New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-01-05


With fourteen Illustrations. octave, PIP l61
London and New-York: Macmillan CO.
Mr. Alfred Austin has been a prolific writer.
and Of verse alone there are some eight or ten
volumes to be put to his credit. 1t is not In the
bulk Of this work that ale gives the conclusive
measure of his powers, The peculiar virtues OF
his poetic creed are set forth in the smaller pieces
which. all together, would probably make rot
more than two books Of moderate dimensions. He
has dscoursed Of many high-erected thoughts and
things; he has retold the tragedy of Savonarola's
life and death; he has brought upon the scene in
1.-The Tower of Babel personages from the
twenty-third century before Christ; but. In the
long run. his scope is concisely illustrated by
stanza interjected with others In the pastiche Of
prose and verse called "In Veronica's Garden"
Were poet" he therein declares.
would not sing of sceptred Kings.
The Tyrant and his thrall.
But every day pathetir things
That happen to us all;
The love that lasts through JOY, through grlel
The faith that never wanes,
And every wdEg bird and leaf
That gladdens English lanes
In substance and in form this gives the material
for an appraisal Of Mr.. Austin as a poet The
lines exactly represent his prevailing mood and
his most characteristic accomplishments. We
say accomplishments for in his recent elevation
to the official headship of English poetry this
graceful writer reminds us forciby of distinc-
ton which the exceptional character OF some of
his predecessors does not invalidate. Dryden,
Wordsworth Tennyson--these three were greater
than the office that tney held, and cannot be
measured by its standards But Mr.. Austin en-
forces the broad distinction between the poet and
the poet laureate-that one Is born ana the other
made
Mr. Austin has made himself poet, such as he
Is He had some poetic enthusiasm to begin with,
and that has helped him greatly. Even in prose
writing a little poetic ardoi goes great way
But there has been divination in his dealings
with the themes to which he alludes so pleas
antly In the verse that We nave quoted; and, save
that there is littl, indication of classical and
scholarly experience in his work. 1t fuliils to a
letter the requirements Of that sort of production
which we call the poetry of culture to distinguish
1t from the poetry of inspiration. Where Mr.
Austin has saved himself from the sterility Of a
mere craftsman has been in his possession OF
some feeling. if not of enough to make an emo
tional burden the essential thing in every one Of
his compositions He has polished by practice
his modest gifts Of expression. and. having made
them flexible and obedent to his Will. he has
given play to gently meditative and equally
suave epicursan impulses. 10 which we owe
number Of entertaining ari not ill-turned lyrics
lie is an ardent lover of old gardens, old flowers
dainty rural scenes. understanding alleys with
hedges blooming furously on either hand ana
he rhymes of these things with fuency and with
a little hint Of melody when the pleasure OF II all
has touched him 10 the re. He may not touch
his reader in the same way but he does not bore
him. indeed he is so far from doing this that it
is unfair to rank him with me entirely mediocre
versifers Of the day Mr.. Austin may be Of COM
he fpo
his great forerunner. but he is not altogether I'M
worthy Of the man whose art he emulates with
- much
Tennyson himself not more in accord with
what might be called ,he conservative element
In English life and landscape There is sobri-
ety about some English fields and meadows. as
there is In most English social life; and this sub
ytantial element in the history OF his race,
which Tennyson showed on It's heroic side iden-
tifying 1t with steadfastness and loftiness OF
SOUL Mr. Austin treats with commendable appre-
citation OF it, more material ingredients, its
homely and sentimental charm Does he make
everyday verses out Of his everyday pathetic
things"? Not precisely that, but there is no
occasion to prepare for reading OF his volumes
as Ella thought one should prepare ones self on
sitting down 10 Milton. The new laureate Is far
enough away from the stateliness Of Dryden. the
son. On the other hand, the familiarity in his
verse Is not OF the sort that breeds contempt
He is a little poet but poet Of reasonably good
taste 1t is true that he has no great sky pierre
ing heights Of romance. and Urania. the foil TO
the central figure Of his "Fortunatus the Pessi-
mist" is not a very w!tching creature: but he
has portrayed her healthy and even noble char
acter with refinement ard has balanced with
appreca ton Of things gracious and OF good re-
port his sympathetic, almos. loving delineation
of the somewhat bilious FOrtunatus. This Crania,
this woman who scorns unwholesome things with
calm but infexible demeanor, is the type of Mr..
Austins muse, and. like the latter. she Is at
once commonplace and charming. Urania 1t is
who observes
How late in June
Flutes that contiguous nightingale, 80 soon
To flute no more.
contiguous nightingale makes one shudder.
But elsewhere Urania's speech is full Of fine feel
ing full OF JOY in the beauty Of flowers and the
serenity Of hidden rural l'fe She may be for
given her sometimes frightful lapses OF dcton
for the sake of the atmosphere in which she
stan3s
The rhetorical banality 20 which alusion has
Just been made might seem to deprive Mr. Austin
OF that attribute of good taste on which we have
laid stress hut he is really unhurt to any serious
extent by his occasional nfecites Of style He
has not we repeat, poetic divinaton. and he Is
powerless therefore, TO discard unerringly. as TO
seize with equal swlftness and sureness the cpl
tibet that is above all others demanded or pro-
hibited by the poetic situation. Yet In so far as
careful writing will give him grace Of language
he keeps himself free from severe criticism.
Take, for example the following quotation from
the poem called us Life Worth Living:
Is life worth living? Yes. 50 long
AS spring revves the year,
And halls us with the cuckoos song,
To show that she Is here: