New-York tribune., 1879-01-03
Unto its widely self-dihfusing power,


On troubled minds through npwardiooking eyes,
One noble action OF self-saerihcc
The daily lives OF millions elevate:
Aud clear accordant songs OF souls sublime
Echo from kindred souls through endless tune'
Tho power, and significance, and ethical sove-
reignty of the Beautiful, theme which pcrvades
the whole volume, Is proclaimed in the loho"he
sonnet with an odorous perfume of expression
which might have charmed the bees OF Plato -
wheue'cr the atoms into forms combine
The grouping, Swapping forces seem 70 o"o
| Allegiance 10 the beautiful, and show
| Beauty has power TO mould ana TO dtnne'
| It's blessed presence seems potent sign
reward it alone will Natures favors flow,
! Even with It's measure metes Tue Trace Di'ino'
| For when attcnt the beautiful we view, -.
And radiant beauty enters through the ,,,;lG. SGh'.
| Thc soul is filed with hope and deep delight;
Asifi.s being were assured anew -
| Asst the right to be mad been DestOWeu
| only where Beauty maketh its abode.
| "a Masque of Poets" which is presented as an
example of the "No Name Series" by conspicu-
GUS publishing house in Boston. plQuing the Gu
riosty of the reader to guess out the hand OF the
author affords materials for q pleasant game OF
| blind mans buff to season the good cheer Of the
holidays. The poet TO be sure, i'll this case is con-
ceaed behind the masque. while the guosser gropes
with his eyes omen to mud favOrte under the pro-
| yokIpg disguise 1t has puzzled the wits of more
than one wise expounder OF secrets to un-
riddle the mystery and the universe. we
| believe, has not yet been authentcally in
formed of the respective Identities Of these
"veied prophets of KhOraSsan." There is certainly
some excellent poetry In the volume. no matter
VINO wrote it, some pretension and commonplace,
and il must pensivey be confessed little trash,
to which none of the great poets said TO figure III the
masquerade, would care to put his name but to
whom we are 10 ascribc the excellence and to whom
the trash must be left to the cOnjectures OF the
meek mquring public.
Mr.. OReily's Songs, Legends and Ballads"
which are here collected in one volume, have al
ready gained in different form large share of the
public favor and established the reputation of the
youthful author as an original and vigorous poet
They consist partly of narratives of Australian lii
and adventure, partly of patriotic and occasional
poems suggested by the public incidents of the day,
and partly by songs inspired by the social and do
mestc affections, expressing vein of pure and no.
| BILE sentiment in vivid poetical diction. Mr..
OReilly aims chiefly at the bold utterancc OF strong
feeling His words If not always choice, never fan
to be effective. lie does not court the artificial re-
fnements of composition, but his narratives OF pas
sion well his pictures of Nature often possess
terrible reality whose tragic character is not re-
! lieved by any subtle arrangement of light and
| shade. Most of his poems are surcharged with
| rich and glowing vitality, combined with slnewy
power of execution that gives body and form TO the
most imaginative ideal conceptions He writes
| from experience but from an experience enkindlcd
and glonfed by ardent emotion, arraying the facts
of common life in the purple robes of poetic fancy.
| Ii Mr.. elders venture in "Ihc Poet and his
Master shows little percepuble advance on the
| previous volume which has found so hatterng
reception among the lovers of genuine poetry, it is
owing to the maturity of thought and admirable
finish of execution which leave few signals to mark
the progress of improvement. HIS former
poetical offering was singularly free from the usual
faults of youthful composition. The frmness OF its
tone, its chascncd vigOr of imagination. the reSo-
lutte self-cOmmand evince0 in its quiet reticence Of
expression betrayed high ideal of excellence and
n studiOus intimacy with the more rarely gifted
masters Of imaginative verse. The same qualities
are exhibited in the present volume. Mr. Glider
never fails to control the flights of his soaring
lie indulgcs in no vague conceptions needs 10 diff
fuscness of language to conceal dearth of fancy,
and never makes of random expressions or
clouded imagery in the lack of lucid vision and firm
purpose. The poem from which the volume takes
its name, and which by some apparently whimsical
caprice is placed at its end, presents noble ideal
of the functions of poetry the soace of the tragic
elements IN human life. No doubt the picture
of mans misery earth is painted in too lurid
colOrs it represents the walls Of Carlyle and the
cyncism of SchopenhaucT rather than the cheerful
wisdom of Goethe aud too narrow scope is gwen to
the mission of verse ; but the sketch is marked by
no less suggestiveness of thought than skill in cx-
ecution and if not true as a whole possesses sgnif
cant features which it demands the of the poet
to portray to the world. Tho scene may be set
forth in miniature as follows: One day tho poet is
discovered by his master sitting in solemn
and wOe-begOne mood with his harp lying
on the ground, utterIDg a strange and trem-
bling voice il was swept over by the moan
ing wind The master demands the cause of the
poets silence. He is told that great personal grief
strikes dumb the lips of song. The master re-
plies: -
ALAS, and hast thou then so soon forgot
The bond that with thy gilt OF song dd 60
Severe as fate, fixed and unchangcablei
DOst thou not know this IL the poets lott
Mid sounds OF WaT-in halcyo1 times OF peace
To strike the ringing wire ana n II to cease:
In hours Of general happiness to swell
Tic common JOY aud wnen the people cry
With pteOus voice %sud to III. pltiless sky,
Ills his 10 frame the universal praycR
And breathe the balm OF s0ng upon the accursed airy
But the poet continues that he does not borrow
the robe of grief to deck the images of sorrow, but
that he has seen beyond the veil of youth, has
caught the sad secret of life and that now his heart
is dead within linn, and "a thick pail darkens the
midday SUM-" The burden of the poem is brought
out i'll the reply of the master, who enGorces the
good Of mankind as the motive of song:-
"And dOst thou call
This sorrow 7 Call this knowledge thou blind
And ignorant! Know, then, thou yet shalt find,
Ere thy full days are numbered meath the sun,
Thou, in thy shallow youth, hadst but begun
To guess what knowledge Is, what grief may be-
And all the infinite sum of human misery;
Shalt find for each rICh drop OF perfect good
Thou paye>t, at last. q thrcefOld price in blood;
What ia most noble in thee-eYcry thought
Highest and best-cTushed, spLt upon and brought
TO an open shame; thy natural ignorance
Counted thy crime the world al ruled by chance,
save that the good most suffer; but above
These Ills anothcr,-crucl mOnsIrous, worse
Than all bcfOre-thy pure and passionate love
Shall bring tue OLD, immitigaDle curse"
And thou who tell'st me this, dOst bid me sing!'