New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-10-17

From, rAe University Magazine
Passing mp the stair OF the Sala ID ntc. ana 'raver.
sing dim carprtless gallery, Severns visitors sought
most uDpreteDding door, bcspeakink the 'ntorcSs-
sion of "A sweet FAINT little bell that In its nwofldV
chime seemed To strike ;he Key note oil Inc as
one might say When the inmate = faithful attendhht
had responded TO this appeal. 1t was necessary 10
wait few minutes while she asceriained whether
Mr.. Severn could receive. Ii always appcnrru 70
cost her maser reflection before ne couId ne-
eide upon seeing anybody. As ~ ny way OF apology
for this ncvItable delay, the LOBBY was converted
into KIND Of anteroOm. the walls OF when were
hung with few hne engrayIng'. severn SET great
sioe upon one of these, unique aud exquisite
rendering OF the we.l-kDown picture we nave been
allowed until lately TO call Gudo's Beatrice Cencl.
The studio was sombre and arranged with as little
convent onality the painter himself. everything
about MIN betokoning a careless desolation. " De-
ISOLATION I" is scarcely too strong word 10 convey
tho Impression given by the chant and ts fenant.
lie DIV cit entirely alone apparently from choice. lor
be had attached relatives and largo circle oil warm
fri ends IN England. . 49,
to drop into a foreigners grave, would have been
sufficiently full of melancholy interest but wnen
one remembered him TO be relic OF time gone py.
and heard him speak of nothing but generation oi
dead men, one had sense of g death IN lite that
qu!ckened the whole effect into one oil real desoa'
ton. He knew little OF the world as IL existed
around him. He lived in the past. lie could have
shared the feeling Of Lamb when be cred. Hans
posterity! l write tor antiquity" severn III the
last year of his life still painting portraits ~
Kcats-the beautiful boyish Keats of his memory
would lay before you volume OF Shakespeare
poems in a hy-leaf of which Keats had scrubbed
mis- /" Last Sonnet" Then YOU would learn that as
Keats and Severn were one day lying under be
Gained sails in Chanuel tie poet grew quiet ioi
a gpace aud bv and by drew tbis volume from DIS
pocket and wrote some IN IL, and handed the
book over TO his COMPANION II is IN this sonnet tina
these fine lines occur:
And watching. with eternal lids apart.
Like Natures patient sieepcss Ercnitc,
The moving waters al their pr1estlike TASK
or pure abuton round earth human siores.
From Keats's works the discussion might pass "
Keas's persen, and the painter would tell You M
considered Lord HOughton entirely III error IN WIT
ing of kcatSs blue eyes, III any man could talh
with certainty of their color. he himself could an,
he could affirm thai they had no tinge 0i Diue Du
were a warm gray-amost brown. thus occurred
| sort of Glaukops-Athene dispute that LORD iongh
ton and Severn carried on III private letters, Lore
| Houghton 10 the last maintaining his description un
| modified The painter had not very exalted
| opinion of Fanny Brawne of home he SAID The only
| frue likeness was to be found IN one OF the I'VE
| figures IN Tltian's Sacred ana Protane Love.
| The world to him was but world that had los
| Keats Rome itself with its innumeTahlc assoei
| atIons wa; to him but the grave OF Keats. III
| chronicles the mournful event thus: February
81 He is gone; he died with the most perlect ease
| he seemed to go to sleep. On the I'D, about e Tn
| approaches of death came on. Seyern-i-ilIl III
| mn am diving. ! shall die easy-dont be lrignt
| ened- be firm, and thank God 1t has come! IN
| two friends had been III the deepest pecunary dini
| cuties though knowledge of the TACT was kept Iron
| the diving man. Severn almost lacked bread; IL
| had no, an hour even in winch to dash oil sketc
| to sell. He was faithful - the end.