Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-05-14


ing 10 yaIn for sight or sound Of b,,oan
aHtvity or nearnssss, only thn rrav III n
iar horixVn,vnge settles leAdeiiy down
upon the Waterford mountains 70 lid
east, the helghts Of Kerry TO rhe u,est
the Magic mounulins 10 The south onj
tue Ballyh0wra Hills 10 tha nor,l, I,
Is said that from the con OF the enstl.
view Of above half the breadth Of Ire
land was once .cbnirnnnded II there was
compensaiion IN that In Sponsors time.
il could hardly be found now,
kilcolman, or Gill Coimnn. in Irisl,.
means Jolmun's church. There wer,.
,i'ove sixty saints Colman, and any OF
cheese. 60 ones liking, may be taken ~ the
patron saint of this particular Rowland
locality. The castle. IA the ruins indi-
cate, however remote its date Of con-
sttuotlpn, must nave been one of strength
ana importance. Historically, it Is
kown to haye been originally one of the
great ean Of Desmonds fortified castles.
The lower portion Of the great quad.
triangular keep is in good state OF prescr-
vation for about thirty feet from The
ground; one Of It's side walls, showing
q noble window. rises soldly and firmly
for. perhaps twenty-five feet above this:
and massive square nanking tower
sill lifts Us rough old walls Ia prob-
able height Of seventy feet. Ii must
have been a weird aud dreary place for
one OF Spenser's fine figures.
Hut three things OF the grayost i'm
pOrtlnce TO poet. prince Of peasant, came
20 ihis man in his eleven years Of prac.
teal banishmeni here. between 1881 and
1899. The first of these was the chast-
ening and exalting influence of absolute
seif-denial. The second was in his WOO
ing and marrying a woman ''of mean
birth, WHO was so loyal, sweet and
good, that Spenser never knew an UNI
happy hour ON her account during his
life, more power to women "of mean
birth for H. The other WAS in his Wis
its to and communions with his noble
friend, I,Nleigh. ut messy Old Youglnl
a few mics distant upon the seacoast
Raleigh, genius and poet that he himself
was, generously recognized the greater
poets true greatness; warmed his heart
with sunny Inequalities; sustained his
doubtful DRAWINGS with strong and
heartsone friendship; aud, in 1893, bod
lily took the humorous Spenser to London,
personally introduced him to the QUEEN
and that very year saw the publication
of the first three books of Faerie Queen
These three good fortunes, despite bit
ter financial straits on the one hand.
and. on the other, Irish ''rebellionsn of
such startling frequency that every far
line of trees. like trembling slhouettes
against the horizon, undoubtedly took on
the form OF Desmond and Tyrone aveng-
ers, made him sing as no English poet
before his time had ever sung And in
these true things of his life lay the com
pensationsi for the latter days of poverty
In London were, as the sequel proved,
English Indifference was more fatal than
Irish savagery, brought him nothing save
the loyalty of his companion 'of mean
birth" and lie was allowed to die in
want in the land he had more infinitely
honored than any other who ever lived Ia
ii, save Shakespeare. There Is but little
here to remind of Spenser now. SO desc
late is kilcOlmnn and devoid of suggest
i've association the region roundabout,
that the Pilgrim bither must pcrfOrce
bring Spenser in his heart, and build al.
most the entire fabric of life, home and
haunts from his own loving fancy. Only
one real aud sweet thing is here which
will always remain us If revealing the
radiance of the poets gentle presence.
That is the near little river, Awbeg, the
'Mulla' Of his joyous verse; more joy
GUS and melodious ever, MS It sings of
him who sung, on its sunny, beautous
way 10 the Blnckwater and the sea,
There Is nothing more beautiful in all
Ireland than Cork city, set in stone and
terrace against her leafy heights, and the
broadening river Lee, which, rising in
tue mystic depths of weird. wild. Gou-
game Barra, at the edge of Kerry. wand
ers through lovely glens and sunny wales
to where the city aud tide meet, and
then blending with the salt water sweeps
through the most glorious and pictur-
esque estuary in the world down past
Queenstown TO the sea. But this has
been repeatedly told by word-painters
galore. My own secret longing led me
first aud lust to.