The Washington herald., 1911-01-22

Behold this ruin! Twas a skull
Once Of ethereal spirit full: 4
This narrow cell lfc's retreat. -.
This space thc.ights mysterious seat.
What beauteous visions filed this spot,
What dreams OF pleasure long forgot?
Nor hope. nor Joy. nor love nor fear.
Have left one trace Of record here.
Beneath this moldering canopy
Orcc shone the bright and busy eye,
But start not at the dismal void
II social love that eye employed.
II with no lawlcs fire it cleaned.
But through the dews II kindness beamed.
That eye shall be forever bright.
When Stars and Sun are sunk in Night.
Within this hollow cavern hung
The ready swift, and tuneful tongue;
II Falahocds honey it disdaiDed.
And when il could not praise Was chained.
If bold in Virtues cause it spoke.
Yet gentle Concord never broke
The silent tongue shall plead for thee
When Time becomes Eternity.
Say. did these fingers dcive the mine!
Or with the enved ribes shine
To hew 4 rock or wear a gem,
Can little avail to them.
Rut if the Tsgc Of Truth they sought.
Or Comfort to the mourner brought.
These hands a richer need shall claim
Than all that wait Wealth or Fame.
Avails it whether bare .hnd
Thee feet the rath cf Duty truf?
II from the bowers Of ease they fed
To seek Affections humble shed:
II Grandeur's guilty bribe they srurned,
And home to Virtues cot returned.
These feet with angels wings shall vie.
And tread the Palace OF the Sig.
There is no poem in the English lam
guage over the authorship of which there
has been more searching investigation.
this has been going on for
close to a century. the result has brought
10 light nothing definite. and it is likely
to continue as much of a mystery as the
parsonage, '-The Man in the Iron
Mask" or the literary secret as to the
Of the Junius Letters.
There must be some deep mystery hid
den behind these lines. otherwise their
would have brought out the
name Of the author, who would have only
been too glad TO have taken to himself
the credit of having written one OF the
best of the shorter poems in the English
language. The story OF the finding of the
poem. and the evidence Of its suggestion
is accepted in part. But why. il there Is
nothing back of it all. should the author
have hesitated to acknowledge his pro-
duction? Is it possible that his name
attached to the verses would have re-
vealed secret which he wished to
avoid becoming known?
The poem is sometimes called Lines
to a skeleton and sometimes Lines to
a Skull" The former title would seem
to be the more appropriate. The first
three stanzas are addressed entirely to
the skull but the last two to various
parts of a skeleton. They were discov-
cred and first printed in England, but
the authorship has been varfously placed.
in one instance to an American. Liter
lry men of both continents have been
equally diligent in their search for the
author to clear the mystery.
Although it is claimed that the first
printed copy OF the poem was in the
London Morning Chronicle and I'M
signed, il is to be found in the Euro
pean Magazine for November. 1916.
signed with the initial az" V. was the
signature used by the English authoress.
Miss Anna Jane Vardill.- afterward Mrs.
James Nivcn. of Glenarm. This young
lady wrote many poems to the Euro
pean Magazine. printed over the same
initial, but she denied the authorship OF
Lines to a Skeleton" Many writer's.
when they wish TO conceal their identity.
use the initial w. or ~ and not in
frequently ~. Y, H." This was no doubt
an incident.
In America the names of several per-
sons have been attached to its author
ship, chief among which was John ID.
Goldman, a celebrated surgeon. who spent
the ma jor part Of his life in Philadelphia,
and died about eighty years ago. God
man married a daughter of Rembrandt