Volume I Part 23 (2/2)
'Yet, even near the Ennius and Napoleon, our American men look worthy to be perpetuated in marble or bronze, if it were only for their air of cal Aies, heRoman wrinkles tell of, but he must feel that he could not live an idle life, and should nerve hi
'The busts of Everett and Allston, though adenius of a different order froives the man as he is at the moment, but does not show the possibilities of his existence
Even thus seen, the head of Mr Everett brings back all the age of Pericles, so refined and classic is its beauty The two busts of Mr Webster, by Clevenger and Powers, are the difference between prose,--healthy and energetic prose, indeed, but still prose,--and poetry Clevenger's is such as we see Mr Webster on any public occasion, when his genius is not called forth No child could fail to recognize it in a her reat le calmness of conscious power
'A marble copy of the beautiful Diana, not so spirited as the Athenaeuht the difference was one of size This work lance; yet does not tire one after survey It has the freshness of the woods, and oflithe limbs, and that column of a throat The Diana is a woraceful, peremptory air, are e like in our own sex: the Venus is for h; always her sleep seeraceful, always more wonderful the drapery
A little Psyche, by a pupil of Bartolini, pleases us much thus far The forlorn sweetness hich she sits there, crouched down like a bruised butterfly, and the languid tenacity of her le, by Thorwaldsen, are still as fine as on first acquaintance Thorwaldsen seerandest and siht, a freedon, we do not see elsewhere
'A spaniel, by Gott, shows great talent, and knowledge of the animal The head is adness'
I aave her, to insert here a little poearet by one of her friends, on the beautiful iallery of 1840, called ”The Dreaentle brow and tender cheek, Dreams in a place so silent, that no bird, No rustle of the leaves his slu froreet The beauteous One, and play upon his feet
”On a low bank, beneath the thick shade thrown, Soft gleaolden pluel's horew, And over all the shadow its sweet beauty threw
”Dreams he of life? O, then a noble ht, In richest robes all radiantly arrayed, To be his ladye and his dear delight
Ah no! the distance shoinding strealeam
”Cold is the air, and cold thethere, Meagre and old; O, what have they to do With joyous visions of a youth so fair?
He h life hedistance pass away; Why in the twilight art thou slu there?
Wake, and coreat and fair
Canst thou not frolory, Pure, lofty, lowly?--such should be thy story
”But no! thou lovest the deep-eyed Past, And thy heart clings to sweet reer last, And fill thyfantasies
But know, dear One, the world is rich to-day, And the unceasing God gives glory forth alway”
I have said she was never weary of studying Michel Angelo and Raphael; and here are somea clear expression of her feeling toward each of these masters, after she had becons, as far as prints could carry her:--
'On seeing such works as these of Michel Angelo, we feel the need of a genius scarcely inferior to his ohich should invent sos, and relieve us from the titanic oppression
'”Greatness,” ”ht we attached their properBut noe repent that they ever passed our lips Created anew by the genius of this ive him a word of response worthy his sublime profession of faith
Could we not at least have reserved ”Godlike” for hior of creation, the instant swiftness hich thought can pass to deed; never till now appreciate the passage, ”Let there be light, and there was light,” which, be grateful, Michel! was clothed in human word before thee
'One feels so repelled and hu from Raphael to his conteht hate the prophet Samuel Raphael took us to his very boso with s me none ever was preferred”
'This man waves his serpent wand over olden calf!
'I could not bear M De Quincy for intiel Michel could be jealous; yet I can easily see that hehis divine conte