The New York herald., 1876-11-16
LITERATURE.

''DE1RDRE," THE NEW IRISH POEM: AN AN
GENT THEME TREATED IN MODERN VERSE
THE BATTLES OF THE KIsos-DR- ROBERT
DwYER JOYCE THE AUTHOR.
BosroS, NOV. IL, 1875
"Derdre," the Irish poem which forms the second
number in Roberts Brothers. mo Name Series, has
recently boen published and the orders for II pour In
thick aud iast and, thanks Irish patriotism and
American curiosity, the first edition will bc taken up
almost Immediately. AS or the real merit OF the book
and its prospect OF obtaining high rank In the poetry
OF the year, careful examination leads the writer to
believe that IL has much Of the former and Is well en-
titled TO tho latter
The gossip about "Delrdre, has been slightly checked
BY the difficulty about lis name, which was to Amcr
cans stumbling block. and to many lrishmen fool
ishncss OF the accent, bus gradually people
have learned that II Is pronounced Decr- drcc and
use 1t as gbly as IL they ha1 born Ulster like
tho lovely Dcirdre herself The story is founded an
ancient Gaelic poem belonging 10 tho class called
'o.ithe" or Deaths and entitled sThe Death OF the
Children OF Usnach" Tho theme was used by McPher-
son in "Dar-thula," but in his usuol modest way the
author OF ossiann retrained from acknowledging his
obligations The tim. Of Tho story is early In the
Christian era centuries before Malachi wore tho collar
OF gold
TO begin at the beginning OF the tale, King Connor
Maccssas storyteilcr has fair daughic ter whom he
by no means loves passing vol. inasmuch AT her
birth Ca the Kings Druid predicted that she should
be the dirciul spring OF woes unnambercd Eman.
Unoaunted by this iormidaDH prophecy King Connor
determines the babe TO DO his wife and builds
sunptuous palace far apart, and surrounded by giant
WALL guarded by triple gate OF brass, for her home.
Here Dcrdrc grows up seeing only cofa, her tutor,
the King her nurse and Lavarcam the aged dame
W ndg inn IN luak hist
urc shc Is an cnsh. nimblctongucd and nimble-
footed maiden aud when fully grown she is "in light
aud lovclincss without peer" But. alas for King
Connor Lnvarcam, liko all gobctweens in fiction,
seems to have been prcdcstincd idiot, and one day
when Dcirdre saw raven drinking blood that had
been spilled on snow, and made the remark thai
many other legendary maidcns have made, that sho
should wish her husband to have hair like tho raven,
checks as red as Dlooi skin white as snow ),
Lavarcnm immediately replies that Naisi, son OF
Usnach, is such a man, and amiably brings him 10
Derdre when she asks to SEQ him. Small need 10 say
that when King Connor sought his bride he sought her
in vain, Tor she had ncd Alba Scotland with
Naisi, thcir babe. Andli and Arlan, Natsi's Two
brothers, aud $50 followcrA
Meath the fresh the Usns joyousy
STU onward sailed ,iil .~sen Two BE .dlsnds gray
here ON their left the mountains full hi
Roosd !" red heath and ms.."s golden brown
tar on Their front mis.,y stream a.as down
4" hs & calm IL y.. o,y IN y many n,S sriss ssss.ds
By some steep erag that reared its hoAry head.
llahamrnered by the storms Of centuries,
High DER the forest. Tn their right. the breeze
Cuied the light wavee,s TO the sloping strand
ars.n sra.s land whsrsan the s.@s autumn 10
.sr sa, "ns .r Is the showers
There osr rae :wsrd the s,y.ly 70. an tree
q berries bright, ana nigh is tap.rins head
The iarch nplfed, and the silver bos
Ies m
Here they landed and lived In peace for a season.
Deirdre was happy, and urged her husband remain
always upon this friendly shore love be ,rum.
phant over tho Kings wrath and Cana's prophecy
Nais promises, and
With hand stil claspcd In hers 20 peerless one y,
He cried again, look thy little
NAY the gods calm through him toy strange alarm.
To happiness that ,hoa mayss all Jorge,
ihy oodng dsas taoag never spokss shou
IRON %aron thy sweet mouth . best Of won.nkini,
MS r s.sss. sSSa s' & f.s 5 bar ias .S '
And AM 10y Svc M the "a. flower ., ne & The &p,isslss. gin
TO guard it. and whose heart, advcrsity
Divide from ,he belov'dl"
But winter and fam,nc together close darkiy round
tho band Of exilcs and ono by ono the brothers 60
forth tor food, each Leading hungry band with
gnashing teeth and wild, red rowing eyes, Ardan
and Andli meet thor brother returning driving great
herd OF cattle before him and closely purssed by thor
oNueT anu HIS LHcns Auo iTonmeu conquer IN inc
fight that follows but take bnt captive Aran tho
aged chief OF high Dunthronc. They set him iree and
send him away with peace gifts for his King. and no
soon returns inviting thom to the Court Derdr6
wisely reminds her husband that the King Is still uu
wed, and that her !uckiess face may attract him. so
the women lcft IN tho tents, and Naisi and tho
King become brothers In arms Prophecies arc not
cvadcd this way, howcvor, aad tho King indeed,
socs Deirdr6 and her Tor his wife, The cxfles
nco their ships tho King follows, and baltic on
Sues
And now Rage found voice. and eithcr side
1hundered together: as when Wind aud Tide
In adverse battle join, one furious sweeps
he Lammas floods from BoOgna' fnr.un stocps
Down shamon's bed ono drives with dcafening roar
Tween old Can emy's kock and kcrry's shors
Tho buiiing in with high raised back,
npray -brlnded, huge, comes each wntery wrack.
Meeting from strand to strand. IN chaos drraa
Wide ~aowing. while the flashing clouds o'erhsad
Thunder. and downward shoots the kissing sleet;
tho swrn brine each hostile fleet
In giant coniiitt wrcstied
Naisi conqucror in this light, and sailed away
a day and . nights journey 10 an isle, where they
lived for Ave years Meanwhile tho King Connor's
chieains long for the return OF tho exics and ask
him to recall them. lie consents, but with treachory
in bis heart He secretly asks Conal Carna and Cuhun
what in their judgment, should be the doom OF tho
man who should slay Nasi; and each, although the
King has saved the lives Of both says that only death
should reward such assassin Fergus Royson, or
Macroy, the third chief whom the King con.
suits, says the same thing; but Conn6r art
fully arranges matters. so that Fergus is CON-