Its feathers darker than a thousand fears?
Is not this something like “blacker than a dozen and a half of
chimney-sweeps and a stack of black cats,” and are not the whole of
these illustrative observations of yours somewhat upon the plan of that
of the witness who described a certain article stolen as being of the
size and shape of a bit of chalk? What do you _mean_ by them we say?
And here notwithstanding our earnest wish to satisfy the author of
Wakondah, it is indispensable that we bring our notice of the poem to a
close. We feel grieved that our observations have been so much at
random:—but at random, after all, is it alone possible to convey either
the letter or the spirit of that, which, a mere jumble of incongruous
nonsense, has neither beginning, middle, nor end. We should be delighted
to proceed—but how? to applaud—but what? Surely not this trumpery
declamation, this maudlin sentiment, this metaphor run-mad, this
twaddling verbiage, this halting and doggerel rhythm, this
unintelligible rant and cant! “Slid, if these be your passados and
montantes, we’ll have none of them.” Mr. Mathews, you have clearly
mistaken your vocation, and your effusion as little deserves the title
of _poem_, (oh sacred name!) as did the rocks of the royal forest of
Fontainebleau that of “_mes déserts_” bestowed upon them by Francis the
First. In bidding you adieu we commend to your careful consideration the
remark of M. Timon “_que le Ministre de l’Instruction Publique doit
lui-même savoir parler Français_.”
* * * * *
[Illustration: SPRING FASHIONS. 1842 IN ADVANCE.]
* * * * *
Transcriber’s Notes:
Table of Contents has been added for reader convenience. Archaic
spellings and hyphenation have been retained. Obvious punctuation and
typesetting errors have been corrected without note. Other errors have
been corrected as noted below.
A cover has been created for this ebook and is placed in the public
domain.
page 97, joyous laugh, Miss Heyward resumed ==> joyous laugh, Mrs. Heyward
resumed
[End of _Graham’s Magazine, Vol. XX, No. 2, February 1842_, George R.
Graham, Editor]