With the fire of the spirit-the frenzy of wine! And nought from the cup-bearer's knowledge concealed. No night ever clouds me, eternally day I revel in brightness-cold prudence hath vanished, To thee, sovereign of rapture, his soul, and his mind! We are particularly pleased by the generality of these poems. They are all good, but some possess all the magic of the most musicial versifications, and are very beautiful and original. The author has not succeeded equally well in his romances; his imitations of the old Spanish romances have many faults, and contain besides, some very tedious digressions, neither is 'El buen Conde,' properly translated, by good Count.' Buen here means noble. We hope, however, this poet will fulfil the promise which he makes in his Epilogue to Friends;' but in the mean time, we cannot possibly agree with him in the opinion which he expresses, that poetry is only valuable when it disposes the mind to piety; this idea, beautiful and sublime as it may appear, is in reality, partial, and circumscribed; according to this doctrine, all the glowing and magnificent poetry of India and Persia, possesses no true poetical value (at best only historical value); and a pious spiritual song of the 19th century, must exceed in merit all the productions of Homer, and Sophocles! to what mistaken judgments such ideas may lead us, we have lately in Pustkuchen's opinions of Goethe, been furnished with a most lamentable proof. The poems of H. Heine, are distinguished by a more forceful energy; the outbreakings of the fire, and vehemence of a youthful and vigorous spirit, struggling to give vent to its feelings, in that strong yet natural mode of expression which is at present so much to the popular taste. Vigorous as his genius undoubtedly is, it can bend gracefully to the trammels of the sonnet, without losing any of the originality of its own manner. His favourite subject is the infidelity of his mistress, over which he pours the most stormy complaints, and recurs to it in all possible modes and shapes. The Images of Sleep,' the amatory songs, and the romances have all the same idea. The volume contains many pathetic and impassioned poems, more particularly the 'Bridal Night,' and the Church-yard,' the style of which, however, is a little too exuberant. The Images of Sleep,' have a dark northern colouring; the romances have much originality both in form and invention. In some few of the livelier, satire and wit are very happily blended, the best is the humourous song of the 'Ducats.' Of the sonnets, the following, we give entire as a specimen of the ease, with which the author trifles with this kind of writing : THE DRAGON ROCK. Stormed was the castle in the midnight hour, When, as to Germany we drank around, Lo! on the ruins stood a spectre pale And armed shades, thin plumed heads round him vail And women shaped of mist, swept by our ranks and frowned. And loud the north storm howled and furious came, Annexed are some translations from Lord Byron's works. The first scene of Manfred is so beautifully rendered that we earnestly hope he will finish the whole poem in the same splendid manner. POETRY FROM WOODSTOCK. BY THE AUTHOR OF WAVERLEY. into Just as we were closing up our pages; we were favoured with a peep the Author of Waverley's New Novel; from which we extract the following verses: AN HOUR WITH THEE. I. An Hour with Thee! when earliest day Oh what can frame my mind to bear The toil and turmoil cark and care, New griefs, which coming hours unfold, An Hour with Thee. II. One Hour with Thee! when burning June Waves his Red Flag at pitch of noon : And more than cane or sheltering bough, III. One Hour with Thee! when the sun is set, Oh, what can teach me to forget; The hopes, the wishes flung away; The increasing wants, and lessening gains, GLEE FOR KING CHARLES. Bring the bowl which you boast, And avaunt ye base carles! Were there death in the cup Here's a health to King Charles ! Though he wanders through danger, Estranged from his own; Though 'tis under our breath Amidst forfeits and perils, Here's to honour and faith, And a health to King Charles! Let such honours abound As the time can afford; The knee in the ground, And the hand on the sword; But the time shall come round When mid Lords, Dukes, and Earls, The loud trumpet shall sound Here's a health to King Charles! CHIT-CHAT: LITERARY AND MISCELLANEOUS. Among other literary curiosities destroyed by fire in the Basilican library at Constantinople, was a manuscript of the Iliad and Odyssey, written in letters of gold, upon a serpent's gut, 120 feet in length. A splendidly illustrated Pennant was sold a fortnight ago at Evans's, for nearly 250%.; where, at the same time, a copy of Daniel's Rural Sports, with additional engravings, produced 51 guineas. A Translation of Tasso's Jerusalem delivered, in the Swedish language, has recently appeared at Stockholm, from the pen of Count Skoldebrand. A new weekly publication, called The Star Chamber, began on the 12th of last month. A posthumous work of Rousseau, entitled 'Thoughts of an Honest Mind, and Sentiments of a Virtuous Heart,' has just been published in Paris. The Life of Mrs. Siddons, by Boaden, is nearly ready for the press. The author is said to be in possession of some curious and authentic records, relating to Mrs. Siddons' early professional life. The Messrs. Burfords are painting a panoramic view of the city of Madrid, of the same size as that of Edinburgh. It will certainly be a very splendid picture. That Eternal Poem, Klopstock's Messiah,' consisting of twenty books of German hexameters, has lately been done into English blank verse, by a friend of Mrs. Joanna Baillie's. In the memoirs of Mr. J. Chamberlain, a Baptist missionary in India, just published, we find the following entry :-December 7th: O! we know not what a day may bring forth! Yesterday morning my dear wife was poorly, and by eight o'clock in the evening she presented me with a daughter!' The government of Brazil has given orders for the establishment of Botanic Gardens in all parts of its dominions, for the cultivation of the Tea-plant; for which it is offering considerable premiums. A single proprietor is said to be already in possession of more than 4,000 plants in a state fit for use. It has been lately proposed in the Leipzig Musical Gazette, to employ platina for the strings of instruments, instead of copper, steel, or brass. The recommendation is founded on the opinion that platina is more elastic and extensible than any other metal hitherto employed for the manufacture of strings; and, therefore, it is expected that the strings formed of it will give a fuller sound, and have the advantage of keeping free from rust. The main subject of the forthcoming novel of Woodstock' is now no secret. It is the escape of Charles II. after the battle of Worcester, and the book takes its name from the circumstance of the King being concealed for a time in the old royal hunting seat, where Henry II. embowered fair Rosamond, and the site of which Blenheim House now occupies. We understand that the Merry Fugitive, in his numberless disguises, constitutes one of the author's very happiest portraitures, and that he is contrasted in the most effective manner with Old Noll, who at this period keeps his state in Windsor Castle, Forced, though it grieves his soul, to reign alone. The last number of the Quarterly Review is admitted on all hands to be one of the very best that has been published for many years. The leading article on Pepys' memoirs, is, we understand, the production of Sir Walter Scott, and is every way worthy of his genius. The horrid Popish blasphemies exposed in the paper entitled The Apocalypse of the Sister Nativitè, cannot fail of carrying conviction to the minds of all who read it. The castigation of the Pseudo-Philanthropists in the remarks on West Indian Slavery, will also do infinite good. This paper speaks the sentiments of four-fifths of the British people. Independently of the very interesting acccount of the late discoveries in Africa, and a capital article on the Poor Laws, there is a dose for Master Tommy Moore, the biographer of Sheridan, which, if he can digest, he must have a stronger stomach than we have hitherto given him credit for. whole, this number of the Quarterly is a promising specimen of what may be expected under the new Regime. Setting aside literary power, there is more common sense argument in it than has ever before been crammed into any single volume of the same work. On the The British Gallery is about to open with a splendid exhibition of the whole of the Carlton House Paintings. This is only one of the numerous evidences of his Majesty's disposition to patronise the Fine Arts. Several of the chefs d'œuvres of modern artists, will be found in this collection. Horace Smith has an ode on the death of the Exeter 'Change Elephant, in the last New Monthly, with the following admirable, and appropriate epigraph from Lord Byron: 'Tis Greece-but living Greece no more. This is the very 'curiosa felicitas' of quotation. The Rev. Mr. Irving being busily engaged in examining a Bust at a sale, Mr. Squib, the auctioneer, observed, That the reverend gentleman would probably become the purchaser, having an eminent cast in his eye.' It is not correct as reported in some of the weekly and daily journals, that L. E. L. is on the eve of publishing a new poem. Neither is it true that she has sustained any loss by the misfortunes of her publishers. A Poem of great merit, entitled The Sabbath Morning,' has recently issued from the press. It is replete with beautiful imagery, elegant versification, and sound morality, and is attributed to the pen of a gentleman better known as a dramatic than a religious poet. A Pamphlet has just been published having for its object the identification of Junius with Burke. But the case is nothing like so strong as that which was published a few months ago, referring the authorship of these celebrated libels to Lord George Sackville. Indeed Dr. Parr's proofs, as it regards Lloyd, are much more convincing. Burke was certainly not Junius. The Literary and Political Life of Sir Philip Francis, who, during more than half a century, attracted so much public attention, is likely to be soon given to the world by one who was well acquainted with his genius and talents. The longdisputed question relating to the author of Junius's Letters will, it is said, be finally decided, when this biography shall appear. Report mentions Mr. Dubois as the author. Master George Noakes (no relation to Tom Styles) has been making a great noise in London during the last month by his amazing powers of calculation. His arithmetical talent is said greatly to exceed that of young Bidder, the calculating boy,' and Zarah Colburn. The stories told of him in the daily prints are perfectly astonishing, we had almost said incredible. The late excellent Lindley Murray has expressed, in a written document as well as verbally, his very earnest desire and urgent request, that after his dicease none of his letters should be published. He has, however, given leave for the publication of some recollections of his life. This indeed is the age of Reminiscences. Mr. Martin, the painter, has long been engaged upon a work peculiarly well suited to his powers, and of vast dimensions. The subject is the death Sardanapalus; the picture is eighteen feet wide and fourteen feet high, and, it is said, will contain above a million of figures; however, it should be observed, that a large portion of them are not much more than mere dots. Sir Walter Scott's works have been published in Paris, in 8vo. and 12mo., in English; there are two translations in French, an 8vo. edition, and two editions in 12mo. Yet, with all these editions, comprising at least ten thousand copies, the public curiosity is yet unsated; and M. Charles Gosselin, the publisher of the best translation of Sir Walter's works in 8vo. and 12mo., has now in the press an edition in royal 12mo., with plates. M. G. intends this to be the most beautiful edition of Sir Walter Scott published in either kingdom. Five curés at Ghent, in their different parish churches, lately preached violently on the same Sunday against the editor of a Ghent newspaper by name, and the next morning his printers came to him, and said that they would no longer work for such an impious wretch. How would the editors of our London newspapers, morning and evening, like this kind of persecution? A gentleman of Gloucester has tried an experiment upon his trees, which is very likely to succeed, and deserves to be known. Previous to their budding out, the wood was washed over with linseed oil, applied with a common painting brush.This appears to have rendered them completely impervious to frost, and they seem likely to bear an abundance of fruit. |