Brooke Essay

— The Corvey Poets Project at the University of Nebraska —

British Poetry of the later Eighteenth and Earlier Nineteenth Centuries

Bibliographical and Contextual Apparatus

Brooke, Charlotte.

Reliques of Irish Poetry, Consisting of Heroic Poems, Odes, Elegies, and Songs, Translated into English Verse, with Notes explanatory and historical; and the Originals in the Irish Character, to which is subjoined an Irish Tale. By Miss Brooke. To which is prefixed, A Memoir of Her Life and Writings. By Aaron Crossly Seymour, Esq. Dublin: J. Christie, 1816. Pp. cxxxvi + 464.

Descriptive Essay

Reliques of Irish Poetry was first published in 1789 and consists, as the lengthy title informs us, of translations of Irish poetry from the Irish into English as well as notes and the Irish originals. The subject of this essay, the edition published in 1816, also includes Aaron Crossly Seymour's memoir, which precedes the text of Brooke's volume itself. (See "Biography") The book is divided into several sections following the Preface, List of Subscribers, and table of contents: the main sections include Heroic Poems (with an "Introductory Discourse to the Poem of Conloch, By Sylvester O'Halloran, Esq. M.R.I.A."), Odes (with an Introductory Discourse) Elegies, Songs, "An Irish Tale," and the poems in the Irish. Explanatory Notes accompany each poem.

In the "Preface," Brooke apologizes for her inadequacies as a translator, stating that her "feeble hand aspires only (like the ladies of Rome) to strew flowers in the paths of these laureled champions of my country. The flowers of the earth, the terrestrial offspring of Phoebus, were scattered before the steps of victorious War; but, for triumphant Genius are reserved the celestial children of his beams, the unfading flowers of the Muse. To pluck and thus to bestow them, is mine, and I hold myself honoured in the task" (cxxviii). She then wonders where the thirst is for national glory, "when a subject of such importance is permitted to a pen like mine" (cxxx). Indeed, Brooke's Reliques was the first anthology of Irish poetry and in the opinion of R.A. Breatnach , she and Joseph Cooper Walker were the first of the Irish romantic writers. (94)

In her discussion of her methods, Brooke tells us that she was not content to render a literal translation of the poems, an "impossible undertaking.—Besides the spirit which they breathe, and which lifts the imagination far above the tameness, let me say, the injustice, of such a task,—there are many complex words that could not be translated literally, without great injury to the original—without being `false to its sense, and falser to its fame"' (cxxxi). Brooke included the Irish originals so that the reader could decide for him/herself the extent of her success, provided, of course, that he/she could read Irish.

Brooke closes her preface with the hope that the Irish muse might join with the British muse to act as "sweet ambassadresses of cordial union between the two countries" (cxxxiii).[1] Brooke did not live to see such a thing happen; relations between Ireland and Britain would take a turn for the worse less than ten years after her death with the passage of the Act of Union. Perhaps it is ironic that Brooke is credited as being the first in a line of writers who would use the pen to swell the tide of Irish nationalism throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. (O'Connor 129-30; Wright 351)

The first grouping of poems in Reliques is that of heroic poems. These include "Conloch: A Poem", "The Lamentation of Cucullin over the Body of his Son Conloch," "Magnus the Great," "The Chase," and "Moira Borb," two of which are described briefly below.[2]

"Conloch" tells of how Cucullin killed his son Conloch by mistake. Conloch had been raised by his mother in what is now Scotland and when he came of age, she sent him to Ireland according to Cucullin's instructions. She did not tell him that he should not arrive dressed in his armor, which the Irish would perceive as a challenge. This is what indeed did happen, however, and Conloch vanquished several heroes until the king sent Cucullin to meet him. This time Conloch was defeated and in his dying moments he reveals his identity to his father:
               Thy hand —my Father!—hapless chief!
          And you, ye warriors of our isle, draw near,
               The anguish of my soul to hear,
          For I must kill a father's heart with grief! (22)

For the remainder of the poem, Cucullin expresses his outrage over what has happened and claims that only death will give him reprieve from his grief.

"Magnus the Great" is an interesting poem about a battle that takes place when a Dane, Magnus, lands in Ireland. It is in the form of a conversation between the poet Oisin and St. Patrick. It begins with Oisin giving Patrick a "piece of his mind"
          I CARE not for thee, senseless clerk!
             Nor all thy psalming throng,
          Whose stupid souls, unwisely dark,
             Reject the light of song: (51)
After Patrick's rebuttal, in which he tells the poet he will continue to praise Heaven, Oisin replies:
          Dost thou insult me to my face?
             Does thy presumption dare
          With the bright glories of my race
             Thy wretched psalms compare? (52)

The rest of the poem continues as Oisin tells the story of how the Irish heroes defeat Magnus. It closes with another speech by Oisin to Patrick:
          From Laogare's sweetly flowing stream,
              Had'st thou the combat view'd,
         The Fenii then thy thoughts would deem,
              With matchless force endued.—

         Thou hast my tale.—Tho' memory bleeds,
              And sorrow wastes my frame,
         Still will I tell of former deeds,
              And live on former fame! (70)
Oisin then admits his own defeat as Christianity takes hold in Ireland:
         Now old,—the streams of life congeal'd,
              Bereft of all my joys!
         No sword this withered hand can wield,
              No spear my arm employs.

          Among thy clerks, my last sad hour,
               Its weary scene prolongs;
          And psalms must now supply the pow'r
               Of victory's lofty songs. (70)

The second grouping of poems is that of War Odes. Brooke gives a lengthy introduction in which she explains the duty of the poet during war: "to attend his chief to battle, and there exert his poetic powers, according to the flucuations of victory, and the fortune of the fight" (165). She includes three, one of which is summarized here.

The function of the poet can be seen clearly in "War Ode to Osgur, the Son of Oisin, in the Front of the Battle of Gabhra." This poem begins with an exhortation to Osgur:
                  RISE, might of Erin! Rise!
               O! Osgur, of the generous soul!
               Now, on the foe's astonish'd eyes,
               Let thy proud ensigns wave dismay!
            Now let the thunder of thy battle roll,
         And bear the palm of strength and victory away! (181)
The poet seems to function as the military version of a cheerleader at a present-day American football game:
               O hear the voice of lofty song!—
                       Obey the Bard!——
               Stop—stop M'Garaidh! check his pride,
             And rush resistless on each regal foe! (181)

The poem closes with Osgur's victory:
               Hark! Anguish groans!—the battle bleeds
               Before thy spear!—its flight is death!—
                          Now, o' er the heath,
                         The foe recedes!
                               [ .   .   . ]
               Pursue pursue with death their flight!—
                    Rise, arm of Erin!—Rise!— (187)

The third grouping is that of elegies. Brooke tells us she had very few "good originals" and that, in her opinion, "the Irish language, perhaps beyond all others, is particularly suited to every subject of Elegy" (229). Brooke includes several of these, the last of which was "composed on the death of that Bard," Carolan, the last of the traditional Irish bards.

In this poem, a man by the name of M'Cabe learns of his friend Carolan's death only after making the trip of some distance to see him. It is quite short so it follows here in its entirety:
          I came, with friendship's face, to glad my heart,
          But sad, and sorrowful my steps depart!
          In my friend's stead — a spot of earth was shown,
          And on his grave my woe-struck eyes were thrown!
          No more to their distracted sight remained,
          But the cold clay that all they love'd contained:
          And there his last and narrow bed was made,
          And the drear tomb-stone for its covering laid!
          Alas!-for this my aged heart is wrung!'

          Grief choaks my voice, and trembles on my tongue.
          Lonely and desolate, I mourn the dead,
          The friend with whom my every comfort fled!
          There is no anguish can with this compare!
          No pains, diseases, suffering, or despair,
          Like that I feel, while such a loss I mourn,
          My heart's companion from its fondness torn!
          Oh insupportable, distracting griefl
          Woe, that through life, can never hope relief!
          Sweet-singing harp!—The melody is oe'r!
          Sweet friendship's voice! — I hear thy sound no more!
          My bliss,—my wealth of poetry is fled.
         And every joy, with him I lov'd, is dead!
         Alas! what wonder, (while my heart drops blood
         Upon the woes that drain its vital flood,)
         If maddening grief no longer can be borne,
         And frenzy fill the breast, with anguish torn. (281-82)

A section entitled "Songs" follows the elegies, and Brooke introduces this section with "Thoughts on Irish Song." She says, "It is scarcely possible that any language can be more adapted to Lyric poetry than the Irish. The poetry of many of our Songs is indeed already Music, without the aid of a tune; so great is the smoothness and harmony of its cadences" (285). She gives an example in the Irish and points out that "out of fifty-four letters, but twenty-two are pronounced as consonants, (the rest being quiescent by their aspirates) whereas, in English, and I believe in most other languages, the Italian excepted, at least two-thirds of poetry as well as prose, is necessarily composed of consonants: The Irish being singular in the happy are of cutting off, by aspirates, every sound that could injure the melody of its cadence [...]" (286).

After "Thoughts," Brooke introduces the first two examples, which are translations of songs she says were produced by the poet and harper Carolan mentioned earlier. She gives a brief summary of his life, saying he was born in 1670 and died in 1738. His family lost their land to the "family of the Nugents, on their arrival in this kingdom, in the reign of Henry the Second" (300). Carolan was blind from an early age and made his living as a traveling bard. He died in 1738. Following is an excerpt from his "Song: For Gracey Nugent."
          Of Gracey's charms enraptur'd will I sing!
          Fragrant and fair, as blossoms of the spring;
          To her sweet manners, and accomplish'd mind,
          Each rival Fair the palm of Love resign'd.

          How blest her sweet society to share!
          To mark the ringlets of her flowing hair;
          Her gentle accents,—her complacent mien!
          Supreme in charms, she looks,—she reigns a Queen! (305)

Carolan continues his praise of Gracey with comments about her voice, her dancing ability, her wit and wisdom, even her teeth. The final stanza is a toast to her health:
          Here I break off,—let sparkling goblets flow,
          And my full heart its cordial wishes show:
          To her dear health this friendly draught I pour,
          Long be her life, and blest its ever hour!— (306)

The final section of Reliques consists of a poem composed in English by Brooke herself and entitled: "Maon: An Irish Tale." She says the poem's storyline "is to be found in the ancient history of Ireland, and is related by Keating, O'Halloran, Warner, &c" (329).[3]

This poem begins with an introduction that describes the inspiration for the poem. A bard by the name of Craftine appears to the narrator in a dream, "urging her," says Leith Davis, "to take up the challenge of relating a story of Ireland" (39). It is a love story of a kind, between Maon and Moriat, after the young man is rescued by Craftine during a power struggle between two brothers. When Maon's whereabouts is discovered by the usurping brother, with Moriat's blessing he escapes to France, where he does not live up to the vow of faithfulness he gave Moriat. He becomes engaged to the French princess and Moriat, sensing the political importance of the union, encourages him to go through with it:
          So may the strength of Gallia's throne
              Attend a filial prayer,
          And force our tyrant to atone
              For all the wrongs we bear. (346)

The princess, however, realizes that he loves someone else and sends him back to Ireland to marry Moriat after he takes his rightful place on the throne. The poem closes with the voice of Craftine as he speaks to the narrator (Brooke):
           Here let me end.—And now, O Maid!
              Receive the Bard's adieu:—
           Invoke the favouring Muse's aid,
              And still thy task pursue.

          `Twill give new objects to thy ken;
              Of care thy breast beguile;—.
          And, on the labours of thy pen
              Thy country's eye will smile.

          I came thy ardour to excite.—
              One more, O Maid! Adieu.—
          He spoke, and, lost in splendid light,
              He vanish'd from my view. (385)

Thus concludes Reliques of Irish Poetry. The debate continues even today as to whether Brooke simply appropriated Irish poetry to serve the new nationalistic fervor of the Protestant Ascendency or whether she truly felt allegiance to the Native Irish. Regardless of one's stance on the subject, Reliques will remain first in the a tradition of Anglo-Irish poetry that would eventually include the likes of W. B. Yeats.

NOTES

[1] She refers here to Charles O'Conor, Sylvester O'Halloran, and General Charles Vallancey, eighteenth century scholars. Their works, respectively are: Dissertations on the History of Ireland (1753), A General History of Ireland ( 1778), and Collectanea De Rebus Hibernicus (1770-1804).

[2] The spellings here are those used by Brooke.

[3] The names she mentions here are those of historians. Dr. Geoffrey Keating lived and worked in the first half of the seventeenth century, O'Halloran and Warner in the eighteenth. None were Native Irish.