The Termination of the Sixteenth Canto of Lord Byron's Don
Juan. By Harry W. Welton. (Trnbner and Co.).—It is an old remark that poets always write good prose ; if the converse holds good, Mr. Welton cannot write poetry. The whole publication, however, as well as its bombastic and conceited preface, may be readily forgiven to so very young a man as he says he is. We will merely point out that a poem must be in some metre and in English. " Prejudicial " does not mean full of prejudice (p. 13), nor is " dissertation " an equivalent for delec- tation. The metre of "Don Juan" is of course a line of ten syllables, with frequently an extra short syllable at the end. Mr. Welten's ear does not save him from such lines as the following
"Round a stiff tumbler of strong water."
"Although it sink In Lathe's wave without one friendly greet, Still I must own to publish is sweet."
"Forgetting all—fame, honour, station."
"A ray upon the darkness whioh lies."
But the instances in which a foot or a syllable is wanting to the verse are too numerous to be cited though the composition does not exceed 1,700 lines. Sometimes even grammar is wanting, as in the concluding couplet—
"I've donned the motley mantle of a poet,
To prove that I can write, the world to know it." liVe beg to congratulate Mr. Welton that it is not his lot "on his .rhymings to depend kw bread."
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