Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1886-05-01
Two South Poets.
Memphis Avalanche.

OF the two lyric poets engendered by
the war on the southern side, James r.
Randall OF Maryland is a prosperous
editer OF a Georgia paper and Father
Abram j. Ryan, n native of Virginia,
died yesterday at Louisville.
Both narrowly missed high place in
the lyrical branch of the art OF poetry
Each has wrought one poem of great
merit, which is the measure OF poesy
that was in him.
Randalls Maryland" was inspired
by the mounting, living, vivid, spring
time hopes Of borning nationality,
which died aborning.
Dear mother, burst the tyrant's chains,
Maryland
Virginia should not call in vain,
Maryland;
She meets her sisters on the plain,
Sic semper Is the proud refrain
That battles minions back again,
Maryland.
Arise in majesty again,
Maryland, my Maryland.
Father Ryan's Conquered Banner"
was the expiring spirit OF a dying ma
tionality, forevermore to live only the
life of history, poesy, romance and SEN
tment
Furl that banneri True 'ts CORY,
Yet It's wreathed around with glory,
And Twill live In song and story.
Though its folds are in the dust;
For its fame on brightest pages,
Penned by poets and by sages,
shall go sounding down the ages
Furl its folds though now we must.
Furl that banner, softly, slowly;
Treat IL genty-it Is holy
For 1t droops above the dead.
Touch Ii not--unfold it never,
Let ii droep there, furled forever,
For its peoples hopes are deadl
Neither lacked imperiections, to be
pricked out by the keenly critical pen.
In aptness, in timeliness, in furnish
ing an exact expression OF the spirit OF
the people and the times, at the time
when it was written, each is poetry in
the first degree
One breathes the buoyant, fierce,
wild hopes of youth, struggling, but
full of confidence in the struggle The
other exhales the dying spirit of lusty
manhood, cut off in the fullness of life,
lamenting, not life lost, but opportu-
ity denied, hopes withered and expec-
tations turned to ashes, exulting in the
nobility and honor of the half life lived
and the memory left stainless to go
sounding down the ages.
Each has written verse more finished,
but none to compare, respectively with
the Maryland and the Conquered
Banner.n
The essentials OF a great poem are
the poet, the theme and the occasion.
Randallwould have sung unheard strains
had no mighty struggle given him the
opportunity to present the sentiment OF
a nascent nation. Father Ryan would
have sweetly sung humble strains had
no profound grief Of millions given
him great subject in profound senti-
ment.
Randall had more OF the fiery zeal
which expressed itself mingled with
rage and wrought itself into fierce lyri-
cal call to arms, and when the cause had
failed spread itself out and lost itself in
practical life; Father Ryan was more
the true poet who could only live and
breathe as poet. His was the gentler
spirit. His poesy was more spiritual
more the entire being Of the man.
Only the poet in the man grew, absorb
ing all powers and eating out the ma
terial life. Randall's was the more
vigorous, active nature; Ryan's the
spiTituai-poetical. Poetry wasa quality
OF the one; it was the being and the
life of the other
The lives OF the two men, furnish an
analogy, which is reflected in their own
verses and in types of their country.
men. Randall sang, joyously but
iercely, almost savagely the growing
hopes of nation Like that people
he turned to hard, enduring patient
toll, winning practical success. Hope
for this world did not die in poet OF
people. 1t transplanted itself, budde(
and bore fruit.
Father Ryan, the gentle, thoughtful
philosophical as we'll as poetical poet.
priest, sang sweet, sad, but manly
dirge, the dying songof hope, and him
self languished and wrestled, with the
great thoughts and sentiments withir
him, until death gave him crest" He
had it in him to give expression to thu
honorable memories of the past and the
sentiment of reverence that the robust
race OF enduring men, who have turnet
defeat into victory and regeneration
must ever feel. He was not able to en-
dure. His soul bursted its frail tene
ment and chafed out of its confines
Peace to his noble, true and gentle
spirit. None of her sons more trul,
felt with the southland in all thing
than Father Ryan, her poet priest.
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