Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1901-06-20
HELEN HAYS POEM
THE ROSE or DAWN WINS RE.
NoWN FOR BRIDE.
TALE OF ATRAoIc WooINo
Lines Abound in Imagery, Metaphor
and Flights of Fancy-Author
Uses Expression for Which Lord
Byron Was Criticised.


Uses Expression for Which Lord
Byron Was Criticised.
Advance sheets of Miss Helen Hays
latest poem, The Rose of Dawn, have
been received. The poem undoubtedly
will win for the young daughter of the
secretary of state much renown.
The story is of a maiden OF the
south seas and her strange and tragic
wooing. Many of the climaxes are
wrought IT. a style which shows great
and developing strength. Like all
Miss lays work, this poem abounds
in Imagery and metaphor. There is
h1rdly blemish in the work, and the
only regret is that in one of the finer
passages the poet has appropriated
one of Bryon's boldest figures of
speech
For in the dark the music of her
face
Smote on the boy till he could
bear no more.
The use of this metaphor subjected
Byron to severe criticism and the ap-
preparation of the idiom by Miss Hay
is unfortunate
The story abounds in vigorous flights
of fancy and the first scene is a
spirited description Of a tribal fishing
party, where the chiefs and braves of
the Fills go to take the great bonita
one of the strongest sea fish.
In this passage the tragic hero is
introduced:
With folded arms he gravely watched
the rest,
And gave them salutation haughtily.
Uhila was he called, and in his veins
There ran as tender stream of north
ern blood
He bore upon his old dld indolent
heart,
Scared with the sins of war, white
device
Taxa, daughter of chiefs and Fits
pride,
Lily of maidens was betrothed to
DESTROYS eyes HINGED him with envy's
crown.
And then the bathing of the tropical
maidens, when
One with daring skill
Curved her sweet length to lie within
the palm
OF strong wave, and so was brought
to shore.
When the labor of the day began
the poet abandons for moment the
rhythmic blank verse to tell how
With little songs they pearled the
air
Hush, it is Taxa singing,
Far away.
In fountain dwelt a maiden;
When the silver moon was high
She was glad, but heavy laden
Was she when its light must die
Far away.
Far away.
Came stranger brave to love her,
Loved her when the moon was
high;
When the moon grew pale above
Love grew pale and like to die.
Far away.
Far away.
From the fountains mist he drew
her
Happy while the moon was
high;
Waning, fed she. her pursuer
Held her back and saw her die.
Far away.
Another maiden signs of Little
brown streams, slim as my fingers,
running and laughing while the light
fingers; have you no dreams, little
brown streams?"
While Uhila is making preparations
for his marriage to Taxa, and the
maidens are singing, a youthful chief
Malua, comes from a distant isle and
with passionate courtship conquers
the heart of the betrothed maiden.
No word was said.
She knew not that she loved, he only
knew
She was the moon of women; but
their hearts,
Wiser than they, had Powered into
one.
Uhila, The Lightenings s., return
and his discovery that his betrothed
loves the handsome young stranger
: and that his life has been injured
since the dawning and before the noon
is splendidly told, and with strength
and masterful sweep of language and
idea.
Quickly then the tragedy organizes
Itself. Night comes on and the young
lover wanders in ecstacy through the
scenes where he had loved during the
day. Uhila chooses his moment tc
murder. "Malua knew curse was in
the hands that sought his throat" In
the Homeric contest Of the two lovers
= the boy is thrown, but selling a stone
kills his antagonist. Malua seeks
the maiden, informs her that their love
has been fraught with blood, and th'
girls struggle, the utter remorse anC