From the year 1801 he was settled for more than forty years at Siimeg, engaged in the management of his estates, aud in particular in the cultivation of the vine, to his skill in which Sebum, the author of some volumes on the Hungarian vineyards, pays a respectful tribute. Though so good a farmer his pen was not idle. In 1816 he tried his powers as n dramatic poet in ' Hunyadi Jiinos,' a play in five acts, on the exploits of John Hunyadi, the celebrated linngarian hero, but not with his wonted success. It was said that though he descrioed his characters well, ho had not the power of putting them in action. He wrote a few other plays, Ladislaus the Cumanian; ' the House of Dards,' itc., which were afterwards collected in two volumes (Buda, 1825.1826), but none of thorn ever mat with the marked success which was showered on those of his brother Charles, the founder of the Hungarian stage. The metre of those in verse, which was very irre gular, like the metro of Southey's 'Kehama,' seems to have met with little favour, though it appears at first sight not unsuited to the varied emotions of dramatic poetry. lie also wrote additiooal legends, which were worthy of their predecessors : one of his poems, ' Gyula Szere lem,' or 'Julia's Love,' published in 1825, was considered a failure, and Kisfaludy gradually allowed himself to pass into retirement. Ile spent most of his time in rural occupations, except on an annual visit io one of the Hungarian watering-places, when groups of the yontig and literary were food of gathering round him lie was always of a lively and cheerful disposition, though his poems wear a general air 3f tender melancholy, which he himself describes as a national Hun garian characteristic, observing that "it may be said the Hungarian wen dances in tears." His brother Charles, who was of a remarkably
Bloomy turn, was on the contrary fond, in his works, of aiming at wend humour, in which the Hungarian critics consider that he sue teeded. Kohl the traveller, who visited Siimeg in 1841, gives an oterestiog account of au interview with its then widowed master. In 1843 a festival in honour of Kisfaludy was held at Peeth, in which, imong other speeches, Elitviis declared that " some of the poet's works were more and some loss successful, but there was not one that was sot national in every thought and feeling, and he had never written n line of which every word was not thoroughly Magyar." In the next year (1844) Kisfaludy died at Sumeg on the 28th of October.
A complete edition of Alexander Kisfaludy'a works was published at Pesth in 1847 in six octavo volumes, under the editorship of Schedel, who also edited the works of his brother. Some of the shorter poems of his Himfy' have been happily rendered into English by Bowring, and in the second part of the 'Hinify' there are others of greater length which would probably be attractive in an English translation if the easy and natural air of the original could be preserved ; but it may be doubted if his 'Legends' are sufficiently striking and spirited to be likely to please in an English form. Except in the drama, in which as has been said, they are singularly varied, his metres are apt to be monotonous, and the general style of. Kisfaludy was censured by Kazinczy as careless, an opinion which seems to have drawn down on the critic the wrath of the poet, who on this occasion showed that he indeed belonged to the "irritable race."