Spun-yarn and Spindrift

A speaker in Canada dreams of Irish songs and longs for the hills of home. Such memories give Norah M. Holland's 1918 verse collection a strong sense of attachment to distant places. The opening moves from a little dog waiting at heaven's gates for its master to Irish landscapes, fairy encounters and remembered affection. Rhymed stanzas and repeated refrains give these poems a clear musical shape, while familiar scenes carry feelings of loss and longing.

Other pieces turn toward history and religious devotion. Rupert's soldiers ride through Newbury amid changing scenes of welcome and defeat, and Christmas poems picture the stable, the shepherds and their offerings. The collection places intimate feelings beside public memories, moving between a cherished animal, a remembered dance and soldiers returning from battle. Readers interested in Canadian poetry with Irish connections will find short poems shaped by homesickness, folklore and faith, with concrete places and figures giving each subject a distinct setting.