The Irish standard., 1892-05-21

that she is one of the dually gifted ar
fists and had fine prophecies Of her al
South Kensington in days when she was
an art student before she knew that hel
pictures we're to be made in pen and ink
Her poem "Irene," which SO captlvated
Sir John Millais that he sat down and
made picture of it for Cornhlll' has
this pictorial quality. Her poems have
been contributed in many places since
that day of immense triumph when
very young girl found herself an accepted
contributor to the great Cornhlll: Miss
Francis Wynne is young Irish poet
who gained hearing in Longman's a
couple of years ago through the ready
appreciation of Mr.. Andrew Lang. She
was not at all of those who lisp in num-
bers, but she attained mastery of her in
strument with sudden and remarkable
speed. Her first poem, ''The First
Cuckoo" was published in the Irish
Monthly early IN 1887, and l believe IN
it's first shape it was badly in need OF
polishing and correction. Her little
book, "Whisper!" which appeared last
year, was, as Mr.. Lang wrote OF it, en-
tirely successful, up to it's aims and am
bition. "Whisper" was the poetry OF
quiet young girl, naive, saucy, charm
ing. The poems are all love poems, and
the singer, 80 to speak, laughs at you
from behind fan and flies away. The
fancy is so delicate and the workmanship
SO admirable that we may we'll look to
Miss Wynne for finer things. To reach
them she may have to pass through
glorious failures, but she will remember
that
He who aims a star
Shoots higher far than he who aims tree.
Miss Wynne is girl in her early twen~
ties The landscapes of her. little book
are the quiet landscapes Of Louth, where
she was born and lived. With wider ex-
perience and other scenes her poetry will
no doubt enlarge and expand. Miss
Charlotte t)'Brien is another of our
poets who has tried her fortune with a
book, nay, with two books. Her deaf
ness has perhaps been to her what the
blindness has been to one or two others,
a seclusion in which her imagination and
love of beauty have grown strong. There
are few things in her poetry more sweet
than the lines in which she lsments ber
Deafness Yet the best poetry I have
seen from her pen was poetry inspired
by her country and her deep patriotism.
A number of such poems appeared in
the Nation perhaps ten years ago, and
were full of strength and inspiration.
Her poetry is noble poetry. She could
scarcely fail to be noble woman, being
Smith O'Brien's daughter, that beloved
Smith O'Brien for whose sake we have
long ago forgiven ''Murrough Of the
Burnings." Miss O'Brien brings one
naturally to Miss Una Taylor, Sir Henry
Taylors daughter, whose impassioned
poetry will be familiar to all readers Of
United Ireland, wherein she has written
for many years. Miss Taylor is Irish
through her mother, who was the last
Lord Monteagle's sist or, and in this way
she is also young kinswoman Of Aubrey
de We're. She is as much stepped in
Biblical literature as Swlnburne, and,
like him, she owes much of her vehem-
ence and fire to the great poetry Of the
Old Testament. Miss Taylor lives at the
Roost, Bournemouth, where her famous
father lived for many yerrs. She has
literary sisters-one, Ida Ashworth Tay-
lor. is author of ''Venus Doves and
"Snow in Harvest" if they have
Irish convictions they do not express
them.
Miss Emily Hickey is another Irish
poet living in England, and the one who
proudly labels herself Irish. She is
county Kilkenny woman, but has long
lived in London, where she is one of the
teaching staff at Miss Buses great North
London College for Women You will
see her sweet and womanly face in the
page of "Poetesses" in the Christmas
humber of the Queen. With all her
practical turn she looks artistic to the
last degree. She might be the Lady OF
Shallot in the sweeping gown of pale
green silk, in which l first beheld her at
q London garden party. She was really
the founder, and to it's last day the CO.
secretary with Mr.. Farnwall, of the re-
Gently defunct Browning Society She
was very fortunate in having Mr.. Brown
ING for a friend, and, as might be ex-
nected. her first book "a Sculptor" pub
Iiahed in 1881, had many traces of the
great thinkers influence, but she has
her own thoughts. She has published
two M volumes since, one in 1889, the other
inst issued from the press. She contri-
h,1tes to many London magazines
mans. the Leisure Hour, Atlanta, and
others. She is a great Philantrophist, as
one has not far to go in her poetry to
f;nd out. and she is interested in many
movements among the poor and the
wwnrkinp classes. Perhaps it is due to
irish birth that she has caught nothing
of + M the blackness of unbelief which is the
rnla = - II London literary folk,and especial
- 80 among women. Her note OF faith is
1ary = strong and assured, and her opium