A BOY MYSTIC AND POET.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1366, 17 February 1912, Page 11

A BOY MYSTIC AND POET.

In Tiif, Doiiisios last Saturday we printed the following charming little song by Digby Mackwort-h Dolber:— The world is young to-day; Forgot the gods Ere old, Forget tlio years of gold When all the months were May. A little flower of Love ■Is our?, without a root, Without the end of fruit, Yet—take the scent thereof. There may be hope above, There may bo rest beneath; Wo see them not, but Death Is palpable—and Love. This has drawn n letter to us from a correspondent, signing- himself "Old Clifitoniau." He writes:—"Under the above heading vou published on February !0 some lines beginning "The world is young to-day." They have been current in manuscript since about IS7O, and are referred to in Symond-i's poems, published in 1878, as 'a little lyric of three stanzas, written by a boy, who diml soon after iis composition. It is possible that this hint will enable some of my readers to remember the golden verses, for which I had designed a humble setting, and which may still, I hope, some day be given to the world.' I was astonished to see them in your journal, as I imagined that the 'circumstances' which prevented Mr. Symomls publishing them still operated. Can yon tell me when tho 'Poems of Digby Mackworth Dolber' were published, and by whom ? In the manuscript version tho Invt line but one runs, 'I know not, only fip.>th.' As they seem now to havo been published as the work of some named person, I suppose I am not violating anv confidence if 1 say that the reccivell story in 1870 was that the author was found droivned with tho verses in his pocket. It was thought that any publicity would lead to suspicion of suicide." The poem is taken from "The I'oems of Digby Mackworth Dolber," edited by liobort Bridges (who writes a memoir of tho boy.) and just published bv Frowde. Phis volume is the subject of a long review in the Literary Supplement of tho London "Times" of December 21 last. Dolber was born in Guernsey on February 8, 1818, and was drowned"oil June 28, ISC7, while bathing, happy and well, an hour or two after having construed with his tutor Ihft spesch of Ajax taking leave of the world _before his death. He was seut to Eton in 18G2, and was a very unusual boy. From his earliest days religion hud been the very air he breathed. "Among the little rufiians he was a saint, among sportive animals a distressful spirit." He soon enrolled himself in a little company of ten or twelve boys united by "a sort of Freemasonry—of Puseyism." From that time onwards his views and aspirations steadily tended towards l?ome. In 1861 lie bccumc Brother Dominic of the English .Order bf St. Benedict. '''He reformed his handwriting in imitation of Savonarola's fcript, and zealously strove to convert his friends. It is said that ho was once mobbed in the streets of Birmingham, where lie appeared oil his way to the Oratory barefoot and in the full habit of a Benedictine monk. The "Times" reviewer is unable sufficiently to praise Dolber's exquisite work: his "final achievement will now take its rank among all poetry, because its tenor and beauty would be just as rare had lie written on into old age." For those who would like a little more of this wonderful boy's poetry, we print "Requests"