New-York tribune., 1905-02-05
TOM MOORE.
n Pleasant Portrait By q Brother
Irishman.

THOMAS. MOORE By Stephen Gwynn- English
milan Company
Moore beats US all at a song" said Scott.
and it is as the singer Of softly flowing meas
ures that the amiable little Irish gentleman
has his right to remembrance That he was
master of cadence Mr.. Henley has declared. and
we are not disposed to quarrel with any appre-
citation of the rhythmical smoOthness and
sweetness of his verse. A few OF his songs
will. no doubt live forever but many Of them
to-day as uninviting TO the reader 10
the singer. Why? 1t is not only because the
Irish Melodies belong to forgotten fashion,
but because. whatever their Iimpidity of ca
dence. they often obvious. shallow and COM
monplace. Mr. Gwynn admits that while
Moore's words always clearly convey the definite
thought. they hardly ever convey anything more;
and may add that the definite thought is
frequently stale and mechanical as it Is SEN
timentaL We can hardly agree with the biog-
rapher in his sweeping statement that the poetry
OF Moore's lyrics lies very near to eloquence"-
it is only Of limited number that this may be
said with justice-but he is right enough when
he says that it 'is remote from that distinctive
quality of the highest poetic expression which
transcends rhetoric altogether" Remote. in
deed. for it Is quite without glamour. At it's
best it is the poetry of talent onIy-but OF a
genuine and Iovable talent
Moore's narrative poems his biographer is con-
tent to leave in the limbo where they belong
They are difficult to read nowadays His
sprightly satirical verse was too much a thing
of occasion to have much interest for later gen.
erations. But for a neat little song full OF liquid
music and surface feeling-here's "a health to
thee Tom Moorer' The astonishing social sue
cess which his songs and his singing for
him in London was like that Of a wandering
poet in fairy tale But newly out OF his teens
the OF the Dublin grocer snone merrily il
modestly in the great world IAN infectious
gayety. Joined to copious but never i'll natured
wit" says Mr.. Gwynn. made his company de-
sired by all; and his physical presence. though
not striking. was always agreeable"
Diminutive in size and plain Of feature he gained
play of expression centred In his y1vacious eyes
tpctive still in youth at least was his hair which
curled in long tendris over his head But the spe-
SS OF g greater a port IN y9Gth n oefSs ore bis bis
nens WHICH apDeaTs to have Been N soeb3 g bD
peculiar to himself He sang always 70 his own
Counts approached defamation rather than ortin-
ary song Moore is the only poet of modern times
the added charm of musical expression Poet first
were worth and he seems always to have counted
it a failure If there were no wet eyes among his
hearers
If We were to wholly trust Mr.. Gwynn's por-
traiture must believe Moore TO have been
a man almost without fault His warm loyalty
to his friends. his devotion to his family. the
independence and integrity which made him
rather punctiliOus in money matters and a re-
luctant borrower. all these are dwelt upon with
positive affection Moore probably played with
as much dignity might be the part of ths
fortuneleSS pet of society. II kept him con-
stantly in debt. even before the embezzIement
of his deputy in his Bermuda registrarship Ieft
him liable to Government for sum which %
him was crushing The blographer holds that
the life which made frugality almost impOssi-
BILE to the poet was necessary to him in his work
as satirist and writer of memoirs There is
truth in this view. for Moore had not that with
In him which blossoms in retirement He found
his account in the brilliant London life. and
for pure Joy he went back to the beautiful.
kind, not too wise child-wife in the rose hung
country cottage Perhaps he was not over