Although there are a good many immature and defective poems in it it is rather remarkable for a first book. The lyric, “White Dove of the Wild Dark Eyes” would be difficult to surpass on its own ground; the sonnet, “I saw the sun at midnight, rising red,” the poems “1867,” “I see his blood upon the rose,” “My soul is sick with longing,” and “The stars sang in God’s garden” are all above the level of first books. I have included these and a few others which I thought worthy in this book, as I know he wished only these few to be considered as part of his mature work.
When he returned from Algiers he had a house of his own in Donnybrook, where we kept house together for two and a half years. With the exception of P. H. Pearse and Thomas MacDonagh he had few other literary friends in Dublin up to the time he became interested in the Irish Review. This was started by Professor Houston in 1911, in association with James Stephens, Thomas MacDonagh and Padraic Colum. Mr. Houston edited it himself for some time and Padraic Colum was editor in 1912-13. Two poems of my brother’s were printed in it; he got to know the people who were associated with it very well, and in June, 1913, he became editor himself.
Any cause he was interested in was discussed in the Review; for instance, the men’s case in the strike of summer, 1913, and the Volunteer move-
