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COLLECTIONS (10)
The Poetical Works of Robert Buchanan.
(London: Chatto & Windus, 1884.)
continued
Saint Abe and His Seven Wives was published, anonymously in December, 1871. Buchanan managed to maintain the anonymity of this new ‘American’ author, and published White Rose and Red in August, 1873. However, the secret was revealed shortly after, and, although extracts from both books were included in the Selected Poems of 1882, the first publication of both books under Robert Buchanan’s name occurred in the 1884 Poetical Works.
SAINT ABE AND HIS SEVEN WIVES.
A TALE OF SALT LAKE CITY.
‘Dedication: To Old Dan Chaucer’
‘Approaching Utah.—The Boss’s Tale:
1. Passing the Ranche
2. Joe Wilson goes a-courting
3. Saint and Disciple
4. The Book of Mormon
5. Joe ends his Story—First Glimpse of Utah’
‘The City Of The Saints:
1. Among the Pastures—Summer Evening Dialogue
2. Within the City—St. Abe and the Seven
3. Promenade—Main Street, Utah
4. Within the Synagogue—Sermonizeth the Prophet
5. The Falling of the Thunderbolt
6. Last Epistke of St. Abe to the Polygamists’
‘The Farm In The Valley—Sunset (1871)’
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WHITE ROSE AND RED.
A LOVE STORY.
DEDICATION.
To WALT WHITMAN and ALEXANDER GARDINER, with all friends in Washington,
I dedicate this Poem.
‘Invocation (Know’st thou the Land?)’
‘1. The Capture Of Eureka Hart:
1. Natura Naturans
2. Eureka
3. The Capture
4. Thro’ the Wood
5. The Red Tribe’
‘2. Red Rose:
1. Erycina Ridens
2. Log and Sunbeam
3. Nuptial Song
4. Arretez!
5. The Farewell
6. The Paper’
‘3. White Rose:
1. Drowsietown
2. After Meeting
3. Phœbe Anna
4. Nuptial Song’
‘4. The Great Snow:
1. The Great Snow
2. The Wanderer
3. Retrospect: the Journey
4. The Journey’s End
5. Face to Face
6. Pauguk
7. The Melting of the Snow
8. The Last Look’
‘Epilogue’
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FACES ON THE WALL.
(1876.)
‘Lone House’
‘Storm And Calm’
‘Without And Within’
‘Napoleon’
‘Abraham Lincoln’
‘Walt Whitman’
‘O Faces!’
‘To Triflers’
‘The Wanderers’
‘The Watcher Of The Beacon’
‘And The Spirit Of God Moved Upon The Waters’
‘Faces On The Wall’ is a sonnet sequence originally published in The Saint Pauls Magazine of May, 1872. The original version consisted of 12 sonnets, including one dedicated to Robert Browning. This, the eighth sonnet, was omitted (presumably following Browning’s objection) in the version in the 1874 Poetical Works.
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BALDER THE BEAUTIFUL.
A SONG OF DIVINE DEATH.
‘Proem To ——, (A Song of a Dream)’
‘1. The Birth Of Balder:
1. Balder’s Birth-Song
2. His Growth and Godhead’
‘2. The Finding Of Balder:
1. Frea in the Wood
2. The Shadow in the Wood
3. Full Godhead
4. The Man by the Ocean’
‘3. The Heavenward Journey:
1. The Goddesses
2. The Fruit of Life
3. The City of the Gods
4. The Voice of the Father
5. Balder’s Return’
‘4. Balder’s Return To Earth:
1. “Balder is here”
2.
3. All Things Blest by Balder
4. The Cry from the Ground
5. The Shadow on the Earth
6. On the Heights—Evening
7. The Vow of Balder’
‘5. Balder’s Quest For Death:
1.
2.
3. The Fight of Ships
4. Ydun’
‘6. Balder And Death:
1. The Altar of Sacrifice
2. Balder and Death
3. “O Death, pale Death”
4. Death Sings
5.
6. The Last Prayer
7. The First Snowflake—Falling of the Snow’
‘7. The Coming Of The Other:
1.
2. The Light on the Snow
3. The Face and the Voice
4. “Wake, Balder! Wake!”
5. The Birth and Death
6. The Paracletes
7.
8. ’
‘8. The Twilight Of The Gods:
1.
2.
3. The Bridge of Ghosts
4. “Behold, I am Risen”
5. Alfadur
6. The Brethren
7. Father and Son
8. Twilight
9. “A Cross and a Lily”’
‘9. The Last Blessing:
1. The Waking of the Sea
2. From Death to Life’
Balder the Beautiful was Buchanan’s first book of poetry to be published under his own name after the Fleshly School scandal and the revelation that he had fooled the critics and reviewers with his two anonymous ‘American’ works. A large part of the poem (from Part IV, ‘Balder’s Return to Earth’, to the end) was first published over three issues of The Contemporary Review from March to May, 1877 and the book then appeared in July.
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MISCELLANEOUS POEMS AND BALLADS.
(1878-83.)
CLOWN. What hast here? Ballads?
MOP. Pray now, buy some: I love a ballad in print o’ life, for then we are sure they are true.
AUT. Here’s one to a very doleful tune. . . . This is a merry ballad, but a very pretty one.
THE WINTER’S TALE.
DEDICATION
TO HARRIETT
HERE at the Half-way House of Life I linger,
Worn with the way, a weary-hearted Singer,
Resting a little space;
And lo! the good God sends me, as a token
Of peace and blessing (else my heart were broken),
The sunbeam of thy face.
My fear falls from me like a garment; slowly
New strength returns upon me, calm and holy;
I kneel, and I atone. . .
Thy hand is clasped in mine—we lean together. .
Henceforward, through the sad or shining weather.
I shall not walk alone.
‘The Strange Country’ - originally published in Good Words (March, 1872), reprinted in the 1874 Poetical Works and Selected Poems, 1882.
‘The Ballad Of Judas Iscariot’ - originally published in The Saint Pauls Magazine (February, 1872), reprinted in the 1874 Poetical Works and Selected Poems, 1882.
‘The Lights of Leith’ - from Ballads of Life, Love and Humour, 1882.
‘The Wedding of Shon Maclean (a Bagpipe Melody)’ - originally published in The Gentleman’s Magazine (July, 1874), reprinted in Ballads of Life, Love, and Humour, 1882.
‘Hans Vogel (an Episode of the Franco-Prussian War)’ - originally published in The Gentleman’s Magazine (February, 1875), reprinted in Ballads of Life, Love, and Humour, 1882.
‘Phil Blood’s Leap (a Tale of the Gold-Seekers)’ - originally published (as ‘Phil Blood’s Leap: A Tale of the Gambusinos’) in The Saint Pauls Magazine, (February, 1872), reprinted in Ballads of Life, Love, and Humour, 1882.
‘The Faëry Reaper (Ireland)’ - originally published in The Gentleman’s Magazine (March, 1875), reprinted in Ballads of Life, Love, and Humour, 1882.
‘The Midian-Mara - originally published (as ‘The “Midian-Uara”’) in The Gentleman’s Magazine (December, 1874), reprinted in Ballads of Life, Love, and Humour, 1882.
‘O’Connor’s Wake (an Irish Fiddle Tune)’ - originally published in The Gentleman’s Magazine (November, 1874), reprinted in Ballads of Life, Love, and Humour, 1882.
‘Highland Lament’ - from Ballads of Life, Love and Humour (1882).
‘James Avery’ - originally published (as ‘James Avery, The Pirate King’) in Cassell’s Magazine (March, 1874), reprinted in Ballads of Life, Love, and Humour, 1882.
‘The Devil’s Peepshow (Old Style)’ - originally published (as ‘The Peepshow: or, The Old Theology and the New’) in The Gentleman’s Magazine (June, 1875), reprinted in Ballads of Life, Love, and Humour, 1882.
‘Daybreak (Fragment)’ - from Selected Poems, 1882.
‘Euphrosyne; or, the Prospect’ - originally published in Cassell’s Magazine (September, 1873), reprinted in Ballads of Life, Love, and Humour, 1882.
‘Stanley Farm’ - from Ballads of Life, Love and Humour (1882). The final three verses are omitted.
‘On a Young Poetess’s Grave’ - originally published as the last five verses of ‘’A Drawing-Room Ballad in London Society (July, 1868). It first appeared under its new title in the 1874 Poetical Works and was reprinted in Ballads of Life, Love, and Humour, 1882.
‘Love in Winter (a Genre Picture)’ - originally published in The Gentleman’s Magazine (August, 1874), reprinted in Ballads of Life, Love, and Humour, 1882.
‘Will O’ The Wisp (a Ballad written for Clari, on a Stormy Night)’ - originally published in Good Words (January, 1872), reprinted in Ballads of Life, Love, and Humour, 1882.
‘Giant Despair:
1. His Death
2. After’ - originally published in The Gentleman’s Magazine (September, 1874), reprinted in Ballads of Life, Love, and Humour, 1882.
‘The Mountain Well’ - originally published in Good Words (May, 1872), reprinted in Ballads of Life, Love, and Humour, 1882.
‘The Song Of The Shealing’ - originally published, anonymously, in The Saint Pauls Magazine (November, 1872), reprinted in Ballads of Life, Love, and Humour, 1882.
‘The Secret of the Mere’ - originally published in Good Words (July, 1876), reprinted in Ballads of Life, Love, and Humour, 1882.
‘Mnemosyne; or, the Retrospect’ - originally published in Cassell’s Magazine (January, 1874), reprinted in Ballads of Life, Love, and Humour, 1882.
‘Vanity Fair’ - from Ballads of Life, Love and Humour (1882).
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Next: The Buchanan Ballads, Old and New (1892)
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