Page:Mexico, picturesque, political, progressive.djvu/166

164 charitably suppose that the exalted rank of the first lady in the land somewhat overshadowed the genius of the writer, or that its insertion was an after-thought suggested by policy, and that desire to curry favor in high places, from which, alas! even poets are not wholly exempt. This is the more to be regretted, since the dark, bright beauty of Senora Diaz ought to be a prolific source of inspiration to the fortunate mortal who chose it as a text. The best lines are in this simile:—

 Generous as the stream that spreads Its rich gifts 'mid garden-beds, Yet alike through weed and sand Flows in blessing through the land."

The translations following are taken entirely at random, and given as literally as diverse rhythms, impossible in English, will permit. I notice in particular one oddity of construction which seems to mark a favorite form. The lines, regular in rhyme and length, begin with a small letter; but occasionally, at spasmodic intervals, and without any connection with the grammatical division of sentences, a capital is prefixed:—