The Portland daily press., 1884-12-19
SIDNEY LANIEn,s POEMS.

There is a certain quality in Laniers poetry
which is very Suggestive of music, perhaps oil
"Wagner's music of the future" The reason
for the existence OF that element is now made
apparent by Mr.. Wards Memorial in
which we told that the poet was himself a
musical genius; and long before he was abie he
put his thoughts into anything like appropriate
form, showed rare skill in playing upon the
flute. Hence, it is not at all strange that the
musical phraseology, and more than that the
sound OF music, has found its way iRto his
verse. The "Impressionst' evening song,
which we have heard sung with quite startling
effect, is an illustration of this union of sound
and sense, when the sound rather seems ahead
of the sense. The larger and more important
poem entitled "The SYMPHONY" carries ont,
with only Indifferent success, the idea of an
orchestra voicing the longings and struggles
and aspirations of the world.
There ia a sad suggestion of Keats, of Chat
terton, of poor Scotch David Gray, in the life
long fight for existence, for a chance to work
aud slug waged through his less tha forty years
by Sidney LaOier. No more pathetic story OF
genins-for though we may not agree with Mr..
Ward thst LsDier will take his final rank
with the first princes of American song,n we
think that he had genius and that OF high
order-has ever been told, than is to be found
in the pages OF this memorial. He felt that he
had power, and that If he only had a fair
chance, little money aud little health, he
could use it. We mourn that he never found
fects there are passages in Lanier's poetry that
are fnl OF greatness, greatness sometimes nm
regulated, not nicely polished, but great
ness Just the same. The strangely uneven aud
sometimes halting or occasionally overfiowing
verse must perhaps become familiar to us be-
fore we can fully recognize the poets peculiar
merits.
Bnt there are passages In his Hymns
OF the Marshes" particularly his Sunrise (ou
the whole the strongest poem in the bonk),
that are fairly startling in their boldness of
iginality, the largensss of their conception and
the solemn earnestnees of thought. There is
here no rtting, no sentimentallzng. He ia
not "the idle singer Of an empty day" He is
'daad in earnest;" well knowing that, in his
own words taken from his suggestive prose
work on "The English Novel," the true artist
must feel thst "the beauty of holiness and the
holiness of beauty mean one thing, burn as one
FIRE, shine as one light" In the strength of
conviction, as well as in the greatness OF his
original poetic gift, II Lanier had had fair
chance to mach shat gift with more of artistic
finish, 30 that the form might have been equal
to the thought, we might have had in him, in
deed, one of THE first Princes of American
Song" As it is, there is more of real power,
freshness and originality, in short more of the
subtle thing that we call genius. IN his rough
linee, than is TO be found ID hundreds of tho
graceful rnymers whose aimable but meaning
less verses would not probably receive title of
the severe criticism which has fallen upon La
nier Those who only know him by his some
What too erratic Centennial Cautsta" ~
though that, with its musical necessities kept
in mind, is not without value,-should now
read his "Hvmns of the Marshes, 1.-THE Crys-
tai, "The Waving of ths Corn, "a Ballad
of Trees" and "The Master, to note how
much OF promise and power was buried in this
poets too early grave.
HUMAN INTERCOURSE.
Mr mis- ura