New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-12-13

type of lordly villain and his picture is likeness
rather than creation. Caponsacchi and Pom
plia, however, creations of the highest value
Pompia, as we see her at the beginning of
| the story, is simple and bloodless Italian girl
very young, docle, negatively vrtuous, accepting
husband without loving him, but in little danger
| of loving anybody else Caponsacch is trivial
minded priest, neither pious nor sinner dangling
about the ante-c chambers of the great apt turn.
ing verses, but decoroUs enough in his behaN ior
Guldo attempts TO entangle him with Pompilia.
The result of the plot is n chivalric attempt of
| Caponsacchi TO rescue the wife from outrage and
| place her under the protection Of her parents.
A sentiment which is half love ma halt reverence
| is awakened in the priest and the woman and IT,
transforms them both Here, of course, Mr.. Brown
| lngS favorite theory of the supreme power of
love in the development of cha racter comes into
| play. But there is no sensuouS passion in these
two; they remain perfectly innocent in heart and
conduct their brief association stirs in both an
eNaltaton of spirit to which they had both been
strangers, reveals TO both an unSesh goodness
outside their former experience of life Pompilia
at the moment of bosSOming into full-hearted
woman, dies saint, and Caponsacchi, reused from
an unworthy and unideal existence lives to be n
man. Both characters are exhibited in the poem
with extraordinary beauty and distinctness: both
speak with fluent and rhythmic eloquence 10
which the muse OF Browning is too often n stran
ger and we are inclined to think that in the study
OF SaponSacchi the genius of the poet touches It's
highest level
Balaustons Adventure ns71) is the first OF
series Of remarkable poems which form a class
| apart. In his favorite form of the dramatic mon
ologue, the poet tells the story of an Athenian
girl who. being ken prisoner nv the Svracusans
obtains liberty for herself and her companions nv
reciting to her captors the Mkestis@ of Euripi.
des. This leads to a translation Of the whole
play, which Is the real object Of the poem II *
undoubtedly one of Mr. BrOwning's most splcndd
achievcmcnts-not only by common consent the
finest of all translations of the Atheists" but
also piece of subtle iuminatlve criticism which
mere unpOetical scholarship trampleS unconscious
| sequel TO it, under the title of Aristophancss
/ App1r hnin - H.,
appeared in 1875. Here have AristOphancs in
| the presence of BaaustiOn, explaining and defend
ing his conduct toward Euripdcs; and when he
has finished. Balaustion replies to him ending with
| a reading Of the lierakles" of Eurindes the
whole Of which Mr. Browning translates. The
version has the same characteristics as the " Al
| keSlS, but the poem upon the whole is moro
| difficult TO understand and more heavily loaded
! with reconcile learning Still harder is Brown
| ng's translation of the "Agamemnon" OF AeSchv-
! lus 1870. Of which il has more than once been
| complained. by serious scholars that it is some
| times necessary TO turn 10 the Greek in order
TO find out the meaning of the English Brown
ngs rule of translation is TO he literal AT every
cost save that Of absolute violence to our Ian
rIage" but in this case, while he has surpassed
| a il rivals in the exact rendering of both the
| phrase and the spirit he has outdone the
| ruggedncss Of the original
| 1t must be confessed that nearly all his poems
! after The Ring and the Book showed an
increasing readiness TO sacrifice poctica qualities
! for the sake of profound and searching thou ght
! Prince MISUNDERSTANDING u, Savior Of Socic-
! ty,' study Of Napoleon III 1s7D; Fifnc at
| the Fair S72). pulling discussion Of the right
| Of INCONSISTENCY in love: Red Cotton Night-Cap
| Country n S73l the story OF n real French trag-
| cdv. somewhat disguised in the proper names and
| treated with a dramatic analysis Of motive SINH
| lar 10 that Of :" The Ring and the Book but
| far inferior: The Sun Album" 1873, which
belongs to the same category as its immediate
predecessor: "PaccharOto and other Poems
| 1876; " The Two Poets of Crosic" 0s7sl. an
! interesting essay in biography, and La SaIsaZ'
| 1873, a somewhat abstruSc dissertation on the
| faP I'm fItrO fo q 40 with a
that the soul is immortal-thesc works represent
an enormous mass of writing which added nothing
| 10 his permanent fame. Browning had adopted
| the principle that the express on was of no
importance by comparison with the thought
True enough: but like most writer's who lay stress
| upon this principle, he arrived not consciously
! but in practice at the further notion that
| expression OF no importance at all. and that
| all his thoughts big and little, pertinent and
impertinent, must be squeezed into his pages. rs
| his volumes bccam" heavier with INTELLECTUAL
treasure, they became more grabbed, involved
and ugly; as if it were enough for
the rough R9Hgh Without trying to fit them with
musical and felicitous phrase. No poet. from the
mi of time h2s vfd DO by ThomgSn a ONE
by those works in which he fulfilled the double
function Of the poet ny marrying high thoughts
e'd fifty ns5 IN and MS series RE f told sho
stories with force if not with grace; but in
Jocosera" 1889 and Ferishtah's Fancies'
thinker rather than the artist. 1t is curious, how
ever that after his worst mannerisms had ap-
parently been fixed for many years he produced
at the ripe age Of scvcnty-five volume in which
not only the poetic impulse showed fresh force,
but the sense Of beauty woke as If 10 new life.
PareyingS with Certain People Of Importance
in Their Day" Il $50 deals with profound
problems and combats the philosophy Of the time
by reasonings not always easy TO follow: but il
contains some fine outburStS of song and rare eX-
amples of the art Of expression, and il is wonder
fully distinguished by freshness, buoyancy and
feeling.
Probably no poet was ever made the subject, in
his lifetime, Of such copious literature as Robert
Browning Tough volumes have been expended
ing Society was founded in London in 1sSl for the
study Of his works and geniu> and the nourishmcnt
of his fame The love of his poetry became sort
of cult, to which the adopts gave themselves with
a deliberate fervor not always free IRON an,urdiN,
and not always agreeable TO the poet himself. But
in the midst of much that is eXtravagant ana sun
more that is useless the devotion Of his disciples
has produced some admirable critical studies IN
the periodicals, and even one or two commendable
books
A new volume Of poems, sthe work of the last
year or So has been in the press recently. ana was
TO have been issued December ., the very day, as
it proved, of his death, simultaneously WITH the /
Poet Laureatp's latest collection.
The noct had been in Venice recently, and,
being ovcrtaken with an alarming attack Of bron-
chits early this week, trained English nurse
from the American Hospital in Rome was sum-
moned to attend him.
Mr. Browning appeared in excellent health last
summer and to have quite recovered from ms
alarming illness of April but fearing the rigors
of q winter he decided TO spend the season IN a .
softer climate. He had lately been dwelling IN
an old Venetian palace. accompanied by his son. .
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MISS SICKLES ELOPED TUICE