New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-04-06
WILLIAM lORRISS NEW BOOK.
A MAGNIFICENT PROSE-FOEM.

| Prose and in Verse By William Morris. svo PIP.
3o7. Boston Roberts BROTHERS,
The House of the Woliinss" belongs in its
form to a species Of composition so archaic as
TO have been quite forgotten 50 mat We INA
critics disputing as TO whether it is prose or
poetry, or what IT shall be called. Inc TACT Is
that Mr.. Morris. with holiness born of just
confidence in his own powdrs, has mere reverted
10 one Of the primitive forms of literary eX-
preston: n form. indeed, winch may be sad 10
have gone before all written compositions. When.
in the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth centuries,
the period of the trouvcrcs and tronbadonIs, thee
professional talc-elers, recters and improvisation
rccountcd those stirring deeds which were 10 form
the substance Of The "chansons nc Gcstc, they
were won't 70 pass from prose 10 verse, Just as
Mr. Morris passes in this volume Wherever
some special stimulus arose in the character Of
the narrative-somc strong or moving point. some
critical cvcnt-bo,h they and their audiences found
it proper and natural that they should break into
metrical wtcrancc and the lay was light
cncd ami given new picturesquencss and interest
The surviving examples Of this foIm, in which
verse and prose are so mingled. indeed few ::
and the best Of them, like Aucassn ct Nioo-
Iettc.~ while possessing an undoubted wild and
ouaini charm OF their own are not To he compared
with the production before for power or for
beauty and art.
For the prose Of Mr. William Morris is in ltsclf
the most poclical prose of any modern. Nnilc
in The House of the Wolhngs" he has adapted
himself with marvellous facility and success 10
narrative and descriptive style far more remark
able in the surviving examples Of the KIND. Tor
archasm than for grace ana case oil
movement. lie has, IN some mys-
FERROUS way, contrvcd to mpart surprising lic>i-
hility and ar equally surprising snioolncss u the
ancient FORMS and 10 evolve from them result
which. while distinctly unmodcrn. possesses all
the dclicacv subilciy and beauty Of the most
polished nineteenth century diclion. Yet II must
rot hc thought that any anachronsm OF anomaly
is suggested by this grating of the new culture
upon tine oh stem on the contrary, tie story
Of The House 81 the Wo.ngs which Is one
Of fierce wars and Gcadly encounters IN the main.
and which chronicles the deeds Of Gothic bar
harians locked IN dcath-rrappc with the Roman
lecions lacks 10 element Of vinilty II prlhsS
before tie reader pictures Of that hfI'c hlc -"
vivid 81 full, coorcd natural. that ih' chances
from sonorous prose - the cadcnccd. liIcNel p'''
cf flowing verse seem only tic acccuti'll"h "i
the more eNcitiuc and significant episodes Ni'"c'
a. pnlc literature, il would be- hard I" ma many
works more perfect in conception and execution
Tie Imagination. the sense 81 beauty anu ~
,olody tl. cyircpcies If culture, tic something
fierce and combaiivc that Turks IN Inc most ''"-
cate nature. are Al satisfied With The composition
Nr Morris has always possessed 20 peculiar power
q abstraction and occlusion. y" poet las 50
n,llv succeeded in shutting ont the world - II
f. .rd in focusing attention upon the creations
Of hi, opnl,a; iaaeinaiion. 10 poet pcrh'ls- has
49, Call, realized both tnc local color ard ~ l"t-
,f,rc of the a.! world Of fable ard l"-cn'L HIS
earlier poems take us t. " lanl whc;e II II
al,,a,. an.rnonn. I'm ms latest Sc ir'o-iilr
flo san,c magic the same drow-y charm whci pas
on, Of 81 IN and memory thc century ~ Wm'h
40 live and carries us back T. the tine 81 inc
Marx when the Houses OF tie Wolf ana Toe Lear
and the Hart and the Tx aud many more io'c1'S
,,.,c planted in cautious proximity. ''cP ~ '"'
T,,,is, wild wood. when each family ana 'Tl'r
lived IN community houses, precisely i'' 'h'
r,.o,oi, Of old: when the war-s1nal carrie" III
i,t b.s;c from House 10 House upon the sccAes
oi invasion vas. ,
The .f, II battle that D., four wise clo''n through
And H.. each end dipped ln the blood stream Dol" INV
iron and the h1in.
And ifs r,idmo.t -ritlled with the fire..
In This dim old time of ruuc-cnscribcd weapons
and sacced standards and general belief in the
proohcfic sifi and reliance upon omcns and SIGNS
ffFeIN.
Introduction Of daughter. of the gods like the
go Iy,odSun and charmed suits Of arnor Ike
the fatal banherk wrought by the dwaris In their
cavcrns nnccr tie mounialns and load"d WIN
tbc curec of their king. The figure Of 1hiod"lf.
too. stands ont in heroic proportions. 'hci Nv
nature and powers. thoIgh alien 10 the House
If Woliue. who's, acknowledged head he has
come f. he: war-dnl.c Of tie Folk IN their time
If need mighty man Of his hands. keen ana
wise counsellor and leader. his whole character
and action harmoni7cs with time and place he
liabtfnllv Mr. Morris has moreover caught
That note Of sadness that note Of belief IN an
iron Dcs,in, which led men through all manner
Of troubles and trials 10 victory or defeat. aud
which can by no craft or skill or prayer or de-
vice he moved or DETECTED from its goal-thc
note which strikes modern so forclbiy Ill the
| Nibeuneenlcd for example, and III the Sasas
Of Scandinavia. The doom of Thiodolf begins
T. enter as a motive int, the action very early.
With his first meeting of the Wood-Sun' III
the forest il Is made evident that her love Tor
tie chief OF the Wolin-s is drawing her 10 at
tru,ut what She well knows 10 he vain
! .istance to the decree of Fate. She would save
him even at the sacrifice Oh his honor for
time 50 does love blind even a daughter of tie
Gods But tac Ilall-Sun"-th trilml pricsicss
"a
dolf and the "Wood-Sun." seer well rs a
! pricstess and guardian of the sacred lamp OF
tie House interiors; presently for the MAIN
tcuancc of the War-DuKc's fame. and convincs
tie reluctant "Wood-Sun" that the DOOM must
Lc fulfilled
There is indeed part OF this prosc-pocra
which does not abound with beauties. Tie picture
Of the Mid-Mark clearing. where the House of The
| Wolins has been raised. before the alarm of the
Roman invasion has disspated It's peaceful charms.
! is most picturesque and attractive:
Tells the tale that IL was an evening of sum
mer when the wheat was IN the ear, bat yet
grecn. and the ncathcrds were done driving the
! milch-knc 10 the 5yre and the horschcrls and
TIE shepherds And made the nigA;-shiit. and the
onteoers were riding two by tWo and one by one
through the lanes between the wheat and the rye
toward tie meadow Round the cots OF the thra lis
were gathered knots of men and women, both
thralls and irrcnen, some talking together. some
| hearkcning "A song tale. some singing, and
some dancing together, and the children gambol-
Il.