New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-12-23
RECENT POETRY.
THE BOOKS OF ENGLISH AND AMERICAN
WRITER'S.

Since il Is the prerogative OF poetry TO remain
ever fresh and young. there are collections OF 1t
that group themselves spontaneously with the
newest books. matter how far back Their
earliest date-mark goes Pauline was written
In 1888. and "Asolando" dates from 1889. yet the
nine handscm. volumes liz which the Macmillans
have just republished THE Poetica Works Of
Robert Browning" are wei, met on the threshold
of the years poetic harvest. 1t is through just
such pages these that it is s,imula ling to pass
10 the recent works of newer writer's. pages that
get the heart in tune II not the ear 1t is good
to return % their sunshine. to the eternally
Youthful buoyancy that underlies their deeply
pondered truths One feels that great deal Of
the force In the poets who come crowdng to the
front at this time was drawn. consciously or I'M
consciously. from Brownngs regal affuence.
That regal We should. perhaps withdraw. for
he was A prime. of the Hood who grew to ma
turty without quite v'ndica ting his right to
crown or throne. But the conviction enforced by
the volumes is that In the realm Of poetry. at
time when sovereigns few or failing. he
would make an admin able regent. The white
light Of dvnely ordained and diviney imperious
verse is modified In him by concessions to inter
nal weaknesses: but great brilliancy is left.
That much he could never lose. and that much
makes the rereading Of his volumes long de-
PEELED to refuse is almost forgotten. His sympa-
thy. his dramatic instinct. his surgng energy
and exhaustless color. how they enchant. and
move you while they charm. His rhythmic nara
tlves. with metaphysics writ between the
lines seize at once. like Ecclesiastes the
BOOK Of job. the mind and the emotions. Where
the heart lies. let the brain lie also" he says in
his lone Word More" and In this line Of the
dedication to his wife may be read the gist ot
Rrowning's poetic evangel The distinction. how
ever. between him and the sacred seers with
whom he has just been mentioned Is such as
serves to elucidate the peculiar character Of his
genius He. like them $50 like them that they
sometimes seem his closest parallels in poetic
literature) gives us in place of lyric rapture the
sorority of high impassioncd chant. too mediia-
tive. TOO cumbrous amid the confused lines of
IT'S tentative construction. to align Itself with the
beauty Of pure song. This absence OF mere
felicity in phrase and music seems more curious
than ever as counts in his volumes his end
less debts to the inspiration of the South. Why
did Italy falter in her bounty to him? He has
her passion her pictdresqueness. her complexity
Of motive. From her he gets the vividness which
makes his fanced flights in any land fruitful
Of such images as YOU get. say. in the second Of
the Men and Women canoes in the Spanish
lero Of How 1t Strikes a Contemporary. Why
did not Italy give him also the subtle tender
ness the delicate glow the murmurng harmon
les. which she has within her gift? For all his
loving dalliance with Italian themes, for all his
godsmith's sense in the moulding 81 legend
into verse he never throws over it the glamour
Of poetry's melting mood IF You sought an
ancestor for him in the peninsula il would not
be the delicately Epcurean Petrarch: it would
not be the Bembo whom he loved. bookish. curious,
a dille;tantc TO the core. Ii would he rather the
shrewd and humanizng Boccacc.o or even. If
the parallel he discreetly followed. the warm
blooded PuIc himself Browning has the rlc!
ness found In these two men. II Is because 1t
Is 50 rich in him and at the same time infused
with the snewy English healthfuness OF his
mind that the lack of more gracious elements is
overlooked.
The immense variety Of the Italian inspiration
is aDprehended again on turning to an American
poe; who loved it well Browning went instinct
lively TO the vigorous. throbbing heart and rich
red blood Of his Italy. The late T. W. Parsons
drew even further away than he from the purely
lyric vein in the South. He had sympathy, no
doubt. for
The days
When Tuscan airs inspired more tender lays.
and In the volume Of Poems" (Houghton. Miflin
a.
octave all his work aside from his translation OF
the "Divina Commedia' he has verses, like those
TO Lowell in Venice. which recall the blithe spell
which Italian thoughts could lay upon him. Yet
even in these is a hint OF the austerty which Is
proclaimed in every line Of his greatest poem,
ION a Bust of Dante" The noble gravity which
broods over that fine achievement belonged to DR..
Parsons at all times 1t tempers the vivacty in
his lighter lyrics. takes from them something OF
the lit which you feel they possessed ere he gave
them expression in words. Heard melodies are
sweet. but those unheard are sweeter still. and
one Of the principal attractions of DR.. Parsons $
poetry is that he has intimations Of music. under
currents. that, with an indefnable loneliness, win
sympathy for lines OF no obvious lyricism. Here
and there a quite inert poem lies. and our only
regret in connection with this book is that it could
not have spared them. that the friendly hand
which placed the Dante poem where it belonged.
on the very first page did not perform similarly
wise Office for The Intellectual Republic" the
opening addresses for the Boston Theatre and the
Players Club and few other productions, and
Danish them altogether. Then would there have
been left truly impressive volume Of that kind
OF poetry which is In its essence equable placid
and finished. poetry which is strong not only
in the elevation OF it's matter. but In the even
clarity Of its measures. It's author wakes the
Imagination by the touch Of fine emotions gravey
conceived: he is stately, mature, dignifed; the
sum total OF the impression he leaves is OF SYM
patty and power breathed on by deep-hidden
instinct Of poetry and held in check by a rare
Ideal OF symmetry. ION Bust Of Dante" alone
goes ringing into the chambers Of memory but
much else OF his is lodged there quietly and sure
IT, The Strengthening influence OF Dante and
Italy is felt throughout the book In spite OF the
presence Of poems which could have been written
nowhere save in New-England.
Or. Parsons brought an Italian spirit 10 ms
native environment. Mr.. Aldrich carries New
England gifts up and down through the world
ka1al, al