The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-05-29

The Ode of Life Boston: Roberts Brothers;
Portland Loring, Short and Harmony is re-
cent poem by Mr.. Ernest Morris, author of the
fine Epic of Hades 1t is genuine grief to
find the later work fall far short of the merit
of the earlier poems, and to see that Mr.. Nor
ris has taken wrong path, one which will
lead his delicate poetic gift into the dreary
desert of rhythmic moralizing-a tract of coun-
try already settled upon as the Upper Reserva-
ton. And yet it is hardly fair to compare
Mr.. Ernest Morris to the exultant discoverer of
what everyone knows, the trumpeter of trite
things. Mr.. Upper is coarse, aggressive, and
dogmatic, while Mr.. Ernest Morris is refined,
unoffending and shows only the conceit of
mind too little accustomed to mix in the world
and measure his work with that of other men.
The fault of his poetry is chiefly the too large
proportion of moral intent to poetic inspiration.
He fails to remember that instead of preach
ing to his own congregation (NIr. Ernest Morris
is an English clergyman he is addressing the
world in general, parish over which he has
not been settled. And, as not unfrequently
occurs to writer, Mr.. Ernest Morris mistakes
his poorest work for his best In the Epic OF
Hades where he treated the Greek myths di
rectly, in purely artistic fashion-Mr. Morriss
work was exceedingly good; and it was not
difficult TO trace a certain resemblance to the
genius of his brother, Mr.. William Morris, a
most perfect artist in poetry. The correspon-
dence which he chose to find between the
Pagan and Christian beliefs; the morals which
he wished to draw from the simple and sufficien
beauty OF the antique tales, injured the artistic
effect, and often strained the thread of the
stories-but was to be allowed as Mr.. Morris's
fashion of handling the subjects. 1t is hurt
full thing for the eyes of poet to attempt to
see meanings that do not exist; and it Injuries
his power of seeing clearly the fair proportions
of things as they are. The Ode of Life is di-
vided into several sections, Creation, The Ode
Of Infancy, of Childhood, etc., ending with the
Odes of Decline and Change. These poems
include some fine lines; the opening is admira-
BILE:
dark and boundless deep
And a blind height above,
Untrodden fields of sleep,
Wherein no force may move,
Where every sound is still,
Nor breathes living BREATH
These are the heights these are the
depths, these are the voids of death.
Here the poets vision is imaginative and he
paints sombre background for his picture
The resonant verse prepares the reader for Wig
orous and direct poetic work. Then the author
leaving the objective manner in which he is
fortunate, evolves such wordy nonsense as
And was there indeed, no ceaseless circling of
spheres?
Since no sentient eye might mark the peripheries
wind.
The reader cannot but conclude that Mr..
Morris would, if he drew no moral from the
process, describe very well the blossoming of a
rose; but is hardly equal to relating the Won
ders of the growth Of worlds out of nebulous
seeds. He takes a volume to set forth the
ages of man, and Shakespeare has already done
the task in few lines. The whole work is a
diluted presentation of what we all knew be-
fore Mr.. Ernest Morris told us, together with
much twaddle with which we all could have
dispensed. 1t seems from the preface, in which
Mr.. Morris expresses much satisfaction with
his task and its performance, that he has ar
rived at that state of self conceit which is ia
tai lethargy to the artist. If any words may
recall him to the good work he did in some
passages of his Epic of Hades, to the compre-
hension of the right use of his delicate poetic
gift, and how alien to its effectiveness is his
present didactic manner-words seemingly bit.
ter will not have been said in vain His next
volume will prove whether Mr.. Ernest Morris
has future as poet