THE “NOSPUR POEMS, SONGS, AND SONNETS.”

Kumara Times, Issue 2386, 22 April 1884, Page 2

THE “NOSPUR POEMS, SONGS, AND SONNETS.”

A REVIEW. The “ Noapur Poems, Songs and Sonnets ” is the title under which Mr Robert R. Jackson has compiled a little volume of his own favorite poetic effusions. Some of these have at various times appeared, by the wish of the author, in this journal, and some have not, for the reason that we considered them not up to an ordinary standard of merit, of too personal a character, or so utterly devoid of metre or rhythm, or both, as to be unsuitable for publication. Mr Jackson essayed to compete for a prize ot £IOO offered on the “Sydney Exhibition.” Whether he ever forwarded his production, we did not hear; but it is in his collection now, and, as a fair sample of this prize poem, we give the first part:— The welcome is but homely we can give To prince or peasant of the greater Powers Who may in kindness risk the tameless wave To condescend and view our Exhibition. But such as lay in limit of our power In gratitude we shall bestow In firmer strain to sister colonists Who may us honor by their presence. We can, without the least impudence, speak, Knowing well our too defective parts, they must In justice lenient with us deal; For thou we look upon as more than friend— Row, in concluding these few feeble lines, We do give hearty welcome and due thanks To all kind ones who assist to launch Our little barque on Art’s resplendent sea. Hie book is professedly dedicated to A. R. Guinness, Esq., but the “Poems” open with lines to some “Village Beauty ” with whom the author appears to be enraptured, and there are several others specially devoted to some particular “ Queen of Beauty.” Notwithstanding this, in his effusion “ Behind the Scenes ” the writer is very coarse in his remarks on the engagement and duties of barmaids and their employers. And this tale winds up with one of the worst-constructed grammatical sentences to be found in his book, as follows : And who for all shall we blame '? Not those who bears a women’s name, But masters they, and only they, Who live but by infamy. Oh ! speed the hour thou God above, For Christianity and love ; When publican sounds a horrid name, When handsome girls yet may claim, In life some truer nobler aim, Then serving with heart, hand, and breath, The cup that leads to ruin and death. The “ Lines on a Virgin ” are passable, but two blunders in the spelling in the fourth verse, which we suppose the printer has failed to rectify, spoil the rest. It reads— Her taper’d fingers, slender waist, Swan-like neck, and snowy breeast, Would well become a noble crest And cornet too. Mary thy sails unfurl in haste, -he L in view.

Fancyfa Virgin voluntarily hastening to “ gaol ” with a “ cornet ” on her neck or breast! But the book is full of grammatical errors and bad punctuation. We must last of all take exception to Mr Jackson’s view of man being the most “ imperfect ” or “ incomplete ” of the great Creator’s works, as described in the last verses of his book, simply because he has to work for his living. Statistics show that the hardest and most regular workers live the longest, particularly those who have “Through life to dig, and plough, and till.” What appears to be the best original composition is the second in the book, which contains altogether 52, occupying 62 pages. This is on the “ Power of Gold.” Notwithstanding all we have said, Mr Jackson must be credited with having some of the poetic genius’s power; and although much of it is lost in the lack of ability to produce it with effect, many readers will not fail to see some good and useful precepts which a few lines of real poetry can generally convey to the mind more forcibly than many books.