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
Poet Reece
Painted Word Pictures of Spring
One of poet
Byron Herbert Reece's strongest advocates while he lived, wrote and
published his poems and novels was the late Ralph McGill, former editor
of The Atlanta
Constitution. He wrote this accolade of Reece and his
work which appears on the back cover of Bow Down in
Jericho, published first in 1950 by E. P. Dutton and
Company of
"The mountains
were in his
poetry and ballads. They, and
the Bible,… colored
all his poems. The skies, the clouds, the cold
lakes, the
tumbling rivers, the forests,
the cold, keen nights when
stars looked
green as ice, the winds of
summer and winter, the wild
flowers, the corn
and cattle—all
these were in his
poems as were the
prophets and peoples
of the Old and
New Testaments."
It has been
fifty-one years since Poet Byron Herbert Reece (1917-1958), beloved son
of Juan and Emma Lance Reece, ended his life on the campus of
The literary
legacy he left us is contained in four published volumes of poetry and
two novels. These, first released by E. P. Dutton between 1945 and
1955, were all republished by Cherokee Publishing Company in 1985, and
are now available again to those wishing to purchase them.
In the past six
years, the Byron Herbert Reece Society, under the capable leadership of
Dr. John Kay of Young Harris, other officers, a Board of Directors, an
Advisory Board and a growing membership have sought to make Reece and
his literary works known. Call their efforts resurrecting Reece, for
the members of the Society, like his ballad based on Ezekiel's Valley
of the Dry Bones, are breathing new life into the life and works of
In spring,
especially, those who love and appreciate Reece and his works turn to
his published pages for inspiration. Through his well-crafted lines,
the reader can see in the mind's eye the scene he paints,
feel the emotions his words convey. His words speak for themselves.
Explication would be redundant. Read any of his poems about Spring (or any other season) aloud. Allow the
beauty and rhythm of the lines to speak their poignant message. You
will come away from the reading with a greater appreciation of his
poetry and its ability to move the reader and engrave a memorable image
in the mind.
Now
that the year's advanced
to 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 the spring is here!
WE
COULD WISH THEM A LONGER
STAY
Plum,
peach, apple and pear
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,
Plum,
peach, apple and pear
And
the service blooms whiter
than snow.
Both the above
poems by Byron Herbert Reece appear in his book Bow Down in
Jericho published by Dutton in 1950 and republished by
Cherokee in 1985. We invite readers to consider attending the annual
meeting of the Society on
c2098 by Ethelene
Dyer Jones; published
Ethelene Dyer
Jones is a retired educator, freelance wirter,
poet, and historian. She may be reached
at email [email protected]; phone 478-453-8751; or mail 1708
Cedarwood
Road, Milledgeville, GA 31061-2411
Updated June
30,
2009
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