The Poetical Works of Miss Susanna Blamire (1842) - Gredos ...

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The Salamanca Corpus: The Poetical Works of Miss Susanna Blamire (1842) her sister’s poetry by Mrs Brown, who, I had no doubt in my mind, was perfectly aware of its being her sister’s before she inserted it among her writings;—that was one reason, for Mrs [xliv] Brown must have had her knowledge from personal facts, and her sister was too highminded a lady to appropriate the labours of another:—on the same principle I have inserted “Auld Robin Forbes,” which has been by some ascribed to Miss Gilpin. Another reason why I thought it, and still think it, Miss Blamire’s is, in the version ascribed to Miss Parken (she is called Parker in the Gentleman’s Magazine), the last stanza is wholly omitted, which, in my mind, is not a little conclusive of the matter; for we cannot well conceive a poet writing on the subject and omitting the very striking and obvious contrast of the Christian and the infidel. Moreover, in the poem printed in the text, there is much more closeness of composition, a clearer arrangement of thought, and a closer sequence of circumstances; which strongly induce me to conclude it is the production of Miss Blamire. The difficulty is also much lessened concerning who was the author, now that we have the writings of Miss Blamire before us; and I feel no hesitation in saying that the poem in question bears a very striking resemblance to the general spirit of her poetry; nay, that the frequent allusion to to-morrow in her works, showing how much it entered into the usual current of her thoughts, is of itself almost conclusive of the matter. The Rev. Mr Lowthian, Rector of Kellington, Yorkshire, first published the poem in the [xlv] “Gentleman’s Magazine” for 1820, in which volume the authorship is disputed, on the authority of Dr Styles, who, in a biography which he had written of Miss Parken’s brother, made mention of the poem as being hers. In the “Gentleman’s Magazine” for December 1823, Mr Lowthian (I should have said, under the signature of OMICRON in both instances) again adverted to the authorship of “To-morrow;” and, it would appear, had invited Dr Styles in a former communication to give up the sources of his information that the poem in question was Miss Parken’s; but it seems that gentleman had not complied with the invitation. That it is Miss Blamire’s I am firmly persuaded, and for the reasons already produced. Miss Stubbs had the kindness to favour me with a copy of the poem, which she extracted from her mother’s commonplace-book, verbatim as that printed by the Rev. Mr Lowthian, with the exception of the last line in the last stanza, which ending in “tomorrow” ought to have been “to-day :”— the same mistake appears in Mrs Brown’s copy. It is possible that Miss Parken might have seen the poem, and have taken a copy of it, as being soothing to her feelings, and suited to her infirm health; for Mr Montgomery informs us that she died young in 1811, and thus the mistake of her being the author of it might have originated. [xlvi] The second dispute is with the song “O dinna think, my bonnie lass,” at page 246. It so happens that Hector Macneill, the ingenious author of “Will and Jean,” and of numerous
The Salamanca Corpus: The Poetical Works of Miss Susanna Blamire (1842) and deservedly popular poems and songs, has one directly of the same title, the hint of which seems evidently to have been taken from this; there can be no mistake of the paternity. Mr Stenhouse informs us that Macneill said to him, the cause why he had not included this song in the uniform edition of his was, that “Mr John Hamilton, music-seller in Edinburgh, took the liberty to add to it (the last stanza), and to publish it as a sheet song.” Now, I wish to impute no motive beyond what the amiable author in question has stated; but I cannot help thinking that there must have been some impression lurking in his memory, that he had heard some part of the song before he began to work it out on his own plan. I have now finished my task; and having finished it, I cannot help wishing it had fallen into better hands: but this I must say for myself, that with me it has been a labour of love. The earnest object of my juvenile days was to collect the writings of a lady who had awakened my young mind to the beauties of poetry; and I cannot but rejoice that it has been my lot, in mature [xlvii] age, to be the humble instrument of giving them to the world. I now leave them to their fate, conscious that “The Muse of Cumberland” will be the favourite of many yet unborn; and shall conclude by saying to the rising generation, in the words of her own undying lyric— When time has past, and seasons fled, Your hearts will feel like mine; And aye the sang will maist delight That minds ye o’ langsyne!
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