Oh! Ever Thus, From Childhood's Hour -- Thomas Moore

(Poem #1938) Oh! Ever Thus, From Childhood's Hour Oh! ever thus, from childhood's hour, I've seen my fondest hopes decay; I never lov'd a tree or flower, But 'twas the first to fade away. I never nurs'd a dear gazelle, To glad me with its soft black eye, But when it came to know me well, And love me, it was sure to die! -- Thomas Moore

   (from 'Lalla Rookh, An Oriental Romance')

There is about "old" poetry - particularly that of the Romantic and Georgian
periods - a quality that I find sadly absent in more modern verse: the
underlying sense that rhymed and metrical verse is a *natural* medium in
which to express one's thoughts and writings. Today's excerpt is a wonderful
example of this sort of unselfconsciousness - the verse flows easily and
naturally, but the primary focus is the dialogue between Moore and the
reader, and at no point do we stop and feel that what he has to say is in
any way constrained by the requirements of the form.

While "Lalla Rookh" itself has faded into relative obscurity, the above
quoted lines - particularly the second quatrain - have remained both
well-known and popular. (In particular, no fan of Wodehouse can fail to be
familiar with the "dear gazelle"!). And though it is a verse that has
inevitably attracted its share of parodies, this is more due to its
distinctiveness than to any inherent mockability. (That said, some of the
parodies are truly delightful, such as Tom Hood Jr.'s

  I never nursed a dear gazelle,
     To glad me with its dappled hide,
  But when it came to know me well,
     It fell upon the buttered side.

or Henry Leigh's

  My rich and aged Uncle John
    Has known me long and loves me well
  But still persists in living on -
    I would he were a young gazelle.
)

I've remarked, about some of Moore's other works, that their salient feature
is their musicality; today's piece does exhibit the same wonderful sense of
the sound and flow of the words, but it is more of a background quality.
Also, the fact that this is not a standalone poem but part of an extended
epic lends it a very different character (and indeed, by choosing to excerpt
such a small piece, I have inevitably sacrificed some of that character). To
convey some idea of the tradeoff involved,
http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/1492.html for instance has a longer
excerpt that loses some of the distinctive beauty of the shorter piece, but
gives far more of the flavour of its setting.

martin

[Links]

Biography:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Moore

Full text of "Lalla Rookh"
  http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00generallinks/lallarookh/index.html

A bit about Lalla Rookh:
  [broken link] http://www.wwnorton.com/nto/romantic/topic_4/moore.htm

Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms -- Thomas Moore

(Poem #1841) Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms Believe me, if all those endearing young charms, Which I gaze on so fondly to-day, Were to change by to-morrow, and fleet in my arms, Live fairy-gifts fading away, Thou wouldst still be adored, as this moment thou art, Let thy loveliness fade as it will, And around the dear ruin each wish of my heart Would entwine itself verdantly still. It is not while beauty and youth are thine own, And thy cheeks unprofaned by a tear, That the fervor and faith of a soul may be known, To which time will but make thee more dear! No, the heart that has truly loved never forgets, But as truly loves on to the close, As the sunflower turns on her god when he sets The same look which she turned when he rose! -- Thomas Moore

For some inexplicable reason, Moore simply doesn't seem to feature here on
Minstrels. Indeed, looking back through the archives, I see that in our
entire seven year history, we have only run one of his poems[1] - truly odd for
a poet of his charm and prominence.

Today's poem is one of Moore's most famous, and justly so. The theme itself
is a popular enough one, and Moore's gift for musical verse makes his lines
a delight to read and recite, but it is the last two lines that take a good
poem and make it immortal. As startlingly apt a comparison as any I've seen,
and far more memorable than most.

[1] I also note that I was surprised then too

martin

[Links]

Wikipedia on Moore:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Moore

The Time I've Lost in Wooing -- Thomas Moore

I've just realised that we have not run a single poem by Thomas Moore! So
here's another glaring omission rectified...

(Poem #1274) The Time I've Lost in Wooing The time I've lost in wooing, In watching and pursuing The light, that lies In woman's eyes, Has been my heart's undoing. Though Wisdom oft has sought me, I scorn'd the lore she brought me, My only books Were woman's looks, And folly's all they've taught me. Her smile when Beauty granted, I hung with gaze enchanted, Like him, the sprite, Whom maids by night Oft meet in glen that's haunted. Like him, too, Beauty won me, But while her eyes were on me, If once their ray Was turn'd away, Oh! winds could not outrun me. And are those follies going? And is my proud heart growing Too cold or wise For brilliant eyes Again to set it glowing? No, vain, alas! th' endeavour From bonds so sweet to sever; Poor Wisdom's chance Against a glance Is now as weak as ever. -- Thomas Moore

Note: Moore wrote these words to an old Irish air, "Pease Upon a Trencher"

I like today's poem both for its musicality - it scarcely needs a footnote
to realise that it is a song rather than a poem - and for its unabashed lack
of seriousness (in the sense of lightness rather than silliness). It reminds
me of Millay's

   And put a ribbon on my my hair
   To please a passing lad,
   And, "One thing there's no getting by --
   I've been a wicked girl," said I:
   "But if I can't be sorry, why,
   I might as well be glad

though, of course, Moore's narrator espoused a far more 'acceptable'
viewpoint than Millay's.

The viewpoint itself is thoroughly trite, and it is only the beauty of the
words that redeems the banality of the sentiment, but this they do a more
than adequate job of. In particular, songs often follow a different set of
conventions from 'pure' poetry, and today's piece falls well within those
conventions.

Incidentally, Herrick's "Night Piece, To Julia" scans almost precisely to
today's song - I wonder if Herrick had the same tune in mind, or whether
it's just an easily-hit-upon pattern. Interestingly enough, my comment on
the former

  Another of those wonderfully musical poems the rhythm of which sticks in
  my mind long after the words have faded.

proved itself true - I hadn't thought of Herrick's poem in ages, but the
rhythms of today's piece instantly recalled it.

martin

Links:

  There's a MIDI file here: [broken link] http://www.contemplator.com/folk5/wooing.html

  Biography: http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/tmoore.htm