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.