The Irish standard., 1908-10-10


married. in his poem Blossom:
For this the fruit. for this the seed,
For this the parent tree:
The least to man. the most to God
A fragrant mystery,
Where love, with beauty glorified,
Forgets utility.
The lark, the wood robin. the rose.
the violet, the golden rod. the dande-
lion, the water lily, the summer wind
and the seasons all spoke to him. AMI
their fancies and their memories are
all embalmed in the tenderest of verse.
Father Tabb is essentially nature
lover. In all the many beautiful
things that spring from the ground, ir
sky and sea, and in all the phenomena
and mysteries of light and shadow he
took the keenest delight. Tile cruelty
Of it now is that all these beauties are
veiled to him. He can no longer wall,
through his well-trodden paths y find
the violet shrinking modestly from the
light. Instead, friend must guide
him. One can fancy there being
pointed out to him the rose, with it's
petals dead and dropping. and h.ar
him in reply repeat with saddenei i
voice his apostrophe:
Alas! one day hath told
The tale to thee!
Try tender leaves unfold
Life's mystery:
Its shadow falls alike on thee and me!
Blindness began to fall upon the
poet last December, since which time
the darkness has become deepe: and
deeper. Bitter as the blow is, Father
Tabb remains philosophic and cheer.
full, bearing his cross with true Chris.
that sight was leaving him he wrote
this poem. which Is remarkable - ito
philosophic acceptance Of q condition
which to most men is worse than
death itself:
Going Blind.
Back to the primal gloom
Where life began,
AS to my mothers womb,
Must I a man
Return;
Not to be born again,
But to remain;
And in the School of Darkness leurn
What mean
'"The things unseen"
AS poet Father Tabb has nevar as
pired to greatness He has nevt.. is.
sued any pretentious works. all Of
his verse being short. Among his vol
umes are Poems" (1sss), IAN Octave
TO Mary Qs93), Lyrics" (lS97).
Poems Grave and Gay" (1ss9), Give
Lyrics" $4,000. Later Lyrics"
Childhood Poems'' and others. His
verse is distinguished for its sympa-
thy with whatever subjects it trcHts.
whether from nature. literature " re-
ligion, for the delicacy and refine non:
of it's sentiment and for it's precision
Throughout there is a delightful alb
sence OF misty, hazy, classical al IT,
sions, which gives an added charm
Father Tabb shuns publicity as the
violet shrinks from sunlight. Mol.
esty is the leading characteristic OF
the man. 1t is said Of him that go re-
tiring is his disposition that when
high church dignitaries have sudden
ly visited the college he has been
known to run away from the table and
hide. In response to a request for an
interview he returned the kindly
NIT to an operation for appendicitis. -
Thus he expressed his abhorrence oi
publicity. His kindly intent, however,
Is indicated by the following signed
verse which he penned to the inter-
viewers:
To a Proposed Interview.
An interview would be to me
A species of miatic,
Or an appendix to be cut
l. Without an anesthetic.
And why expose to public view
A mans intestine features? =
'Tis outwardly alone we look
| Unlike our fellow creatures. "'.
Such is the modesty of the manlwEo
claims no distinction above other men,
| Will Continue to Sing.
Father Tabb will still write, but liz
pen cannot follow the lines of the page
so true. From the poets fingers the
poem will be taken in hand by friend
and recopied for the printers. While
his heart beats, though, so long may
he be expected to write. for he has
quaffed so deep from nature, ard 50
we'll does he know humanity, trar he
\ yaa- eko