Page:The New Monthly Magazine - Volume 095.djvu/267

260 Sorte Riddere," "The Black Knights," is a long poem in nine cantos. Kings and warriors, troubadours and lovely damsels, pilgrims and nuns, angels and necromantic dwarfs, all enter into the machinery of this "Romantic Epos," as the author terms the work. Among his minor poems are some beautiful morceaux. In hid tragedies he does not succeed so well—with the exception of "Blanca," his masterpiece, which would be effective on any stage. The groundwork of this drama is jealousy; and he depicts that overwhelming passion with the glowing pencil of an Alfieri, and the vivid truthfulness of a Joanna Baillie. Ingemann's greatest admirers must admit that his tragedy, "Turnus," is poor. In the "Kæmpen for Valhal," "Battle for the Valhalla,” the scene is laid in Iceland; it reads well, but would not probably be liked on the stage. "Löveridderen," "the Lion Knight,” has more incidents, and some fine tragic scenes. Ubald, the Lion Knight, and leader of the Lion League, was a foundling brought up by a noble couple. Sir Benno, his benefactor, has an only daughter, and as the protégeé, becomes greatly distinguished in the career of arms, Benno determines he shall marry her. The young couple are much attached to each other, but both seem to feel an unaccountable reluctance to unite their fates. Johanna, the daughter, thus expresses it:

He, on bis part, declares:

Those undefined feelings are at length traced to the fact, unknown to themselves, that they arc half-brother and sister. Ubald being the son of Sir Benno and a gipsy-woman, who, in her revenge for having been cast off by the knight when he married, is the mysterious instigator of all manner of evil, ending in perfidy and murder. But our partiality for Ingemann must not make us neglect other authors.

Steen Steensen Blicher, a clergyman, born in 1782, is known as a lyrical poet and a good novelist. His tales, which are not long, deal principally in descriptions of rural society and provincial manners, with a sprinkling of low life. He became first known to the Danish world by his translation of "Ossian"—a poem, or rather poems, which harmonise with the taste of the nations of the North, and are exceedingly admired among them, and also by the Germans. It was in 1807 that Blicher's "Ossian" appeared; he has continued to write from that time, and, among other works, has published his "Samlede Digte," "Collected Poems," in two volumes; "A Summer Tour in Sweden;" "Winter Occupations," a volume containing five tales and two Jutland poems; another work, "Min Tidsalder," by subscription; and a collection of nine tales, the names of some of which are, "En Landsbydegns Dagbog," "A Parish Clerk's Journal," "The Priest of Thorning," "Fruentimmerhaderen," "The