J. Laurence Hart doc Poems (Classic Reprint)

Born August 2, 1850; died October, 1907. l-i UX- CA An Appreciation by J. Cuming Walters. Qf In the following pages a representative selection is given of the poems of J. Laurence Hart. The volume is in itself a memorial wreath, fashioned from his own work, and gathered by those who loved him in life. Poetry was his pleasure. Few were the days, whether of shine or storm, of sorrow or joy, which did not produce some flower of verse, and it seems fitting that those which retain a dewy freshness and still exhale the sweetness of the mans own spirit, should form a chaplet for his tomb. His main pursuit was art, and his reverent devotion to nature is attested in enduring works treasured by those who possess them ;but his passion for all that was beautiful broke forth in song, spontaneously, irrepressibly; and both as artist and poet he deserves remembrance. Praise and fame, in the ordinary acceptation, he scarcely sought. His life was too gentle and retired and his disposition too modest to seek the acclamation of the crowd ;yet a recognition of his merits, too long delayed, would have been dear to him, and the pity of it is that his hopes only came near fulfilment when hemet theS liadow in the path. To preserve and enshrine something of what came from his heart, to exemplify his power, to rescue from times desert the evidence of his genius, seem to be duties laid upon his friends. It is in this spirit that the preparation of this modest volume has been undertaken. The poems reveal much of the man himself his secret desires, his inner thoughts, his self-communing ;we find in them his abounding love of nature and his ready response to her moods and influences ;and we see his large-hearted love for mankind despite his aloofness from the throng.(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)About the Publisher Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: