New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-12-06
IBSEN's VERSE DRAMA.
A .aIcANTIc. PIECE OF FUsrrAN.


is largely obscured in his version The translator
observes in the preface that without trespassins
on the field Of criticism, first translation OF
Herr lbsen's verse drama would be incomplete
without notice of his very great skill and sweet
ness as veisifcr. His success is least con-
spicious in his poems, for, after all, his genus
is essentially dramatic, and when he does not
allow himself to write in dramatic form, his
poetry loses it's power and spirit. Peer Gynt,'
Gildet paa Tolhang, and parts of Brand,
are charming examples Of the short lines ana
frequent rhyme which always delight Northern
ears Herr Ibsen contrives to make them so
musical that foreigner is greatly charmed even
IL he cannot wholly appreciate their beauty"
In the present case the foreigner is, perhaps
fortunately for himself, not called upon TO submit
10 the charm OF what he cannot wholly appre-
ciate but on the other hand he may, thanks
TO Mr. Wilson's English prose, address himself
with some hope of success to getting at the
meaning of what Mr.. Wilson calls 1bsen's
gigantic work." We are, indeed. not prepares
TO guarantee success in this undertaking, for
among the pecuiarities Of this verse drama is
the circumstance thct it will bear more than one
Interpretation, and that these various interpre-
tations are equally plausible and consistent Mr..
Wilson contends that Ibsen is never didactic, and
assuming that TO be true, it only increases the
perplextty of the analyst; for when no ethical
purpose can be predicated of work, and the
principle of art, for arts sake, is excluded by
the very character of the work, it is obviously
quite matter OF caprice whether the outcome
shall be sinister elevating.
The main motive in Brand is religious
fervor or fanaticism, bigotry, enthusiasm, or
whatever the reader chooses TO call it-for 1T is
impossible to determine with any certainty what
the author meant his hero to be. Only one
thing is quite clear about Brand namely that he
is an exceedingly dsagreeable person in every
conceivable relation. The principle upon which
he proceeds is-"All or nothing" Heaven, he
holds, requires from its votaries the most COM
plete and comprehensive sacrifice and renuncia-
ton. He believes also that he has " call
with capital &C." to reform mankind by per-
suading them to accept his rather hard doctrine
The opening of the drama is peculiar. Brand
meets a newly married young couple who are
walking together in perfect JOY and unity. He
breaches at them until he has so scared the bride
that presently she leaves her husband and at
taches herself to the reformer. How she OBJ
tanned divorce is left to the readers imagination.
but in the second act she is Brands wife, and they
living in o cold and damp parsonage under
conditions highly unfavorable to the health OF
en- only child. Brand has worldly mother, and
because she will not renOunce all her property he
= refuses 10 visit her when she is dying and let's
her pass away uncontrolled Her death makes
him rich, and just then the village physician an
"nounces that unless the baby is taken to warmer
and drier climate he will die. Rather than
forsake his parishioners Brand stays where he is.
and the child duly dies, nearly breaking the
mothers heart But the parson clings TO his
maxim -all or none; and when he finds that
his wife cherishcs the relies of her little one, he
conIsls her 10 give every one Of them away to
q wandering gypsy who applies for help at the
parsonage. This is the last straw, and the poor
outraged mother soon follows her baby.
Next Brand proceeds TO spend his inheritance in
building large church, The old one is pulled
down But on the day the new building is to
be consecrated the minister apparently goes stark
mad, fepudiates everything, quarrels with the
village officials and ends by leading his flock up
into the mountains, they being under the i'm
preston that he has promised them wealth and
happiness if they will undergo a fight the nature
OF which is altogether vague TO them. 1t Is i'm
possible to read this part of the drama without
being reminded of BrOwning's Luria: A Souls
Tragedy" and it is difficult TO believe that lbsen
had not that drama in mind when he wrote
Brand" although his work is not to be COM
pared with Brownings in any way. Brands i'm
pnlsive and ignorant followers grow tired
OF marching at his heels, and the Provost and
Bailly artfully play upon their greed and stupidity
until they not only abandon their leader, but ac-
cusc him of deceiving and betraying them, and
. finally attack him with stones and clubs and
drive him into the mountains alone. One of the
r more inscrutible of the "dramatis pelsonac" is
Gerd, crazy gypsy girl, perhaps intended as q
foil to Brand She is always raving about a
church of ice among the falls. At the last hour
s1,a nd is n
end. He undergoes a supernatural temptation and
Is visited by "a figure" which presents itself as
SAgnes, his late WIFE 1t may be suTmised that
this apparition is merely snare Of the Evil
One, though it is by no means certain that in
demanding of Brand the remuneration of his
maxim, "Au or nothing" the figure" is not
seeking TO redeem him from fatal error. How
ever, he will not consent, the figure" vanishes,
not, as a famous ghost Of yore is said to have
done, namely, with melodious twang," but with
a loud crash of internal crockery, perhaps-and
Brand is neatly removed" by avalanche, just
when il has become obviously impossible to do
anything more with hru.
What il oil means may not be decided in haste.
As viewed in the prose translation, we should
rather call il dramatic nightmare than dramatic
poem. When the reader seeks TO eucidate the
career and character of Brand, he is confronted
by various paradoxes Generally speaking, the
person is represented as cherishing lofty aspiro-
tions, as being devoted to his ideal. of devoting
himself to the spiritual welfare of his flock. But
in carrying out his high purposes he behaves
cruelty to his dying mother, he almost literally
murders his only child, and he drives his wife TO
s, her grave broken-hearted. There are some strong
situations in the drama. but all Of them are
gloomy, sinister, and perhaps cynical also. 1t
might easily be thought that lbsen was sneerng at
all attempts to live higher life; that his pur-
pose was to show the folly of all spiritual effort;
or that he desired TO illustrate the futility Of all
human undertakings, in view of the fatality of
circumstance Brand, while seeking to do good