Souvenir of the George Borrow Celebration

Souvenir of the George Borrow
Celebration, by
by Catherine
Maude Nichols

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Celebration, by
James Hooper, Illustrated by Catherine Maude Nichols
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Title: Souvenir of the George Borrow Celebration Norwich, July 5th,
1913
Author: James Hooper

Release Date: May 20, 2007 [eBook #21538]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SOUVENIR
OF THE GEORGE BORROW CELEBRATION***

Transcribed from the 1913 Jarrold & Sons edition by David Price,
email [email protected]
[Picture: Cover]

SOUVENIR OF THE GEORGE BORROW CELEBRATION
Norwich, July 5th, 1913
BY JAMES HOOPER
PREPARED AND PUBLISHED FOR THE COMMITTEE
JARROLD & SONS PUBLISHERS LONDON AND NORWICH
2/6 net
[Picture: Picture of George Borrow]

FOREWORD.
The Committee are indebted to numerous Borrovians for the loan of
Illustrations and Contributions of literary items to the text, to Miss C.
M. Nichols, R.E., for her charming Pen Pictures of nooks and corners
of Borrow's old home in Willow Lane, the Rev. F. W. Orde Ward for
his appreciative stanzas, and Mr. E. Peake for his Ode to the Flower,
whilst special mention must be made of Mr. A. J. Munnings' inspiring
design of George Borrow and Petulengro overlooking the City of
Norwich for the cover.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS George Borrow Frontispiece Staircase
doorway, Borrow's house facing page 4 George Borrow's birthplace, 8
Dumpling Green, East Dereham Plan of Dumpling Green, East 9

Dereham Roger Kerrison 9 Crown and Angel, St. Stephen's 12 The
grammar school 13 Borrow's house, Willow Lane 16 The winding river,
near Norwich 17 The Yare at Earlham, near Norwich 17 The Strangers'
Hall, Norwich 20 Earlham bridge 21 Bowling Green Inn 24 William
Simpson 24 Tuck's Court, St. Giles 24 John Crome 25 The Windmill
on Mousehold Heath 28 Ned Painter 29 Norwich castle and cattle
market 32 in Borrow's time Marshland Shales 33 A quaint corner in
Borrow's house 36 William Taylor 40 George Borrow's house, Oulton,
40 near Lowestoft George Borrow in 1848 40 George Borrow (painted
by his 41 brother) Corner of Borrow's bedroom 44 George Borrow's
grave, Brompton 48 cemetery
[Picture: Staircase doorway to attic in Borrow's House/ By C. M.
Nichols, R.E.]

George Borrow.
1
Man of the Book, thou Pilgrim of the Road, The love of travel Drave
thee on ever with pursuing goad; Trust was thy burning light, Truth
was thy load-- Sweet riddles for the weary to unravel, Within thy breast
Glowed the pure fire of an Eternal Quest.
2
The Bible was thy chart, the open sky Thy roof and rafter Often, and
thou didst learn night's mystery; Learning some tale from each poor
passer-by, Some gracious secret for the grand Hereafter. Master of lore
Occult, and wanderer on the wildest shore.
3
What country was not trodden by thy feet, Nor bared its bosom And
fragrance to the life it leapt to greet? From field and upland or where
waters meet Was stolen, the virgin dew, the veiled blossom. Its native
tongue On stranger lips, in every climate hung.

4
Pursuer of shy paths, all hunted things All creatures lonely, Gypsy and
fox and hawk with slanted wings; These drank with thee at the same
cosmic springs, These were thy teachers and thy playmates only.
Nature gave up To them and thee alike, her hidden cup.
5
Who brought its glory back to cloistered Wales, And wrung their
treasure From sacred books and dim sequestered vales? Who found the
gold in haunted heights and dales, And showed a wondering world its
pride and pleasure? Divine and strong Stood out the altar, with its
flame of song.
6
Thy bardlike power, the passion of thy thirst For something greater,
Awoke old Cymric melodies the first; Till all the mountains into music
burst, And their lost glory crowned the recreator. Outpoured as wine
Thy magic words made every shade a shrine.
7
Priest of the portals into the Unknown, Taught by no college, And free
of every fountain but thine own; A waif, an exile, by the breezes blown
Hither and thither to fresh fields of knowledge, That giant form,
Fearless, and still no moment, rode the storm.
8
From land to land a pilgrim, yet at home Where'er thy journey Thou
didst a dweller in the Eternal come; The dust thy floor, the heaven of
stars thy dome, To break a lance for Truth in some new tourney. With
Nature blent Art thou, and the wide world thy monument.
9
Thou gypsy of all time, no lot seems strange,