Farewell thy peace, farewell thy pride, farewell The roseate rapture of the radiant years. Thy breast shall nourish sorrows, and thy fears Shall haunt the olives and the sunset bell; Ah, thou shalt sigh for Francis and his cell, And beat with Dante to the bourn of tears.
Italia, dowered with Asia's amorous eyes, With India's glow through snows Circassian, The Muses' love since Dorian lightning ran Kindling the west to perilous surprise,-- Crowned with thy dawn-star, lo! portentous-wise, Steps the stern pupil of the Mantuan And lowers toward moon-mute deserts African Where, stained with rapine's rose, thy honour lies.
Dim grows the vision of th' enchanted shore. Queen of the lovely and the lonely vow, Farewell. False time hath charmed thee, and thy brow Is toward eclipse and storms that rend and roar. Fond valedictions fade afar, but thou Canst be our dream's Italia nevermore.
_Westminster Review._--We write under the conviction that Mr. Mackereth is destined to compel the admiration not only of a few critics but also of the general public.
_Times Literary Supplement._--He has a note of his own; one can always enjoy the rich exuberance of his fancy and of his diction.
_Daily Telegraph._--A true singer whom no reader with a taste for contemporary poetry should overlook.
_Yorkshire Daily Observer._--... We cannot afford to neglect such poetry--it is vital... Alive with the spirit of the new century.
_Aberdeen Free Press._--The "Ode on the Passing of Autumn"... a really splendid poem... Mr. Mackereth is undoubtedly a poet of considerable power and originality.
_The Literary World._--There is a strength about his work which is very rare in English verse.... Mr. Mackereth's name deserves to stand very high among the poets of to-day.
_The Star._--"A Son of Cain"... is a good goad for the withered imagination.... Why does Mr. Mackereth's poem "The Lion" flash the light on our sickly glazed eyeballs? Its symbolism makes the soul wince and tremble and ache.... The virtue in the poem sounds a spiritual tocsin.
_Irish Times._--... A note of his own, a passionate, vibrant note, but true and strong.
_Glasgow Evening Times._--... A volume of singular insight and power.
_Dundee Advertiser._--... The title poem has the same haunting effect upon the reader as "The Ancient Mariner." The "Ode on the Passing of Autumn" is a fine achievement.... We congratulate Mr. Mackereth on his undoubted powers of sustainment.
