New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-02-28
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
DIR. MITCHELL'S VERSE.

A MAsQUE. AND OTHER POEMS BY =. "f co
MITCHELL NJ D., IL d. Small QuAr'' Pr
Houshtsn, Mifl1in Co.
The poems in this dainty little vol"ihe orc -
IN number, but of a quality TO ihuuoe E -
Mat the author may find leisure from MS p,
fesxional labors to WOO the Muse again ana "i'n
greater persjstencv. The Masque is n1'eehon
century allegory in which the respective 'huuVnoo'
upon human greed of Love, Superstition anu ie".
are symbolized by the apparition 10 nni'ei %
thrao forms rcpresenting Woman, Satan ana
Death The conception Is wen eAecu'ou ON.
affect striking. 1t is however In lyrical ana oe-
.or;n,ive verse that DE- Mitchell succeeds best
uis aSwanWoman. an imaginative poem IN
hitch one of the Oriental myths figures conspcu-
onsIv Is characterized by Loldness OF idea grace
nj diction and n sombre majesty OF movement
which recalls the more pathetic passages In Inc
Idvlls of The King" Another piece eXmplIhS
uncommon poetic and dramatic power Is Inc
Huguenotr in which whole vivid romance Is
shown in few pages. Each OF these Iraihes
separate picture, and nothing could be more COIL
noct and clea:-cut The reader is made TO see
evervthine: the HuQuenot wife crouching at the
seaside watching for her fugitive husband, on ms
way to embark, with new tale oil persecution,
the coming of Count Louis TO learn that the aseu
mother he parted from so recently mas peei
slaughtered by the foes who are even now noV VI
his trail then the arrival Of the traitor Duke and
The duel on rance on the cliff edge; every Soone
is brought out with the economy OF words "incn
Mr. ,bor oil else indicates mastery Of expression
In SLOW Lancelot Came TO the Nunnery IN
Saarcb of the Queen there is the same vlgor ana
condensation Dr. Mitchelfs poetic moods do not
tempt him into diffuseneSs. No doubt the strong
" practical and scientific habits of his profession
have something to do with his evident osEisVo
for long-drawn and inconclusive speculatlohs. Inc
feeling for melody and rhythm Is too strohg III
him to be satisfied with prose representation, pu'
nevertheless it seeks expression IN concrete iors
and instnctively selects such as Will AFFORD oppor
tunity for the rounding out of subject the COLI
pletlon of picture. Once or twice only, as III
Evening after Storm on the Resugouche
River" does he concern himself wholly with the
abstract and In these instances, While MS uescrip
tive faoil'' = remains most notable, there seems
certain insulhciency of purpose. The poem on
legend ofsAdam is surprisingly good In It's Klno'
rising p. times to nobility and sweeping on TO the
close muscally. The little volume closes with
two s,, of what may be called in o special sense
society verse" rhymes merely written 10 coli-
mcmorate some public event or festivity or TO DC
road at sucb an OCCASION or sent to some friend
We think the best and brightest of these the lines
addressed TO George Bancroft and accompanying
the present Of decanter of Madeira just the age
of the historian There is racy " go ana
genial flavor about these verses which alternately
recalls some Of the happiest lines of the Autocrat
of the Breakfast Table, and those Swinging,
Hitting stanzas written by Tennyson to bis 1rend
Maurice Those who take up DR.. Mitchells
modest little volume will be sure to read TO the
end before putting 1t down, and having nnsheo
e. will we think he not less sure to regret Its
brevitv and to desire more of SO sound vintage.