The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-04-16
A VISIT IN VERSE TO HALEMAUMAU.
BY DE. FPANK cowAN.


This is the title Of a very remarkable
| poem descriptive of visit TO Hawaii, Kill
auea and Halemaumau, by DR.. Frank
| CoBan, of Greenburgh, Pennsylvania, who
/ has been residing amOng Us for the past six
| weeks, quietly but intelligently pursuing his
| investigation of the natural phenomena Of
| these islands, for future use in a work he is
preparing for publication, embodying his
| own conclusions and those Of previous scien-
| tifc Investigators IN the same field
The publication Of this poem is an event
in the history Of the Hawaiian Islands, for
it is the first exposition of the effects of the
grand volcanic environment Of Hawaii upon
poet and philosopher from another part Of
| the world, which approximately might be
produced upon any other stranger coming
within the mystic circle Of the influences Of
Mauna Loa and Kilauea.
DR.. Cowan, as poet, is notably methodic,
original, and far-reaching; now contracting
into a simple finite point within the com
prehension of the reader Of general intelli-
gence, and then expanding into the infinite;
now presenting a commonplace fact as an
objective reality to the eye, and then meta
morphOsing it into fancy. AS an illustra-
ton of the style of DR.. Cowan, his Visit in
Verse to Halemaumau" is particularly
good. The thread upon which he strings
his thought is a visit in fact which he made
to Hslemaumau during the last of Feb
ruary. He first notes a triplet of character
istic sights on his sea voyage to Hilo, con-
Guiding the first paragraph or section Of the
poem with a compact, quaint, and philo-
sophie description of Hawaii. He then
notes a number Of the most remarkable
sights on his horseback ride from the coast
to the rim of the crater of Kilauea, concluding
the second section with a concise and com
prehensive description of the volcanic
region around him and the vast abyss be
meath him. He next notes number of the
characteristic features Of the great crater as
he descends afoot, and walks across the lava
floor and over the walls of Halemaumau to
the edge of the liquid lake, describing mi
nutely, carefully, and happily the phe-
nomena of the House Everlasting as they
appeared to him by day and night, con-
Guiding with series of SMILES, going fur
Their and further from the great fact of Hale
maumau into the realm of fancy, and Gull
minating in a vision of Pele Of striking
power-a fit elimination to the gradually
increasing interest and intensity of the
poem from the frst-a dramatic climax to
which all has been subordinsted.
In going thus from point to point. or
from one subject to another, he is by times
facetious, even TO the verge of being gro
tesqae, fanciful and philosophic, introduce
inn of
from the most prosaic to the most poetic,
and drawing his illusions and figures from
a series of sources ranging from Virgil,
Shakespeare and Dean Swift 10 the Arabian
Tales.
Prefxed to the poem is an introduction in
prose which rivals in merit the poem itself.
1t is an epitome OF the volcanic phenomena
of the Hawaiian Islands, under the several
heads of Hawaii, Kilauea, Halemaumau AMI
Pele. 1t is the reverse of the poem, or the
general views and details in prose which, in
supplemen:;rg tie poem, make q complete
philosophic and poetic picture Of the great
natural features of our mid-oeean kingdom,
which make it especially interesting to the
people at large of the world.
Affixed, also, there is series OF notes, |
the knowledge Of which is not considered !
necessary to an understanding of the poem |
as a whole, but of several incidental and |
minor matters introduced.
In fine. the little pamphlet Of DR.. Cowan, |
containing the Introductory epitome, the |
poem and the notes, forms a sort of hand |
book of the Hawaiian Islands, which will |
prove a precious boon not only to the hun
dreds of appreciative persons within the |
confines of the kingdom at present, but also |
to the thousands who from time to time in |
the future will come among us from the four
quarters Of the world.
This work, neatly printed and appro-
priately dedicated to His Majesty the King, |
will be on sale to-day at J. NJ. Dat d Co.'S
Merchant street