Literature.

Literature .

EEVIEWS . First and Last : a Poem . Intended to Illustrate the Ways of God to Alan . Messrs . Longmans . 259 pp . A Spring Morning ' s Dream , with Somniloquence , and sTEipniviEN . By JOSEPH HAMBLETON . Messrs . Keut &

Co . 192 pp . Poem & . By M . S . HALL , Virtue & - 'Oo . 212 pp . The Mountain Prophet , the Mine , and , otlicr Poems . By JOHN HARRIS . Heylin & Co . 158 pp . The golden age of poetry has passed . Our authors who indulge in printing their compositions cannot be ranked , as a body , above the most ordinary rhymesters , and this is frequently marred by a total absence of rhythm or an acquaintance with the powers of ipoetical numbers .

First and Last is on a lofty : theme , and its . author seems to have imagined he has treated it with no small degree of success . This peeps out in . thegrandiose tone with which le dedicates the volume to his wife ; -but between the subject and its treatment there is a . grand falling off . His opening , however , is nothing more than poor , as may be judged from the first few lines : —

"My theme , the ways of God to . man . Bestow , Great Spirit , on thy suppliant , bending low , In deep humility , before thee , light To see his way through this obscure aright ; And oh I forgive if darkling he should stray From the true path , though seeking it alway . "

Any one attempting such a flight must place himself at a vast disadvantage , because Milton , in his Paradise Lost and Paradise Begamed , has , with such awe-inspiring and truly wonderful diction , penned " the inmost thoughts that hidden lie , " and made immortal music in his verse . That part of . First and Last , entitled the " Song of Adam and Eve , " has nothing in common with the blind bard of

the Commonwealth : it struts about in a ballad measure in she following jaunty style : — "In an ocean of light we are bathing , On the wings of the wind we fly ; The clouds are our throne , AVhere we sit alone , And rule over earth and sky .

"Oh ! the . bright gorgeous streaming around us , Of the many-hueil tints of day ; Ob ! tbe ravishing strain That send forth amain The spheres in their gladsome way . " So also the six following lines will show a hoiv great subject may be debased by twaddle . The scene of the annexed

is laid without the garden of Eden , and represents Eve addressing her first-born , Cain . It opens thus : — " Come , give me a kiss , Thou dear little bliss , AVhom the Lord in His mercy has sent me ; Come close to my breast , i Here , here is thy nest , :

Oh ! how thy sweet chirpings content me . " Such prattle , in such company and under such auspices , clearly indicates no very exalted notion ofthe subject , and a want of poetic grasp that should have made the author pause before rushing into print . A Slimmer Morning ' s Dream somewhat appalled us at first sight . Think , in this matter-of-fact age , of a poet

g iving us his title-page hi English , Hebrew , Greek , and Latin ! The author ventures , at his outset , to tell us he flatters himself "that he has succeeded in an attempt to trace from their source some of the wanderings of his own mind , and to mark their progress towards conviction ; " and while he modestly insinuates there is somo credit clue to Mm for having written " with a purpose , " lis disclaims all hope of "becoming fashionable and applauded as divine . " The chief portion of the book is devoted to a poom on the

subject of the trial of Socrates for teaching strange doctrine , and Mr . Hambleton treats it in the following spirit . The scene is supposed to take place at the fire-side of Anytus , his accuser : — " _ TOW Anutos , as darkness spread the sky on , Retired from business to his gunaikeion : There , with sweet interpose-of word and . lip , ihe

Told to his wife his thought . Unlike Xantippe , Fame by the growth of husband's patience earning , Or dames enrolled in books of proctors' learning , Oft to be cited in the Court Consistory , No name recorded in veracious history Kath left the wife of Anutos behind her : * Consult the wise king's proverbs , you wilbfind her True character set downand thus discover

, AAliy , as she loved her husband , he did lovelier . Slighting anachronism , for want of her name , A \ e call her ' mistress , ' with her husband ' s surname . Says Mrs . Anutos , I'm quite delighted ! I wonder , clearest , you so long have slighted The horrid things that ugly , bad , 6 ld . man . _ _ ays ! Oh , that it may be but a mother's fancies !

But much are my misgivings lest our darling Has caught that fellow ' s spirit ; not the snarling , Too sweet his temper is for that ; but questions Just like the silly and profane suggestions Of Socrates , our boy begins to ask me AVhen he comes in from school . I feel it task me To silence him , and let him know 'tis wicked To talk so . I could not think how he picked

Up the strange words he uses , till I watched-him , And , just as he had hid himself , I snatched him Prom a sly corner , where his funny vanity AVas hearkening to Socrates' profanity . ' Ah I now , ' said I , 'I see my pretty : roamer , AVhenee come the jests at what you learn : from Homer . ' 'Twould be my certain death , fond love I tell it thee , Should that dear child grow up to infidelity . "

The poem entitled Wide Awahe is a very good exemplar of its title in all but the opening portion , in which Mr . Hambleton takes occasion to tell those of his readers who may not be wide enough awake that he is the occupier of a cottage in the metropolitan borough of Marylebone—that parish

"AVhere once The Bourne in stream translucent flowed , And owned the grace that Mary's name bestowed , Hut now all-envious Destiny condemns The Bourne to join the sewers that poison Thames , As bloated Pride extends his hundred arms At call of men , whom sound of grandeur charms , Happy to have it said in ' Park' they dwell , That so no curious nose the shop may smell ,

V / hile lucre scraped at counters , grabbed at desks . Decks them as ' Gents , ' or bids address as ' Esqs . ;' There , slighting what he saw the world admired , Philologus a lowly cottage hired . "

¦ 'M . S . " is not a novice in print . The poems of ivhich the volume is mainly composed have appeared in various newspapers , periodicals , and magazines , and are here collected for the first time . They are , as may be supposed , of unequal merit , though there are none among them which can be pronounced bad . There is a certain power and grace about them , of ivhich the following is an average sample .- — "MARY MAGDALENE .

" 'Tis evening , breezes cool and calm Come through the portals from the palm ; And cedar trees supremely tall , AVhich grow without Jerusalem's wall . " In Simon's house the Saviour eats , Pigs , lentil cakes , permitted meats , AVhile through the open door come in Stragglers who seek heaven's truths to win ,

" Among them Mary Magdalene AVith silent countenance , and mien Something inclined , as if but prayer Ancl holy thought had motion there . "Down at the Saviour ' s feet she kneels ; His love hath broken guilt ' s dark seals . Softened a heart which joy andpain And worldly ills had touched in vain .