1854 Alexander Smith's poems

[begin surface 1] 1854 Alexander Smith's Poems—"A Life Drama," and minor pieces.—

There is one electric passage in this poetry, where the announcement is made of a great forthcoming Poet, and the illustration given of a king who, about dying, plunges his sword into his favorite attendant, to send him on before.—

Alexander Smith is imbued with the nature of Tennyson. a good deal.—He is full of what are called poetical images—full of conceits and likenesses;—in this respect copying after Shakespeare and the majority of the received poets.—He seems to be neither better or worse than the high average.—

Bayard Taylor's poems more resemble N.P. Willis's than any others.—They are polished, oriental, sentimental, and have as attribute what so may be called their psychology— you cannot see very plainly at times what they mean, although the poet evidently has a meaning