The Aldine, Vol. 5, No. 1., January, 1872 - A Typographic Art Journal by Various
page 125 of 130 (96%)
page 125 of 130 (96%)
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moods than his merry ones. He is to be judged by both, and the
sum of both--if the critic is able to add it up--is the poet. As far as he is revealed in his book, that is, but no further. There is such a thing as Dramatic Poetry, as some critics are aware, and there is such a thing as Representative Poetry, as few critics are aware. The former deals with the passions, the latter with those shadowy and evanescent sensations which we call feelings. Mr. Winter is not a dramatic poet, but he is, in his own way, a representative poet. His poem "Lethe" represents one set of feelings; "The White Flag" another; and "Love's Queen" another. We like the last best. For, while we believe the others to be equally genuine, they do not impress us as being the best expression of his genius. What we feel most after finishing his volume, what seems to us most characteristic of his poetry, is loveliness--the tender loveliness that lingers in the mind after we have seen the sun-set of a quiet summer evening, or after we have heard music on a dreamy summer night. If this poetic melancholy be treason, the critics may make the most of it. Mr. Winter has nothing to fear. He has the authority of the greatest poets with which to defend himself, and confute the critics. _ART._ THE PRODIGAL SON, BY EDOUARD DUBUFE. The sublime lesson of forgiveness, inculcated by the story of |
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