Editorial Emendations

 



These notes record all editorial emendations in the present text to the first edition of  The Emigrant. Each entry contains the reading of the present text before the “]” and the reading of the first edition after the “]”. Thus “32 file; ] file,” indicates that in line 32 a comma after “file” in the original text has been replaced in the present edition by a semi-colon.
     Since The Emigrant was by all the evidence a hastily printed and little proof-read publication when it appeared in 1841, it demands from a modern editor a fairly liberal policy of emendation. To complicate matters, O’Grady (or his compositor or amanuensis) had very haphazard ideas of punctuation, even for the mid-nineteenth century. Some sentences receive no concluding punctuation; others are given concluding commas; commas are regularly used where semi-colons or colons are clearly required; some complicated syntaxes are given no punctuation at all and will baffle the most patient interpreter. Most of this idiosyncratic punctuation will present no real obstacle to the poem’s modern reader, however, and I have kept it in the present edition wherever possible. A thorough revision of the text according to modern rules of punctuation would have as its result a version of The Emigrant much too unlike O’Grady’s curious original. But in cases where, in my opinion, such punctuation seriously intrudes on comprehension, I have emended it, usually in order to strengthen a pause in the syntax, whether by inserting commas, changing commas to semi-colons, colons or periods, or changing semi-colons to periods. Occasionally, O’Grady punctuates excessively; where such marks intrude and render the passage needlessly obscure, they have been removed. I must warn the reader candidly, therefore, that my attempt to provide the poem with a basically clear and appropriate punctuation which at the same time retains as much of O’Grady’s flavour as possible means that he or she will be faced largely with essential O’Grady, but occasionally with the no doubt subjective readings of his present editor. I have adopted the same emendatory pragmatism with O’Grady’s infrequently archaic spelling: when a word is spelled correctly according to the looser rules of his own day, and is easily recognizable, I have not altered it; but words which would be considered misspelled even in O’Grady’s time, or which I fear would be unrecognizable otherwise, have been emended. In all cases I have inserted apostrophes where O’Grady has failed to. I have also had to insert or alter many of the parenthetical numerals for O’Grady’s Notes, since the text was obviously not carefully checked for such alignments. If at times I can make no reliable emendations of a particularly garbled line, I have allowed it to stand in the text and offered possible readings in the Explanatory Notes. [page 107]

 

Title
The Emigrant ] The full title of O’Grady’s volume is The Emigrant, A Poem, In Four Cantos (see the Introduction, n. 54). Throughout the present edition I have abbreviated this title to reflect the poem as it exists and for the sake of convenience.

Dedication


            rectilinearly ] rectiliniarly


Epigraph


            mutant ] mutant,


The Poem

 
3

sings ] sings,

4

Ocean ] ocean

4

Bolivar ] Bullivar

13 found ] found,
21

debtors ] debtors,

29

case, ] case

32

file; ] file,

34

mute, ] mute

38

conscious ] consious

38

domain, ] domain

41

spurned, ] spurned

49

battle’s ] battles

51

conflict’s ] conflicts

59

wooden barrier’s ] wooden barriers

67 supply, ] supply
68

nature’s ] natures

76

breeze, ] breeze

84

maze ] maize

90

compass guides, ] compass, guides

92

rides, ] rides

93

squidhounds ] squdhounds

96

way, ] way

107

say, ] say [page 108]

116

blush? ] blush;

118

say: ] say

119

horizon ] horison

122

ray; ] ray,

130

least; ] least

132

decreased, ] decreased

136

adds, ] adds

141

lightning’s ] lightnings

153

seen, ] seen

154

between; ] between

156

Fishes, ] Fishes

160

detection, ] detection

165

vessel ] vessels

235

seize ] sieze

235

helm, ] helm

251

heaves, ] heaves

252

moonbeams’ ] moonbeams

279

foaming ] foamings

313

assuage ] assuage,

316

one; ] one,

318

bands ] bands,

322

waves: ] waves,

335

Belier ] Belieu

347

Ennobled ] Enobled

353

meet ] meet,

354

debate; ] debate,

356

Bushe ] Bush

370

fame. ] fame,

371

appeal ] appeal,

378

skies.] skies

389

might, ] might

401

lost! ] lost,

413

more? ] more,

418

Cesar, ] Cesar [page 109]

420 Perceval ] Percival
424 pensioned ] pentioned
427 reign. ] reign,
429 asses’ ] asses
462 roll ] roll,
465

world; ] world,

467

sail; ] sail,

489

exhaust; ] exhaust,

501

tempest’s ] tempests

503

main. ] main

505

sea, ] sea

513

new. ] new,

528

cheerless ] cherless

539

eye. ] eye,

542

Surpassing ] Supassing

543 Ancestry; ] Ancestry
545 heaven’s ] heavens
545

most. ] most,

572

own ] own,

577

idle] idol

586

idol, ] idol

586

e’er ] ere

591

slave; ] slave,

599

noble ] nobles

605

chace; ] chace,

612

wait ] wait,

616

brows: ] brows

632

apart ] apart,

633

heart; ] heart,

639

Wilmore ] Willmore

648

came: ] came,

649

haste; ] haste,

651

won’t ] wont

658

land, ] land [page 110]

660

past, ] past

661

mind; ] mind,

664

Peleon ] Peleus

687

kaleidoscope ] kaleidescope

699

divine. (19) ] divine

706

lambent ] lambient

711

domain; ] domain,

716

wear ] wear,

718

shepherd’s ] shepherd

721

now; ] now,

722 bowers, ] bowers
725

heart, ] heart

726

flame; ] flame,

731

so; ] so,

737

unconscious ] unconsious

745

lone; ] lone,

749

view. ] view,

756

dwell— ] dwell,

757

well! ] well?

762

lends ] lends,

763

where e’er ] where ere

763

bends; ] bends,

764

flowed ] glowed

765

replete ] repleats

770

way, ] way;

800

robes, ] robes.

804

conception, ] conception

840

thine? ] thine.

842

Echo ] echo

848

mountain’s ] mountains

870

own. ] own,

871

fall; ] fall,

874

store; ] store,

875

beleaguered ] beleagured [page 111]

877 in peril ] is peril
878

repay: ] repay,

883

havock’s ] havocks

887

beleaguered ] beleagured

899

tides’ ] tides

901

waters’ ] waters

904

innovating ] inovating

920

brave. ] brave,

928

cloak; ] cloak,

941

route ] rout

954

blast; ] blast,

957 philosophy, ] philosophy
967

reveal ] reveal,

970

fight. ] fight,

983

aggression ] agression

993

contentious ] contentuous

1000

rites ] rights

1008

shod, ] shod

1012

displays ] displays,

1030

displays ] displays,

1037

canoe; ] canoe

1051

light and life ] life and light

1054

flaky ] fleaky

1061

fume, ] fume

1065

blank, ] blank

1067

Bear; ] Bear,

1069

expire, ] expire;

1073

days’ ] days

1077

heaven, ] heaven

1079

rest; ] rest,

1081

repose. ] repose,

1082

strength ] strength,

1083

lingerment ] Lingerment

1084

round, ] round [page 112]

1095

traffic ] trafic

1095

annual ] anual

1096

prove ] prove,

1100

seas ] seas?

1101

these? ] these,

1111

upraise, ] upraise.

1131

prize. ] prize,

1135

turn ] turns

1140

competence ] competence—

1153

sense; ] sense,

1155

own, ] own;

1159

fricassees of frogs] fricassee’s or frogs

1161

trees: ] trees;

1162

amid ] amid,

1163

gorgeous ] georgeous

1163

white. ] white,

1176

counsels, ] counsels

1192

Cochrane ] Cochran

1228

need, ] need

1228

stimulus ] stimulous

1249

went; ] went,

1252

elevate, ] elevate

1252

supplies ] supplies,

1291

tread, ] tread

1319

spirit ] spirite

1337

mock, ] mock

1339

record ] record;

1341

keeps ] keeps,

1345

who, ] who

1359

Conybeare ] Conobare

1361

Conybeare ] Conobare

1364

inscrutable ] inscrutible

1385

Kosciuszko ] Kosciusko

1388

fled. ] fled [page 113]

1406

plains; ] plains,

1410

eye, ] eye?

1411

mien ] main

1413

claim ] claim,

1420

Surgeons sage, ] Surgeons, sage,

1425

Columbians ] Columbians,

1440

zephyrs ] zyphyrs

1450

volunteers!—(28) ] volunteers!—

1452

them, ] them

1453

majestic, awful ] majestic awful

1455

precipitate ] preciptate

1463

MacNab ] McNab

1463

proud ] prond

1463

thou, ] thou, (28)

1485

will, ] will;

1486

bring: ] bring,

1492

landscape, ] landscape

1497

express’d; ] express’d.

1500

bereft ] bereaft

1519

Po? ] Poe?

1525

condemn. ] condemn,

1527

add ] adds

1538

Irving ] Ervin

1554

bed (31) ] bed

1558

avails? ] avails

1608

Resolved, ] Resolved

1655

De Courcy ] De Coursy

1663

record, (34) ] record.

1666

can’st ] cans’t

1676

miserable ] miserable,

1677

sandbank, ] sandbank

1686

arctic ] acrtic

1691

travel; ] travel,

1716

comes ] comes, [page 114]

1723

bells! (35) ] bells!

1727

door! (36) ] door! (35)

1739

feel. ] feel

1752

thee, ] thee;

1755

prowl ] prowls

1756

these, ] these

1768

storm; ] storm,

1772

mix! (37) ] mix! (36)

1775

unfurled ] unfurled,

1782

spray, ] spray;

1797

route ] rout

1809

maze ] maize

1816

land; (38) ] land ; (37)

1820

blast; (39) ] blast; (38)

1822

glare; ] glare,

1835

lave, ] lave.

1838

rear, ] rear.

1839

dank; ] dank,

1840

bank ] bank;

1844

ray ] ray;

1845

beamed; ] beamed,

1852

trees; ] trees; (39)

1866

rippling ] ripling

1870

day, ] day, (41)

1873

orisons ] orisions

1873

passed ] pased

1879

vain, ] vain;

1903

knew; ] knew

1909

surprise, ] surprise.

1910

amaze. ] amaze,

1917

surprise? ] surprise.

1918

dispell ] despell

1918

despair ] dispair

1931

Her utterance, (grown ] (Her utterance, grown [page 115]

1964

beguiled ] beguiled,

1986

father’s ] fathers’

1990

mine, ] mine

1990

all ] all.

1994 honoured most, ] honoured, most
2001

fled ] fled,

2001

all ] all,

2007

sound? ] sound,

2020 light. (41) ] light.
2058

squirrel ] squirel

2060

care worn ] cave worn

2061

bird, ] bird

2079

studious ] studeous

2090

Give ] Gives

2091

suns ] sun’s

2094

tried. ] tried,

2121

Molson’s ] Molsons’

2126

glittering ] gittering

2139

surface ] surface,

2139

view, ] view

 

O’Grady’s Notes to The Poem


Note 2

An appearance is then ] An appearauce is then
finally an execution ] finaly an execution
himself most conspicuous ] himself most conspicious
plot in secrecy ] plot in secresy
as witless as himself; ] as witless as himself,
necessary to ascertain ] necessary to assertain
his comrade; the bag ] his comrade, the bag
already absconded; they ] already absconded, they
some innocent blood ] some inocent blood
necessities of Mr. Snuffle ] necessities of Mr. Sunfflle [page 116]
become a sacrifice ] became a sacrifice
Solomon the wise ] Soloman the wise
said Jim, now ] said Jim now
What though your fee ] What thongh your fee
he felt, more anxious ] he felt more anxious


Note 3

It happened Curran ] It happened Curren
would he be helped ] would he helped
quite the ton ] quite the ton
dare you presume ] dare yon presume
indignation was now aroused ] indignation was now arroused
so he passed on. ] so he passed on,
The Hon. Herbert Fitzgibbon ] The Hon. Hobert Fitzgibbon
Fitzgibbon remarking ] Fitsgibbon remarging
“also” and “likewise” ] also, and likewise
application; the wit shone ] application, the witt shone


Note 4

this moment; vide ] this moment, vide


Note 5

control of the English Government, ] controle of the English Government;
known to occur. The Earl ] known to occur, the Earl
succession. From a local ] succession, from a local
more speedily terminated ] more speelidy terminated


Note 6

Brothers, anxious ] brothers, [anxious


Note 7

the immense sea ] the immence sea
early resorted to; ] early resorted to,


Note 8 [page 117]

together with their Irish ] togegether with their Irish
the heedless principles ] the heedles principles
the sufferers; disgusted ] the sufferers; digusted


Note 9

some old monastery ] some old monastry 


Note 11

lost all his popularity ] lost all all his popularity
threatened with a French ] threatenned with a French
that of George the Third; ] that of George the Third,
by a settled policy ] by a setled policy


Note 12

a blacksmith’s forge ] a blacksmiths’ forge


Note 13

its ponderocity; extending ] its ponderocity extending
is manifest; the general ] is manifest, the general


Note 15

until decomposed; successions ] until decomposed, successions
render the way impervious ] render the way imperious


Note 16

Europeans hoping to visit ] Europeans hopping to visit


Note 22

exhilarating stimulants ] exhilirating stimulants
powerfully felt the motion ] powerfully felt the emotion
Still did the hero . . . maintain ] Still did the hero . . . maintained
his main pursuit; he waited ] his main pursuit, he waited
suit be accepted. I have ] suit be accepted, I have
your kind exertions ] your ind exertions


Note 23 [page 118]

the misfortune to lose ] the misfortuue to lose


Note 25

Mr. Whitbread ] Mr. Whitehead


Note 27

develops the carcasses ] developes the carcasses


Note 28

sons will ne’er betray. ] sons will ne’er betray


Note 30

Robert Emmet ] Robert Emmett
Emmet was the distinguished ] Emmett was the distinguished
Vide Sketchbook ] Vide Sketchbook


Note 32

Mr. and Mrs. Sawtell ] Mr. and Mrs. Sautell


Note 33

Laid hold of his scimitar ] laid hold of his scymeter


Note 34

Gaoler, put this ] Goaler, put this
Baron Smith, by far ] Baron Smyth, by far
for his humanity; whenever ] for his humanity, whenever
by Smith or Traverse? ] by Smyth or Traverse?
O, thogume Smith ] O, thogume Smyth
Smith, he said he’d take Smith ] Smyth, he said he’d take Smyth
the ruins of Kilmallock ] the ruins of Killmalock
those who fell to defend ] those who feel to defend
a richness of scenery ] a richnes of scenery
Deus nobis haec otia fecit.” Possessed ] “Deus nobis hec otia fecit,” poss-       essed
still only accosted ] still only acosted
the degrading appellation ] the degrading appellation
neighbourhood of Kilmallock ] neighbourhood of Killmalock [page 119]
less learned competitors; ] less learned competitors,
struck the chords ] struck the cords
Inveni portum, Spes et Fortuna valete! ] Invini portum spes atque fortuna       valete.
like wax a facsimile ] like wax a fac simile
tide wait for no man, ] tide wait for no man.
his lethargic reveries ] his lethergic reveries
his listless ear ] his lissless ear
saw himself accosted ] saw himself acosted


Note 35

carry to market; ] carry to market,
contingencies of the day ] contingences of the day
a sash;  a silk cravat ] a sash, a silk cravat
occurred in my presence ] occured in my presence
danger or distance; at that ] danger or distance, at that
mode of conveyance; on these ] mode of conveyance, on these


Note 38

Vide Transactions ] Vide Translations
Emman’s plain ] Emmans plain
the wild boar bled. ] the wild boar bled,
Though trumpet’s sound ] Though trumpets sound
Let trumpet’s sound ] Let trumpets sound
pipes’ soft tones ] pipes soft tones
Ardan’s and Andle’s ] Ardans and Andles
had he fallen where ] had he fallen where,
fair ones praised, ] fair ones praised.
tongue in the other; ] tongue in the other,
brave gallant Jervis ] brave gallant Jarvis
Jack left two legs ] jack left two legs
’tis their lordships’ intention ] ’tis their lordship’s intention
plagued with a pension, ] plagued with a pension.
mud architecture. Having ] mud architecture, having [page 120]
notions seldom exceeding ] notions sedom exceeding
leaving an altitude ] leaving, an altitude
labour; the interior ] labour, the interior
these indispensable purposes ] these indespensable purposes
exist in fire. What wonder ] exist in fire, what wonder
its unerring effects ] its unerring offects
each; among this venial tribe ] each, among this vennal tribe
always in collusion ] always in collision
desired effect; he accordingly ] desired effect, he accordingly


Note 39

to live in Sorel, ] to live in Sorel


Note 40

ordinary dimensions ] ordinary dimentions


Note 42

remnants of my stock ] remnant sof my stock [page 121]