Catching Up on Daily Readings

Do not read Dante Rossetti’s “My Sister Sleeps.” Thackeray’s “The Mahogany Tree” is pleasant. “Elegy.”

Interesting that Lamb died in 1834, yet “To the Sister of Elia” was written in 1837. It’s fairly short–five verses. Hard to think also of Mary outliving her brother so long. She died in 1847. I don’t think I’ve read Charles’ “Detached Thoughts.” TBR pile.

Via That Infallible Source, a review of Cheney’s Complete Poems (1906)

Though the author of this attractive book of verse, John Vance Cheney, has been a stranger to California for many years, he has not forgotten the charm of out-of-door life and the love of Nature which held him while a resident of San Francisco. In his later poems, included in the present volume, recently issued by the Riverside Press, he touches with delicate phrase and musical song many bits of sentiment suggested by the trees, the flowers, the birds, the clouds of the land of out-of-doors—the same spirit that pervaded the poems of his earlier books. All these are here reprinted, also the fugitive verses which have appeared in the principal magazines, and the harvest here shown is one well worth a poet’s pardonable pride. Mr. Cheney was for many years librarian of the San Francisco Free Public Library, leaving that post several years ago to take charge of the Newberry Library of Chicago; but a poet’s friends are limited to no place, and the readers of this cheerful singer everywhere will welcome this opportunity of holding in one volume all the good and gracious verses written by their favorite up to the present time.

Sounds like a pleasant enough fellow. And more Lamb TBR.

I’m thinking about a way to continue posting from The Guide to Daily Readings without it taking so much time. I always learn something so it’s worth a little bit of effort. Maybe the idea of posting a week’s worth–as tried out here–has legs. We shall see.

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