New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-04-03
" MARAH.o
LORD LYTTON'S LAST POEMs.

LORD LNTTON'S LAST POEMs.
MARArI Ey owen Meredith. 12mo, PIP. 2o2. Long
| mans Green a Co.
The title of Lord Ly.ton's postnumous volume OF
poems Indicates the dominant tone Of them In the
preface Lady Lyton states that "whllc each 81 the
poems is complete IN Itself they are 50 arranged rs 10
form a connected WHOLE and meant TO DE rcmi con
sccuiivclv." She adds My husbands intention was
10 represent progressive Stages Of feeling. and. In ac
cordancc with this design. he divided the book into
! four parts each with It's corresponding motto pre-
fixed" \ poem originally included In the first part
;allcd to satisfy the pet. and hc hRl made up his
mind t. omit It. The last days Of his lie were spent
In the composition Of another. to take its place This
saws Lady LytOn was never finished. but give the
fragment the end Of the volume found IT by his
bedside with the Ink hardly dry on th> paper The
motive Of the collection OF short poems brought 10
cchor under IN, title f Marah may Jc said to lie
illusion aud di~illusiou fin love and lifc The whole
book po'tical Illustration # that b' no mcans mod
crn scntmcn, which finds all barren from Dan 10
Beorshcba. and which puts the qucston-fs life worth
! Nvinsl
Tnc nr-t part u Marih7 NAV be supposed 70 rep
resent tie early experiences I'm love Of young ma
disciplined man; or rather % n no longer young,
but msullcd IN the heart ~ women. Indeed, there n
| som. apparent paradox nci" for while the opening
/ poems seem T. breathe u" strong passion and en-
hu-ia>m Of youth tn pom entitled Her Portrait
prc-cns Tie love- tnu double the asc Of MS
mistress ard she T. nineteen.
| Her summers. NJ most uuctecn.
/ Ar" set short of q single sore.
/ T-8i'c as much ha, The number been
I { ( my Niri,f-. a.I something o. Isr
/ Ana nv hHp"l'd-" II 10" I, a ciammd museum.
/ Hes only an mint, p!r.
The nshtA'artci.,ss which claraCt cries ID" car
Her pfcn, do, iir-t CONES parting. then wit
inr: tlen dcnM The poem D,s,,' f. exceedingly
/ beautiful
,lo cane not bacR. shc win not come nsaa;
Tier dear d'ar facc 49,, aD-cncc 40, worse pain
Than death I, nov, that Memoy hop ,aic L2a
| ti ~ hope missed. pure dawn 90 10" last
our 1--we va. AID 10 ohauc, can cloud 10 nv.
such j, tie con-oatory view taken by the bcrcavoi
lover.
lar tir. b"9yc'. l"y"nd ny rach thau art
But ai-O hf beyond the reach Of change!
This j, q noble pocm throughout. and il strikes q
! high kc,. which is maiutIincd % the end.
Tie second part opens with change. The memory
Of the dead j, duplicated by new love and ono Of
| Sinister omen:
gave hcr loy,c. ! gave her tIh and truth;
Aud t1nutc 0i He, best. the dreams Of youth.
The deed, ~ manh'od. and tAe store, II age.
She took nv aft. anl luuci hen into pain.
Then. ularr'd me gave them back 10 ugTu.
And ti, - al she ever gave TO me-.
The period Of di>lHu.lln has arrived Their had
been omcus but the impatient wo1er disrcgarded
tncm. The new love I, beneath him intellectually
and spiritually. An know The Kind u woman:
Two MUSES. Marah's dover supply,
md each n -n bcstDws:
For All her looks Poetry,
And all her feeling Prose.
The loyetrae,iy proceeds rs IT always does when
Oh side there s. blind tilh and glnmOur that
cOnccals all defect, and the other side vanity.
greed and scnhne,,. IL progress 10 the catastrophe
l. finely Indicated IN The poem Dreams and further
| Ina i.d
81 ~ the GATES oi IIcl.7 Nct the man. though dsll-
luaionlZcd, stll lJvcs.
dccmd y1n trIest Of the true,
And loved YOU. Now !
That you were tr,aohcrou, thrD' and thrO,
And love lou stll wocs me!
In the third part the scene Garhcns and draws in
more and Jn)rc:
II thou art sim grizzlies girl or boy.
u love with NE, ani Ignorant of l0ves grave,
Read not Lcrein! For thee no gift have j.
And be- tfou thankful that no GIT have!
Int If times wnyworn traveller thea art.
iiali pilgrim! rs for thee ms book was writ.
The same aad pilgrimage. iho far apart.
We two have made, and know the pain q II.
~ is shc keynote struck. The bancd pursicr OF
an ideal love which cludcs him Is now tending
To cyncism though his heart Is SIN too tender
too rcprcss the bursts Of agony which break
from him. Eu' lie IS slowly hardening and resent
ing III, suhcrues, and he seeks relief from his pain
In satirizng the modern woman, ns In "GhOsts,n
| and Lydia and Horace (modcrn)7 Yet he rccog
nizcs NJ times the morbid state in which he exists :
Eestlc.s. mtlankfu In heaven all shining
Win lights serene my fevcrd spirit doth dwell;
Aud wind tluO Paradise 1t wanders, pining
FOR the hot 1casiS Of IIcl.
The cynic appears again In Lies" wherein mutual
deception between and woman Is defended as
being vi least more comfortable than the truth
The sentiment of this poem Is "carpc diem:
Lies end may be tonight. The hour that hlcs
H. while It last, dlfcs all So If swear
love you, ask not what the oatn implies
But swear YOU love me also We should fare
No better for the doubt, Mat oath dchcs.
How sad were life. II bitter truth went bare
And what love Itself without such lies
AZ the end OF this part there Is poem Of mnch
power called Travelling Acquaintance, which re
calls the latter portion Of the second part Jf Goethc's
" Faust" The traveller meets Love and JOY but
third traveller encounters, scizcs. aud embraces him :
Of my hand. groand writing, let gop
For / neither could loosen nor bear
The gray traveller said, 4 am cnre.'
Love and JOY have gone from thee. know.
to II conclusion II Is ushered In by these gloomy
verses:
have searld the universe. beneath above,
And everywhere with this mportunatc Tyre
Have WANDERED desperately seeking Love,
But cverywhcrc liave only found Desire.
have probcd th' spheres above the spheres beneath
Their dim abvsms have cchOd 10 shout
Invoking Truth. But time, space. life, aud death
And Joy, and sorrow. only answered Doubt
Here we have reached the goal Of Pessmism. Tho
poems IN this concluding part have ceased to present
any strain of love- despaIrlng hopeful. The view
is wider. the canvas larger, and the scenery wilder
sormier aud more fandIstc. There conceptions
here which remind one strongly Of James Thomson,
the poet Vi "The City Of Dreadful Night The