The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-09-13
OUR LITERARY BUDGET.
4 Criticism Of the Works Of tho Poet Lu-
Reato Of England.
NOTI MERE MAKER OF MUSICAL PHRASES
The Power Of Expressing ssnsuous Beauty
In MsIodious Lsnguags-1he Lazy ana the
Later Poems of Tsnnyssn Compared.


There are many people-and not altogether
illiterate people--who still think OF Iennysoh
chiefly as maker of musical phrases.
We'll he is that; and he meant to be that IN
order that he might be something more. At
the very outset he sought to win the power Oh
expressing sensuous beauty IN melodious ian.
guage. The things seen and heard. the
rhythm, the color, the harmony OF the outward
world these were the things that haunted
him and these first OF all. he desired to con-
vey into his verse. he threw himssii WITH All
the passion of youth upon the task OF ronoer-
ing these things perfectly. can !. 'a s 70
cause no man has ever done this hhu Vi "oiA
by chance. Even 10 the painting OIL simple
flower or the making OF a little song perlecliy,
there goes al infinite deal OF PREPARATION. Oh
learning. of effort. Sometimes 1t Is conscious
sometimes UNCONSCIOUS soinethhesi AZ lsuloO.'
sometimes it is indirect, but always IL
is there, behind the music. behind the PIC
ture. for no one can do anything good IN any
art without LABOR for the mastery of It's little
secrets which are 50 hard TO learn; III, then,
YOU find some traces OF effort IN Iennysohs
first melodies and pictures ike "Clarioei,
The Mermaid, hecolecnons Oh ine
Arabian Nights you will say that this is be-
cause he has not yet learned to conceal the
sfort and if you find that in tho best OF
| them. like The Lotos-Eaters' ana mo
| LADY of Shaott" the chief interest stlll lies
| in tho sound, the form. the color. you wiil
| say that it is because he has set niinsei W
| CONQUER the technique of his art, and 10 rem
| der the music and the vision beautifully, Tor
| tho sake OF their beauty. Mr. X. ii. Hutton,
| who does not always see the bearing OF his
| own criticisms, has said 'Tennyson was
an artist even before he was
poet That is true but II does NOT tahe any
| thing away from his greatness TO admit sucn
| an Obvious fact GiOtto was craftsman be-
fore he was painter. Mozart was pianist
before be was musician. IL you are WISE,
you will look chiefly for the charm OF perfect
! expression in these melodies ana pictures.
| Take little piece winch mas stooo on 'ne
| first page OF Tennyson'e poems tor sixty years.
| "Claribeln Ii docs not mean much. Indeed
| its charm might be less il its meaning were
| greater. Ii is mere music-every word Ike
soft clear note. each with its own precise
value, and yet all blending in simple cnect.
The difference between the souhu VI .n9
| ouiet wave "outwelling, from the spring; ana
the swift runlet 'crisping" over the pepDles,
10 distinct the beetle boometh" IN another
tone from that in which the wild bee hum
meth but ali the sounds come together IN
sad. gentle cadence with the ending eth
Whore Claribel low-lieth.
In the picture poems you will find great
| deal of freraphaite work. IL Is exact ano
vivid even 10 the point of seeming often too
minute II ia worth while to notice the color
words how few they are, and yet now per-
fectly they do their work. Here are TWO lines
from the lode to Memory"
What time the amber morn
Forth gushes from beneath a low-hung ciond.
That amber sheds all the splendor OF
daybreak over the landscape: Ana mere
AGAIN. is a stanza from The Lady OF ona-
| LOTT:
| Willows whiten, aspens culver,
Little freezes dusk and shiyer
| Thro' the wave that runs forever
BY the island In the river c.
Flowing down 20 Camelot.
Four gray walls, and four gray towers
| Overlook space of flowers,
And the silent isle imbowers
How exouisite is the word "whiten" 10 de-
scribe the turning Of the long willow leaves IN
the wind. and how well it suggests tho cool
coloring of the whole picture, all IN low tones
ercept the little spots of flowers below the
square. gray castle. do not think that this
is the greatest kind OF poetry, but certainly IL
has its own value and We ought TO be CRATE
ful for it. The perfection 70 which Ienny-
son has brought it has added new sweetness
and fuency to our language. just az VIOLIN
gains a richer and mellower tone by the long
and loving touch OF master, 80 the Enghsl
language has been enriched and soitehea oy
| the that l6uQNSOU Idb LioNo VI ~ 49,
beauty poems, But already we can see thas
something deeper and stronger is coming in
| IN these beauty poems. The melodies begin
10 have a meaning. tho pictures begin to have
a soul OF many of the young women IN MS
gallery of female igures-Liiian' Adenne,
Madeline and the rest-it may DO saio III
Tennyson's own WORDS:
The form. the form alone is eloquent.
Now if this age of ours, with its renaissance
~ art and its catholic admiration OF the
beautiful in all forms, classical and romantic;
With its love OF science and its JOY in master
ING the secrets of nature with It's deep pas,
sion of humanity protesting against sociai
wrongs and dreaming OF social resehefa'on
with its interpretive spirit searching the
snripos of character and action; with It's pro-
found interest IN the problems OF the unseen
and its reaction from the theology OF the
head TO the religion of the hearth this age
OF ours is a great age, then Ienhysoh Is
Strongest voice of the century.-Rey. DIR.
Henry van Dyke, in the Century tor August
Dickens and Punch.
Mr. G.. Kitton has an interesting article
in the English Illustrated Magazine for August
on Dickens as be appeared III tue ILLUSTRATIONS !,
If pinch. AS might be expected, The Old
Cnrio,,ty shop" "Barnaby Ridge" Pick
wick "Oliver Twist" and Nicholas Nickle-
hyn furnished the chief source from which
the clever designers OF Punch drew
frequent inspirations: Naturally, too, at iirst;
Lord Brougham AID Lord John Russell found
themselves incorporating through the car
toons of Punch in many of tho inimitablc
characters of Boz Sir Robert Peel also
cane in for fair share of the fun. John
Leech and John Tenniel were the artists who
made most use of Dickens characters IN I'M
palinc the follies of their times with the
points of their pencils.
II was in lsls that Disraeli first made his
appearance in Punch rs a Dickens character.
and then it was as Mrs. Blimber TO the parla-
mentary Toots of Lord John Russell. Mrs.
Blimber remarks Il think il convenient.
Toots. to say to you, before the young gentle
men dispense, that you appear u me to have
reached the low water mark OF general con-
tempt. and that there is not the least proba-
bilty of your ever gaining another inch
toward fioodtide again. All your friends are
ashamed of you; everybody is tried Of you. In
fact, Toots. you are, if | may express myself