CURRENT LITERATURE.
By Severn Sea, and other Poems. By T. Herbert Warren. (.T. Murray. Is. ad.)—Some six months ago we noticed at length the privately printed volume which contained Mr. Warren's beautiful and scholarly verses. It is with no ordinary pleasure that we now welcome their appearance in a form accessible to the
general public. The volume before us contains besides several new lyrical poems, a dedication to the Queen. Of these verses we will only say that Mr. Warren had a most difficult task to perform, and has performed it with success. Dedications to Royal per- sonages are always difficult, and when addressed to such a Sovereign as the Queen they are almost impossible. It is unavoid- able, too, to compare them with Tennyson's exquisite dedications. Nevertheless, as we have said, Mr. Warren has achieved success. The poem has real feeling, and yet is not the least unotuous or affected. We will not touch again upon the poems we marked for special comment so short a time ago, but will note here the charm of the delightful little poem in the "In Memoriam" metre called "Bristol and Clifton." All who know the most picturesque of provincial cities, seated by that deep sylvan ravine through which the tides ebb and flow, and bring the great ocean-going ships under grey precipices of limestone rock, will delight in this little poem. It calls up before one with singular force and fascination that medley of ships' masts, chiming bells, and old grey towers which is Bristol. Among the new poems in the present volume is a sonnet on Collins, which is so full of scholarship and poetry that we must quote it entire :—
" Nightingale poet, all too delicate For the world's noon ; shy student, with the fair Vision of ancient Hellas and the rare
Magic of her lost lyres impassionate; Thou for a while of freedom, love, and fate.
Nature. and man's regret, didst trill thine air, Thy bosom to the thorn, but tiould'st not bear Of raptured frenzy the e'erteeming freight: Yet for thy suffering large reward was given, In weakness to forerun eorrival strength And catch the music of the coming days, From thy mad cell to hear the voice of Heaven After earth's Babel, and on earth at length
Pure laurels and thy brethren's nicest praise."
If we must use one word to describe Mr. Warren's verse it is scholarly, yet we will not use it without a protest against the ignorance of those who think that scholarly carries with it the notion of something pedantic. True scholarship and pedantry have nothing to do with each other. By scholarly we mean all that is wide-minded and benign in literature,—all that is full of taste and of discretion.
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