The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-08-26


sort of local colotlng ID given TO tne PloLur,
| from the fact that many writer's on ancien
| Ireland traced the worship of tire, which
one time prevailed III Ireland, to
"That del ghtful Province of the Sun.
The first ,f sian lands he shnes upon
At the word rebellion" {" the sonl of the lrist
bald at once fires up and, with all the bsrro"
ing recollectioDs of the wastipg struggles o.
his own conntrymen thronging around hihi' liz
breaks ont into that noble passage:
Rebellion foul, dishonoring word,
Whose wrongful bligl 70 OF - has a. a,a a,ahea
OF mortal ever lost or gained!
How many rp rt, born to bless
When but days. hours, s.eoess
Hath waited TO eternal amei
Exactly so! When Washington defeated
CORVALLIS at Yorktown he ceased 10 DO
rebel, was at once exalted into hero ana was
proclaimed the savior of his country but poor
Lord Edward Fitzgerald was sttaintsd as
rebel because he fell beneath the DioWs OF
Major SIR aud his companions. That Moore
had Lord Edward in his thoughts when sketch
ing the portrait of his hero, Hated, there can
be little doubt. For the purposes of the poem
he surrounds his hero with poeticai glsmor
of terror, representing him as being spoken of
in the harems and at the watch fires OF the
Arabs with exaggerated fears and bated
breath
such were the tales that won belief.
Toa young, warm and daunrless chief
Fought for the land his seni a.iored,
- For happy homes and altars free
His only talisman, the sword7-
One Of that ancient hero.line.
Along whose glorious current shine
Names that have :" .snesaed M n their ra blood;
As Lebanon's small mountain Hood
Js rendered holy by the ranks
or santed eedars on its banks!
Twas not for him crouch the knee
Tameiy to Moslemt tyranny
In the bright mould of ages past
Whose melancholy spirit, fed
with all the glorirs OF the dead
Though framed for Iran hRppiest } ears,
Was born among her chains and tears
OF slAvish heads, that shrinking bowed
Eefore the Moslem. as he passed;
Like shruba beneath the poison blast;
No-far he fed-indignant fsd
4 he pageant of his oonntrys shamei
Fell on his soul Ike drops of flame;
And lover halls the dawn
The sparkle of the first sword drawn
For vengeance ana for liberty :
Then, again, with what Kissing soorn aud in
what vehement imprecation
of hate and loathing-he denounces the vie
wretches who worm themselves into the secrets
it-wretches like the infamous Reynolds of his
day, or the miserable Cotydons of our own
time:
"Oh for q tongue curse the slave,
Whose treason. like deadly blight
Comes DER the councils OF the brave,
And blasts them in their hour Of might!
MAY ife's IN blessed cup fUr him
With hopes that but allure to 1s-
With Joys that vanish While he sips.
Like Dead fruits. that tempt the eye,
But turn to ashes on p.t the siP,,. iPsl sh,ns
Uutoast of vi,tue, peace and fame,
NAV he ut last with lips of fame
On The parched desert thirsting die
While lakes that sbone in mockery nigh
Arc fading of untouched, uutasted,
Like he once gorious hope" he blasted!
And when ftom earth his spirit htes,
just Prophet let The dam. ed one dwell
Full in the sight OF Paradise
teholdiDK Heaven, and feeling Hell!'
We are not here pretending to give biogra-
ply of Moore, anything like IA detailed ac-
count of his writings; and we must now, be-
cause our space is brief, pass lightly over many
exquisite things produced about the same
us the Twopcupy Post-Bag,"
the Fudge Family in Paris, and other works
of q similar character, which are full OF fnn,
and wit, and good humored satire, and may be
read to this hour with an ever-fres enjoyment
Of intellectual pleasure, though directed cnly
against the corrupt Court and bigoted crew of
the Regency, and the general despotlc MlDis-
ters of the day. On their appearances, how
ever they created social aud political excite
ment which We, who have ouLlived the anti
Catholic and anti Irish intolerance of those
dreadful times, can now scarcely realize. Bat
how effective was the service which Moore
to the Cause of the Irish Catholics
W hen intolera ance was still the fashion, may be
easily understood by any one who will make
himself acquainted with The public olscussions
and the public feeling Of that time. In poem
on Intolerance" fIs published anonymously
in 1908, Moore had already begun to lash the
Percivals aud CastleruShs with hs scathiug
satire:
" A nd thou my r,eud-if in these ho ldlong days
When got zeal her drunken antics plGys
So prrCipiCe, that nIeu the v hile
Look bTea aIhlers aud shudcer hIle they SMILE
If in such fearful days, thoUl dare 10 look,
To hsuess Iroland. 10 this king DCoK
Which heaven les freed from poisonous things in
VAIN,
While q ,lford's tongue and %usGIave's pen remain
IL thou hast yet no golden bIirkers got.
TO shade thine eyes from this devoted spot
wboae WRONGS though blazo nvu Ger tho world they
To,
Placeusu alone privileged not to
I, furt Lea aud ina ok W hes
NV homely harp, Yet shall The song 1t breaIhes
OF II Glands slavery, aud of lTeands woes
Live when the memory of her ryrant foes
shall hut exist all future knRvt to warn,
EmbalmeG hate. ana Cauonized by scorn!'
Such were the poets sentiments in early life,
and SO did he continue to did the cause of OWL
and religious liberty by pouring out, year after
year. the vials of contempt and ridioule cup.
Piled from the fountains of en- inexhaustible
fancy, on
That cantinR crew,
So smooth, o eodly yet 80 devsh. too,
who, armed ut once With prayer. books and whips,
Blood their hands, and Sci iptuIe n their lips
Tyrants by creed, and torturers by text,
Make this life hell in honor OF the next"