The Irish standard., 1893-05-27
IRELAND's BARD.
"The Poet Of All Circles and the
Idol of His Own Was Tom
Moore.

"The Poet OF All Circles and the
Idol of His Own" Was Tom
Moore.
THE NATIONAL MELODIST.
He Had the Distinguished Honor of
Being Appreciated During
| His Own Life Time.
Ireland hes brilliant galaxy of poets
and song writer's. But here, strange az
it may appear, we have no difficulty in
choosing the brightest for though the
glories of Ireland have been sung since
it's earliest days by the bards of old and
at later day by such gifted men as
Lover, Mangan, Davis, MacCarthy and
others, there is one who towers above
them all, the prince of poets, who has
perpetuated in charming verse and
sweetest music, the glories of the past,
the habits, traits and sacred customs Of
it's people and it's great natural beauties.
And as Ireland with it's glorious history,
it's heroes and it's saints, it's story of op-
preston and it's never-dying struggle for
the right; the land of beauty, where, as
one of it's gifted sons has said, "Angels
fold their wings and rest;;" as Ireland
towers above all other countries in the
world in the materials for the inspiration
Of poetry, so does it's representative poet
tower above the poets of all other conn-
tries, says Edward O'Connell in the New
World.
To be acknowledged as the represent
ative poet of Ireland, to be recognized
by the world as the one whose writing
best depicts the beauties of that land of
song, is an honor, beside which, to my
mind at least, the poet laureateship of
England sinks into insignifcance. Such
is, and probably ever will be, the position
of Thomas Moore.
Poets, it is said. are born, not made,
and in this case at least that remark is
strictly true. @.s
Moore began to display poetic talent
OF the age of eleven, or about as soon as
he could write. All through his school
| and college life he would often neglect
his studies and his recreation in order to
jot down verses which were running
through his brain. 1t was not his 1n-
tention, however, or rather not the inten-
tion of his parents, that he should devote
his life to poetry; for in graduating from
Trinity College, Dublin, which he did at
the age of twenty, he went to London
with the intention of studying law. But
it was not written that he should become
a lawyer: Providence had another ob~
ject in view for him He took with him
to London the "Odes of Anacreon,' -
translated into English verse. Some Of
these had been printed in the Dublin
papers, but his ambition was to have
them published in full in London.
Through the influence of friends he &C.
cured publisher. The odes appeared
in print, and by them London and the
world become aware that a new poet
had arisen. He rose at once from OBJ
scurity to prominence. He was received
into the aristocratic society of London;
at the receptions of the nobility he was
lionized; he would sing his own spark
ling songs to his own accompaniment
and the fairest and noblest ladies Of the
land united with the great literary celeb
rites of the day in sounding his praises,
this too, at the time when Byron was
at his greatest. From that moment the
law was forgotten; he was poet, and
he resolved to devote his life to his art.
For two years he enjoyed uninterruptedly
this life of luxury and happiness. he
wrote occasional poems, many of them
being satires on public men of the day.
10 1903 he was appointed to a govern
ment po+ition which brought him to this
continent, the post Of Registrar to the
Court of Admiralty at Bermuda. Moore
joyfully accepted this post. He was get
ting tired of tho life he was leading at
London, and besides, he had for some
time wished to visit America which his
poetic imagination pictured as most
beautiful country. He soon tired of his
position, however, and it was not long
before he handed it over to deputy and
started off on ramble through the
Ualted States and Canada. For over 9
year he Travelled through this country
but the Impressions he received were
anything but favorable, for in some Of
his later poems he alluded to his travels
as wanderings
.O'er lake and marsh through feversiand
through fogs,
| Midst bears and Yankees. democrats and
| frogs
I Idont suppose he alludes to the dem
ocratic party but to the people IN gene