New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-12-14


IN his subject than In Calllrthoe," for he has made
little OF no attempt to throw the sanor OF romance
aver the story If ain and veheeahee,
potNs or hibSff hsNirh ,nilted " his MIC
With Mprgtla ny WiiiihN ilktts WARD is"'o
10. islli, g1y thhfips rtflhhtts Hohs'
Tho Memorial ptehsei bf ST. Wafd ~ thla inter
esling volume tolls pathetic sl0iYi klh iahleil 40
AIT hleimaB has VOL sald tho poetic ahil atlislie
tsmperaineHts wore displayed ~ extreme continue
ton HIT ihair expression was severely hahprini
by a Lifetime ut misfortune The poet was one nl
that largo class OF educated young southurhefs
whose prospects .woro runed IN tho collapse 81 the
Confederacy aud to his other losses was added soon
after the return of peace tho most crushing allictlon
of all, the loss of health The development OF his
iiteraryand creative powers proceeded for nearly
fifteen years along with struggle against disease
and poverty. lie never had either the strength OF
body or the freedom of mind for the Indulgence OF
his higher instincts; and pitfully large share OF
that mcagrc nervous force with which mysterious
Providence supplemented the activity of his spirit
was exhausted in the fight for life. He died just as
he was beginning to win recognition as poet
What isstill more sad he died just as he was begin
ming TO deserve recognition His last WORK Is not
only his best but it seems to us that it exhibits
certain frcsl musical and individual quality which
we rarely find in his earlier verse, and which held
out the most allurng promise. One OF the first to
understand Lanier was that most apprcclative
wholeheartcd and unsclish Of critics Bayard Fay
Tor; and it was through Taylors recommendation
that he was selected to write the text of the cantaa
composed by DudleyiBuck for tlIeCcntcnnial Cele-
bratI0n of 1876 THIS Compliment has always
seemed to us n misfortune for Mr.. Lanler The
Centennial BE Citation of Columbia was the lrst
thing TO mako Sidney Laner generally known; and
n. hat Ina finer
occasional poems it was not successful, it was not
inspired: it lacscd the very merit of n"siea'ne's
which Mr. Lanicrs marked proficiency AZ prac-
teal musician justified us in expecting OF it. part
of it,
Plymouth. thec-thec. Albany
is hopecs,ly ut Variance with the musical aprit.
and only eleht lines of the whole poem can be said
70 carry any melodpus suggcstyoness. But the
author had written better things before. and was
lie tined TO write much better things aftcrward.
iii, rank was placed too low during ms life, and tho
Centennial poem was one o. the chief reasons why
ne was Uu.oryalUcl.
Mr.. Lan.er's theory of poetical forms. which may
b.. described rs an Ingenious and thoroughly
elaborated scheme Of literary and mctrcal consruc-
ton expressed in the terms OF music, aud including
the principles not only of rhythm Int OF tonr-coor
tb, distribution AMI harmony of sounds. was ex-
plaincl in his work on lie Science of English
N.lr" Il is Il confirmation of tine suun1ness Of this
theory that those his laicr verses which conform
To il most strictly are precisely those which most
surely touch the heart ana captyate the ear OF the
trnc lover of poetry. Even in his Immature ciorts
there Is ~ unmstakable distinction But we missed
M first something o. the fre'iom of spontaneous
song. The poet wa, too much burl with the
gravity Of lie and the serious dcmands of ant and
n was oAlv when his tcrhn cal accomplishment had
rrarhrd ~ highest point that his feeling for love
and beauty became most joyous. bis IMAGINATION
,n,st delicate, ami his expression most lncnt ami
.rr,rous Mrs Lanicr has dunr we'll rs place ~ the
h.rnnnq of the Volume the u5blc hymn as sun
,s," which Is tine last ami also the rIppst and NEST
rharirtr,.,ir bf hs ptems. IIrie We have ~ tx
nn.sitr auprrr at'rr AMI love of Mature, II hnr
.ni,itral h,sirht plrtai,un anl simplicity Di srnti
,,rrt. aai n trt rrttrilr halrnr,l lnt s'nofou7
riata N vhirh ut ttr unlr H'p,.t tA' " is h'tit
tpR Erltrs.it mtiHlWHs ir' ~ slp'r bi i'9 t&ars
N0gkWsHahlp iNp pHrN He3 Het ititr ~ teli' hr-
e4osa Wp ass Aiwats F1W.eHN, ~ ihp iWriif 'mfNe
thgchhug hrusA a. iha faculty Nhith made
saeh strides 40 his iA Ca thp nfp YoArs between iha
imaginative aud siWhtiY pyegsirllnei composition
sal The symphony aud the still mare imaginative
aud dcrplY ountional SONG OF" sanrse wia"t have
achieved lasting fame II 1t hld been spared GA earth
little longer
DrAo,,es IF christina, Eo1t' a.e Tenn Faye