LADY WILDE ("SPERANZA.")

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 3, 4 November 1892, Page 15

LADY WILDE (" SPERANZA.")

(By Eugene Davis.)

Sir William's wife, whose maiden name was Jane Francesca Elgee, was the daughter of a clergyman of the communion once known as the Established Church of Ireland, and was born some sixty odd ytars ago in the County Wexford. Although her father belonged to the Tory school in politics, his daughter became early ia life an ardent Irishwoman. Trampling under foot all family prejudices, she used to visit the battlefield of Oularc and Vinegar Hills and the other scenes of Irish heroism connected with the dark but glorious epoch3of '98, and from these patriotic pilgrimages she imbibe 1 much of that fervour and enthusiasm which characterised her poetical effusions of after years. Towards the close of her teens Miss Elgee became a favourite contributor of prose and poetry to the Dublin Nation, then the well-known and highly talented orgao of the Young Ireland party. Her maiden efforts were published under the penname of "John Fanshawe Ellis," and everybody within and without the Nation office believed, of course, that the promising young writer belonged to the sterner sex, until the editor, Charles Gavao Duff/, having been one day in Dublin introduced to hij contributor, was agreeably astonished to End that John Fanshawe Ellis was a most charming young lady, tall, beautiful, graceful, and distingui. When his first surprise was over, Duffy was informed by the blushing fair one that her real name was Jane Franceaca Elgee. Thenceforward she wrote stirring national lyrics for the newspaper which had published her first attempts, adopting the soubriquet of "Speranza," and putting a new soul into Erin b/ the generous enthusiasm and chivalrous devotion of her young heart expressed in a style characterised with classic grace and beauty. She soon became known as one of the three Graces of the Nation, the other two having been " Mary " and " Eva." Since then " Mary," whose real name was Miss Downing, passed away in the silence of a convent cloister ; but " Eva " is still alive, residing with her husband, Dr Kevin Izod O'Doherty, in Australia. " Speranzi'a " paet'eal genius, it may be added, had a wider range than the field of Irish literature. She became the champion or a universal Republic, and a preacher and priestess of humanity. She moreover penned some exquisite metrical translations from Hugo and Lamartine, Heine and Schiller, in whose languages she was thoroughly well versed ; while many of her own original lyrics had the compliment paid them of being translated into various European tongues.