The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-07-28

II has been remarked by Disraeli, by
Thnckerny. and many moro masters and critics
Of humor that Irish humor has something
melancholy in its essence We do not know in
what degree this is the effect Of the pcculiaritics
Of racc of continued national misfortune. or OF
tho influence Of the scenery and climate, for all
have undoubtedly contributed to form its pc
culiar character. No other nation has the
custom OF the wake. whore boisterous mcrri-
mcnt is carricd on In the presence OF the dead
and lnmcntn,ion and laughter are SO closely
mingled which is really tho Characteristic Of
most Irish humor. 1t is particularly the case
with tho poetry Of the eallows. which nowhere
exists in such fccundity and unique develop
ment as In ireland. 1t is iull Of Jest and rcck-
less mcrrment. ut times more profoundly AZ
fccting than the deepest lamcntatlon.
Gnllows poetry is not entirely wanting In the
literature Of other nations and. in fact. whom tho
gibbet ornamcntcd the high road and the mar
kct place It was doubtless very common sub
icct with tho peasant muse. Tho street ballads
and peasant poetry Of England France. md
other European countries doubtless had a full
proportion OF the lamentations" OF criminals.
who thus expntcd their evil deeds. and the dark
shadow Of the gallows is particularly prom
incnt in the desolatc poetry Of the Ukrnino and
In the folk songs Of the SlHvs. The only recog-
nized port who has written Of the gaows from
the criminal point OF view SO far AZ
We know is Francois Nion. by whom
MIR. Swinhurne is 40 strongly attracted
lie was thief and scoundrcl; hut to those
who know him only through Mr.. Swinburne's
TRANSACTIONS. and they comprise much the
larger portion Of his modern acquaintance. he
has too much Of the peculiar intensity Of his
isclple TO touch the marrow. Heinenl wrote
some poems of the Eallows, but they were Of
the skeletons that ratified at night 10 tho wind
and were part OF the paraphernalia OF ghostly
grotesquc. Tho poets OF tho gaows in tho
realistic sense are the bards Of the people.
whose productions seldom get n more por-
manent form than the street ballad. unless one
is now and then rescued by some curious OBJ
server for its intrinsic force and power. or be-
cause. from being so long preserved among
tho people. it acquires an antiquarian value.
Ireland is very much richer than England In
peasant poetry. and 1t is OF much higher quail
ity In any ordinary shcaf Of street ballads ~
tho present day the chances are that you will
find one or two that. amid tho rudeness OF con-
struction and rhyme will display strong and
vigorous expressions and a happy boldness Of
image and epithct A large proportion Of them
are the lamentations Of condemned Grim
inals. constructed on one pattern. and merely
rude chronicle of his crime and n bcsecching OF
confederation for his fate. But the unique and
striking eaows poetry to which we have al
ludod ~ TINT which takes tho humorous cast.
They date back to the time when executions
were public and very much moro common than
now: when week scarcely passed in
the metropolis OF Dublin without ono or
moro bangings in front Of Kilmainham jail. Mt
which all the rahbe of the city attended a. Mt
n holiday spectacle. and whore the friends Of
the criminal gathered 10 publicly lament and
svmpnthize and To- eNult in the bravery OF his
departure. The sympathy Il the crowd was
uino times out often with tn, prisoner. and il
was a common and. to the rabble hardly dis
graceful mode Of death. The corpse was duly
wakcd with all tho honors. and as a point Of
family and clnss pride tho funeral was largely
attended. Under circumstances like these tho
requiem verses Of tho thief and hghwayman
were. like the humors Of tho wake boistcrous
and apparently unfcelng. hut with frequent
outhurs,s OF lamentation and an undercurrent
Of death through II all. Two very striking and
generic examples Of these humor. Of the gal
lows nre THE Night Before Larry was
Stretched" and Luke Caffreys Kilmainham
Mint"
Tho ,,-,or Il. familiar - NIL st,,en,s n, Irish
r,.ro,,,r. no, v.ry l,r,o nnmb.r nerbnrs
h,,, ,ho1, il ol,,ns, eCtirslv ,,hscurc Onn
,li,,,, ,,c,,,,i, ,,,,,, thcr, In addition 70 Tho
c,nroc,.r,s,ics ~ which We bev. alluded il the
,i,.|ro,,s or,t im,-iro,irc .,rs,ctb n, the Ian
,,,a,.o orI ,bc ,rc,arboric ratbcr Than nrhi-
,rory r.ari,, ~ tho slnny Mas Fdrnwor,h
1o,,,I ,I,n,',,r IN bor cs.n,, an Irisb hu,ls IN
,ho .,,,,,ri,ri,, +, f,r,, and noc,ic di,tion n
,ho rrish :, tho Fn,lish slang Mos, NJ tho
,hi,,.os, &" ,.,,,orn IN FD,lisb and "orcotr In,
rr,n,.h &c orh,,rar, ana n,c,ringl.ss with
vo,ds i,,,r,o1 str,,y a. n dis.rise I'm order
o. co,,r,uri.o,, Win ooch otbcr yyithou, an
ii,,,.,,t,, ,ho ,,,ini,i,,ot Of course thar, IL
,ro,,artlv a ror,l ,rboso ,re,ni,,, ia doriv,tive
,r,,, coma rro,,or,r ~ tho ,bin,, described rs
I'm, would Ia tho nrst and most natural ,ynv ~
,,.or,t,,, . ,o,, t,,,,,,o,,, h,,t tho lnryar nor
,i,, - rc,,lisb o,d r-on,.b slam, bos No traoc.
All. d.riyn,ior ana tina {" Slan,, Dictionnrv -
odls ,cr, ,o,r rev, and foroihle tcrms IA tho
ln,rpo,.c Ills onto ,,lroron, with Irish slang
r,,r,. -, i,s ,,ra.,,s h,ir, ,,.,icol and almost
ol,v,,s ir,,,,i,,,iva nj ,rs,,hic
/ M, ,,,.,., f,,,,,,,s ~ ,b,se songs n, the eol-
/ low. il Tn. \h,ht Bcf,rn Larry was stretch
/ o. n,rbich Inns r,ss,1 into nernonant utera.
ture and has ev.r hnon nssirned. ,ocularly or
| o,bcrxise "a n rr,rh.r ~, liernrv mon Of edu.