The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-04-05

The SECRET OF DEATH, from the Sanskrit)
with some Collected Poems. BY Edwin
Arnold MA, author Of the Light of Asia"
etc. Boston: Roberts Brothers; Salt Lake:
James Dryer. Price, IL.
Forgetting, for the nonce, the name
and, perhaps, fame, of the author, we
sat down to enjoy the perusal of this
volume, and at the same time to judge
and speak of its intrinsic worth. We
regret to say that we are much dis
appointed with the contents of the
work, both as to its literary excellence,
and the poetic talent of its author. Mr..
Arnold may love to set his thoughts in
rhyme and measure; he may possess q
poetic vein and love for poetry; it may
be perfect pleasure for him to present
his subject in verse, but these poems
cannot commend him to the world of
art or genius as a poet. If there is poetry
in the subject. it is lost by his manner
| ism and expression. and construction
of his verse. His figures are lily
chosen, and badly presented; and in
many places his rhyme is anything but
| pleasing. We can say, in the language
of another: " He is an amateur. nothing
higher, in the art of verse" 4 pro-
| mfnent fault of the author is, he mixes
his iambics and trochaics so frequently
breaks the rhythm by giving accents
unnecessarily that seem to the ear and
taste of the reader, like pedestrian
striking his toe against stone when
he is gazing at loftier object. Some
times he gives three different accents
to the same word in his verses. A
break of measure, occasionally, in a
poem may be relief to the ear. bat
this occurs in every poem" long or
short-in the former very often. He
seems to make a point to construct
compound words, hyphenating and
borrowing affixes, and though his new
created words express his ioeas, yet
they ara SO commonplace and un-
poetic, that the stanEas, too frequently,
are but simple prose strung into hating
of. adopting Anticipated, obsolete or
obsolescent words and we think he has
a mania to present quaint expressions,
that robs the beauty of the
thought by its very prosaic
language; nay, We are rather
inclined to believe that he views the curt
Fseutence as fine idea. or poetic vir-
tue and real poetry. His love for the use
of the dash e., making SO many paren-
theses in almost every poem, Is so COM
mon that it CRATES on the ear, and spoils
the force and effect of the thought
meant to be conveyed, showing an abii-
Iity more for newspaper writing than
1.-The hand and expressive art of the cuL
tivated poet. -
The "Secret of Death, consists Oh
thirteen fat, well loaded pages. He Sc
intersperses the Sanskrit words. in
lines. Sentences and nearly whole para
graphs, that the poem is read with
difficulty by an English reader, and un.
less very carefully, with lack of intel.
ligence. The subject is treated with a
good deal OF oriental mysticism, and its
argument. to western mind. seems
not very logical. The Secret of Death
is not divuiged, except it ESSAYS Ia
prove immortality as that secret. as in.
Stance the following, 1.-THE first part Of
which our readers must translate for
themselves):
"Hants cAenmsnyate hsutun
Hataschenmanyate hRtsn.
Ubhau tau ma vijnyauito
Nsyam hant na hanyate.