New-York tribune., 1902-01-19

ry
,.rER POEMS By Alice Meynen, Emo. pp. 81.
John Lane
- TsF,r-I.T IDYLL AND OTHER POEMS. Bv
- g. Constant LJunsbery. l2mo, PIP. viii 79 John
Lane
BA.RS 2 gov Emo BY 5p oSa's xii s 'i685s Ioagmahs slx
Green s. Co.
NJ Hardy's relation 10 poetry is peculiar 1t
g not. strictly speaking, that Of a poet Yet it
I'D not be said OF the compositions in his
oos7,s Of the Past and the Present" as it
.o,l5 be sad Of 80 many which are published in
.be name OF poetry. that they might just as well
n.ya been written IN prose. II seems rather as
!. the author Of the Wessex novels frequently
.7- the rressure Of thoughts and emotions for
~ liberation of which. in words, the art of
e.,ion as. he has come TO understand it provides
= s54-uate resource. so he turns TO verse,
or5 in rare moments, the muse gives him a
1+51, welcome allowing the shadow of her
~ 10 fit across his work; but generally she
-f,ses the needed inspiration, and, good the
--,-k may then be- Il is still not poetry. 1t is
-f-irg in which there are grave and beautiful
.,orrhts: in which there is imagination; in
urfcb there IS poignant feeling for human
nature but ir which there is no melody nor any
felicity Of d.etior or Of form.
Tbsre is tr ms book the sad and pessmistic
-o,a which has been heard all through the au-
.bor.s novels and especially in those Of his later
Years one salient sign OF his inadequacy as a
-oar is the absence Of that element of seeruke
,+eion and 5aeE compassion which does 50 much
- burnanize the tragic implications OF the
novels Craurel within the limits Of verse Mt
Hardy appears 10 have neither the inclination
NOR the skill 20 set his motive in broad per-
s-ectfva We get his melancholy. his resigna-
---- Of for nd or
nbroso1hy: with tao little light to balance the
rio-rre A great WEAKNESS OF the spirit COM
-,rrf7a-es q KIND II numbness. q kind Of inertia
n his lines. and some Of his best pieces remain
crrfousIv depressing. and even unIovely. The
beaviness II the thought. since il has the stamp
# ut-er sincerity. r-.ght be regarded with SYM
ratbv # L d.G rot happen 10 have eXerte4
Iaasar influence upon The form. What disap-
nor-s in this book is the rarity Of anything
Ike true lyric feeling and movement Yet it
would be absurd e deny the interest Of verses
Ike The following.
BIS IMMORTALITY.
saw . dead mans finer part
SHINING within +act faithful heart
n hose he~eft TIM said I: This must b
His i--la -ralty-
looked there as the seasons wore,
And sril MS soul CONTINUOUSLY upbore
lis life n theirs. But less its shine eXcelled
Than when ! first beheli-
His fellow -yearsrn=n passed. and then
In later hearts I looked for him ag-In;
And found hnl-sh-uuk. alas into a thin
And spectral n-anlA-n.
Lastly ask-now old and chill
II augh1 Of him remain Inperished still;
And find in ne alone q feeble spark,
Dying amid The dark.
It is significant that the war poems with
which this collection opens have none Of the
vigorous qualities which are Inalienably asso-
ciated with such productions Naturally, We
would not expect, or want from Mr.. Hardy the
mere jingle which goes with so much latter day
martial" verse But we expect fire; We expect
passion and We get instead, strange broodings
which have dignity and feeling, but never quite
the feeling that qUiC kens line into poetry. Mr..
Hardy draws nearer 10 the goal, indeed, when
he has a less uouentous theme, as in the piece
from which We take these fragments:
70 LIZBIE BROWNE.
Dear Iizbie Browne.
Where you now
In sun. in RAIN
or is your brow
Past JOY, past pain,
Dear LiZbie Browne
And Lizbie Browne,
Who else had hair
Bay-red as yours,
Or flesh so fair
Bred out Of doors.
Sweet LiZbie Browne?
When. I.izfie Browne.