The times., 1899-07-09
Books of Verse.


Is a book of fragmentary verses, little
uncertain in tone, and plainly betraying
the fact that the author is a native of New
England and very fond of Italy. 1t is evi-
IDENTIFY the work of woman who loves
beauty and is full of appreciation for the
music OF nature and of rhythm and some
OF the poems are fine in conception and
execution. One of the daintiest is Mem
ory":
watched the almond blossoms blow
Ana whiten the warm earth below;
Even so,' | said ''they used to fall
The still, white blossoms of the snow
In my first, earliest home of all;
And ], child, would watch them fall
In my New England, long ago.
watched the petals of the snow
Whiten New England's breast; "And so.'
! said, I've seen my almond trees
Snow down their blossoms when the breeze
Blew soft, as breezes used to blow
In that sweet season long ago
In the dear land of Shutdown Seas
dweller in a distant star
Watching new worlds fade and arise
Down the long vista OF the skies
Shall l still yearn, with eyes afar,
And mists OF memories in those eyes
In my old earthly paradise,
Where all my lost beloveds are,
Even so | watched earth's frefies."
The insistent personal note in these
verses is to be found all through the book,
and they are a fair example of the au-
thor's style. Boston: Small, Maynard
G Co. s1.50.)
IAN Ode to Girlhood, and Other POEMS"
is the work of Alice Archer Sewall, who
has become widely known through her
verses in current magazines. AS one may
infer from the title, the first poem is an
attempt to express in metre the intangible,
ineffable charm of a young girl-the thing
which the French call ''beaute du diable"
The poem is full of originality and power,
but perhaps the best work in the book is
Youth" which has been widely copied.
1t begins with the lines:
/ am the spirit that denies.
Yes, and with full-regarding eyes
Comprehending the facts OF earth's sorrow and
shame,
And denying the truth Of it, Just the came.
Though this poem has some minor de-
fects, 1t has a human quality and deep
truth which bring it very near to great
ness. (New York: Harper & Bros. s1.25)
A book which deserves some attention,
if only for the originality of its concep-
ton, is THE War for the Union," by Kin
ahan CORVALLIS. 1t includes zlso THE
Song of America and Columbus" and is
described as "a poetical panorama 1t
is in reality rhymed history of the Unit
ed States, and though not much can be
said for the poetry of it great deal can
be said about the enterprise of the author
If there were time to say it. (New York:
Office of the wall Street Daily Invesu-
gator" No. A Broadway
within the Hedge" by Martha Gilbert
Dickinson, proves that a writer of deep
feeling and great skill in the making of
verses can come very near genius and yet
miss II by a hairs breadth. These poems
are possessed of a beauty of their own in
phrasing and thought, but they do not
move one; they are too esoteric in senti-
ment for real greatness, and in more than
one there is something that jars. The first
quality of poet is breadth of feeling; and
poetry written within the hedge" must
be somehow lacking in essential beauty.
New York: Doubleday & Mcclure Compa-
ny. $1,000
From Me to You," by Lillian Gertrude
Shuman, is book which is rather unfor-
tunate in its title. Here and there are po-
ems worthy of note, but the great fault
of the work is its crudeness. Boston:
Lee & Shepard. S1.25)
Poems of American Patriotism" is
collection of poems by various authors, on
patriotic subjects, selected by r. L. Paget.
AS an anthology of American verse it is
very good (Boston: L. C. Page & Coz