New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-17
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

Robert Browning, although he u the author y.
few short poems which are popUlaI cannon DC '''''
n pcpu,ar poet even in the most limited sense VI
thc phrase: that is. I've snot CcneralfaN'l''o WV"
the lovers Of poetry as ac'ass lie "I'oS '''
s,ec,al audience within this special aud'eh'e' ~
much so that there is probably not a living poet
with talf his reputation who has not ten uneS '','
number of admirers. But they who are HIS ~"
mivers-or perhaps looking ahead lit'ic' We ""S'
sav the admirers OF what he did IN ms carrier N'"."
have feeling for him which IS as r'cuhar Is Us
STYLE; they are conscious oi Il kind OF m''H'''"''
,oor which he only can satisfy His lorerS are
generally men who read the works oil very Jew
other loe,s of the day with much satlS1acH"h- by
these readers every new book oi ms Is looAe" lo'
with eager expectations of delight liz ri'aSes '"'
,borcbt Gul who 70 .heir thoughtfuncss add large
capacity of emotion; men-and his admirers are
chiefly men-vh do not need to be told everything
IN detail: who can take mp story IN the midue'
and from what Is told gather what IS left unio'";
lovers of the dramatic spirit in literature, whether
il purc drama. m Tyre or narrative poetry or ID
nrose Fer all these poems Of art can he lm'u'u
with the dramatic spirit. or all modern poets
Browning is the most dramatic. Indeed II HAY NC
sand that everything that he has written Is ORA
matte His shorter and protcSsedy Tyre ana nar-
rative poems are not less dramatic III purpose than
his PLAYS. Child Roland" a narrative poem OF
some dozen or more 'auzls is not whit less ora
matte than The Blot on the 'Scutcheoh ana
"Pipra Passes" These remarks apply particularly
~ L,s MEN and Women" AID his dramatic
Iyncs" In fact since Shakespeare no po't ol
Erownne's dramatic power has written in the En-
pllsh language.
For some time past. however, there has oeeh d
,rowiug conv'c elton. even among Mr.. BrovninE's
warn,cst admirers that II would have been well Tor
his fame If he had stopped writing some h''ceh
yeaIs ago. His IecCut poems always excepting INC
cbqrminc Baaustlons Adventure have added
little 10 their pleasure and nothing to MS reputa-
non He has become manneriSt; and not Only
So he has shown that he Is egolst OF the strongest
and most sclf-assertng type. He has manHeSty
brought himself TO believe chat his power lies IN
his mauncrsrn. ard that he can elevate any suolect
into the higher realms Of poetry by treating II IN
the Browning manner
OF his mis- ken conviction his last volume, now
before as. is dcplorahle manifestation. This sec
opd series oi dramatic idylS a small affair. con-
sistinc of SIX short poems. winch have TO be printed
with only some ten or a doZ widclyseparated lines
on a page and on tmck paper, in order to make
up a yerv thin v0ume There is a prologue ana an
emiogue both of which very brici. and both OF
which might much better have been omitted. FOR
both are arro-Ant about u performance winch does
not Justify or excuse, arr, g1nce ana Dom are
shallow and rrcsuming. Tho first s;anza OF the
prologue supposes VaIiou, phy slcans 20 BE- each OF
them sure that 4 sick man has certain maiadY;
auG they All disagree. one says that the brain IS
affected. another the heart, another the nFef'
another the lungs and the last " the hgnts.' In
Apo.io's name did Air Browning think that lie
was writing about a sheep, And il the patient were
sheen had our poet vet 20 learn that the lungs aud
the lights are one p Then ONES the conclnslon'
which is meant to re very conclusive indeed
:, ignorant Of mans whole
or hodi y organs p in g. SOC
sage an certain frank ana free
About whats unaer IocA ana Efy
Mans soul!
This is ama2iug aud it is saddcuing. The
winter plainly means to say that he is the psychic
loqical doctor who can see into mans soul: and
that the other members Of the faculty are blind
Now q man may think tins but il Is not well Tor
him 10 sav il so plainly. Above al 1t IS not Wen
when he bunders so egregiou>ly IN the saying IT,
Mr. Browning forgotten il would he absurd TO say
that ne did not knOw--that the bodily organs
a. 70 the affection OF which he makes his physicians
So b,indy at variance are not PLAN to see. Inc
brain the heart the liver. the lungs ." and those
or things are completely and eilectually hidden
from the physicians eye, lnaus Soul's hidden rom
the philosopher and the poet In all these cases the
diaqposis must needs be made by differences. The
naralrl;sn which the arrogant poet assumes does
NOT exist He has failed totally IN the chosen Illus
tIatiou OF his superiority.
OF the SIX poems OF idys which make up the Voi-
u,pc the subject of one Greek. OF one English, OF
ore Arabian of one Italian. of one Hebrew. and that
a. the CHER is taken from classic mythology. But
tLcV have no variety OF character nor - there the
slightest difference III the manner IN winch thcy are
treated They are al mere occasions Ter the us
pilv Of Mr.. Browung's ron0manacal style style
winch has come 10 have for its chief characteristics
!, 4 of g,hQy4 he
first idyl Echctos processes to tell the story OF the
Greek plonphman vino was said to have appeared
,ufsterlous,y upon the field Of Marathon and to
have raved up and down. Staying many OF the bar
hariaus with hs plough. We quote the opening
etanza
Here Il story shall stir you stand up Greeks dead
VINO b1es.tca beat barbarians stemmed Persia, roll
Did the deed and saved the world since the day was
Marathon.
Here is an ALLEGATION of boldness. an assumption
Of the power 10 make an effect by tOHr dc maitrc;
but the result is only harsh, dijOinted ragged a,-
semblage OF uurhvthmicll. badly Ihymng lines. ne
frs, stanza Of poem should mark It's rhythm clearly,
end either set forth the subject plainly OF be the
first easy step in its gradual development. As t. tie
story Nj Browning usually prefers the inst method,
III which lie is right from his point CT view. But
there Is a difference between bOiiness and tins head
long bluadcriDg into subject There was not q
barbarian in tho Persian Array who could not have
made a better verse than the second one OF this
ttanza. OF it, sOrt there are far too many IN the
thirty which CONFUSE the poem. For example see
tins stanza the last but one:
How spake thc Oracel Care for name at all!
Say but lust We praiee whom call
Inc noder or the PiOughshare. The great deed neer
grows small"
The first two verses are hardly more verse than SO
MANY lines in the New-YOrk directory; not much
as five times FIVE are twenty-five" in the multi
phcati0n table And say but just this" ~ little
better than slang. Civilized man cannot accept such
ho.ch- oh ~ nnetrn For I'm nociry in al art