The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-05-29
THE SWEET BARD OE ERIN.

WOul0 De a USIVtlCllOu VI uuIy VI IiAo
part of the Irish Standard to allow the
day to pass by without paying a tribute
to the memory of the great Irish melo-
dist whose poetic illusions have done
so much to keep aglow in the hearts of
his countrymen that love of native land
which characterizes them wherever they
may be. The genius of the Irish bard
rises in the appreciation of literary peo-
pie of all lands as the years go by, and
his countrymen think more Of INN now
than they did in the past for rescuing
the noble music of Ireland from the Oh
Hvion in which he found it. Moore him
self truthfully refers to the work he &C
complished when he says:
Dear harp Of my country! in darkness I
found thee,
The cold chains of silence had hung DER
thee long, $50
When proudly, my own island harp, I
unbound thee,
And gave all thy cords to light, freedom
and song.
If the pulse of the patriot, soldier or
lover
Has throbbed at our lay, tits thy glory
alone:
1 was but as the wind passing heedlessly
over,
And all the wild sweetness I walked
was thy own.
The Irish bard may have clearly
loved lord" and spent a great portion
of his time in the company of the Brit
ish aristocracy, but nevertheless hs
loved his country with intense devotion
and gave voice to Irish nationality in
soul-stirring lays. What can make the
young Irishman's heart throb for liberty
more ardently than the martial melo-
dies, Remember the Glories of Brian
the Brave" and "The Minstrel Boy"
When an Irish youth beholds the beat
tiful scenery Of his country and the t1ne
demesnes in the, possession, Of the in
vaders, how his heart beats when he re-
calls the following lines from Moore: ~
Mononia, when nature embel1ished the
tint .s.>-.. e.: :''r'" =
Of thy fields and thy mountains so fair,
Did she ever intend that tyrant should
print
The footsteps Of slavery there?
IT'S sweeter to bleed for an age at thy
shrine -. ,,@.:.~ 80. -
Than to sleep but moment in chains.
Moore's poetry has largely helped to
keep Irish nationality alive, and
though Mangan and Davis may have
sung in holder strains we doubt If either
of them loved Ireland more than did
the national bard. The Irish people are
deeply indebted to Moore, for he did
more than other Irishmen to preserve
the music and poetry of Erin from per-
fishing. Others might have arisen in
later days to perform the work of Moore
but it is doubtful If any one could ac-
complish it so we'll. An English critic
says that In the quality of a national
Irish lyrist, Moore stands: absolutely
alone and unapproachable; while a
Scotchman declares that of all the song
writer's that ever warbled or chanted
or sung, the best is verify none other
than Thomas Moore. In English Htera-
ture no lyrist is his equal except the
bard of "bonny Scotland" the immortal
Robert Burns.
The Irish Melodies" of Moore have
been translated into the principal Ian
guages of Europe, and the late Arch
bishop McHale rendered them into the
beautiful Celtic language Of Ireland.
Moore wrote history of Ireland and a
work in vindication of the ancient faith
of his country entitled can Irish Gentle
man in Search of a Religion" Though
the Catholic creed which he professed
was detested by the British snobs with
whom he associated, he still adhered to
it with unwavering fidelity and ably de-
Tended It with his pen. He rendered in
valuable services to Ireland during his
brilliant career, and it is eminently
proper that his memory be kept green
In the hearts of his countrymen when
Erin again becomes - -.
Great, glorious and free,
First flower of the earth. ..., = .s.s
And first gem Of the sea. -
Moore inherited the spirit of Irish pa
triotism from his father, who sympa-
thized with the aspirations Of the United
Irishmen. When child his father took
him to banquet in honor of Napier
Tandy, where he sat on that rebels
knee while enthusiastic cheers greeted
the toast, MAY the breeze from France
blow our Irish oak into sverdure.' It
was the influence of his mother, that re.
strained him from being a revolutionist
in 1898. Truly did Chauncey Olcott say
in the contribution published in last
weeks Irish Standard that while
Moore's patriotism was of quieter ma
ture than that of Emmett, Tone and
Fitzgerald, it was as deep as any; and
had he possessed their impulsive enthu-
siasm he would have lent his name to
the list Of Ireland's martyrs. es..75s...
We think that many Irishmea Of the