The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1883-04-15

vie with Longfelow. with I,oWsil. o. evsA With
Edgar A. Poo There are fow Ffenchmen or Ger.
mans or italians who have 30 much 40 heard
bis name. and It would be superfiuous piece
Of irony to ask English booksellers how the sale
Of his poems In Great Britain compares with
that Of Longfellow's. As TO this country It Is
we'll known that there IL not now ard mover
was. any considerable demand for BryAnt's
writings. and In the generation Of cultivated
young Americans now approaching maturity
II Is doubtful whethcr one In hundred can
quote a single line from any OF his metrical pro-
auctions with the exception Of "Thanstopsis."
In other words Bryant seems irrevocably dos
tined to be as inseparSbly associated In the
mind OF his countrymen with unique po-
etical performance as was q certain Parlia-
montary orator with his "single speech"
Mother does tho tendency to minimize 80 mar
rowly the scope Of Bryants memorable per-
formances attest failure TO discern subtle
beauties OF conception or uttersnce gratefully
recognized by esoteric admirers. 1t would. In
deed. appear ridiculous TO those who compro-
bend tho grounds on which the audiences Of
Browning or Matthew Arnold are necessarily
eircumscribed to speak Of Bryant as appealing
to hyper refinement Of taste and an excep-
tional breadth OF culture Bryant was a. truly
Philistine as was Samuel Rogers; or rather hts
scholastic and artistic equipment was in some
respects Inferior to that Of the almost forgotten
author OF the Pleasures OF Memory" and we
may add that the semi social. semi-literary
prestige which he acquired In his lattor years
was largely due to extrinsic advantages closely
analogous to those which gave the banker
poet transitory vogue In London.
Tho truth IL that Bryant never wrote line
which revealed any deep knowledge ofthe heart.
Indeed. his ventures in the field Of emotion
"a M inn inf Nkau, "a
multitude OF fugitive and anonymous poems
which are born and die unnoticed In the col
umns OF daily newspapers. As for the score or
more OF short poems on which his tito to pro-
longed remembrance must DO based-refiec-
tons on tho aspects and suggestions OF out
ward nature-they arc oil assumptions OF the
strain first and most successfully essayed In
Thanatopsis." and thoy have naturally been
eclipsed by the earlier more ielicitous uttcrnnce
Nor will any ono VINO Ii properly acquainted
with Wordsworth be surprised at the refusal
OF English readers to be much impressed
by those transatlantic echoes OF Words
worth's song No doubt the use of tho word
echo" in connection with this parallel
needs some qualification. or rather expluna-
ton. The characteristic feature. or. as Ruskin
would call it, vice. OF Wordsworth's method
was that in transcribing nature hs put himself
into the picture he ascribrd to nat ure sym putty
with mans THAT is to say. with Wordsworth's.l
moods and aspirations. Bryant follows the
same process. but inasnucn rs no and Words
worth were distinct persons. and especially as
his view OF the relation OF man to the universe
ard his conception of tho attributes belonging
to tho first cause were by no means Identical
with those of the elder poet of course the re-
suit WAS widely different The author Of " The
Excursion" believed in the direct and constant
Intervention OF an overruing PrOvidence; the
author OF "Thanhtopss" surveyed nature from
the point OF view OF an advanced Unitarian.
almost ready to accept a Pantheistio phiioso-
ply.
Mr.. Bryant during his lifetime addressed his
lntor and journalist 1t is we'll known to
those whose own classical requirements render
them com petent to express IN opinion on the
subject that the translation OF Homer WAS a
task for which Mr.. Bryant was by no means
qualified, and which he would never have at
tempted had he lived during his latter years in
an atmosphere more favorable to accurate aelf-
knowledge. After a somewhat careful exam
ination OF his version OF the Homoric poems.
wa venture to assert that Mr.. Bryant's attain
ments in the Hellenic language would not have
sutliced at the present time to insure his I'D
mission to tho fresh man class ut Harvard Col
'"''"' anu tust u Shut up III u TOOIn without
crib or dictionary he could not have trans
lated faithfully fifty lines OF the "Iliad."
But II he could not read Crock cur
rently. he could read German. and tho sig
niiicant fact WAS at the tmo pointed out by the
writer OF this notice. In tho columns OF the
fsn York Times. that tho work of tho American
translator bctrayod extraordinary familiarity
with the hexnmeters OF Yoss. that whenever
Voss was sin.uarly happy. Mr.. Bryant. too,
WAS fclicitous. while whenever Voss happened
to stumble Mr.. Bryant WAS sure to lose his
footing. We believe wo shall 10 borne out by
tho booksellers whom we affirm tina. notwith-
standing tho salvo Of applause with which it
WAS hailed by native critics. most OF whom IL
was manifest could not read II word of Greek
Bryan's version OF Homer is already from
u commercial point OF Wow wsllnigh as
lead as Sothrby's. We may add that tho
prose translation executed by Mr.. Lang and
two follow Oxonnns. and recently published in
this country-nlthough it has failed to elicit
much attention from tho snpient urbiters OF
-rniite opinion-is not only inoomparab y SUI
perior to BryHnt's blank verso In point Of schol-
arShip but surpasses IL in vigor. animation
and literary charm. Nor should ye omit to n ots
that the author OF this biography who knows
what scholarship means. ia caro- lul to measure
his terms In speaking of Bryant's version of
the Homeric lays. and roundly declines to do
fond his SUBJECTS confusion OF tho names of
Greek with those OF Latin nities-a blundsr
which nothing but tho dense Ignorance OF tho
Hellenic religion. which prevailed In northern
Europe ut the epoch OF the Renaissance. could
have given traditional status In English
literature.
To those who know anything Of 10 urnalism
II Ia idle to speak OF Mr. Bryant as a great Jour-
nalist. His range OF knowledge was not wide.
his Judgment WAS frequently unsound. and he
had not the rhetorical gifts which commend
opinions to the acceptance OF n large audience
1t was characteristic OF the man that while he
imagined himself tn bs purist In tho writing
OF English. and prepared u list of errors which
were to be vigorously excluded from tho
columns OF his newspaper. his private letters,
and published writings were thickly strewn with
solecisms which had escaped his imperfecty
instructed eye. Few men whose judgment
upon the matter Is deserving OF respect will
deny that the journal with which his name ~
associated WAS loss skilfully edited under Mr.