. The speeches Of the Poet aud
Painter at the court of Meduss, ara fae-s:-
pecislly the former The songs of the muses.
are fortunate in melody aud metre. Toe ap
psarance of Urania is the insoi-aio1 of an ex-
allied and noble soug of the Poe. rha dis-
logue of Epimetheus and Usauia is Succeeded
by ths songs of three spirits. superb in their
music. The rush aud sweep Of the Wind ,piris's
sorg, the soft, delaying fall of the cong OF the
Snow-spirit, and the delicate. sivsr noes that
broaden and braid into rich melody, sang by the
Spirit of the Stream; closing with the couples
sung by the three voices as echoes, are su,tlineG
ct high lyric beauty. Tue &C. closes with di =
logue and brief passages of concerted song In
the third act we come into this nineteenth csn-
tuIy-buUuXu iuGU WutCu VI ltS Johto ~ lolb uu
told. To the Poes's sight and ear, comes the
Esrth-goddess offering the treasures of nature;
the lovely olden nymphs, afar off dsembodied,
yet sing to him. Eros sings his mystic so ag of
triumph-which recalls something Of. the tone
Of the interludes in Mr.. Morris's poem, Love ID
Enough. To the questioning of G@, he IT,
plies in melody of still wider flight. With
In the walls Of modern city, Deukslion and
Pyrrha hear the hard denial of all joy and
pleasure, the wearing enigmas Of imperfect and
arrogant science. the words of limited faith
which would limit the power ard love of Heav-
en-yet they see the pron;e of desired day,
sure though distant A itsny of the
chorus and Deukalion's prayer are fae-
ly expressed and oontrasted. Deukalon con-
fronts the priest Cslchss, and denounces the
ancient errors with which he mixes religion.
At the foot of the altar, Deukalion sinks into q
trance; and no passage in the drama excels the
scene Of his yision-which rises to the utter
most height Cf in aeinative power, and poises
itself there sustained with the efortless superb
strength Of its swift wing. 1t is the vision CT
such heaven as the highest mind of man can
imagine-yet the poet shows us that it is q con-
ventional heaven, lit By "such general glow as
moonlight spreads upon land of snow"
heaven 1T white wings slanting up
sharp spaces of white light, for feet that
miss the warm hard earth and eyes that
loved the sun on. the hills; heaven
Of gold harps tuned to one rei!erate
chord, for ears that have known all subtle
changes of harmony, and have heard songs and
music of many reeds by the rivers of this earth.
After this blind light of traditional paradise,
the large shadowy yelling of the vision is vel
come. The act closes with significant dia-
logue Of Prometheus, Deukalion and Pymha.
There is something essentially satisfying in the
prominence given to Prometheus, throughout
the poem. Such recognition of his great ser
viceable kindness to man, such rehabilitation
of him after the vulture and the rocks com
Portable for US, though he be only myth. The
fourth and last act, to which the poet afixes
no date, defines as clearly as prophetic power
without prsteuce may, the ideal of the future
of humanity. The dialogue of A. atbon and
Deukalion is my site and highly imagined. In
the ensuing scene, Prometheus havi ng decreed
q semblance Of Solomou's temple to be raised,
calls Baddhs, Medusa, Calchas and Urauia-
that Agathop, with his faith of little child,
may overthrow, in turn, their pleas for power
Ancient worship of force, lettering supersti-
ton, narrowness of balief, the pride of modern
science give way to his ianocent clear speech !;
and the path is made plain for the last
scenes of the drama. These form o
brilliant ensemble, rising to superb
and purely eloquent climax. First are heard
happy voices of shepherd and shepherdess, of
heroes and artisans, which prelude the song
which Eos and her morning stars sing togeth-
er; the mighty chant of G@a, the chorus of
people led by Derkalon aud Pyrrha-and
last of all, the large prophetic utterance of Pro-
metheus who declares that man, having taken
all gifts given of earth, shall
Now, a child in Al iii hours
Clasps tight its hanofuls OF first flowers
.s Homeward to meet His purpose, COL
These things are all ye need to know.
And thus the drama ends--this poem in
which an exceptionally wide experience of men,
and Of countries; acqnaintsrcs with the treas
ures of ari and history; and nature rich in the
fervor, the instinct and the speech of poetry
are met together to witness t, the love of Heav-
en-, the worth Of man, and to the simple and
"a Il