Nocturne Poems
John Irvine (1903-1965)
The Orwell Press
Belfast
1941
This volume will mark the seventh I have read by Irvine. I 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 originally published in1941.
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 dedication to W.H. Conor, A.R.H.A. Unlike all previous volumes there is no quote at the beginning of this one. We are informed:
“Of this edition one hundred and fifty copies only have been printed of which this is No. 47.”
The poems in this volume are:
Chopin
Song
Trees
At the Coming of Night
October
Heartsease
Sorrow in Spring
In the Mournes
To the Unfaithful Beloved
By a Riverside
Mairi
The Island
Craigey Woods
All Lovely Things
Spring
Jean
In the Faery Hills
The Quiet Night
Migration
Dusk
Waves
Swallow
October Winds
The Prisoner
Valediction
Sanctuary
I enjoyed this seventh collection of poems that I have read from the pen of Irvine. It is another 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, also 6 volumes Irvine edited of other poems. And a note further down indicates another previously unaccounted for volume edited by Irvine. A few sample poems from this volume are:
TREES.
When I behold the poplars stand,
At night against the moonlit skies,
The great white roads of Picardy
Come back before my eyes.
But, when in sunny hours of noon
A wind stirs and the birches sway,
Beyond the Irish fields I see
The woods of Arcady.
SORROW IN SPRING.
Earth wraps him round;
He cannot see
The flower on
The chestnut tree.
He cannot hear
The blackbird sing,
Or walk the woods
Remembering.
Nor feel the wind,
And sun and rain,
That makes the warm earth
Sweet· again.
His is the dusk
When day is done,
And I am weary
Of the sun.
IN THE FAERY HILLS.
A horn in the distance calling
I heard when the dusk was grey,
And the answer, rising and falling
In the faery hills away.
The beep on the moorland bleating,
And dim in the trembling air;
A light on the marshes fleeting
And never a mortal there.
A wind came over the heather;
The reeds bent low to the stream;
And a bird with a snowy feather
Flew into the hills of dream.
I hope those three poems give you a feel for the collection. The poems vary from one stanza to several, but all poems are contained on single page. I read a few of them a couple of times before moving on. It is an moving collection to work through on a cold winter evening, over a large mug of tea.
I was able to track down a copy of this thanks to the National Library of Ireland. The NLI has all volumes I have found written by Irvine and 5 of the 8 edited by him. I am now trying to hunt them all down. These poems were very enjoyable, and I am certain they would be to you as well, if you give them a chance. We are also informed 10 of the poems in this volume are reprinted with permission.
If you can track down a copy to read it is well worth it! Another 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:
A Voice in the Dusk Lyrics
By Winding Roads
Fountain Of Hellas: Poems From The Greek Anthology
Sic Transit Gloria Mundi
The Quiet Stream
Two Poems
Voces Intimae
Willow Leaves: Lyrics in the Manner of the Early Chinese Poets
…
Edited by John Irvine:
A Christmas Garland - as J. Pennington Irvine
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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