The Portland daily press., 1879-05-03
Recent Publications.

UO htou w uCdI iIUm ulu again.
Recent Publications.
The Epic Of Hades, Boston: Roberts Bros
Portland: Loring, Short & Harmony This Is
poetry of the highest order, and in Its own way
and scope, almost faultless. The author-s
younger brother 1t is said, of Mr.. William Morris
belongs to the school Of verse Of which the lat
ter poet is an Acknowledged chief; but in the
EDic OF Hades is found no over-imitation or
affected likeness to the works the author of the
Earthly Paradise while there exists the resem-
blance of kinship. The Epic, originally made
up of the episodes which appear as Book III,
the scene of which is in Hades, now includes
Tsrtarus and Olympus, an addition which rem
ders the plan of the poem larger and more
symmetrical The author, inia few words of
preface expresses the wish that. the title Of the
work might have been changed In the editions
published after the re-arrangement just de-
scribed; but wisely forbore to alter name
which already had won success. Although In
,he Epic of Hades there is no directly personal
speech, no phrase that the reader sets apart as
being the expression of the authors own expe.
rience-one reads between the lines, and Is
much impressed By the vigorous, delicate, free
and fresh nature of the poet; his faith, and his
Imagination. His method of treatment of the
old Greek fables is very originals far re-
moved from the rationalistic style as It is from
the pure Art for Art handling of Mr.. William
Morris. He sees constant parallels between
the Greek myths and the life Of his own day,
k~s ralA
without the curious uselessness of the pedant
or the chilly abstraction of the mytholoeist,
that the reader is set at once In sympathy with
the ancient story and with the poets earnest
and feeling Interpretation of II. This method
OF Mr.. Morris is SO entirely spontaneous, and is
so well carried out, with Judgment, taste aud .
singularly attractive poetic poise, that 1t will
not fail to please the general public, and also to
win the approval of critics. Speaking from
the standpoint of the Art for Art. theory, the
Epic Of Hades Is very admirable In It's tech
nique; whether Its correspondence with modern
life adds to its literary beauty is a question of
taste which the poet decided for himself and
each reader and each critic will enjoy the work
more or less, according so his individual answer
to the question. Perhaps 1t may justly be said
that the plan of the work as 1t existed In the
authors mind required this trait for the COM
pietion Of its meaning; while the beauty of the
unconscious and passionate Greek stories must
lose something of its marvellous simplicity and
irresponsible lovelipess.
The introduction is exceedingly fine, land
scape In the duh monotone tints Of an English
winter. The thought of the poet turns, not
unnaturally, to the dim world of ancient
shades; and q finely meditative passage relat-
ing to the retribution of sin leads the singer
to where, in Tartarus, King Tantalus is tor
mented. 1t may be noted here, with what
promptness and ease Mr.. Morris takes up the
many themes of the poem, each In
| Its turn. His artistic vision Is ex-
tremely clear, and each point is
/ taken with such true poetic fire and such frank
| enjoyment of the task, that the reader follows
easily the leadership Of the singer, aud no
| transition of scene or story seems abruptso ex-
cellently modulated is every change of key. Mr..
Morris's blank verse is smooth and musical, oc-
casionally bstraying overhaste. Some lines of
| almost unsurpassed music are to be found in
the poem. Again In the rapidity of work, Mr..
Morris's pen seems to run of itself for q few
words, and writes such hackneyed phrases as
'the near future" etc. Tantalus and Phaedra
are dramatic and well contrasted episodes; and
| as one ghost after another tells the tale of his
sorrow to the poet, the reader will not fail to
admire the strong individual interest Mr.. Nor
ris gives to each one, and how skilfully he fills
the classic outlines with passionate life. The
comments of Sisyphus on the will are q little
overmuch In the manner of Puritan polemic;
but the picture of his gigantic toll and its utter
failure is exceedingly fne. Large and human
reflections on punishment close the first book
Of the Epic. Some Of the psrallels are over
close and lose in poetic quality; bat as the
reader advances through the work, its strength,
purity and sincerity, noted at once, gain con-
tinuslly 10 his regard
Msrsyas is the first of the shades, whose little
guilt all expiated, wait in the colorless land Of
| H.des. The poet has succeeded in giving
peculiar beauty to this figure of Marsyss, of
whom legend meerly tells us, that he sffronted
Apollo by challenging him to the contest of
song and that the victor asyed the vapquished.
But Mr.. Morris sees in Marsyas the glory of
endeavor, aud sets these words in his mouth:
| Il know
How far high failure overleaps the bound of low sue
cesses.
The description of music and the dissent of the
goddess are passages of brilliant melody. An
exquisitely harmonious effect is produced by
the return of the rhythmic motif
| oh, to hear the young
| Apollo playing!
And the same effect is produced in the AZ.
dromeds, with the phrase
And 10, the monster-haunted depths Of sea.
Another musical point is made by the fine In
stinctive feeling for sound with which the line
knew q brilliant sunbeam swiftly leaping
strikes like the golden note of . trumpet int
the sombre harmony. The relation of the
story Of Andromeds to modern life Is delicatel,
and justly rendered; and the reference to the
descent of Christ into Hsdes is very beautiful
But the "crags of duty" is prosaic phrase
that is able to half spoil some fine lines. 40
teon is well written, though it has less interest
in story and character than some others. The
unloving life and splendid sorrows Of Heller
are painted at once with breadth and subtlety
1t is one Of the most dramatic episodes of thu
work, and around it hangs the fascination oil
the wondrous woman for whose sake fight was
made in Troy. The musical quality Of thu
story of Orpheus aud Eurydice is singularl,
fine; the ear takes the notes Of the marvellous
lutes, while the voices speak. Deianera ID
full of womanly passion, and the fine and deli
cate beauty Of the poets characterization ol
the subject grows to the story's climax
LAGOON is written at the highest poise of Mr.
Morris's feeling and expression, and Is nobly
antique in manner. A rich lyric passage de
scribes the praise of
Poseidon, him who sways the purple sea.
Medusa's piteous story, Narcissus, Adonis
Persephone, Endymon and Psyche, are In
turn the subject Of the poets song, which
with stately and harmonious close, Is silen
for space, until, guided by Psyche. the singer
mounts to Olympus to meet the 6fden gods.
In this third part of the poem, which Is en-
titled Olympus-Mr. Morris has been some
what less successful in the design Of his work
while its technical and musical beauty Is un-
dimir ished. In Mr. Bayard Taylor's Hobl,
poem, the Mssque of the Gods, it will be re
membared that in the cOnclave of aarlv ood.