Poems

Poems

This volume contains, besides the poems published in 1850 and 1857,1 the odes written for the centenary celebrations in honour of O'Connell in 1875, and of Moore in 1879. To these are added several sonnets and miscellaneous poems now first collected, and the episode of "Ferdiah" translated from the Tain B Cuailgn. Born in Dublin,2 May 26th, 1817, my father, while still very young, showed a decided taste for literature. The course of his boyish reading is indicated in his "Lament." Some verses from his pen, headed "My Wishes," appeared in the Dublin Satirist, April 12th, 1834. This was, as far as I can discover, the earliest of his writings published. To the journal just mentioned he frequently contributed, both in prose and verse, during the next two years. The following are some of the titles:"The Greenwood Hill;" "Songs of other Days" (Belshazzar's FeastThoughts in the Holy LandThoughts of the Past); "Life," "Death," "Fables" (The Zephyr and the Sensitive PlantThe Tulip and the RoseThe Bee and the Rose); "Songs of Birds" (NightingaleEaglePhnixFire-fly); "Songs of the Winds," &c. On October 14th, 1843, his first contribution ("Proclamation Songs," No. 1) appeared in the Dublin Nation. "Here is a song by a new recruit," wrote Mr., now Sir, Charles Gavan Duffy, "which we should give in our leading columns if they were not preoccupied." In the next number I find "The Battle of Clontarf," with this editorial note: "'Desmond' is entitled to be enrolled in our national brigade." "A Dream" soon follows; and at intervals, between this date and 1849besides many other poemsall the National songs and most of the Ballads included in this volume. In April, 1847, "The Bell-Founder" and "The Foray of Con O'Donnell" appeared in the University Magazine, in which "Waiting for the May," "The Bridal of the Year," and "The Voyage of Saint Brendan," were subsequently published (in January and May, 1848). Meanwhile, in 1846, the year in which he was called to the bar, he edited the "Poets and Dramatists of Ireland," with an introduction, which evinced considerable reading, on the early religion and literature of the Irish people. In the same year he also edited the "Book of Irish Ballads," to which he prefixed an introduction on ballad poetry. This volume was republished with additions and a preface in 1869. In 1853, the poems afterwards published under the title of "Underglimpses" were chiefly written.3 ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 12622
Author: MacCarthy, Denis Florence
Release Date: Jun 1, 2004
Format: eBook
Language: English