The Quiet Stream and Other Poems
John Irvine (1903-1965)
Derrick MacCord
Belfast
1944
This volume will mark the eighth 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 copies only have been printed of which this is No. 56.”
The poems in this volume are:
The Quiet Stream
To A Great Artist
The march Morning
The Changeling
Dark Red Roses
The Mother
All Lovely Things
The Swans
Cheng
Carrowdore
I enjoyed this eighth collection of poems that I have read from the pen of Irvine. At the beginning is a reprint of a painting by William Conor. It is of a stream and the title pope is facing it. There is no table of contents and it is a slim volume. 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:
THE. QUIET STREAM.
This gently moving stream, thase friendly trees
That fringe the water with a living grace,
Impress upon my mind the quiet mood
And solitary beauty of the place.
Here in the changeless heart of things is peace,
The deep enduring silence and repose.
A lark uprises from the meadow-grass,
And in the reeds the wind of faery blows.
THE MOTHER.
"War is a cruel thing" she said
"Three sons I had and loved them well,
One was lost in the Northern sea;
And one in Abbysinia fell."
"And now they say that Alan 's gone,
The last - the youngest of the three ...
War is a cruel thing" she said,
And turned and wept most bitterly.
CARROWDORE.
It was a night of wind and stars
And all the land was sweet with May,
When we set out for Carrowdore,
And lingered on the star-lit way.
I have forgotten much since then,
Of things that only youth can know,
Yet I remember how we went
To Carrowdore, long years ago.
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, except 1. I read a few of them a couple of times before moving on. It is a moving collection to work through on a cold winter evening, over a large mug of tea. It is to date the thinnest volume from his pen I have read.
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
Two Poems
Voces Intimae
…
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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