Ramsay Colles Complete Poetical Works of George Darley

Annotation

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. Julius Hare, in welcoming the appearance of Landor's Fra Rupert, wrote to the author that it rested with him, Henry Taylor, and George Darley 'to preserve the life of tragedy in England,' and Forster in commenting on the facts, says, 'Darley's fine dramatic genius well deserved that compliment.' A little later Thomas Carlyle linked Darley's name witht that of yet another immortal. 'There is a trick,' he notes, 'of sham Elizabeth writing now prevalent that looks plausible, but in most cases means nothing at all. Darley has real lyrical genius; Taylor, wonderful sense, clearness, and weight of purpose; Tennyson a rich and exquisite fancy. All the other men of our tiny generation that I know of are, in poetry, either feeble or fraudulent.' That a writer whose fine dramatic genius was extolled by a critic of Forter's acumen, and whose real lyrical genius won commendation from one who so seldom indulged 'in the noble pleasure of praising' as did Caryle, should to-day be but little known to the average students of English literature, is not strange when we recall the many instances of the rise and fall of literary reputations, and especially those of poets.