Page:The Poets and Poetry of the West.djvu/621

 EOSA YERTNEE JOHNSON. Rosa Vertner Johistson, whose real maiden name was Griffith, but who was the adopted child of a prominent and wealthy citizen of Mississippi, named Vertner, was born at Natchez. Her childhood home was at a romantic country-seat belonging to her adopted parents, near Port Gibson, Mississippi. She was educated, however, at Lexington, Kentucky, and began there to write poems for the Louisville Journal, which were much admired for their delightful rhythm and beautiful imagery. In 1856, George D. Prentice wrote a notice of Mrs. Johnson and her poetry, to accompany a portrait in GrahanCs Magazine, from which we quote : '• Rosa," during all the years of her life, has been a favored child of fortune, living in wealth and luxury, a star of fashion, and the center of a very large circle of devoted friends and ad- mirers Probably few ladies, situated as she has been, would ever have given much thought to literature. But heaven made her a poet, and all the fascinations and allurements of fashionable society have not been able to mar heaven's handiwork. The daughter of a poet and a man of genius, she has written poetry almost from her childhood. She writes it because she must. It will not be shut up iu her heart^ — as no doubt many of her admirers fain would be. The spirit of poetry is strong within her, and, if she were not to utter it, she would, like a mute song- bird, die of imprisoned melody. We have seen her in festive halls the gayest of the gay, and. although she had ever a quick and genial reply to the thousand flatteries constantly breathed into her ears, we have often thought that she would gladly have surrendered all the delights of such occasions to be one hour alone, with the Muse of her heart, beneath the starlit sky. or in the beautiful and holy twilight time. In 1858 Ticknor & Fields, Boston, Massachusetts, published a handsome duodec- imo volume of 334 pages, entitled " Poems by Rosa," which was received with more favor than her most sanguine friends anticipated. Mrs. Johnson spent a considerable share of her earlier married life in Louisiana, but for several years past, has adorned the social circles of Lexington in winter as well as in summer seasons. That delight- ful city is now her permanent home. Mr. Jolinson is a prominent member of the legal profession, and a man of liberal wealth, who dispenses a generous hospitality at a home whose mistress is eminent for beauty as well as for poesy among even the women of Kentucky. In the sketch previously quoted from, Mr. Prentice said : Whether we think of her as she moves in the social circle with that graceful stateliness with which the association of genius invests dignity, fascinating one by the blushing charm with which her modesty responds to the admiration her presence and her poetry inspire ;. . . or as pouriug forth her rich thoughts and jeweled fancies from the retirement of her room to thrill and delight the hearts of the community ; or as gliding in her tiny shallop over the deep blue lakes, that seem like fair and lonely spirits to haunt with their solemn beauty the wild forests surrounding her Southern home, bearing her light fowling-piece in her hand, and bringing down the flying birds at almost every shot, there, and eveiy where, as a woman, we delight to think of her with admira- tion, and proudly do we love to claim her as a Western poetess. ( 605 )