New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1884-02-27
POEIS' SISTERS.
low They Aided to Make Them
Great.

To those familiar with the interest
ing biographies of our poet-philoso-
pher Emerson the ''parcae" of his
home and life have become veritable
household words. Destiny seems to
have been equally generous to our be-
loved poet Whittier, as his mother, his
beautiful sister Elizabeth, and hi, aunt
Mercy" immortalized in "Snow-
bound" formed a beautiful trinity, who
mustered to him with loving, helpful
ministrations and benediction. From
an interesting article in the Boston
Traveller we quote the following senti-
ments in regard to the beloved sister
Elizabeth:
''Mr. Whittier never married, and
with the single exception of the exqui-
site lines entitled ''Benedicite'' he has
given the public no clew to the romance
of his youth. His sister Elizabeth, SYM
pathizing with him completely, of q
rare poetic nature and fastidious taste,
and delicate dark eyed beauty, was
long companion that must have made
the want of any other less keenly felt
than by lonely man in general. The
bond between the sister and brother
was more perfect than any of which we
have known, except that between
Charles and Mary Lamb, and in this
instance the conditions were perfect
moral and mental health. To the pre-
ciousness of the relationship the pages
OF the poet bear constant witness, and
Amesburg village is full Of traditions
OF their affection and of the gentle love-
Illness and brilliant wit of Elizabeth,
whom people admired and reverenced
almost as much as they do the poet
HIMSELF
The writer of the foregoing would
doubtless exclude from his exception
the beautiful comradcship and love of
Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy.
Mr.. Hudson, the great interpreter of
Wordsworth in one of his lectures on
the poet says: ''Surely never has sis
ter done more delicate service for a
brother than Dorothy Wordsworth did
for the poet. She was a rarely-gift-
ed woman, with eyes of preternatural
brilliancy, imaginative, warm-hearted,
and keenly responsive to every note of
her brothers. genius" DeQulncy, who
knew her we'll, describes her as s'seem-
ingly inwardly consumed by q subtle
parts of his works the poet bears grateful
testimony to what she did for him. At
this time he tells us it was she who main
tanned for him a saving intercourse
with his true self, opened for him the
INSTRUCTED passage between head and
heart, whence in time came genuine
selt-knowledge and peace. Again he
says that his imagination was by nature
too masculine, austere, even harsh; he
loved only the sublime and terrible,
was blind to the milder graces of land
scape and of character. She it was
who softened and humanized him, open
ed his eyes to the more hidden beauties,
his heart to the gentler affections.
She gave me eyes, she gave me ears,
And humble cares, and delicate fears,
A heart, the fountain of sweet tears.
And love, and thought, and JOY.
The first home which they shared to-
gether was at Karedown, in Dorset
shire, where they settled in the fall Of
1895. Here the two read Italian to-
gether, studied nature together, and
here some careful critics Of our own
day confidently assert the poet-eyed
sister wrote some of the most beautiful
poems that bear her brothers. name.
Passing by the friendship Of Tasso
and his sister Cornelia, of Sir Philip
and Mary Sidney, of Goethe and Corne-
liza, of Chateaubriand and his youngest
sister Lucille, we close this partial
record with one of Byron's poetic refer
ences to his sister Augusta:
My sister, my sweet sister! if a name
Dearer and purer were it should be thine:
Mountains and seas divide us; but claim
No tears, no tenderness to answer mine.
Go where will, to me thou art the same,
8 A loved regret which would not resign.
There is yet two things in my destiny
A world to roam through and q home with
thee.