POETRY.—The Duff Family Album. (Longmana.)—The authors of this volume "venture,"
they say, on publication, not because they think their verses good, but in the hope that their book will be regarded in DOMO respects "as a curiosity." They are, they tell us, natives of India, and beseech the indulgence of the British public "as foreigners, educated out of England." We do not precisely understand what this means, for the name sounds English enough ; but we have no hesitation in saying that the volume is a remarkable one to have been produced, what- ever the nationality of the authors, under such circumstances. It contains five or six thousand excellent English verses, poetical in language, and skilfully put together, never betraying, except, perhaps, hero and there by a somewhat unusual emphasis, any peculiarity of authorship. It would have been bettor, perhaps, if some of the ability and industry expended in all these verses had been concentrated on a more sustained effort ; it is wearisome, to tell the truth, to road more than two hundred pages of occasional poems. Nor, indeed, do our authors ever quite reach the finish of expression which the occasional poem wants, if it is to please. Still, viewed merely as a sot of literary exercises, the poems in the " Album " are such as any English gentleman of the best educa- tion, poetically inclined, but not altogether a poet, might be very well satisfied with writing. Here is a very fair effort at a very difficult thing, a good sonnet :—
" AT THIRTY-FIVE.
"As visions sweet of old familiar trees, Of English downs with sheepcotes sprinkled o'er, Of toddling children by the school-house door, Greet the lone whaler on Canadian seas, What time, his cruise complete, the freshening breeze Veers round his wave-worn bark for Albyn's shore, And, though the surf chides loud off Labrador, Awaken tender hopee, keen sympathies, Even so sweet dreams of friends in raiment white My spirit greet, though anxious fears chide near, Dreams of great mansions warm with love and light, Of golden harps and palms and waters clear, Of angel heads bent meekly down to pray: Life's ship has veered! I sail for home to-day!"
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