The Irish standard., 1918-10-05
Joyce kiImer's
Heroic Death


the western fighting front, it is but
just and fitting that one distinct fact
of his character which has so far re-
NAMED uncommented on in the vari-
Gus press notices elected by his
heroic death. should receive comment
Grafton, writes Eleanor Rogers Cox.
author of Singing Fires of Ireland
This was his deep sympathy with Ire
land and Irishmen in their aspirations
for her independence. Manifested
again and again, it took decisive and
lasting form in his noble poem of
Easter Week." which, dedicated to
the memory of Mary Joseph Plunkett,
took up the challenge of Yeats coup
let:
Romantic Ireland's dead and gone,
It's with O'Leary in the grave
and preserving the ancient Irish metre
of the internal rhyme throughout, no.
bly, upheld the deeds, the names and
the memories of those who had given
their all that Ireland might live.
Romantic Ireland never die.
O'Leary lies in fertile ground,
And songs and spears throughout the
years
Rise up where patriot graves are
found.
Immortal patriots newly dead
And We that bled in bygone years,
What banners rise before your eyes?
What is the tune that greets your
ears?
"The soil of Ireland throbs and glows
With life that knows the hour is
here
To strike again like Irishmen
For that which Irishmen hold dear.
Lord Edward leaves his resting place
And Sarsfield's face is glad and
fierce.
See Emmett leap from troubled sleep
To grasp the hand of Patrick
Pearse!"
| And so on to it's noble conclusions:
Romantic Ireland is not dead,
For years untold her youth will
shine.
Her heart is fed on Heavenly bread,
The blood of martyrs is her wine.' -
This is the first, and believe, the
only Irish poem of distinctively ma
tional character that has been read be-
fore the Poetry Society of America. 1t
is custom of the society that the au-
thorship Of all poems accepted for
til the deciding vote on their respec-
tive merits is taken. And now that the
author of this fine poem is gone be-
yond all mortal praise, the writer is
glad to remember that upon hearing
it read in the National Art Club that
night, she arose and thanked it's au-
thor "in the name of the Irish Repub-
lic," that Shaemas O'Sheel corroborat-
ed that sentiment in the name of the
Irish of American BIRTH and that
both poem and praise received gener-
Gus applause from the goodly audience
of poets and writer's there assembled.
| 1t is also pleasant to tell that the
final vote placed it amongst the best
poems read before the society that en-.
tire year of 1867.
But before the writing of that poem
Joyce Kilmer had already shown his
sympathy with Ireland's struggle for
self-determination in a most practical
way. Quick and fearles to act as he
always was, on his convictions, he took
the most active, energetic interest in
the success of the great Memorial
Meeting of American Poets held il
Central Park, in June, 1916, to honor
eAO AAOuOAy VI CAO IA1OC 111ou
Poets of Easter week-Pearse, Melon
ough and Plunkett. So genuine, so self
less was this interest that he betrayed
at his own expense the main part Of
the costs connected with the meeting
for printing, invitations, etc.
In another poem in that volume
Main Street and Other Poems
Doran), the poet again speaks his ad
miration for the work of the maryr
poets:
Lord Byron and Shelley and Plunkett
McDonough and Hunt and Pearse,
See now why their hatred of tyrants
| Was so ,insistently fierce.
Is Freedom only a Will-o'the-wisp
To cheat a poets eye?
Be is fancy or fact, it's a noble cause
In which to sing and to die!"