The Irish standard., 1916-01-15

May Day OF Mankind is referred to
in "The Healing of Conall Carnach,''
and in the death song in "Deidre.'
Denis Florence MacCarthy evidences
in many of his poems that earnest re-
ligious feeling that marked him
throughout life. He has left us adj
mirable renderings of the Latin me-
dieval hymns and original poetry that
is always distinguished by wide cul-
ture and careful art. His most ambi-
tious work, "The Voyage of St. Bren-
dan," is a poetical narration of the
legends that had grown up round the
name of one of the most famous of
our Irist saints, and contains fine
paraphrase of the ave Maria Stella.'
Some of the verses of the little poem
that is intercalated in the longer mar
rative poem of the saints voyage are
equal in beauty and simplicity to the
verses of the Latin hymn:
"Star of the morning! guide our
youthful days,
Shine on our infant steps in life's
long race;
Star of the evening! with thy tranquil
rays,
GLADDEN. the aged eyes that seek thy
face.'
MacCarthy is principally remem-
bered on account of his English ver-
sion of the great Spanish Catholic
dramatist, Calderon. He was espe-
cially qualified for this work by his
natural sympathy with the Catholic
spirit of the great writer of a Latin
race, and he was awarded the medal
of the Royal Academy of Spain in
recognition of the excellence of his
work. "He has succeeded" says Tick
nor in his History of Spanish Litera-
ture, Gin giving faithful idea OF
what is grandest and most affecting
in Calderon's genius to a degree that
had previously thought impossible.
Nothing in English literature gives us
so true an expression of what Is most
characteristic of the Spanish drama
and of Spanish poetry generally"
The generation of poets who sue.
ceeded De We're and Ferguson show q
spiritual note in their work, which dis
tinguishes it from the poetry that
| mo r,npfffoy, of kh0 i4l
England. Mr.. Yeats has said that, If
he were asked to say what distin-
guished the little school of Irish poets
who were his contemporaries, he would
say that they believed with a singu-
lar force of belief in the spiritual
life, and express their belief in their
poetry. Mrs. lyman Hinkson, better
known amongst us as Katherine Ty-
nan, has sometimes expressed an inn
passioned and an instructive Catho-
licism in poems that Mr.. Yeats, who
is by no means complaisant critic,
believes to be as perfect as they are
beautiful. Mrs. lyman Hinkson's po-
etry shows deep and sincere relig-
ious feeling and an intimate appre-
citation and love of the beauty of ex-
ternal nature, both perhaps derived
from the influence which the most
lovable amongst the saints Of the
church, the Poor Man of Assist, has
exercised upon her mind-an infll-
ence that is evidenced throughout her
poems, but notably in est. Francis
and the Wolf" in which she relates
so simply and beautifully one of the
stories in the "Fioretti." Lionel John.
son, notable convert to Catholicity.
who chose during his too short life
Ito live among his books and between
two memories, the religious tradition
Of the Church of Rome, and the politi-
cal tradition of Ireland" has written
poems that recall the best work of
De We're. There is splendid swing
in the lines in which he sings of the
White Horsemen," the. "chivalry Of
Christ
"Ah, see the fair chivalry come, the
Companions of Christ!
White Horsemen, who ride on white
horses, the Knights of God!
They for their Lord and their Lover
who sacrificed
All, save the sweetness of treading
where He first trod!
These through the darkness of death,
the dominion of night,
Swept, and they woke in white
places at morning tide:
They saw with their eyes, and sang
for joy of the sight.
They saw with their eyes the Eyes
Of the Crucified."
Referring to the proposed memorial
to General Corcoran, a Presentation
Sister writes that two of the gener-