A True Poet—the Poetry of Peace and the Practice of War.
It is nearly thirty years since I met the English poet, Charles Mackay, at Louisville, on his travels in America. At that time he gave me the following poem suggested by our conversation. I do not think that he has ever published it:
Why, this longing, clay-clad spirit?
Why this fluttering of wings?
Why this striving to discover
Hidden and transcendent things?
Thou wouldst fathom Life and Being,
Thou wouldst see through Birth and Death.
Thou wouldst solve the eternal Riddle,
Thou, a speck, a ray, a breath!
Be at peace, thou struggling spirit,
Great Eternity denies
The unfolding of its secrets
In the circle of thine eyes.
Charles Mackay,
Louisville, Kentucky, Jan. 31, 1858.
It is the function of the poet to realize and revere the mystery, but it is the duty of philosophy to explore and dissipate it, as far as possible, for mystery is the foe of human progress.
Mackay, though not the poet of psychic science, is profoundly the poet of practical, humanitarian progress, as was shown in his sublime poem, beginning,
“The man is thought a knave or fool,
Or bigot plotting crime,
Who for the advancement of his kind
Is wiser than his time.”
The psychometric impression from the manuscript of the foregoing poem was as follows:
“This seems like a poetical influence. I think the person who wrote this, was adapted to intellectual pursuits,—a man of fine powers of mind, but not fully progressed in thought. As far as he knew, at the time of this writing, he was appreciative of your suggestions, and of scientific progress. He was a cool-headed man,—not a light or superficial thinker, but thought on deep subjects. He was a brain worker; it makes my brain tired. I think he published books—poems. I think he was more a poet than a prose writer. He was not like Tom Moore—there was nothing light or superficial—his poetry was grand, solid, deep, stirring. He could write upon warlike scenes, vividly and descriptively, but was not in favor of war. He would deplore any appearance of war, but he had a patriotic spirit, a proud spirit, and would defend the right and assail the wrong.”
This description was verified in his numerous volumes of poetry, such as “Legends of the Islands,” “Poetry of the English Lakes,” “The Battle,” “Town Lyrics,” etc. He also published three volumes of “Memoirs of Popular Delusions,” edited the London Review, and was the war correspondent of the London Times from this country during the rebellion.
His opposition to war is shown in the following admirable poem, the reading of which revived my recollection of its author.