Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1901-12-31

"From Fair Hawaiiland. Poems by
p. Maurice Mcmahon, Honolulu, T. II.
San Francisco. CAL: The Stanley|Tay'
lor Company, 1901"
A short local news item appearing
about the advent of a book OF such
pretentious size and mechanical con.
struction as the above entitled volume
Is cannot do justice to the author one
way or the other.
In the first place, as to the exter.
nails. A plainly bound book In russell
cloth boards, with IFS pages Of beau
tiful Typography, 1t is found to be sub.
divided into FIVE departments, VIZ:
Hawaiian Poems, California Poems.
Love and Sentiment, Miscellaneous
Poems, Religious Poems. With head
and side running titles of black letter
text the pages are enhanced In at.
Effectiveness. It Is volume. then.
externally attractive, a fact that places
upon the soul contents the burden OF
proof OF being worthy OF such comeiy
embodiment.
The present writer comes to the ex.
animation Of the literary merits Of the
work with the prejudgment that Mr.
Mcmahon can write poetry. this from
an acquaintance with some OF his fu.
gitive contributions to the press Of the
Hawaiian Islands. A glance through
the book IL rewarded with several con.
firmations Of this opinion. WHICH q
more thorough search would probably
increase In number. Let 1t serve the
present purpose to point out few Of
the discovered merits and dement's.
The opening poem In the first de-
partment, entitled Hawaii" Is meas
urably true In its imagery, but for q
best foot forward" its technical con-
struction might have been the better
OF more polishing. streaming from
those silvery orbs above In the first
stanza does not scan well, and there
are other lines almost equally faulty.
The last stanza is the best:
Land of sparkling seas and golden
sunlight.
Land of luscious fruits and fra.
grant flowers,
Where lissome-limbed and black.
eyed dusky maidens
Beguile with song and dance tho
slumbrous hours.
Fain would ! revel In your vernal
beauty,
Mid sights and sounds l worship
and adore,
Dreaming Of peace and love and
things Of gladness
TIL life on earth for me shall be
no more!"
In singing the charms of q young
maiden. In q poem on Hawaiian
Wild Flower" the syntax Is certainly
awry In this half Of stanza:
Her manner Is courteous, gracious
and queenly,
Her voice, like the nightingale's
thrills with delight
| AS he sings to the stars that arc
smiling serenely,
Whilst sleeps the still earth on
the bosom of night"
ITO pretty hapa.Laole" (page 1O)
| Is a neat satire. but 1t would apply tc
vain coquette of any country. "Thc
Sassy Little Hawaiian Girl" is a. tell
ing sketch OF real life, yet, as in Other
| like cases, II cannot be appreciated
by one ignorant of all Hawaiian
| phrases. A glossary or at least foot
| hVtNb haNt tuls utlttt
which spells a rafting good love sone
further on. aloha, Kun Aloha, Alo
ha."
There is lively description in "The
Sea- written on leaving Honolulu, but
one or two lines would stand remodel
ing with advantage. The waves are
represented as grown .usky with
loud shouting" and four lines ahead
the "loud.shouting waves" are leap
ing and playing, while little farther
along the reckless waves" nave Q
weird. witching song" All this II
working the shout too hard. besides
being trihe inconsistent. The pres
ent writer thinks he has settled Il In
experience that the wind and not the
wave is the shouter at sea. There IL
faulty construction. again. In thest
lines:
"Yet the mind tires at length of tbs
lethargic ease,
And the charms that once ravishet
no longer they please.
And II turns to the life that is bound
ing and free,
To the winds and the spray of tn,
deep, singing sea-"
There Is the doubling of the subjec
by the Intervention of the pronoul
they" and the third last line SHOULD
begin with For" both for sense ant
euphony. II is parenthetical claus,
and not an extension OF the predicate
"The Leaving of the Lepers" Il
read In vain to find any rational mo
| tive for its DroductiOn much Less Duh
lioation. II IL not poetic, but pro