1788—1888.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 344, 20 February 1889, Page 6

1788—1888.

The limes have of late been propitious for colonial authors in London, but the issue of a third volume of Australian poetry, edited by Douglas B. W. Sladon, will surely Satiate the English reading public for some time to come with that particular kind of literary pabulum. While saying this, it is far from our intention to decry tho work of Mr Sladen, or to hint that this selection of Australian poetry is not excellent, varied and fresh. It scarcely in any way trenches upon the two previous volumes — " Australian Ballads and Rhymes" and "A Century of Australian Song " — because these were limited in their scope by the lact that the poems quoted were all. inspired by Australian life and fecenery, whereas in the book now under notice there is no such limitation, though the whole of the poems have, of course, have written in Australia or New Zealand. Extending to 656 pages, this ' volume contains a large quantity of poelry that deserves to live, quite independently of the extraneous circumstance that it i* ■'Australian," and has been produced during the first century ot settlement in these sunny southern lands. Tho histoiical valueofthiscollectionisenhancedbycarelnlly written memoirs of tho different authors. In this work the editor has been ably assisted by Mr A. Patchefct Martin, of Melbourne, who also contributes an intcre&ting paper "Concerning Australian Poets." Mr Sladen claims t6 be familiar with the works of mote than two hundred Austra- } lian poets, and this collection, embracing little over a hundred writers, professes to give the cream of poetical achievement in these colonies. The result is a moat original and entertaining book, which has been neatly got up and published bv Messrs Griffith Farran and Company of London and Sydney. in gauging the merits of individual authois 'v'r Sladen is perhaps a trifle too lavish in his praise ; but it is so lare to find this quality in a poet when estimating the work of his brethren that it may be pardoned as a failing that leans to virtue's sido. The following is what he has to say of New Zealand poets : — " The mention of New Zealand writers reealib the stir that New Zealand poetiy has made among English readers. That such an earthly Paradise — an Eden without a serpent, a laud combining ,the Aipmo glories of Switzerland and the lorest luxuriance of Brazil, a land whore the settlers have acquired an heroic element by a tight for existence against a native race superior even to tho red heroes of Mayne Reid in the arts of war, in courage and in physique — in a land that id another Britain, severod from its Continent by a fiercer channel a hundred times as wide, one might icasonably have expected strong poetic representation ; but when one reflects that New Zealand is in extent and population a single 'colony of Australasia, Phe has a right to be proud of being the poetic mother of such a body of writers as Alfred Domett (the author of one ot the great poems of a century in which Shelley and Keats, Byron and Scott, Wordsworth and Tennyson, have all flourished), and the younger singers, Thomas Bracken, typical colonist as well as manful poet; .1 us tin Aubrey (W. J. Steward); John Liddell Kelly, who seems to have inheritod the mantle of Domett in his brilliant handling of rhythm and metre, his eye for the picturesque in depicting the Maoris and Maoiiland. and" his truly poetic gift ol observation ; E. S. Hay, with his Shclleian gift of delicate and pathetic lyrics; 'Austral,' whose two poems in ' Australian Ballads and Rhymes' have been quoted and re quoted in England ; Mary Col borne Veel, with her witty, pithy and musical verse ; ' The Singing Shephei'd,' at present a writer of very uneven merit, but authoress of three veritable gems- ' To One in England,' 'Good Night, Good Rest,' and 'Adieu ;' Alexander Bathgate, a singularly finished writer ; and W. K. Wills, whose three volumes are replete with noble thoughts and wealth of expression." The list ot New Zealand poets represented in the book is as follows : — Alex. Bathgate, Thos. Bracken, Sir F. Napier Broome, Mrs Caswell, Alfred Domett, Dugald Ferguson, E. S. Hay, J. L. Kelly, Eleanor Elizabeth Montgomery, Richajdson Rae, Catherine Richardson, G. H. SupDle, W. J. Steward, Charles Umbers, Mary Colborne Veel, W. R. Wills, C. Wafckin?. and Mrs J. G. Wilson. That this list is far from embracing all the New Zealand poets worthy of mention is a fact that scarcely requires stating. To go no further than this immediate district, the omission of the name of the Rev. E. H. Gulliver and a sample of his thoughtful, vigorous and melodious poetry constitutes a serious blemish in a collection that aims at being representative. -There are many others whose merits entitle them to a place ; but as they are mostly in the same position as Mr Gulli-, ver of not having published their writings in collected form, the editor cannot be blamed for not having heard of them. Two well-known writers are thus referred to in the introduction :—": — " Readers have to deplore the loss of two capital poems, full of spirit and beauty, sent by Vincent Pyke, but mislaid while the editor was changing houses, and the absence from the 1 selection of John Blackman, a poet whose name is known all over New Zealand, and who contributed some fine poems which arrived after the book had gone to press." Of the 103 poets mentioned and quoted from in the volume, 18 belong to New Zealand, and though that is very good representation for a colony which was settled half a century later than most of the others in the group, they by no means convey an adequate idea of the diffusion of the poetic gift among our population. The time, indeed, appears to be ripe for the issue of a selection of the works of New Zealand poets, instead of their being merely er ran ted space among "Australian Poets." Tt is perhaps too early to expect an edition de hixe, illustrated by' New Zealand artists, but that not on account of any lack- t of ability to produce by native talent a volume equal to the masterpieces of Europe,' but simply for want of a sufficient circle of readers to make the venture remunerative. Some of our artists' have already done excellent work in the way, of illustrating scenes from " Ranolf and 'Amohia." As soon as there is a sufficient demand for poetical literature we havo'no doubt a largo volume of first-class ' New Zealand poetry will be issued. '

" You must have said something awfully funny to Mies Snyder ovor in the corner, because I heard her laughing- so." " ( I didn't think it funny, ",retorted Bones ; " J asked her to 'marry mo." , - , . A distinguished diplomatist from ■ ;the ' United States of America, a, very genial and sociable being, soon aftor arrival »in LonJon made the round of the sights- - Madame Tussaud's , among the niimber. ' And what do, you think of,,our exhibition? ?' s asked a friend. '^Woll,' re' : plied the general, 'it struck, me ]ap 'being very much like an ordinary English evening party,' I