time ago, has been published, and forms a very handsome volume. We have
before referred to the diversified character of the poems thus collated,
in fact several of them have appeared in our columns; suffice it now to
say that the general topics selected are of a pleasing character, simple
rather than striking, yet effectively thought out in excellent
composition. As its name denotes, it is chiefly the mirror of home
attributes, and thoughts, and feelings, and what is more calculated to
engross the attention of a thoughtful mind than such irresistible
appeals, all the more attractive from their natural bearing and
ingenious meaning! To the lover of poetical thought the volume will be
welcome, while the general reader will find much that cannot fail to
interest.
* * * * *
From the _Worcestershire Chronicle_, Sept. 9th, 1876.
The above is an appropriate title for a volume of poems in which events
occurring within the domestic circle are largely, but by no means
exclusively, dealt with by the authoress, who explains, in a modest and
brief preface, that the poems are published chiefly for "dear children,
relatives, and valued friends." To many of these, no doubt, most of the
effusions contained in this volume will have a personal interest,
especially as the verses are written with much feeling and natural
truth, which will be sure to elicit sympathy. But there are other poems
which will interest the general reader, especially if he or she has
travelled much, as the authoress has jotted down in verse her thoughts
upon many of the numerous places she has visited. Amongst these is
Malvern, with which town and the hills Mrs. Battersby seems particularly
pleased, if not quite enthusiastic. There is "A Welcome to Malvern,"
after years of absence, which clearly demonstrates this; then the
delightful prospect from the "Beacon" is discoursed upon; and, later on
appear a few verses on "St. Ann's Well," followed by "Farewell to
Malvern," in which, after references to the pleasant locality, the Abbey
Church, and the Promenade Gardens, there occurs the following verse:
And then, 'tis the home of a man of rare fame,
Rare talents, rare worth, Dr. G----y, by name,
Whose wonderful skill and refinement combined
Administers (_sic_) balm to the body and mind.
This, we apprehend, was written and published prior to the disclosures
in the Bravo case, in which Dr. G----y cut such a very sorry figure.
* * * * *
From the _Western Daily Mercury_, August 24th, 1876.
We are pleased to find that a second edition of Mrs. Battersby's poems
has been called for; they really contain some very excellent verse, the
offspring of a mind far superior to that of the ordinary rhymester. We
have always had a good deal of sympathy for the Moon and the Sea,
because they are generally the first victims of every "poet's" misguided
pen; it was, therefore, an intense relief to find that Mrs. Battersby's
lyrics on these subjects are quite readable; indeed, the lines to the
Sea are exceedingly pretty and full of original ideas. The volume
contains a few weak pieces, which might have been omitted with
advantage. Of these is a "Farewell to Malvern," from which we extract
the following verse, as being somewhat interesting at the present time:--
And then, 'tis the home of a man of rare fame,
Rare talents, rare worth, Dr. G----y by name,
Whose wonderful skill and refinement combined
Administers balm to the body and mind.
Mrs. Battersby says she prints this book for her relatives and friends,
and of the latter we are sure it will make a great number.
* * * * *
From the _East Sussex News_, September 1st, 1876.
HOME LYRICS, by H. S. Battersby, is a small but neat volume of
miscellaneous poems, published by Messrs. Ward, Lock and Tyler, Warwick
House, Paternoster Row. The authoress states that the poems have been
written at various times and under various circumstances, and several of
them have already appeared separately in the columns of journals as
occasional contributions. The versification is good and the true spirit
of poetry runs through the volume. Mrs. Battersby's descriptions of
scenery in Canada as well as in this country are very pleasing, and the
language employed is evidently that of a devout Christian. These HOME
LYRICS should find their way to many hearths and hearts.
* * * * *
From the _Hampshire Advertiser_, August 26th, 1876.
This is a pretty volume of poems, written, as the preface informs us,
at various times and under different circumstances. They also vary in
merit, but the same kindly sentiment runs through the whole, and they
will be welcome at many a fireside on account of the sympathy they
manifest with home life. In the descriptions of scenery a warm
admiration is manifested for the beauties of nature, but the chief
attraction of these LYRICS lies in the interest they impart to the
ordinary incidents of life.
* * * * *
From the _Broad Arrow_, August 26th, 1876.
There is a homely look about friend Hannah's photographic frontispiece
which bids us look beyond the title page. Anything that appeals to
_home_ sympathies must ever find a welcome from the soldier and
sailor, too often thought to be the light and airy citizen of the world,
but ever in his inmost heart yearning, amidst duty and glory, for
_home_. Our poetess shadows out a great and grand home sentiment in
the lines--
"O vast, mysterious, solemn sea,
Great reflex of the Deity;
Safe in the hollow of His hand
Doth all thy waste of waters stand."
Indian Indra and Teutonic Thurmor alike bow in acknowledgment of the
truth of this conception.
* * * * *
Extract from the _Tunbridge Wells Gazette_, 7th July, 1876.
Under this title has been published a volume of original poems. We can
testify to the depth of feeling and mature thought, together with the
telling language brought to bear in working out many of those homely
scenes upon which the heart delights to dwell, as well as others of a
miscellaneous character.
* * * * *
Extract from _Pioneer_, Allahabad, 9th June, 1877.
HOME LYRICS.--_London: Ward, Lock, and Tyler, Warwick House,
Paternoster Row_.--
It is not surprising that this handsomely got-up book of poetry, gilt
edged, and printed on toned paper, should have passed into a second
edition. It would be difficult to find a work more adapted for a
"present" than Mrs. Battersby's HOME LYRICS; for, while far removed from
those hateful goody-goody collections of "poetry," which perplex and
distress the unfortunate reader, her verses are tinged with a deep,
religious earnestness which may find an echo in any well balanced mind.
This very earnestness, in fact, is the most noticeable point in the
whole of the detached pieces which go to make up the volume. Apart from
the mechanism of the verses, which might readily be made to work more
smoothly, there is found a rare amount of originality in the pieces and
an enthusiastic admiration for Nature and Nature's wonders which finds
expression in various outbursts, more or less poetical. Whether singing
of the "proud hills of Malvern" or inditing blank verse in face of the
Horse Shoe Falls at Niagara, the author is equally at home, inasmuch as
she is always under the influence of a keen appreciation of the
sublimity and beauty of natural objects. The following "Hymn to Nature"
will give an exact idea of the merits and defects of her style:--
"Dear Nature, how I love thee,
In all thy varied forms,
Through which the God of beauty
Thy loveliness adorns.
Pure fount of gushing gladness,
From spring of heavenly birth,
Whose living Waters flow for
The children of the earth.
"Crowned by soft, beauteous moonbeams
Of holy, silver light,
Types of that ancient pillar
That led the hosts by night--
Kissed by fond golden sunbeams
Of love-streams from on high,
Well may thy glad song ever
Fill the wide earth and sky."
To those who can enjoy the quiet and peaceful side of life with only an
occasional glimpse of its stern realities, these LYRICS will be very
acceptable.
* * * * *