The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-22
TENNYSON'S FIRST MAUD.
VERSES BY THE LAUREATE AND
his BROTHERS.
a Version of MAUD" Which has
Never Appeared in Any Col
lection of Tennyson's Works.


concerns Alfred Tennyson can be deemed
trivial now. He was not merely a great
poet; he was one over whom the poetic call
had absolute control No editor or maya
zine could compel or hasten his inspiration,
and he only yielded to the periodicals when
he had something that be would have
printed in due time without them. dis
method Of working enabled him to dis
penss with the literary vehicles most
authors prize. 1t is even doubtful If any
editor ever addressed him the familiar
legend, Returned with thanks" Not
longer ago than last year he commented on
this special habit Of keeping aloof from the
magazines. He felt that the magazines
function was not in accordance with his
methods and genius.
Among the many things that have Teen
written about him lately there seem to lie
some omissions. " hat has been noticed
very little if at all Is the fact that all of his
brothers are notably poetic. He had six
brothers, born in this order, l believe
Frederick, Charles y, Edward,
Harold, Arthur and Septimius Alfred
himself was third Of the seven sons OF their
father. and have indicated his place by the
starred vacancy between Charles and Ed
ward. All Of these brothers wrote verse
creditably, but Frederick and Charles were
more distinguished as poets than any of
the others, Alfred alone excepted. In fact,
Frederick aud Charles seem 30 have sx-
hibited power and richness of quality that
would easily have taken them to the front
rank Of poets II they had only persevered as
Alfred did. As it is, much Of their work
is Of very fine character. and bears a close
affinity to that of the laureate. 1t is not
easy now to find the books which Frederick
aud Charles have written, with the eXcep-
ton OF that which contains the formers
very recently published poetry. Frederick
and Charles wrote their more memorable
poems long ago, and then stopped suddenly
short. Within few years Frederick re-
suIned his pen, and has shown that his cum
ping and skill still remain. But it is doubt
Tul II the highly finished stories which he
has told at so much length will evoke perma-
nent interest. The briefer lyrics of his early
days seem to me far more interesting and
durable.
Charles and Alfred were the authors Of
the Poems by Two Brothers" in 1927. The
publishers Of this volume were the Messrs.
Jackson, printers and booksellers, at No. 8
Louth, Lincolnshire and they showed some
discernment aud courage IN giving the
young authors go for this book Charles
was 10 and Alfred is when It appesrsd), but
it proved the forerunner Of the greatess
poetic year in England since Elizsbethan
times. Among book hunters this volume
has priceless value now. and is nearly as
rare as Poe's "Tamerlane," published at the
same time, think, by an obscure printer
n Boston.
The Poems by Two Brothers. had, along
with its promise, distinct stamp of youth
ful authorship. The motto on the title page,
however, is unassuming enough. 1t was the
following line from Martial: Hdeo nos
noUtmuS eSse Mill
OF the poems the book contained some
thing over 100 in NUMBER the separate
was left unmarked. But the
seriousness Of the undertaking was signal
lied by the most profuse footuotes to the
hGes-worthy OF ShakeSperesn oommen-
tator-aud by quotations under each title
from Roman to contemporary times. Crit
ical notice to any large extent this literary
venture did not receive. but the Literary
Chronicle and Weekly ReuietU wrote about
It as follows:
"This little volume exhibits a pleasing
unison OF kindred tastes, and contains sew
eral lyric pieces Of considerable merit"
Tennysonian IS the elective with which
TO describe the style Of both these brothers
and Frederick's method of verse making
also. In spite of sharp guessing you can
not he sure always which pieces are
Altred's and which are Charles In the
book. One on ''Aniony to CLEOPATRA
-lnasmuch as 1t was topic he afterward
returned tbs almost surely Alfred's.
Below are given few stanzas from this
poem:
Q, Cleopatral Fare thee we'll
We two can meet no more
This breaking heart alone can tell
The love to thee bore.
But wear thou not the conqueror's chain
Upon thy race and thee;
And tho we can ne'er meet again,
Yet still be true to me,
For for thee have lost q throne
To wear the crown Of love alone.
Fair daughter OF a regal linel
To thraldom bow not tame;
My every wish on earth was thine
MY every hope the same.
But have moved within thy sphere,
And lived within thy light:
And, D! thou vert to me so dear
l breathed but in thy sight
A subject world lost for thee
For thou vert all the world to me
Then when the shriekings of the dying
Were heard along the wave,
Soul OF my soul saw thee flying,
l followed thee to save
The thunder of the brazen proWs
Ger Actium's ocean rung.
fames garland faded from my brow,
her wreath away flung.
sought, l saw. l heard but thee
For what to love was victoryr
This is all eminently Tennyson-like. but
the third couplet Of the final stanza ts at
Tennyson's hIgh-water mark OF the DAYS
that followed.
Frederick Tennyson, like Alfred and
Charles, was a student of Trinity College.
Cambridge, going there before them. &c
received prize there in 1928 for a Greek
poem on Egypt" 1t was Just a year later
that Alfred got the prize there for bis poem
entitled "TimbuctOo.n Frederick's first
collection Of verse came out in 1854, and
was called days ana Hours" A copy of
this book now would be marked very rare.
1t is known that Alfred's com
petitor for the Trinity College
prize was his friend, Arthur
Henry Hallam, but not so well-known that
1t was proposed when they were about to
publish books that they initiate the union
Coleridge and Wordsworth exempllfied in
their Lyrical Bslladsn IL was Hallams
father who broke up this arrangement.
Three lines OF Teunyson's "Tlmhuctoon he
embodied in his lode TO Memory.n pub
lished IN 1880. The "Timbuctoon caused
the AtheneuBl 10 say July g. 1929. that IL
was the work Of 'really hrst-rate poetical
genius" and "would have done honor to any
man that ever wrote"
The Poems Chiefly Lyrical was Alfred
TennysOns fret book written free from
partnership; and the WeStminstey1s criti-
cism and prophecy 0 jncerning it we're really
acute. The Westminster writer said Of tho
poems among other things that their very
originality will prevent their bajng gener-
orally appreciated for time, which Was
true enough. And ecarcely lass feficitous