The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-05-01
The Talented Son of the Protest
ant Bishop of limerick.
ALFRED PERcEvAL GRAVES
An Interesting Sketch of His Bril-
liant Literary Career.
WRITTEN BY EUGENE DAVIS
His Productions Belong to the
Hum0rlstic School.

Humorlstic School.
Alfred p. Graves, the subject of this
brief memoir, is the eldest surviving
son of Dr. Graves, Episcopal Bishop Of
Limerick, an ecclesiastic of varied tai
ents and accomplishments, says Eugene
Davis in the Western Watchman. Mr..
Graves was born in Dublin in 1916, and
was sent at an early age to school in the
English Lake country at Windermere.
Here, amid the associations of the Lake
School of poetry this young mind re-
cefVed its first Impressions Of the beauti-
: full and sublime in nature, and here, it
may be presumed, he first lisped in har-
monious numbers. His uncle, Mr. r. P.
Graves, was an intimate friend of Words
worth, and often enjoyed the eclectic
society of Mrs. Hemans when that lady
= resided in the vicinity of the lakes. Az
ter his school days he proceeded to Dub
ity college, and where he obtained first
class honors in classics and English lit
erature, eventually winning the univer-
sity scholarship in the former depart
ment, and the term prize for Greek and
Latin composition. During his univer-
sity career he contributed very promis-
ing verses to Kottabos and to the Dub
lin University Magazine. Mr.. Graves
became, shortly after his studies were
completed, private secretary to Mr.. Hen
ry Winterbottom, parliamentary under
secretary of the home Office, London,
and held that position up to the death
of that official. During this period he
became contributor of Frazer's Maga-
zine, Punch, The Spectator, The
Athaeneum, The Gentleman's Maga-
zine, besides acting as dramatic critic
for the London Examiner.
In 1872 he published his first volume
of poems, entitled Songs of Killarney"
This collection of his maiden efforts was
received with much favor by the Irish,
English and American press generally,
and the author had on the same occa-
sion the pleasure of receiving very en-
couraging letters on his poetical talents
from such distinguished literateurs as
Lord Tennyson, William Allingham, Sir
Samuel Ferguson, Charles Lever, Ed
ward Douden and Dion Boucicault. His
second volume OF poems was entitled
Irish Songs and Ballads" That vol
ume had greater success than the first.
Most Of the songs which it contains, II
not actually composed to the music of
old Irish airs, owe to them their I'M
pulse and complete character drawn
from the Bunting collection, as well as
from Petrie and Hoffman. Mr.. Graves
lyrics are of an idylic character; they
are the outcome of an affectionate study
on his part of Irish peasant life among
the mountains of Kerry, while few of
his bardic lyrics are presented in verse
closely translated from it's original Gel
tic. Subsequently Mr.. Graves as lyrist
has been in connection with DR.. c. VIII
lers Standford's collection of fifty Irish
airs hitherto unpublished in England,
to which Mr.. Graves has written the
words. Father O'Flynn," the authors
best song, appeared in this volume. On
its first appearance Mr.. Santley, the
famous English baritone, took fancy
to the words and tune, and sang the
lyric at one of Boosey's ballad concerts,
where it was received with rounds of
applause. This rollicking effusion was
worth to Mr.. Graves and his publishers
q small fortune. Mr.. Graves married in
1874 Miss Jane Cooper, eldest daughter
of Mr.. John Cooper, of Cooper Hill,
county Waterford. A few years had
elapsed when the even tenor of his life
was cruelty broken by the death of his
wife, to whom he was so much attached.
Subsequently he welded the grand
daughter of the famous historian of
Germany, who wrote the ''Histoy Of the
Popes," and to whom Macauley In his
essay referred.
The poetry of Mr.. Graves belongs
more to the delicately humoristic than
to any other school. Pent up in the
hustle and roar Of life, the songster
might have grown dumb. but for his
travels to the open plains and rugged
mountains. Hence it is that both his.
volumes have q delicious rural favor IN
their pages-an aroma of the wild aow-
ers Of the forest or of the pines that
sing to the rolling waves on the sea-
shore. Another characteristic of his
poems Is the variety and hexibility, Of
metre. unlike other poetry. save, per-
hape. James Clarence Mangan's. He: has
o quiet, native humor, and habit OF
modelling his best phrases on the Irish
spathos a. II is spoken In tho country
sSarmsteads Of Munster The chief Inn
\ sa1n one hasS Snf l(r.. Graves, aftel. 3
q AZ. 81