CHAPTER X. Marriage of Lord Byron. - Character of the Hebrew Melodies.-Observations on Devotional Poetry.-Publication of the Siege of Corinth and Parisina.-Criticisms on those Poems. WHEN Lord Byron professed his intention of hanging up his harp for some years, he perhaps thought that marriage afforded as legitimate an excuse for withdrawing from the service of the Muses, as it formerly did from that of the tented field. Let this be as it may, the union which he contemplated, when he made that declaration, took place on the 2nd of January, 1815, at Seham, in Durham, with the only daughter of Sir Ralph Milbank Noel, baronet, of that place. But the vows of poets are like those of lovers; and our noble author, could not resist the importunity of friends, or the solicitation of genius, to favour the 216 HEBREW MELODIES. world with more of his performances. Shortly after this change of his condition, he produced what he called "Hebrew Melodies:" being a series of songs adapted to some of the most favourite airs that are still sung in the religious worship of the Jews; the music of which has been preserved by memory and tradition alone, without the assistance of written characters, probably ever since the dispersion of the tribes. But though the age and original of these airs must be left to conjecture; modern skill has grafted upon them a wildness and pathos that have rendered the choral service of the synagogue enchanting to the lovers of harmony. Impressed with a natural partiality for what may properly be called their national minstrelsy, two eminent performers, Mr. Braham and Mr. Nathan, the one a singer of the first rank and the other a composer of eminence, applied to Lord Byron, through his friend Mr. Kinnaird, to favour them with some poetry suited to the popular music of their religious society. His lordship readily assented, and the melodies appeared, first with the music, and afterwards without; though the application of the term to the words alone is an incongruity which ought to have been avoided. Besides the technical objection that the appellation of melodies belongs only to the music, there is another of more serious import against the title, when the contents of the work are examined. To every religious mind the term Hebrew Melodies conveys an idea of sacred poetry, and nothing else. It brings both to the eye and the ear, the Royal Prophet and the other holy men of ancient days, whose inspirations have descended to us as the songs of Zion for private edification and public worship. In the work of Lord Byron, on the contrary, there is nothing of a devotional character at all; and scarcely any piece that can be properly called moral, taking the word in the sense of hortatory instruction. The first piece contains a personification of Night, without a single thought of religious character in it; in another Love is described by a profusion of metaphors; and in a third, Melancholy is pictured in a similar way; beautifully, it is true, but not as it might and ought to have been with a turn of pious sentiment, tending to raise the soul above the darkness and sorrow of this sublunary state, to the cloudless skies of a happier region. Dr. Johnson, was of opinion that poetry and 218 DEVOTIONAL POETRY. devotion cannot harmonize; and he has elaborated the position with his wonted eloquence and ingenuity. "The essence of poetry," says that great critic," is invention; such invention as, by producing something unexpected, surprises and delights. The topics of devotion are few, and being few are universally known; but few as there are, they can be made no more; they can receive no grace from novelty of sentiment, and very little from novelty of expression." This, in the main, is perfectly just, yet it follows not that because the truths of religion interdict the ornaments of imagination, therefore the harmony of numbers may not be profitably employed in cheering the mind by those sublime considerations which can only be drawn from the fountain of immortality. Few as the topics of devotion may be, they are yet capable of receiving new illustrations and incitements from fresh views of the divine operations in nature and providence. But whether the mind can by varying its observations improve and enlarge the devotional principle or not, the volume of inspiration will ever continue to present rich and interesting DEVOTIONAL POETRY. subjects for poetical translation. 219 Of these Lord Byron might have found a copious variety, suited to lyrical composition, and admirably fitted to the peculiar music of the Jewish choir. The writings of the prophets abound in such passages; and Lowth on the Sacred Poetry of the Hebrews would have helped his lordship to the right choice and use of these sublime portions of scripture. But, instead of directing his attention to that inexhaustible treasure, he contented himself with two or three paraphrases of historical incidents, such as that of Jephthah's daughter, who is sacrificed contrary to the correct reading of the original; the death of Saul, and the destruction of Sennacherib's Host. This last is by far the best poem in the whole collection; but one stanza of it bears a striking resemblance to the old Scotch song of "the Flowers of the Forest." The stanza alluded to is this; "Like the leaves of the forest, when summer is green,] It would be unjust to pass unnoticed part of one |