The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-05-01
English BOudOir-POets.

In q volume entitled Latter-dsy
Lyrices, published S while ago y
Cnatto and Windus, London, The
reader, if he is interested in such
matters, may find some excellent ex-
amples of a school of poetry which ex-
lists, but, fortunately, cannot be said
to flourish, just now 10 England, -the
Anglo-GslIic school. The disciples
of this composite school are younk
Bfitons who have so thoroughly sat
urated themselves with the spirit OF
medieval French poetry that they
have ceased TO be Engiishmen, a TACT
which perhaps no one would regret
il they had only succeeded IN becom
ing Frenchmen. But they have not
accomplished this desirable metamor-
pnosis; they are neither the one thing
nor the other,-poets without couD-
try. To be sure, they call . ballad q
bdlldde, but the deception is as trans
parent as Snug the joiner's. The
modern English rhymster, hiding be
hind mask OF rough old Frsncio,
VIllon, has no more need than Snug
mad to assure the ladies that be is not
very dangerous lion. Indeed. tint
absence of all the leonine qualities IL
the EngllsE boudoir poet Is only to,
plain. 1t is difficult to say just Wna1
MS qualities are. or pre- iseIy to de
scribe the nature OF his rather gentb
roar. His baLiddes and UiLLdRelLe ano
trtoLets are triolets and villanelles sno
ballAdes with the Gallo Gsul left out
1t is 10 the insdequscy of these re-
productions Of an Anticipated manner,
and not to the tact OF reproduction.
that we demur. Many of the obsU-
lete forms OF French verse are admir-
able, and there 10 no reason why
some of them should not take root iD
English soil and break into flower,
az the Italian sonnet has done.
That they can be trained to do 90 Mr.
Austin Dobsop has proved by several
OF the delicate lyrics in his Proverb
in Proclaim. Mr.. Dante Rosettl,
with his Ballad OF Dead Ladies para
phrssed from VilloD, and Mr. Swin-
burne, in his holder trsnslstions from
the same author, have shown what
sonorous and various music may be
blown through old pipes, if none but
such skillful masters played upon
theml But unluckily these meas
ures are not difficult; with few excep-
tons, they easily lend themselves to
the genius of our language. The ia
City with which they can be construc-
ted has won the fancy OF a great
many clever young men who should
not touch verse at all. In England
it will presently be distinction not to
| have written a ballsde.
The balIsde, however, and espec-
tally the baLlade double refrain. Is Q
noble fashion OF rhyming, in spite OF
its affection and srtificlality. Not 60
much can be said OF the roRdedu and
the rondel; at best they are but grace
full cages for pretty thought. Lack
ing the pretty thought, they
are intoleraable. Now, for the
most part. it il the Gaze
and no: the bird which the latter-day
troubadours give us-the form and
not the voice of poetry. Their atti-
tude, it seems to Ne. il wholly mis-.
taken. There is something not q
little comical in the spectacle of a
group of young poets trying to catch
the ear of the dying Nineteenth Gen.
tuary with qualntly-phrased lyrics
about attenuated saints, and citholes,
and stainee1-glass windows, and pas
sionate Drowssbellas! The serious-
ness with which ell this imitation
bric>a-brsc lie offered 10 us has touch
of pashos in it.-M0y Atlantic.