The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-07-10


Vico, lasts in the memory with tragic power.
A murdered man lying on his bier in a dark
ened room, men armed to the teeth standing
beside him, while the wife or sister, holding
the blood-stained shirt of the dead man, de-
claims rude song, of which passion and sor-
row supply the rhythm. The strangest and
most tender appeals to the dead mix with
broken cries Of fury and murderous hatred Or
the cocero may be for some maiden, not struck
by any violent hand, but led away softly by a
gentle death and then the song is in praise of
"the rose among flowers, moon among stars"
Aiaccio, too, recalls constantly the family of
Napoleon, and Mr.. Symonds recounts his visit
to the Bonaparte house.
chapter upon Florence and the Medici is
an exceedingly clear and valuable contribu-
tion to political history; and, less poetic in
manner than the authors descriptive work. is
admirably appropriate in STYLE
A notable and very just chapter treats of
The Debt of English to italian Literature, and
the student of English letters will be surprised
If he have not taken pre- vious thought of the
matter-how great and how constant has been
the influence of Italy in building up the proud
pantheon of our literature To Italy we owe
the models of epic, pastoral and romance; the
sonnet form, the ottdra Professionalism to us
in Spenser and Chaucer-a host of minor poet
ic shapes; and blank verse-glory or snare, ac-
cording as the writer of it be poet or no-was
adapted by Surrey from the Italian rersi sciol-
IT, Shakespeare owed the arguments of many
of his plays to Italian story. As Mr.. Symonds
acutely observes: I'd .r
The magnetic touch which is necessary TO
infiame the imagination of the North is de-
rived from Italy. The English poets
stir the soul to its very depths by their pro-
found and earnest delineations of the stern
and bitter truths of the world. italian poets
environ all things with the golden haze Of an
artistic harmony, so that the soul is agitated
by no pain at strife with the persuasions of
pure beauty.
In chapter upon the Popular italian Poe
try of the Renaissance, Mr.. Symonds gives
proof of his qualities as translator. In this
department, Mr.. Dante Rossetti's work is the
acknowledged standard by which translations
of the canzoni and ballate of the period of the
Renaissance are to be measured Mr.. Sy-
monds does not suffer by the comparison; his
translations are, as such, quite equal to Ros-
setti's; and though they have not the singular
quality of the verse of the Lateral once grim
and fascinating, an indescribable atmosphere,
due wholly to the unique genius of Rossetti
and not to the poems in their original Italian
they express adequately and harmoniously the
meaning Of the ballate or canzone. Undoubtedly
Mr.. Rossetti is greater poet than Mr.. Sy-
monds; but no one could be in more perfect
sympathy or translate with more grace and
spirit than the latter. Our readers will regret
that lack OF space forbids them to find here
the dainty ballad of ga green garden in mid
month of May" or the bright and brief madri-
gall; or the exquisite descriptive verses of
Polizianio, whether it be an idyllic scene
among green fields or the triumph of the sea-
risen Aphrodite. The OrJeo of Poliziano-
treated in a separate chapter-was the earliest
example of the italian secular drama 1t
lacks dramatic value--but its lyric quality is
admirable Its rustic dialogues, the pretty
roundelay, the exquisite wailing of the Dryads
for Eurydice, the superb song of Orpheus at
Hades gate, and the chorus of Bacchanals are
filed with the very spirit of antique song.
The drama was performed-Mr. Symonds be-
ieves-with Messer Baccio Ugolini as Orphe-
us, singing to his viol the lovely lament for
Eurydice lost rHa H soI
A particular ly interesting chapter tells OF
the popular songs of Tuscany, light and fut-
tering, with brief turns of phrase, quick as the
turn of the head of bird and of these little
songs, so hard to translate, that fly if one try
to hold them-Mr. Symonds gives numerous
examples. Descriptive chapters, and fine es-
says upon the young Antinous, and Lucretius
close the first volume of the work
In the second volume are more descriptive
chapters, picturesque and containing much in
formation concerning the towns of Southern
Italy, and the men and deeds that made them
notable. Standing in the shadow of Etna,
Mr.. Symonds protests against the school-men's
theories of sun and dawn, and material things,
and Aryan linguistic myths. For this was the
scene of the golden age. And so he sets sail
for Greece
with Etna a gray ghost, behind our path, and
the reflections of stars upon the sea, and glow
worms in the hedges, and the mystical still
splendor of the night that, like Death, liber-
ates the soul, raising it above all common
things, simplifying the outlines of the earth as
well as our own thoughts to one twilight hush
Of aerial tranquility.
Athens recalls myriad classic shapes, and
countless memories; and the chapter which
speaks of it includes a translation from Esehy.
lus, by Mr. Symonds Rimini recalls the famous
family of Malatesta, potent in political history
and well-named Wrongheads-observes the
author The dramatists Alfieri and Goldon
are the subjects Of an excellent critical chap
tor hor 81 fill of 20 =
color. The Alps suggest to Mr.. Symonds q
vein of curious inquiry: When did the love
of mountains begin; and, indeed, what is it
The classic nations hated mountains as the.
did tyrants. Cellini records the medieval dis
like to the Alps. Addison and Gray callet
them rugged" and "horrid." Yet this gen
GRAFTON praises and seeks the Alpine heights
Mr.. Symonds is rather inclined to attribut,
the growth of this feeling to the free spirit o
sions of the Alpine club lead others by force o
example "to take their pleasure sadly, afte
their fashion, a..ts..t
The old towns of Provence, rose gardens
where legends of romance are distilled. arr
next described; Avignon, memorable for Pc
trarch's sake, the plains of Aries, the Camargut
with its salt sea pools. ~. ..-
An appendix contains note to the OlJeo
and translation of eight sonnets of Petrarch
and notably strong and luminous essay upoI
blank verse which fairly lays down the law.
for this difficult form of poetic art. Mr. Sy
monds considers that the careless pronuncia
tion common to English speaking peoples, thu
little importance given to separation of sylla
bles or to doubled consonants, partly accounts
for the lack of "sense for quantity in oul
poetry He declares himself neutral in the
contest of methods for proving blank verse
but he recognizes how rich and varied are its
effects when set free from overheard trammels
Naturally it is to Shakespeare that he turn
for examples of blank verse, and says of tn,
masters work "the characteristic of his blanl
verse is that it is naturally, unobtrusively ant
enduringly musical;" he quotes from Marlowt
and Jonson to point some nice distinctions
and recalls the over-sweet music of Beaumon
and Fletcher. The amazing treatment of the
blank verse of Webster--whom he compare
to Schumann-and its dramatic power ar,
keenly noted Mr.. Symonds believes that thu
value of blank verse depends upon the Gun
ming use of liberty and the ever changing