The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1885-11-21
The eiick,-clack of the busy mill,

The ciick-clack of the busy mill,
The buzzing bees along the hill
The truant thrustle's saucy call
The shadows playing on the wall;
The foliage browsing in the trees.
Scarce nodding to the lazy breeze
The stiffness of the long mill-race,
With noon-day mirrored on its face,
In dimpled laughter meets amain
The laughing parent stream again"
Is this John Burroughs talking with
the pen of Whittier, or just some ardent
poets soul pouring forth his simple, vet
simply beautiful tribute to the bountiful
bosom of nature, and its thousand hid
den lOlinesscs And right here we are
inclined to retract our denial Of New
England influence in Nansant's work, for
in fact it is model Of the "Snow Bound"
Hanging of the Crane" and "Sir Laun-
fall idyllic poetry. 1t breathes the same
sweet grace of happy and contented
domesticity, and traces the same soft
lines to serve as channel for the same
gentle riyulet of tears that are pro-
duced when the soul feeds deeply on the
beauties of the great song and romance
masters. Mr.. Nansant is not demon
stratiye poet He evidently writes be-
cause he cannot resist the still small
voice that calls from the depths of his
heart, so sweetly musical as to awaken
the conceptive faculties to their work of
production. Although the rhyme is plen-
tiful, and as rich in quality as in guam
tity, its romance is sometimes lacking
Upon the whole we think Mr.. Nansant
allowed himself too much freedom in
the composition of "Roohcss," aiming to
produce large book at the sacrifice of
taste and judgement. He should not
have rushed into print with his poem at
all. His work, sweet and perfect as it
may be, only appears so when we forget
its reputationless origin, nor will not live
in its present form. An author Of to-day,
be he poet or romantist, needs to be well
known and already popular, ere he prnts
his book, as the fledgling will often fail of
its attempt to leave the nest and soar aloft
into the warm, glowing, sky of fame
There are many passages in Mr.. Nansant's
work which could have been turned to
good account rs short poems, if he could
| have resisted the natural temptation to
write lengthily and print book. lie has
an absolute mastery of the subject upon
which he writes 1t is subject that in
time, from frequent and patient treat
ment will gain, by the improvement such
patience and labor will produce popu-
larity among the ranks Of the general
reader. 'Roohess' is not the mere first
| conceit of an amateur verse maker 1t
has many lines indicative of Il noble
poetic nature, but its author should not
have attempted to subordinate the facul-
ties of that nature to the recital of
College graduates love affair The invcn-
tive genius of Mr. Nansant's muse is
| somewhat on the order of that carried
into effect 10y the poets Of the Pope and
Dryden schools, lacking of course the
classical scholarship Of those vanished
writer's. We imagine that Us a balladst
or lyrist Mr. Nansant would have Il
gratifying success. In "Rooilcss' he
reveals many tokens Of those two arts
He is musical, often brilliant OCCASION
ally eloquent, and always refined, and
the direct opposite Of morbid. These are
charming qualities for u young poet, full
Of wonderful promises, which we hope
to see fulfilled. After this, however, when
Mr. Nansant has romance to relate let
him either write it in prose or withhold
it from the press until he has gained
reputation for such a mastery of that
| peculiar style Of poetry, say in the same
degree that Holland, and Willis, and
TrOwbridgc had regulations for such a
class of work Mr.. Nan,ant has ccc-
bratel the river Brlndywine aud the
landscape Of that portion Of Delaware
through which it flows in beautiful
manner indeed. His poem is delight
/ full paneEyriC, that will be read with
much more interest and admiration and
| poetic appreciation than were those
"Dunciads" and "AlacFlccknoes" of the
old English bards. The book is hand
somely printed and bound by the Messrs.
J. D. Lippincott Il Co., of Philadelphia,
and is for sale in Newark, at the store of
William NJ. Wilson on Main street.
An1thar Ri-0entaupial