The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-10-16
THE MARVELLOUS MELODY
OF SWIDBOURNE'S VERSE
Thackeray Who Passes by Youth to Charm, Age
With His Wizard Spells. Plea Against
Easy Divorce.

SOlIle lIllrly-IOuf years Oh Ienny-
sons. | began to read the latter when
was some twenty or twenty-one
years old, but l never learned to love
him before 1870. and never to prefer
him to ali other modern poets save
shakespeare and Milton. until had
reached my fiftieth year. l never
loved Thackeray until l had passed
my fiftieth year. / remember to have
broken down when about fOrtY-One
in trying to read "Pendennis." AT
slxty-five it was SO charming / found
myself counting the pages when L
was nearing the last hundred. so
regretful l was of the approaching
end. And that fine novel is a very
long one. 1 read it four years ago.
and L could read it every two years
and be thankful. But the great mas
ter wrote two other novels greater
than "Pendennis.' / do not think
many men under forty ever become
genuine Thackerayans. There is but
one novelist like this master and it is
William Makepeace Thackeray. a
man who cannot love him is to be
pitied. | read "Newcomes" with great
pleasure some years ago. / tried it
recently, and it was less enthralling.
Perhaps il was my old age. PEt
have within two or three years read
with absorbing delight VANITY Var
and Henry ESmond" and possibly
YOU may be too young. or for the third
or fourth time too old to love the
greatest English novelist. l call
inasterful Sir Walter by his country he
so glOrified, a Scotsman. But to turn
10 Swinburne for a little while. He
is a writer of rich resources, of e.,
uuisite versification, of very rare orig
inality and power. There is as nnlcn
music of numbers in him as can be
in Tn oil Of ha
life nineteenth century. even eaualling
the great master in melody-Alfred
'rennyson. An admiral BILE article in
the London Times on him. full of
excellent points and felicitieS OF
touch said this of him recently: MI.
Swinburne has been called decadent
writer, but occasional perverSitieS are
no proof of decadence. The rapture
Of his poetry is common in the music
even of the greatest composers. In
deed, he expressed in poetry the very
moods. and almost produced the very
effects, of music, at time when poets
were becoming too timid or too much
burdened with thought to surrender
themselves to the pure delight OF
their art The dazzling novelty or MS
Sersification was only the expression
of a state of mind rare in our time.
While other poets were arguing them
selves in verse into conVlctlon tlal
life was glorious, he expressed me
glory of life in the very music anu
,vthn of his lines and in the very
words which uttered desire for
death"
One other capital saying must
copv from the critic: "He seems TO
break out into poetry as man start
ing for walk on the morning OF
fine Summers day may oaean , ,b
singing. He inspires the reader WIN
the glorious mood which sets him
singing
A man who has no ear for melo ~
of verse, and no love of true poetry III
his soul, need not to take 10 swirl
burne. He will miss his meaning ana
fail to catch his inspiration. me
Times is so correct, judicious in in
terpretation and mellow in d1cton,
beg to make one more citation Ills
own poetry has something or the
beauty of great waters that ne loF5S
so well. 1t is all fluid and unpounued;
swaying magnificently hlther ana
thither full of q power that uehSntS
i'm nothing SO much as lts own No
zion and beats wildly against the
,oost Dermanent beliefs and laws OF
man i'm a kind of harmless riot, Dredh
ing into new fantastic splendor as II
assaults them. Compared Win 1t ne
noetry of such men as Milton anu
Wordsworth has the stability OF tnlhSs
an structure. and fixed in form.
vrhe art of true criticism Stlll Iou--
;shas i'm England and each year
hrines out much rich. interpretatiVe
thought and even mellihuous Ehslisn;
that gladdens and stlrs. IL one "ou ~
give Swinburne fresh rea,sii',' a o
- constant reader of so richly endowed
~ artist who surprised the literary
world twenty-five and thirty year
900 with the splendor and music ol
mis- best poetry. and ne mas WI ie.C ~
scarcely any that is not reaoaple Gu
affiuent, he would find no lansuisli iln,
.nravishment no loss or rSthlll a
haauty end variations, no dlmlhutloil
"a mower of description. in sovereignty
20 axnression no loss of distinction DIS
on artist. He is no doubt consul.
mate master, with de1ectS anu I'M
totions of course, for even crltlcS a.
found who discover defective audir.ie III
in Shakespeare ana Mll.on 80 fbd
nvson. Some men Wouio idlhS!
- mote than discover hOnllooi.
md thew are never so happy as Wneil
.r.,ing TO deprive genius Oh
leaves in the laurel crown, anu "
diminish his great intellectual sldluI:
TT is not my purpose 10 essay
a;sno of Swinburne, but l WISH 10 EN-
,,hasi1e nv belief that he is not only
tha greatest living poet in the Woaio.
f,,,t that he has had no rival aite'
Tsnnyson in the inspiration. hlgh III,
aeimings. perfection of verse cndri IN
of form. metrical powers. Deduts
exnression, richness and felicity Oh oe
scription. 1 wish to give an eA'la na
or so from two able critics one ~
American and one Engllsn. =.
Stedman, in his volume OF exlrdo ti'
,,arv entertainment and attraclixs
less published some tWenty-eisiie
Years since, entitled 1.-The NlctoIIaii,
Poets" one of the most oelie I,.I
volumes in poetic criticism IN o,,e
English language. devotes aooq.
thirty-five pages to Mr.. Swlnpufe. !
~ exceedingly clever and penetratiiis'
and is altogether the best recognltloh
of the poets genius. his very re-
markable combination of gifts. tnat
can be found probably. although Wheh
written the great poet had not peer,
before the public fifteen years. L
aol1bt not that if Mr.. Stedman were
"a write now, he would not lessen
his impressions of Swinburne, white
he might point out some defects III
his subsequent productions He saws
that the poet with a single effort
gained the laurel crown. of which no
,,ublic envy. nor any lesser action or
mis- own, thenceforth could dispossess
him" He recognized his marvellous