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That
Saxon's lament poem is somewhat similar to Voltaire's
"Candide." The way Candide goes innocently,
naively, through many lands, getting robbed
and beaten at every step, finally concluding
that it is best if we stay home and tend to
our own affairs...."cultivate our garden"
an stop looking for the "best of all possible
worlds." The Saxon's Sentimental Journey
develops an old theme of the "wandering
bard." In this ballad, Fenerty is perhaps
thinking of a particular poet (maybe Robert
Burns, since Fenerty was inspired by his writing.
Though, Robert Burns didn't travel so extensive
as in the poem). Fenerty might also be commenting
on the way that the writing from other nations
has contributed to English poetry. It might
be worthwhile to read this one in relation to
Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem "Ulysses"
or Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself."
Tennyson's famous line "I am part of all
that I have met" is resonant with this
poem as is Whitman's central theme about ways
in which his experiences contribute to his poetic
inspiration. This poem can be read as a commentary
on ways in which the inspiration for poetry
is related to the creative spirit of other poets.
So, even though it isn't about lots of individual
poets, the poem generalizes about the ways that
lots of poets are inspired by the writing of
others.
There
is no evidence that suggests Fenerty ever traveled
to these places. When Fenerty left Nova Scotia
he traveled to Australia via England. So far
no evidence has surfaced that he spent time
there or traveled throughout Europe (such as
Ireland as his poem "A Lilt of Skibbereen"
suggests). These poems are simply ballads that
cast the poet’s thoughts from philosophical
form to poetry into the reader. Their purpose
is much the same as a musician’s in the
sense of tone and rhythm. Though, research continues
in verifying if Fenerty traveled did elsewhere.
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