Isabella Valancy Crawford: We Scarcely Knew Her

157 Pages·1994·5.27 MB·English

by  Elizabeth McNeill Galvin

ISABELLA VALANCY CRAWFORD
We Scarcely Knew Her

Isabella
Valancy
Crawford
We Scarcely Knew Her
ELIZABETH MCNEILL GALVIN
NATURAL HERITAGE/NATURAL HISTORY INC
Published by Natural Heritage/Natural History Inc.
P.O. Box 95, Station O, Toronto, Ontario M4A 2M8
© 1994 Elizabeth McNeill Galvin
All Rights Reserved
No portion of this book, with the exception of brief extracts for the
purpose of literary review, may be reproduced in any form without
the permission of the publisher.
Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data
Galvin, Elizabeth, 1926-
Isabella Valancy Crawford : we scarcely knew her
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-920474-80-2
1. Crawford, Isabella Valancy, 1850-1887-Biography
2. Poets, Canadian (English)-19th century-
Biography.* I. Title
PS8455 .R63Z63 1994 C811'..4 C95-930203-4
PR9199.2.C72Z63 1994
Design by Norton Hamil Design
Printed in Canada by Mothersill Printing (1988) Inc.
Natural Heritage/Natural History Inc. gratefully acknowledges the
financial assistance of the Ontario Arts Council. The support of the
Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Culture, Tourism
and Recreation, and the assistance of The Canada Council are also
acknowledged.
This book is dedicated to
Clare
with love
and also to
Catherine Crawford Humphrey
and
Isabella
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CONTENTS
Author's Preface : ix
Acknowledgments : xvii
One D U B L IN : 1
Two P A I S L EY : 11
Three L A K E F I E LD : 23
Four P E T E R B O R O U GH : 51
five T O R O N TO : 61
A Selected Anthology of Poetry
by Isabella Valancy Crawford : 83
Epilogue : 121
Notes : 125
Works of Isabella Valancy Crawford : 132
Selected Bibliography : 133
"A great poet dwelt among us and we scarce knew her."
John Garvin, 1905,
in his preface to
The Collected Poems
of Isabella Valancy Crawford
AUTHOR'S PREFACE
The afternoon of Friday, September 9, 1983 was warm in
Peterborough, Ontario. Most women attending the
Crawford plaque-unveiling wore summer dresses for the
occasion. Some men removed their jackets.
A stiff wind rippled the usually calm waters of the
Otonabee River and rustled through the willow trees edg-
ing the river banks of Scott's Plains Park. It whipped to
life the flags arrayed behind the raised platform where dig-
nitaries sat on a row of small, padded chrome chairs. It
cooled the invited guests assembled on the park green,
talking among themselves, waiting for the ceremony to
begin. An R.C.M.P. officer in scarlet tunic stood at atten-
tion beside the platform, his face impassive. Poet Isabella
Valancy Crawford 1850-1887 was about to receive official
recognition and Peterborough, its first federal commem-
orative plaque.
Members of the St. John's Anglican Church choir
resplendent in their red gowns, sang O Canada. Then,
one by one, speakers rose to stand before the microphone:
Dr. Edward Storey, member of the Historical Sites and
Monuments Board of Canada; Alderman Roy Wood, rep-
resenting the Mayor of Peterborough; local actress Rita
Smith, reading a selection of Crawford's poetry; Senator
Andrew Thomas, unveiling the plaque; and The Venerable