The Portland daily press., 1880-11-13
Recent Publications.

Echoes from the Orient. By Edward King
Qondon: G. Kegan Paul & Co., l Paternoster
Square). The author of this modest and
excellent little volume of poems has al
ready achieved a brilliant and enviable fame
as a journalist His Paris letters were
racy agreeable and refined, and as a
war correspondent he proved himself an effec-
tive and picturesque writer. He claims for
himself no place among poets-yet poets and
critics will accord him pleasant standing
room among the tuneful and sympathetic
singers who, without attempting to lead the
choir of modern verse, are heard clear and
tuneful in its chorus. The quick apprehension
the sensitive and warm nature, the apt and ia
cie expression that were notable in Mr.. Kings
journalistic work, are well suited to purposes
of poetry and in the manner of his verse, he
chooses with fitness TO the subject of each DO
EN-, from the models afforded by foremost,
poets. This is not to say that he is a copyist,
for his thoughts and words do not lack fresh
ness or originality. His quality OF journalist
has enabled him to take skilfully the tone of
the best literature which surrounds him. In
the principal poem, Manol-which is founded
on tragic legend of Roumania -one notes the
echo of William Morriss tales, although Mr..
Kings vocabulary is not so entirely Saxon as
is that of the man upon whom has fallen
Chaucer's Pilgrim cloak. Indeed it is scarcely
possible since the writing of the Earthly Para
disc, to tell in verse any ancient story without
hints of Mr.. Morris's mapner-since his verse
so perfectly fulfls all the conditions of story
telling, directness, sweetness, simplici-
ty and undisturbed faith in the tale told.
Mr.. Kings verse is smooth and musical and
is not lacking in strength. An Idyl among the
Rocks opens with dramatic force, and the at
mosphere and scenery of Thessaly are subtly
and artistically touched. The variety of metre
iE this poem is well contrasted, including some
very good blank verse, and the lines, Night in
the Herzegovina, form a sketch worthy of Mr..
Gustave Dore, while something in its rhetoric
recalls the oriental verse of the beloved Bayard
TAYLOR. The Ballad of Miramar seems mod
elled after some of Mrs. Browning's preposter-
GUS iangles, and Mr.. Kings keen sense of the
journalist should have kept him from printing
these verses which are simply "repotorial.
English" prose measured off in metrical feet
with 'bells on their toes" Guzla is as sharply
and richly scored as Robert Schumanns Gypsy
Chorus. The Fair Bosnian is sketch drawn
with point and purity of outline and color and
is most sympathetic in quality. The metre of
Prince Lazarus is impressive and the legend is
finely told. In the Danubian Gipsy's Song, the
wild contrasts and alternate fire and gloom are
admirably rendered. Among the miscella-
neous poems with which the volume concludes
may be noted the tunfeul song o Birds
that Fit and the sharp dramatic touches of A
Woman's Execution. That tender and
"render" are made to rhyme with "splendorn
must be due to temporary carelessness OF the
writer. Such rhymes may possibly pass un-
challenged in the crowded lines of a long epic
but as the refrain of short poem they are
inexcusable. The generous and fervent ad-
dress to the explorer, Stanley contains some
fine lines and is worthy tribute from one
journalist to another. Mr. Edward King is 10
be congratulated upon successful and agrea-
BILE debut as writer of verse, and it is to be
hoped that he will continue to develop his po-
etic talent, which is genuine, brilliant and
fresh as his journalism
A First Italian Course, containing gram
DtltCtuS anu EAtfClS6 DOOk with tOcal-
ularies (New York: Harpers; Portland: Lor-
ing, Short y Harmony, is especially to be CON-
nended for its numerous exercises for trans
lation and the large number of words and
phrases of which it puts the stu dent i'll pos
session. Its fault is too cumbrous construc
tion; it is planned after the model of DR.
VIM. Smiths Latin Principia-the title page
says-and this theoretical fashion of teaching
is not applicable to living language as to
dead one. When all that remains of the
speech Of people is its written language, its
obituary in the shape of grammar, needs lie
somewhat diffuse that the reader shall have an
idea of what soul inhabited the outworn body
of speech. Moreover, the modern tongue of
Italy is clear and simple language. Its
nouns, for Instance, make no changes in form,
except that that the plural termination, as In
our own language, usually differs according as
the noun be singular or plural. No wearisome
list of adjectives govern the dative, or take an
unhallowed leverage upon the ablatiye, in