ENGLISH AND ITALIAN POETRY. Not that our English clime, how sharp soe'er, As earth is kiss'd by the sweet moon at night;- THE NILE. It flows through old hush'd Egypt and its sands, Keeping along it their eternal stands, Caves, pillars, pyramids, the shepherd bands That roam'd through the young world, the glory extreme The laughing queen that caught the world's great hands. And the void weighs on us; and then we wake, THOUGHTS OF THE AVON. (SEPT. 28, 1817.) It is the loveliest day that we have had And why must I be thinking of the pride In leafy fields, rural, and self-possest, Having, on one side, Hampstead for my looks, It is not that I envy Autumn there, Nor the sweet river, though my fields have none; No; but it is that on this very day, Mothers and daughters, wives and sisters wore, MARIAN,-who makes my heart and very rhymes run o'e IN the character of this talented youth, who was just shown to the world and instantly removed, we perceive a beautiful combination of great poetic talent, accomplished scholarship, and an amiable disposition, all sustained and directed by the highest and purest principles of religion. Henry Kirke White was born at Nottingham, on the 21st of March, 1785. As his father was a butcher in humble circumstances, it was intended that young Henry should carry the basket, and serve the meat at the houses of the customers: but for such an office the boy's disposition was totally unfitted, and, at the instance of his mother, he was sent to school, where he received a classical education. It is a curious fact that, notwithstanding that wonderful precocity of genius of which he afterwards supplied the world with satisfactory proofs, he was supposed by his teachers to be a very dull boy, and was treated accordingly. This instance only adds one proof to the many, of the rash judgments which may be formed by the superintendants of education, and the facility with which youthful genius may be unwittingly stifled or destroyed. His spirit was roused by the insult, and he revenged himself by writing such lampoons upon his teachers as sufficed to show how egregiously they had been mistaken. The dates of several of his poems show, that even at the early age of eleven he had commenced the writing of poetry, and that his improvement both in versification and sentiment was truly wonderful. When he was fourteen years old, he was put by his friends to a loom, with the view of making him a stocking-weaver; but soon becoming tired of such an unintellectual occupation, he was articled to an attorney of his native town. But something more congenial than law was necessary for his refined taste and lively imagination, and amidst the dry and laborious duties of the office, his love of literature was so great, that he acquired a knowledge of the Greek, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian languages. Although the views of Henry Kirke White in studying law had been directed to the bar, a defect in his hearing, to which he was subject, obliged him to relinquish this intention. Still his thirst for learning continued unabated, and he was encouraged to publish a collection of his poems, with the view of raising a sufficient sum from the profits to enter one of the Universities. A small volume appeared accordingly; but this unfortunate work the Monthly Review attacked with such unmeasured censure, that the young author was almost reduced to despair. He had looked forward to the college as his home of happiness, and one blast seemed to have shipwrecked his hopes for ever. He had not written, however, in vain for effective patrons, who were able to judge of his merits, came forward, at a time when his despondency was at its height, and through their aid he was enabled to repair to the University of Cambridge, and devote himself to his beloved pursuits. In the case of young White, a double obligation now existed for extraordinary exertion. It was necessary to justify the kindness of his patrons, as well as to further his own success in life, by distinguishing himself as a student, and this could only be done by obtaining those academic honours which would attest his diligence and proficiency. Besides, he had already acquired a considerable literary reputation, which he naturally wished to increase. He read and studied accordingly, and when his health sank under the effort, he supported and forced his delicate constitution with powerful medicines. Nature could not long endure such violence with impunity, and a fever was the consequence, under which he expired on the 19th of October, 1806. The admiration excited by the poems of Henry Kirke White, which were published after his death under the able editorship of Southey, was almost unbounded. This was occasioned, in a great measure, by admiration of his virtues, and sympathy for his untimely end, as well as by fond calculations of the high eminence he might have attained, if his life had been spared. But this enthusiasm has now subsided, and a more correct estimate is formed of his talents. While his poetry is acknowledged to possess high merit, it is as the poetry of a mere youth only, which it would be ridiculous to compare with that of the great masters of modern song. Kirke White may perhaps be placed in the third class and this is high praise for a poet who died at the age of twenty-one. Maiden! wrap thy mantle round thee, And thou mayst slumber peacefully. Maiden! once gay Pleasure knew thee; Now thy cheeks are pale and deep: Love has been a felon to thee, Yet, poor maiden, do not weep: There's rest for thee All under the tree, THE SAVOYARD'S RETURN. Oh! yonder is the well-known spot, Where I shall rest no more to roam! Of distant climes the false report That grace yon dear beloved retreat, Now safe return'd, with wandering tired, Shall while away the winter's eve. Oh! I have wander'd far and wide, O'er many a distant foreign land; But all their charms could not prevail VERSES. When pride and envy, and the scorn Or by the stream or woodland spring, * |