New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-05
" MARATHON.o
AN UNKNOWN POEM OF MRS. BRowNING'S

AN DNhhOWN TOEh OI SAAANo'
From PoetL0re.
1t is probable that some among your numerous
readers may have heard OF poem called Marathon
tpot to saw read IT, vory rare book is the original
Pauline Of Browning-of which but seven Or elsht
cspes can now be FaGed psIet Is rnr s for Of
mis- only three copies known 10 be IN existence
One Of these was t bought 1o BY o MI MI Mccarse Of
Glasgow bought copy In 1866 for $50, while Mr.
Thomas j. WIS had to give s4s Tor GoP Tr aTe
presentation ones but The authors hScapuoh ~ e1G
most remarkable fact about the poem is that IL was
written By The author Of Aurora Leigh when she
been reprinted either here or in America, and is IN
cludod In no collection Of her poems. u may here
Darentbriize how ever that my friend Mr. Thomas j..
Wise is prntng-for private circulation only-a re-
NJ moan was written at Hone Frd and 10 encouIa &c
This Drecocious child OF eleven fifty copies were printed
by her father, all of which were given away ~ was
printed in the year le2O MOTTO nom Alsiqo 9 tb
Father, whose never-failing Kindness, whose IN
we9Tsd affection can never P'y Ddo Ie Re poem most IS
remarkable portion Of the work, while the poem iiscI
has special interest touching those early readings
in the chssics Of which such poems as Hector III inc
Garden" delightfully."- speak . ~ :,
The preface Of the book IS, as have said, tour de
force; and. considering the Of the writer, falrly
takes ones breath away" Poetry" she says, is
the nobcst Of the productions Of m, T.. IL ere,
fires and BIDS it throb With feelings exaltng to its
nature" Her humble attempt is not to be attributed
Sire Of bcng thought genus but she offers her
poem 70 kind and partial friends whose c[lIcLS t,
the precociousness OF genius Happily it is not
now as 1t was in the days Of Pope VINO was 80 cary
in actual danger OF thinking himself the greatest
genius Of the age Now, even the female may drive
her Pegasus through the realms Of PaTnassGS with9'
hoinV sated with that most cquiYOcal of all appela
lions learned lady without being celebrated by her
friends oappho or tIao9Cea Py ee fieS 2 S crit
ciscd I'm society how justly then may cld rope 70
NOrp "A
ace Is She wanting in bOldness, as when size sa! .
In contemplating the poets Of our own tines i 0r
inferior multitude Of the common herd,-who, unso
ph,tcateG by prejudice can Perse tno y5 ca s
dazzled BIZ the gems sparkling from the rch nine OF
the Imagination Of Moore or GaP SES BY %tsS9t
proud consciousness that our day may boast the eA
uberance Of true poetic genius genius has she saws chosen
subject in every formed TO call forth the fee
ings Of the heart 10 awaken the strongest passion OF
tmricai moan and She proceeds 10 remark that an
historical poem should possess the following qualca,
truth the first i2nr are hegg ts an historical poem
m 2mt6 hi his T PstG may be laid beneath The bright
m n 9f RveR %ith 1adsment and taste for his
guides but his goal must be that resplendeht ana
Interchangeable uminary truth" Not bad, thls for
r Of Eleven She excuses herself for departing from
lhe simplicity Of the MltOnc verse and choosing the
rhymes Of Pope. "In my opinion, humble as i Is,
abolShed amongst poets, had not Pope. the disciple
and proved that rhyme could equal blank verse In
simplicity and gracefulness and we Win IL IN elegaiGe
Of c 81 ALL all this Is deghtfnly charming and is
tribute for ever TO the Inconsistencies OF ntuitVe
In the course OF this long preface she co9fe as
that she has chosen Homer for a model. and gives
reason for the faith that is in her. and concludes as
follows II have in these PAGES proved what de-
sired that poetry the parent OF liberty and OF all the
Of me obscnres Of my little poem have attained my
only object but IT, on the contrary, have I>ted II
inclination Either way, II would be useless to proceed
further for nothing be more true than the declare
ton of Bi1land, that good book seldom requires:
and worthless one never deserves long preface
The poem itself Is divided into four books written IN
cent translator of The greatest of poets" The first
book consists Of 3s6 lines, the second Of 387, tie third
nothing he in hs H5 5cS the aS5
it but In the light Of after events IS an intensely III
terestng production. Here are n few lines:
STRUGGLING winds with "a age ui INDIGNANT gao sweep
sudden the seas, re-beIlowng trgh ht ., rise
Ana d t6e d m saGd and S b with dreadful roar
Lift their black waves and combat with the shore
In her mature life Mrs. Browning sang sweetly Of
the great god Panhere is her childish conception Of
the Arcadan deity:
Twas thus ngsed' when from ysEdau grove
5S %osE Fan ii: S1 Sga9fiG rS s%S5.,ea
kn S%rS ey r. horns that sa5ssd tS% rs brow.
Tho grim and stranger 10 celestial grace.
Within his hand q shepherds crook he bore,
The gift Of Dian, tn Arcadian shore.
II Is curious, too, To note even thus early some OF
her after pcrversty Of rhyme. for instance
By vengeance fred the Grecians from the deep
with rage and shouting scale the lofty ship
Thus early did Elizabeth Barrett try the wings Of her
genius and such was the result Of her first fllgh-a
result which will always be of interest to the literary
student. alone from the age of the hdpoet but
from the SpendOr Of the after growth which Sprang
from IT,