A Voice in the Dusk
John Irvine (1903-1965)
The Quota Press
Belfast
1932
I sort of stumbled upon this author. I was reading one of the Vision Books for young readers, Irish Saints by Robert T. Reilly, and there was an excerpt of a poem from A Treasury of Irish Saints A Book of Poems. It was really intriguing and after reading that first volume I made it a mission to try and track down everything Irvine published. At first my dyslexia had me thinking it was John Irving, and I have read a few of his fiction books. But some quick searching put that idea to rest. This author John Irvine lived from 1903-1965. This volume was published John was 28 years of age.
About the author on a site with information about Irish authors states:
“John Irvine was born in Belfast and published several collections of poems: A Voice in the Dark, 1932; Willow Leaves: Lyrics in the Manner of the Early Chinese Poets,1941; Lost Sanctuary and other poems among others. He edited The Flowering Branch: An Anthology of Irish Poetry Past and Present.”
Another online description of the author states:
“Irvine, born in Belfast, published about six collections of lyrics between 1932 and 1954, mostly from small presses in Belfast and Dublin. He also edited an anthology of Irish poetry, The Flowering Branch.”
This book begins with a quote:
“For the pilgrimage of fulfilment a small voice whispers, nobody knows whence.”
-Rabindranath Tagore
The chapters in this volume are:
Enchantment
To One Gone Hence
At Dusk
Shadows
Hauntings
Quest
Requiescat
Sanctuary
Rupert Brooke
Nocturne
Philomel
Mystic
Pity
Song For A Poet
Mourners
October Winds
Swallow
Elegie
Blind
Cenotaph
Menin Gate
The Lovers
I Could Have Loved Thee
Chanson D'Automne
At Summer's End
Invocation
Magdalene
The Wind Comes Softly
Rondelet
Last Night's Wind
I really enjoyed this second collection of poems from Irvine I have read. It is a volume I could easily see myself returning to. The one bio above mentions 6 collections of poems but I have found 9 listed below, 3 other works, as well as 6 volumes Irvine edited of other poems. A few sample poems from this volume are:
ENCHANTMENT
SHE lingers in the dim lit woods .
And passes swiftly as a breeze,
Or whispers, while I lie alone
Dreaming, under the willow trees.
And I must follow where she leads,
And see beyond these prison bars
The golden banners of the sun,
The silver lances of the stars.
SHADOWS
OFT times I think when you are gone,
And I sit lonely in the gloom,
That your sweet presence lingers there
Within the quiet room.
And iri some strange, mysterious way,
Amid the darkness I can trace
The flowing movement of your form,
The beauty of your face.
How oft have I had such a dream, .
When there was nothing there at all,
But dying embers in the fire,
And shadows on the wall.
QUEST
THERE once was wonder and surprise,
And innocence within our eyes,
Before we grew so worldly wise.
Yet, in an after day of pain ·
We sought the whole wide world in vain
Nor found that innocence again.
I hope those three poems give you a feel for the collection. The poems vary from one paragraph to 2 pages. Most are contained on a single page. They are well worth reading. Only a couple of the poems in this collection are explicitly Catholic, ‘Magdalene’ was excellent.
I was able to track down a copy of this thanks to the National Library of Ireland. The NIL has all volumes I have found written by Irvine and 4 of the 6 edited by Irvine. I am now trying to hunt them all down. These poems were a really enjoyable, and I am certain they would be to you as well. I read them over mugs of tea, I few I read through several times. It should be noted that there is a second volume of the same name that is 4 of Irvine’s poems set to music.
If you can track down a copy to read it is well worth it! A great collection of poems I can easily recommend it.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2026 Catholic Reading Plan!
Books by John Irvine:
By Winding Roads
Green Altars: Poems
Lost Sanctuary and Other Poems
Nocturne: Poems
Sic Transit Gloria Mundi
The Quiet Stream
Two Poems
Voces Intimae
Willow Leaves: Lyrics in the Manner of the Early Chinese Poets
Wind From the South
With No Changed Voices: Poems
…
Edited by John Irvine:
A Christmas Garland - as J. Pennington Irvine
Fountain Of Hellas: Poems From The Greek Anthology
The Flowering Branch: An Anthology of Irish Poetry Past and Present
The Poems of Robert Burns
The Poems of Robert Louis Stevenson
The Poems of Tennyson
The Poems of Thomas Moore
…
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