New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-04-13
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

NEW PUBLICATIONS.
JocosERIA By RonERI BEowNIso syo' Up epprtb paS
london; Smith, Elder & Co. New-IoTK; eeii'A'i
Wexford.
Mr. Brownine's twenty second volume OF verse Is
a slender one: fact which his admirers wil' IN
about equal numbers, rejoice ct ana regret ~ oon-
taIps two or three of the best short pieces ne mas
produced. and also some Of bis worst Work. Ills
powers show 10 fahng-of, but along Win the
strength and beauty here We find the old flaws ana
foibles. the fondness for strained rhymes. ehpsis
and inversion characteristic of him. Although as
the title indicates the character of the contents IS
mixed grave and gay, only three of the ten poems
have comic intention. If we except some untitled
sonnets appended in note to the longest contrlbu-
ton One of these sonnets will suffice to show tDe
aimless pleasantly of the set.
"Og's thigh bOne-if We deem its measure strange,
Myself can witness too much length OF shahA
EYe1 in birds. Upon a waters bank
Once hating, was minded to exchange ,.no .
Noon heat for COOL Quoth ], On many grange
have seen storks perchlegs both long and lank:
Yon storks mast tonch the bottom OF TINS TANK
Since on It's top doth wet no plume derange
Ofthe smooth breast Pn bathc therep do not so =
= armed me voice from heaven. A man let drop
His axe into that shallow riyniet-
rs thou accouutest-seventY years ago,
II fell and fell and still without a SOP &,
Keeps falling, nor has reached the bottom yet"
Solonon and BalkisO is brilliant and amusing.
The king, in talk with the Queen OF Sheba' pro-
fesses an impartial fondness for all wise persons
and the Queen claims that only the good are her
mates But she cOntrves to turn the rng he wears
the "trut compelling name" engraved on. which
forces him to admit that the Wise people ne HAoS
are those who eXalt him:
In heaven yean for knowledge account
all else uapity;
On earth | confess an itch Tor the praise Oh
fOOls--thats Vanity"
The tables arc turned however. and Baikls is
Obliged, by the same charm, to own that tue good
whom she loves are tho young,
men strong and tall and proper" In
the brief apologize called "Pambo" VIC get
the authors Justification of his own eccenirclhes.
Taking as his text the opening of the xxxiXth
Psalm: said l will look to my ways that with
my tongue offend not" las he renders it) Mr. Brown
ing concludes that it is impossible to Escape pooh
pooling, from sage and simple, doctor and dance"
and u.s. therefore, resigned to the fact that While he
still looks to MS ways" he continues to Z" offend
with his tongue" These hines have the tang of
shrewdness but are somewhat bumptious ana
tndng III tone. The term "jocose" aptly de-
scribes his lighter efforts. Mr. Browning, IN fact
does not manifest the deeper quality of humor. in
wit, sharpness antitheSs and the satlrcal he ls
agile; but had he the true seuse of humor, he would
not produce a ludcrOus effect where he least desires
one, as in "Jochanan Hakkadosh," where. speaking
of jew philosophers belief that the soul does not
immediately quit the body at death, he says 1t Is
"In no haste to bounce
From its intrusted BOdy-SOme three days
Lingers ere ii relinQulsh to the ponnce
OF hawk- clawed Death his victim"
The conception of bouncing" or "bOunced
soul1s Gar from impressive. "Jochanan Hakkadosh,"
which occupies third of this little volume, opens
with some promise of conveying the ripe lesson OF
lifetime but degeneTates into painful specimen ot
metrical garrullty and involved construction, the
gist Of which is not worth toling after lxlon, on
the other hand though confused and difficult in ut
terance, is a powerful statement of mans triumph
over the tyrannous force that seems to rule the
world, as represented 10y Zeus Ixion IN Tartarus,
fastened TO the fiery wheel. exclaims:
Born of my tears, sweat bood-bursting to vapor
Arciing my torment an iris ghost-like startes the
Cold whlte-jewelry quenched-justifes, gOrfes
PAIN.
What is the influence, high DER He'll, that turns to
rapture
Pain-and despair's murk mist blends in rainbow
o! hopep
He infers higher power, complete Purity, rul-
ing above Zeus:
"Out of the wreck rise-past Zeus to the Potency
Thither rise, whilst thou-Zeus, keep the godsbp
and sink ~
The poem which will appeal most strongly to the
sympathies is the manly and pathetic one, Don
AID" extracts from which have been printed in The
TRIBUNE. But there is one fine burst of emotion
and faith in the meditative and tender lyric Ie-
ferring TO Mrs Browning which begins with these
lines:
Never the time and the place
And the loved one all together.
This path how soft to pace.
This May-what magic weather!
Where Is the loved ones face 7"
Even with these, however, JOcOseria" is rather
the redundant growth of field already harvested