The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-08-23
"EN0CH ARDEN"
A Review.

The true poet is he who attunes his
song TO the common things and events
of life, who draws his inspiration from
nature and natures children. The poet
who portrays the passion, the sorrow,
the longing. well the joys and hap
piness of human life, is the one whose
memory lives in the hearts of the people,
and as long as the winding rivers seek
the sea and the fragrant flowers make
Mother Earth beautiful, and the wheel
ing planets circle The sun, so long will
mankind reverence the true poet.
The simple song of Home. Sweet
Home has thrilled the hearts of thou
sands and led many a prodigal TO re-
turn to the threshold so long forgotten,
yet he who wrote its tender lines never
knew what home was after his thir
tenth year and died far away from his
native land on the inhospitable shores
of the dark continent" John Howard
Payne's body is dust and his name al
most forgotten by the present genera
ton. but the poem lives and gathers new
beauty with the flight of time.
Robert Burns rendered his name i'm
mortal by the simple poems he dedicated
10 the common things and common
events of everyday life, and the poor
farmer boy of Ayr needs no other mon
ument than his Lines to a Daisy"
"Auld Lang Syne' or Highland Mary"
and this is Why in every poor cotter
hut in the Land of brown heath and
shaggy wood" a copy OF Burns may be
found lying near the family bible.
This is the charm which endears to
US Lonfellow, Whittier, and our own
"Hoosier laureate" James Whitcomb
Riley
Tennyson wrote much and well and
many of mis- poems rank higher than
Enoch Arden, but in the portrayal OF
human feeling and sorrow and self-ab-
negation this poem claims the attention
of all hearts.
The author begins the poem with a
beautiful description of Annie Lee,
Philip Ray, the miller's only son, and
Enoeh Arden, a rough sailors lad. In
which shall have Annie'S favor, but
when older grown Annie plighted her
troth TO Enoch, the fisher lad.
For a time after the marriage fortune
smiled on their union, but mishap
caused EnOeh to give up his means Of
making a living and when he resumed
it. another had taken his trade. AT
last discouraged and surrounded by
doubt and gloom, he resolved to ship as
a bOatswain, notwithstanding Annies re-
nonstrances. Before leaving he sold his
boat and provided Annie with goods sSld
stores. and set her forth in trade. Their
farewell is very pathetically described:
And Fnoch faced this morning of farewell
Prirhtlv and boldly. All his Annie's fears
Save, as his Annies were laughter TO
Yet Enoch. as a brave. God-fearing man,
Bowed himself down, and IN that mystery
Where God-in-man Is one with man-in-
PRAYED FOR a blessing on his wife and
Whatever SsSI9' came to him. and then he. said;
annie. this voyage. by the grace Of God.
VIII bring fair weather yet to all of us
Keep a clean hearth and clean FIRE for
For III be back. my girl. before you know
:.
But when the last Of those last moments
Annie my girl. cheer up. be comforted.
Look to the babes. and TIL l come again
Keep everything shipshape, for must go.
And have no fear for me; or IL you fear
Cast all your cares on God; that anchor
holds.
Is He not yonder in those utrermost
Parts OF the morning. II Ne 70 t me TI,.
The sea Is His He made it.N
Enoch rose. y
Cast his strong arms about his, droopins
wife
And kissed his wonder-stricken little ones
But for the third the sickly one, who slept
After a night Of feverous wakefulness,
When Annie would have reused him, Enoch
said.
Wake him not; let him sleep, how should
the child
Remember thisg' and kissed him fl his
cot
tiny curl and gave It; this he kept