Text: Edgar Allan Poe and Thomas Ollive Mabbott, “Mary E. Hewitt” The Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Vol. IV: The Literati of New York City (2026), pp. 151-157 (This material is protected by copyright)

[page 151:]

MARY E. HEWITT.(1)

Mrs. Hewitt has become known entirely through her contributions to our periodical literature. I am not aware that she has written any prose, but her poems have been numerous and often excellent. A collection of them was published not long ago in an exquisitely tasteful form, by Ticknor & Co., of Boston. The leading piece, entitled “Songs of Our Land,”(2) was by no means the most meritorious, although the largest in the volume. In general, these compositions evince the author's poetic fervor, classicism of taste and keen appreciation of the beautiful, in the moral as well as in the physical world. No one of them, perhaps, can be judiciously commended as a whole, but no one of them is without merit, and there are several which would do credit to any poet in the land — still even these latter are rather particularly than generally commendable. They lack unity, totality, ultimate effect, but abound in forcible passages. For example —

The conclusion of “The Ocean Tide to the Rivulet” puts me in mind of the rich spirit of Harne's [[Horne's]] noble epic “Orion.”(7)

The personifications here are well managed, and the idea of the ebb-tide, conveyed in the first line italicized, is one of the happiest imaginable; neither can anything be more fanciful or more appropriately [page 152:] expressed than the “rushing of the fair white feet.”

Among the most classical in spirit and altogether the best of Mrs. Hewitt's poems, I consider her three admirable sonnets entitled “Cameos.” The one called “Hercules and Omphale”(9) is noticeable for the vigor of its rhythm. Another instance of fine versification occurs in “Forgotten Heroes.”

I italicize what I think the effective points. In the line,

a trochee and two iambuses are employed, in very happy variation of the three preceding lines, which are formed each of an anapæst followed by three iambuses. The effect of this variation is to convey the idea of lyric or martial song. The first line of the next quatrain even more forcibly carries out this idea. Here the verse begins with an anapæst (although a faulty one, “sang” being necessarily long) and is continued in three iambuses. The variation in the last quatrain consists in an additional foot in the alternating lines, a fuller volume being thus given to the close. I must not be understood as citing these passages or giving their analysis in illustration of the rhythmical skill of Mrs. Hewitt, but of an occasional happiness to which she is led by a musical ear. Upon the whole, she has a keen sense of poetic excellences, and gives indication, if not direct evidence, of great ability. With more earnest endeavor she might accomplish much.

In character she is sincere, fervent, benevolent, with a heart full of the truest charity — sensitive to praise and to blame; in temperament, melancholy (although this is not precisely the term); in manner, subdued, gentle, yet with grace and dignity; converses impressively, earnestly, yet quietly and in a low tone. In person she is tall and slender, with black hair and large gray eyes; complexion also dark; the general expression of the countenance singularly interesting and agreeable.

[page 153:]

Griswold version of the article on Hewitt:

I AM not aware that Mrs. Hewitt has written any prose; but her poems have been many, and occasionally excellent. A collection of them was published, in an exquisitely tasteful form, by Ticknor & Co., of Boston. The leading piece, entitled “Songs of our Land,” although the longest, was by no means the most meritorious. In general, these compositions evince poetic fervor, classicism, and keen appreciation both of moral and physical beauty. No one of them, perhaps, can be judiciously commended as a whole; but no one of them is without merit, and there are several which would do credit to any poet in the land. Still, even these latter are particularly rather than generally commendable. They lack unity, totality — ultimate effect, but abound in forcible passages. For example:

Mrs. Hewitt has warm partialities for the sea and all that concerns it. Many of her best poems turn upon sea adventures or have reference to a maritime life. Some portions of her “God bless the Mariner” are naïve and picturesque: e.g. —

The tone of some quatrains entitled “Alone,” differs materially from that usual with Mrs. Hewitt. The idea is happy and well managed.

Mrs. Hewitt's sonnets are upon the whole, her most praiseworthy compositions. One entitled “Hercules and Omphale” is noticeable for the vigor of its rhythm.

The unusual force of the line italicized, will be observed. This force arises first, from the directness, or colloquialism without vulgarity, of its expression: — (the relative pronoun “which” is very happily omitted between “skin” and “the”) — and, secondly, to the musical repetition of the vowel in “Cleonœ an,” together with the alliterative terminations in “Cleonœan” and “lion.” The effect, also, is much aided by the sonorous conclusion “wore.”

Another and better instance of fine versification occurs in “Forgotten Heroes.”

The general intention here is a line of four iambuses alternating with a line of three; but, less through rhythmical skill than a musical ear, the poetess has been led into some exceedingly happy variations of the theme. For example; — in place of the ordinary iambus as the first foot of the first, of the second, and of the third line, a bastard iambus has been employed. These lines are thus scanned:

The fourth line,

is well varied by a trochee, instead of an iambus, in the first foot; and the variation expresses forcibly the enthusiasm excited by the topic of the supposed songs, “Thermophylæ”. The fifth line is scanned as the three first. The sixth is the general intention, and consists simply of iambuses. The seventh is like the three first and the fifth. The eighth is like the fourth; and here again the opening trochee is admirably adapted to the movement of the topic. The ninth is the general intention, and is formed of four iambuses. The tenth is an alternating line and yet has four iambuses, instead of the usual three; as has also the final line — and alternating one, too. A fuller volume is in this manner given to the close of the subject; and this volume is fully in keeping with the rising enthusiasm. The last line but one has two bastard iambuses, thus:

Upon the whole, it may be said that the most skilful versifer could not have written lines better suited to the purposes of the poet. The errors of “Alone,” however, and of Mrs. Hewitt's poems generally, show that we must regard the beauties pointed out above, merely in the light to which I have already alluded — that is to say, as occasional happiness to which the poetess is led by a musical ear.

I should be doing this lady injustice were I not to mention that, at times, she rises into a higher and purer region of poetry than might be supposed, or inferred, from any of the passages which I have hitherto quoted. The conclusion of her “Ocean Tide to the Rivulet” puts me in mind of the rich spirit of Horne's noble epic, “Orion.”

The personifications here are well managed. The “Here! — ‘neath the o’erhanging rock!” has the high merit of being truthfully, by which I mean naturally, expressed, and imparts exceeding vigor to the whole stanza. The idea of the ebb-tide, conveyed in the second line italicized, is one of the happiest imaginable; and too much praise can scarcely be bestowed on the “rushing” of the “fair white feet.” The passage altogether is full of fancy, earnestness, and the truest poetic strength. Mrs. Hewitt has given many such indications of a fire which, with more earnest endeavor, might be readily fanned into flame.

In character, she is sincere, fervent, benevolent — sensitive to praise and to blame; in temperament melancholy; in manner subdued; converses earnestly yet quietly. In person she is tall and slender, with black hair and large gray eyes; complexion dark; general expression of the countenance singularly interesting and agreeable.

[[Notes]]

[page 156:]

1. Mary Elizabeth Moore was born in Malden, Mass., December 23, 1807, and died in Ridgefield, Conn., October 9, 1894. She became the wife of James L[[ang]]. Hewitt [[(1804-1853)]], a New York music publisher, and thus sister-in-law of John H[[ill]. Hewitt [[(1801-1890)]] of Baltimore. Later, as a widow, she married Mr. Russell Stebbins [[(1792-1878)]]. She was a member of Miss Lynch's group, a friend of Mrs. Whitman, and has an important part in Poe's biography. She sometimes used the nom de plume Ione. Her letters to Poe have survived; and were first published in 1937. [[T. O. Mabbott, “Letters from Mary E. Hewitt to Poe,” in A Christmas Book from the Department of English, Hunter College, ed. Blanche Colton Williams, Brooklyn, N. Y: Comet Press, 1937, pp. 116-21. — JAS]]

2. Poe reviewed her Songs of Our Land and Other Poems, Boston: William D. Ticknor & Co, 1846 in the Broadway Journal, October 25, 1845, and Godey's for February, 1846. These reviews have much in common with the present sketch.

3. “Love's Limning” [[(Songs, p. 16)]] (first publication untraced)

4. “Lines written in a Notch of White Mountains” [[(Songs, p. 24)]] (first published in Arcturus, February 1842)

5. “Hearth and Home” [[(Songs, p. 65)]] (first published in Knickerbocker, June 1844)

6. “Parting from a Household” [[(Songs, p. 139)]] (first published in Knickerbocker, February 1840)

7. For Poe's extravagant admiration of Horne's “Orion,” see his review in Graham's for March, 1844.

8. “Ocean Tide to the Rivulet” [[(Songs, p. 120)]] (first published in Knickerbocker, March 1841)

9. “Hercules and Omphale” [[(Songs, p. 36)]] (first published in Arcturus, April 1842)

10. “Forgotten Herores” [[(Songs, p. 18)]] (first published in Knickerbocker, May 1838)

11. Of the Griswold version the MS has not been found [[It has since been found — see below]], but the changes are obviously to incorporate remarks on [page 157:] versification in the new system propounded in the “Rationale of Verse”; indeed the later version seems motivated by a desire to use his new method of scansion. The general opinions expressed do not differ in the Godey's and later version; Poe's relations with Mrs. Hewitt were friendly, and both articles are favorable — the second one perhaps a little more enthusiastic than the first!

12. “God Bless the Mariner” (first published in the Southern Literary Messenger, September 1844, and in Songs, page 32).

13. Here, Poe gives the full text, which was only mentioned in passing in the first version.

[[This section of notes has required more overt adjusting than most of the rest of what Mabbott left due to the nature of presentation and revisions. The manuscript for “Mary E. Hewitt” from “Literary America” has been found, but is currently in a private collection and not available for direct examination. Fortunately, a full and careful transcript was made by the John A. Spoor, the owner prior to May 1939, for James H. Whitty, and is now in the Whitty Collection at Duke University. The text matches what Griswold printed, except for a large portion marked for omission, perhaps by Poe himself. On the back of the manuscript is a new draft of the entry on George Bush, which Griswold did not use. Mabbott does have a note that “For MS see Yale List, no. 107, published about two years ago.” The “Yale List” is a catalog of the “Quoth the Raven” exhibit that was given at Yale in 1959. The catalog was printed in the Yale University Library Gazette for April 1959, including a facsimile of first portion of the “Mary E. Hewitt” manuscript. At the time, the manuscript was in the collection of H. Bradley Martin (1906-1988), which was sold at auction in 1990 — JAS]]