Editor's Note: Many poets who publish in multiple collections
over
their careers see a steady migration of their best works into print, leaving only the
minor odds and ends for their archives. This was not necessarily the case with Fr. Ryan after
1880. The subsequent editions of his 1879 collection were essentially reprintings, with only
seven "posthumous poems" added to the 1896 edition. Yet, we know from various sources that
Fr. Ryan wrote steadily from 1879 to 1886, especially during his sojourn at Sea-Rest, as his
letter to Louis B. James indicates. It would seem that
Sr. Donnallan's notebook in this archive represents the only existing record of his poetry
from that seven year span. Along with the thirty-seven poems in Donnallan notebook, the
archive contains four short
unpublished poems in Ryan's own handwriting. Our selection below begins with two of these Ryan
originals, not because they are his best work, but because they illustrate what the poet often
said about his own method:
that he frequently wrote verses ex tempore, on whatever scraps of
paper were handy. The rest of the poems listed come to us in Donnallan's handwriting. Because
her transcriptions of Fr. Ryan's letters to his mother have proven to be
accurate and complete,
I feel confident that the poetry transcriptions also came from Ryan originals. In addition,
some of these poems were written for public ceremonies and are at least mentioned in other
clippings and reprints in the archive. Lastly, Sr. Donnallan was careful to annotate cases of
questionable attribution, such as her note for the poem Midnight Mass. The notebook also
contains two long poems, an "Ode to St. Theresa" and "The Men Who
Wore the Gray," neither of which has appeared in print. Our work transcribing these lengthy
poems is ongoing as
this is written.--DRB
To C. D.
[with Ryan's original]
"Sadly..."
[with Ryan's original]
The Dear Old Sod
[with Donnallan's transcript]
Requiem-Chant to the Federal Dead
[with Donnallan's transcript]
Evening
[with Donnallan's transcript]
Voices
[with Donnallan's transcript]
Far Away
[with Donnallan's transcript]
The Unsung Song
[with Donnallan's transcript]
One August Day
[with Donnallan's transcript]
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