Michael's two sonnets, written on Eilean Shona

Description

Michael's two sonnets, written on Eilean Shona. The first - "Throned on a cliff" - was written at the summit.

After ensuring its publication in the Eton College Chronicle, Barrie later recited it during his rectorial address on Courage to the students of St Andrew's University in May 1922.

In 2016 I received a letter from the antiquarian bookseller, Ben Scott:

"I recently acquired a job lot of titles from a house clearance. Amongst these I found a copy of J M Synge's Plays, which was presented to Peter Llewelyn Davies on leaving Eton. Inside this there were two manuscripts dated 1920 from Eilean Chona - the island holiday spent by Barrie and Michael LD. They are the two poems which Michael composed on that holiday - one of them in a similar hand to Michael's (the one replicated in your book) but not identical. I think it may be Peter copying his brother's poem out for whatever reason. The second poem I am fairly convinced is in Barrie's hand."

Ben is right on both counts, and was kind enough to give them to me. It is infinitely touching to me that Peter should have copied out Michael's poem, presumably for himself ...