New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-04-30
R0SSETTI The POEL

J.
Tie wa, educated principally at Kings College
School. London, and there attained To moderate
proficiency in the ordinary classical scnoo!-learn-
ing beslcs a knowledge Of French when
throughout life he spoke well and some acqualnt-
auce with gUdimentary German; ltalan ne hau
mastered at very early age. lhere mas aiWaF5
he.n some piavful mention of certain tragedies anu
translation, upon which he exercised himself from
the ages OF i've to fifteen years but IL Is uatulS
necessary % say that he himself never attached
value To these efforts Of his precoclty, ana even
displayed, occasionally. little irritation upon
hearlny them alluded 10 n remarkable youihfu
acnievemeuts | tnlnk the poems hc wrote IN 5Otllh
must be- considered even more renarkable tnan
the pictures he painted contomporaneously.
hardly know whether &c Will add to the marvel OF
mature achievement. or subtract from the sense ol
reality of personal experience TO make puolc the
fact that the Blessed D-moZet' was written Whru
the poet WAS more than nineteen wears OF age
The extraordinary story entitled " Hand ana c9al,
which appeared about eight years ago III ING fTl-
Htgbtg R.ricr. was written at twenty. nave
heard the author say that he sat NJ al nlghI 10
write IT, and thar the emotional strain involved ia
tine prolOu ged tension left hum mentally and phy
allv pro-trate for dav- aftoTward. hrst draft OF
Jenny vas struck OF while k0ssetti was scarcely
NOR, than "a boy. and taken up again many yeais
aftrrwar.. and almost eutuelY reVrJteu-lhe oDH
notable passage OF the early poem that now remains
being the passage on lust. " sister He'eu ~ W
LATER origin. belonging. probably, 10 the poet
tWruty-S4Xth or seventh year; the Only nalefla.
changes maize IN 10 are the el-hJ Hesh atah|"n
added I'D ia. printed poem last year ana written ln
1850. The great sonnet on Lost Days is not M
eaIy wock: | nave Lou heard its pit,se uA.e'
llnu-u uff' ie-i'4 a.
tune moment thl. cry OF bahed spirit was
UrunE from Lm. Rose Mary ~ me new volume
u,94 written about % year after the pUhlcaiOn OF
tle f,sf ynin.ue ia $50 the Berry, SONGS beng
.I,aI r.Ych later: the " " hIte ship belongs %
49,, ~ and r.e " km9- Irlurdv.' was written
IN the spru- II l~~I. Cioud CoAAnes WIS
,,'-,treo anout The time OF It's appearance N Tho
T.,t.s.ttI, and was IA hls opinion, altogether his
fr.-r l,-fie work k0esctt wa~ not q prOluc
- 80 ba vs. disrufanlv Il swift one have
MIMI rh.r ti. first drafts 81 Rose Mary anu the
BE- 4 in.t. Tragedy" were turned Oh IN be incredibly
short space OF three weeks each. sonnet. as
know ,,3s often composed Din half an hour. aud
.,,,,.t mos Co., rpr rnluales Ia would not be Just.
hoyy+yrr in saving much. to fvrbear To add that
Eoa.,fti was an uuwearyiug rcvIser OF MS WOTk,
usualiv keep ny II bv ht for long periods, and
touching and retoUcun- % "a luterN ais anu never
publishing until Zee beilt ved every line had peeh
brought up 90 hdt Le considered ms AI-isl e'ci.
he thought himself am eAccp'iouh44y eqG'i Mri'0L
and certainty be spared no ans y" ,'.oi 1 ~,
Nevertheless he Dtlirfe t'.e hIt,,t Iii-,"s
Doe his most meuoranIr "otN. pHItl5 "o''ts ~ 80
al It's historical bdri9. lt ulou-ut L'io I'D V--'oI
lufO play. aud partly because 10 oAtfeo the inquest
opportuuitv lor tie DEVELOPMENT OF the super
mastery
IN l- al obvious sumption that Dante was ms
model az sonurt-wr.te This. however B, lar FROM
tbc fact. Ills earliest ana LATEST hiolri III 4t C"l
tru.ed and emphatic uttcrlrce whether Oh sonnet
Or SOM was NOT Dante. iuf Shakespeare. Nlu
onr uafIonal poet he mad an intimacy OF a.quaint-
qUce extending even ro e literal ien'A'i aAce Oh
coui tle.- passages winch 1 nave certainly AeFe.
met w..b elsewhere unless lJ be ia the person o.
MI SwlubUrue.
OF the capacity possessed ~ some eminent men
for philosophical analysis he may not nave e&-
hIDItco n.u, d; Dui uolL Ming '"lu VA'ol ~ "p.'t
OF has poetic IS mpdtnF WHICH, wren I1 "i7p'a5 .,'