Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-08-18
form. and gave Us "Thc gardener Adam
again 60 remind us of the quaint distich-
When Adam deiye and Eve span,
VINO rau then the gontlcmnn-

In ohio Princessn VIC ind the Queen OF
Sheba. Vashti, Miriam. Jael, Lots wife,
Jonahs gourd. and the Tower OF Babel.
And, if your copy OF the blpie has the
ApOcryplia in IL. YOU may add the story OK
Judith aud Holofernes.
Esther appears IN " Gcraint and Enid"
ard Rnhabin Queen Mary" In" Godiva"
we read Of the EarPs heart
Asrough as Essu's hand:
and in "Lockslcy Hall we see the picture
OF the earth standing
At gaze Ike Joshus's moon in Aialon.
The sonnet TO Bonaparte" calls to our
memory
Those whom Gideon schcoled with priers.
In "Thn Palace of Art" we behold the
handwriting on the wall st Belshazzar's
Feast.
II world be impossible even TO enume-
rate Tennvson's illusions 10 the life OF
Christ from tho visit Of the Mnsi whicn
appcars IN "MOrtc dArthur and Tho
Holy Grail down to the lines in BslGn,
which tell of
That same sponr
Where with the Roman pierced the side OF Christ
But to my mind the mos, beautiful OF all
the references TO the New Testament IS the
passage i'm I'm Mcmoriam which de-
scribes the reunion OF Mary and Lazarus
aftcr his return from the grave. with what
human interest does the poet clothe the
familiar story, How reverently, and yet
with what natural and simple pathos does
he touch upon the more intimate relations
Of the three persons who are the chlet act-
ors. Tho question. which has come thou
sand times 10 every one VINO mas iost
dear fricnd-the question whether love
survives in the other world, whether those
who have gone before miss those who are
left behind and have any knowledge OF
thor cricf-this is the suggestion which
brings tho story home to us and makes 1t
seem real and living.
When Lazarus LOFT his charnel cave,
Aud home 10 Mary's house returned,
Was this dem2rded--if he yearned
To hear her weeping by his graVe7
"whsre vert thou. brother. those four dnys7"
There llvcs no record OF reply.
which telling what II Il TO die
Had surely added praise TO praise.
from evory house tho noghbors met.
The streets wore nlled with Joyful sound,
A solemn rladness even croHncd
Tho purple broTs OF Oliyoi.
Behold 4 man raised up by Christ
Tho rest remninoth unreyealed,
lie told 10 not; or somoihins seai9o
The lips Of that evangelist
Then follows that marvellous description
Of Msry--a passage which has always
seemed to me 10 prove the superiority Of
poetry. as an art, over painting ana sculp-
, ture. For surely neither marble nor canvas
has ever contained such a beautiful figure
OF devotion as that which breathes IN these
verses:
Her eyes are homes OF silent prayer.
Nor Other thought hor mind admits
But, be was dead. and there he SITS,
And no that brought him bnck IS there
Thou ono deep love doth snporsedo
All other, whom bor ardent gaze
Koves from the living brothers face
And rests upon the Life Indeed.
All subtle thought. all curious fearS
Borne down by giadness so complete.
Shs bows, siI0 bathes tho Sayiorus feet
With costly sIikenard and with tears.
Thrice blessed whoss lives aro faithful prayers,
Whose loves In higher love endure;
What souls possess themselves 80 pure,
Or is there blessedness ike theirs!
1t does not seem possible that the
changing fashions OfpOetic art should ever
make verses like these seem less exquisite,
or that time should ever outwear the sweet
and simple power of this conception of re-
| ligion. ThOre is no passage IN literature
which expresses more grandly the NY 5tery
| of death, OF shows more attractlyely the
| happiness of an uDqucstiOnlng personal
| faith in him who, alone of men, has solved
| il and knows the answer. cannot bear to
add ANYTHING to il by way Of comment, eX-
| cept, perhaps. these words OF Emerson
"Of immortality, tho soul. when well
/ employed. is injurious. IL is SO well that
| it is sure it will loo well. 1t asks no cues
tons of the Supreme Being"
The poem Of " Rizpah," which was frst
published in the volume of Ballads" in
! 1880, is an illustration OF dramatic para
phrase from the Bible GL. Samuel, XXI. g
| lO). The story of the Hebrew mot. or
watching beside tho dead bodies Of her
4 fac ba1 no
anon tho hill, and defending them
| nicht and day for six months from the
| wild beasts and birds of prey, Is traus-
| formed into tine story Of an English
| mother whose son has been executed for
| robbc-r and hung III chains upon the. glib
| bet. she is driven wild by her grief; hears
| her boys voice wailing through the wind,
"Oh, mother, come out TO me crcePs
| through the rain and the darkness 10 the
place where the chains are creaHng and
grooming with their burden; gropes and
gathers all that is left of what was once
| her child, and carries him homo to
burv him beside the church-ynrd
| wall. And then for her theft she
| breaks out in q passion OF defence. IL ~
mothers love justlfying. itself against q
! crnel law. Those poor fragments which
the wind and the rain had spared were
hers by right diyine-hOne Of her bone
s,e had nurscd aud Graded her baby, and
All that Wa left belonged 10 her: justice
had no claim which could stand against
hers.
Theirs? no, they are mine-not helrs-they
had moved In my side
A famous writer has said Of this passage
Nothing more piteous, more passionate
more adorable for intensity Of beauty was
ever before this wrought by human cum
ming into the likeness Of such words as
words are powerless to praise"