New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-06-16

- ,or ric,oriaI exnression in his timber lines,
and though Longfellow hmset couid ho' ai'o-
gether Danish an artificial tone from MS ihoa"
poem the present adapter or MS form IL "ot
unworthy Of him in certain Diehuhs Vi
his slngsong with the spirit OF MS poei"' II
IS n combination of rhythmic souhd WIFI
,.ao,a natural susurrus which can be made
extraordinarily fascinating as hohsle"o"
nrovad and over which Mr.. Bellies also has
n moderate mastery. For some such authority
the late Sidney Lanier was perretually striving,
and IN the little volume Of select Poems
Charles Scrlbner's Sons). which Mr.. Morgan Cal
,ayav has edited with many notes an introduc-
tim and a bibliography 1t is interesting TO anal
we that gifted Southerner's efforts Certainly ne
came very near his goal and won the onoTato-
noca Of which he was so excessively fond II Is
impossible to read the Song OF the Chattaho0-
chez" without responding to It's nuld impetus
sunrise" has a flavor of nature IN IL. but II Is
curious to see how Laners Inspiration was SUD
dued t. the stuff Of his analytical nina, now the
feeling in which his sensitive being was drencnel,
yas im,edeJ in its flow by the very impulse that
souybt IN achieve suavity Of utterance Mr.. Cal
laxav has much enthusiasm for his author. and
has done well to make this book, though IL must
he added that he shows small tact in his cita-
lions from I.anicr's fund Of poetic dction. 1t
would be hard 10 ma passages Hioi' Hi""P''f''
than those Mr.. Galloway chooses for the elucda-
ton and adornment of his Introductory essays
But the truth is that Laner is never fairly esti-
mated In fragments: he produced few poems that
in themselves stand firm. His diction was quaint
when il tried to be original and poetic That for
which he is admirable is broad feeling for nat
IRE and musical tendency. not musical hnish,
in the total effect Of his work
Ianlcr fails To rouse deep emotion because the
sources If his inspiration were partly intellectu-
AL partly Of the spirit and he had not the faculty
for preserving perfect balance between the two
A somewhat similar phenomenon Is presenter py
Mr. Lionel Johnson. whose Poems 'copelahd
& pa,, deserved a worthier setting than has been
bestowed upon them in the present thin octave
with wide margins uncut edges and title page in
approved tca-tabe style. Mr. Johnsons are not
tea-tablc poems and If ne Is ''precious' now ana
then as becomes a lover Of Walter Pater. he is
also much more frequently an arduous disciple Of
Matthew Arnold. cmuatng his repose ana ms
elevation Of feeling But the austerity II Arnold
becomes coldncss in Mr.. Johnson. and while he is
like his master on intimate terms with Plato. l.u-
cretius and other ''high-crcctcd names" there IL
a little too much Cultur. In his converse with
them In other words. Mr.. Johnson commands
sincere respect for the aspiration of his mus'
for her conicmplailvc turn OF mind for her pur"
even ascctic and mystical temper, but he has yet
t. learn that crudtion will never serve to FURNISH
forth a poet 1t feeds his genius. but does not
color IT, and sense If labor nobly offered. but
labor nevertheless. remains In every page OF THIS
promising book W. Say promising. for IL is not
unlikely that Mr. Johnson might touch the lmag
nation were he to shake of the trammels Of tn"
library and give his ideals broader breathing
space Mr. Louis James Block stands In need ~
the same advice. The New World "i J. Put
mans sons is an ambitious book. and Mr.. BLOCK
has concentrated In II a great deal of thought a
great deal ~ enthusiasm for Goethe Dante. the
discovery u America. and similarly eXaltlnS
themes He has ilcality. and 1t Is to be surmsod
that were his verse In keeping with his aim It
would Doe huildcd IN stately lines. But Mr.. Block
is too deliberate too intellectually m"ditave. and
in this book he leaves a mild impression giving no
Flip t. the emotions and not touching the senses
either through his Imagery or phrases. His rhct-
orlc IL norid but poor. And still Mr.. Block has.
with Mr. Johnson "A virtue which IL worth much
at this stag. u affairs. he is not trivial he Is not
affected he has not that air II insuncrahe bump
rnusncss which makes much current rhyming
"A plague - busy readers Better too much book
i-h thinking than no thinking AT all better the
friyiilfv 4 too much culture than the speci'us
relaNings u such work "A Mr.. stephen Crane.
flr instance In The Black Riders ana Other
Lines copeland & DAy). book In which hystcri-
cni sentences cut up into assorted lengths pretend
I Z, challenge attention They do catch the eye for
a moment. and then. In their vapdy fantastic
rcstlcssness they pass into oblivion. II would Doe
amusing to know from wnat influence they sprang.
n indeed they have any origin save Mr.. Cranes
own 'smar,ncss'
In q general way they might hc afcribed t. THAT
| movement from which We get the book mentioned
al the outset II these remarks. the volume ~
Poems" ,Sionc a KimbalD. by Paul Ncrlaine.
This curious dccadent has had some lyric mo-
mcnts some fugitive passage II a graceful In
SEPARATION. But vcrlaincs charm is at the best
one Il verbal npance Of picture squc thought sus-
pended in midnight on some happy accent or
/ phrase and nowhere in Miss Gertrude Halls
| translation does this minor magic make Itself
+ felt. on the contrary. We get In their prosaic
/ shallDwnoss his rebellion against consecutive
thought his inability - simulate feeling with art
! enough To- deceive. The tone Is thin fllsetto
] the substance Of the verse Is inconsequental and
/ barren. \ mood with Nerlanc. in his own tongue
sometimes communicates itself agrecably To the
reader. but Anglcizcd, his appeal IL vain. ana
We can ind nothing to say In praise Of Miss
! Halls Industrious and conscientious toll. Her
time was more prontaly spent when she inditei
the gay rhymes Of "Acgretto" NIOberts BrosD a
book of gentle foong which Is at any rate calcu-
lated to raise a kindly smile. and IL original into
| the bargain The Nerainc book Is supcruous
rcvlving nothing but unpleasant memories Of the
Torment of morbid. affected and artificial posing
which began emulation Of the Frenchman's
audacity and ends In the noisy self-sunicicncy n
Mr. stephen Crane. The publishers might better
/ have put their luxurious paper and type To an
other use Mechanical vantics d. nothing TO
save vanitlcs Of writing. as witness the exquisite
| pamphlet In which Mr. Bliss Carman has pub
lishcd ~ Seamark: \ ThrenOdy for Robert Louis
/ Stevenson copeland & Day.. Fine paper still
leaves this "A ifclcss clcgy pompous. strained In
| dictlon and-wth all due respect for the authors
loyalty-a most unnecessary tribute To "A man