THROUGH
MOUNTAIN MISTS
Early Settlers of
Their
Descendants...Their Stories...Their Achievements
Lifting the
Mists of History on Their Way of Life
By: Ethelene Dyer Jones
April: National
Poetry Month
Honoring Union County Native Byron Herbert Reece
The whole month of April has
been set aside
as a time to honor poets, especially American poets, and to promote an
appreciation of poetry and its richness as a literary genre.
I invite you (again) to explore
with me
some of the rich legacy of our native Union County poet, Byron Herbert
Reece,
whose life, all too short (September 17, 1917 - June 3, 1958),
encompassed
forty years and nine months. He left a literary legacy of inimitable
poetry in
lyrics that are yet to be explored sufficiently to their depths of
perception.
Four books of poetry, Ballad of the Bones (1945), Bow
Down in Jericho (1950), A Song of Joy
(1955), and The Season of Flesh (1955) contain
the corpus of his poetic
production. Yet he wrote many more poems not contained within the pages
of
these four books. As many of his poems as could be found (those in the
four
published books of poetry and others published elsewhere or
unpublished) were
professionally recorded on audio disks by reader Keith Jones in 2007
using the
services of the National Recording Company of Rome, Georgia (by owner
and
manager, Johnny Carter, who, himself, has a great interest in Reece and
has
ties ancestrally to Union County). The set of audio disks is available
either
from the Byron Herbert Reece Society of Young Harris or from the
recording
company in
In addition to being a poet,
Reece also
received acclaim for this two published novels, each of which
demonstrates his
remarkable genius as a writer. Someone has said of the novels and their
style
of writing: Poetic and lyrical in nature, the novels are "Flawlessly
written, filled with tenderness and human understanding" (from blurb of
Better a Dinner of Herbs (1950). About
The Hawk and the Sun (1955)
this was written: "This realistic and shocking story, (is) set forth in
the commanding and lyrical style of a writer hailed for his talents as
a
poet" (blurb).
Reece
has the young lad Danny (a character in Better a Dinner
of Herbs) ponder
about the coming of spring to the mountains and the farm in the phrase:
"When Spring begins to stain" (p. 127). Danny's thoughts, as he hoes
the corn, are likewise poetic: "As the sap rose in the trees and the
first
flowers began to open in the wayward places, he felt inside himself a
vigor
that made him want to gambol with the young lambs in the spring
pasture."
There are numerous examples in the two novels of Reece's keen
observation of
nature and his poetic bent in descriptive narrative.
In this short column, it would
be
impossible to laud the genius and talent of "our" poet, one who was
first and foremost a farmer and then a poet. It is true that many of
his poems
explore the theme of death, of Time's passage, of melancholy themes.
But in my
opinion, some of his most exquisite writings demonstrate his ability to
be one
with Nature, one with the seasons, one with growing things, and with
the
beloved land of his mountain farm home.
I highly recommend that you go
again to
Reece's books of poetry (I hope you have them in your collection;
certainly you
can see them at a
I am hard-pressed to select a
"favorite" among his many styles: lyrical ballads, sonnets, lyrical
poems on a variety of subjects, keen observations and polished language
in all.
But somehow, at this time of year, April and spring's advent, I reread
his
poems about spring and am lifted and inspired by them. I give lines
from some
short ones in tribute to his lyrical skill, for your reading pleasure,
and to
honor him during April, National Poetry Month. There are many, many
more than
the three cited here.
SEASONAL
Although it is not in the mind
For youth to be brief as the
summer
Earth's seasons are all of a
kind.
The earliest comer
To spring must witness the bough
Translate the blooming that
dapples
The land untouched by the plow,
To the falling of apples.
(from Ballad
of the Bones,
c1945, p. 74).
Now that the year's advanced to
the spring
And leaves grow large and long
Forget each sorry and rueful
thing
Hearing the wild bird's song.
The leaf will fall, the bird
will fly
And winter close the year,
But O, put all such knowledge by
Now that spring is here!
(from Bow
Down in Jericho, c1950, p. 108)
WE
COULD WISH THEM A LONGER STAY
And the service tree on the hill
Unfold blossom and leaf.
From them comes scented air
As the brotherly petals spill.
Their tenure is bright and
brief.
We could wish them a longer
stay,
We could wish them a charmed
bough
On a hill untouched by the flow
Of consuming time, but they
Are lovelier, dearer now
Because they are soon to go,
And the service blooms whiter
than snow.
(from Bow
Down in Jericho, c1950, p. 109)
His poems need no explanation or
comment;
they stand alone, they speak for themselves.
I invite you to explore Reece's
poetry for
yourself during this month set aside for poetic pursuit. As many times
as I
have perused his books of poetry (and prose), I always find something
refreshing and thought-provoking each time I read them. We owe it to
his poetic
genius and memory to let his poems speak to us anew in this 90th
anniversary of
his birth, 2008.
Updated June 5, 2018
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