The Prophecy of Merlin, and Other Poems

In Short

This volume gathers narrative epics, lyrics, and classical translations anchored by a long vision of imperial destiny and historical change. The opening title poem recounts Merlin predicting Britain’s future under Queen Victoria, while subsequent verses adapt scriptural tragedies, classical myths, and contemporary Canadian events like the 1866 Fenian Raid. Throughout the book, ancient griefs and modern hopes collide through formal rhyming verse and dramatic monologues. The collection has endured as a representative monument of nineteenth-century Canadian literature, illustrating how early colonial poets bridged Old World literary traditions with the emerging national identity of a young Dominion.

The Story

The book opens in the mythical past of Arthurian legend, where Sir Bedivere listens to the wizard Merlin forecast the distant future of Britain and the globe. Merlin reveals a vision of the nineteenth century, foretelling technological marvels such as steamships, locomotives, and telegraphs, alongside the reign of Queen Victoria and the noble life and premature death of Prince Albert. This grand historical sweep establishes the collection’s primary movement: tracing how human suffering, conflict, and political upheaval eventually yield to moral progress, divine order, and national unity.

Following this Arthurian prelude, the volume moves through a diverse series of dramatic portraits, personal reflections, and translations. Reade explores the interior lives of famous historical and mythical figures caught in moments of profound isolation or loss. Queen Vashti laments her fallen status after being cast aside by the King of Persia; the abandoned mother Rizpah keeps a desolate vigil over the slain bodies of her sons to protect them from wild beasts; and the prophet Balaam wrestles with pride and divine judgment as he travels toward Moab. The collection also turns to classical antiquity, rendering tragic episodes such as the doomed love of Pyramus and Thisbe, the parting of Hector and Andromache before the fall of Troy, and the eternal torment of the Wandering Jew, who is cursed to walk the earth until the end of time.

Interspersed among these legendary narratives are poems grounded in the author's nineteenth-century present. Reade marks key moments in Canadian history, celebrating the birth of the nation on Dominion Day in 1867 and honoring those who fought during the Fenian Raids of 1866. He reflects on the passage of time through changing seasons, lost youthful romances, and the deaths of public figures like Thomas D'Arcy McGee. Ultimately, the book closes on a note of universal yearning for the ideal, acknowledging that while human speech and art can only ever provide an imperfect echo of deep truth, spiritual hope endures across centuries of human struggle.

How It Unfolds

Merlin foretells the future Sitting with Sir Bedivere, the wizard Merlin paints a grand vision of a transformed world governed by new laws of science, technology, and global empire. He describes the rise of Queen Victoria, the virtues of her Blameless Prince, and the sorrow that will engulf the realm upon his passing.

Fallen rulers and lonely vigils The focus shifts to intimate dramatic monologues where deposed leaders and grieving parents confront their fates. Queen Vashti copes with her banishment while a new queen takes her place, and Rizpah stands guard in the dark to protect the remains of her executed children.

The clash of ancient empires Through translations and narrative retellings of classical lore, heroes face inescapable doom on the battlefield and in love. Hector bids a poignant farewell to Andromache at the Scæan gate, while the tragic lovers Pyramus and Thisbe meet their demise by a moonlight tryst.

The shaping of a new Dominion Turning to contemporary history, the verse reflects on the historical forces that forged modern Canada, connecting the bloody field of Hastings to the 1866 Fenian Raid. On Dominion Day, the poet celebrates the infant nation awakening to its providential destiny under the summer sun.

The burden of immortality The volume reaches its thematic climax through figures condemned to endless wandering or unexpressed grief. The Wandering Jew details his eighteen-century curse of perpetual youth and forced travel, leading into a final meditation on how mortal words fail to capture the infinite depths of human experience.

The People

• Merlin: The legendary seer of Arthurian myth. He desires to reveal the unfolding pattern of human history to Sir Bedivere, though he is weighed down by foresOrdered sorrows like the early death of Prince Albert.
• Sir Bedivere: The loyal knight of King Arthur's Round Table. He eagerly listens to Merlin’s vision, seeking reassurance that King Arthur or a knight of his moral stature will return to govern the world.
• Queen Vashti: The deposed Persian queen. Driven by pride and lingering affection, she struggles against the humiliation of being replaced by Esther while harboring a fierce, stubborn ownership of her own spirit.
• Rizpah: A grieving biblical mother. She single-mindedly guards the corpses of her slain sons against beasts of prey, driven mad by loss yet steadfast in her protective maternal devotion.
• Balaam: The biblical prophet from Pethor. Initially receptive to divine inspiration, his growing pride and desire for worldly honor lead him down a path of spiritual darkness as he travels toward Moab.
• Hector: The Trojan champion. Torn between intense love for his wife Andromache and his duty to defend Troy, he knowingly marches out to battle where death awaits him.
• The Wandering Jew: A legendary figure cursed by Christ for his disdain. He longs for the peaceful release of death, but is driven relentlessly across centuries by an unstoppable whirlwind.

In Its Own Voice

“The earth and air / Shall yield strange secrets for the use of men,-- / The planets, in their courses, shall draw near, / And men shall see their marvels, as the flowers / That grace the meads of Summer...”

Merlin describes the future scientific advancements and technological marvels that will define the Victorian era.

“O envious wall, that standest in our way, / Who love each other!”

Pyramus and Thisbe whisper to one another through a small crevice in the masonry that divides their adjoining houses.

“I am--I am--the Wandering Jew-- / Chained to a whirlwind evermore!”

The eternal outcast despairs of his puny mortality as he is relentlessly swept across the earth without any hope of rest or death.

What It's Really About

Beneath its Victorian diction, the book is an extended inquiry into how human beings endure historical change, loss, and the limits of expression. Reade contrasts the fleeting nature of individual lives with the grand, cyclical movements of empires and divine Providence. Whether portraying King Arthur's fading era, the destruction of Troy, or the birth of nineteenth-century Canada, the poems argue that suffering and conflict act as purifying fires that ultimately yield higher moral truths. At the same time, the collection grapples with an intrinsic frustration of art: the belief that the deepest human thoughts, griefs, and spiritual longings can never be fully articulated through finite human language.

Why Read It Today

This collection will appeal to readers of Victorian literature, Arthurian legend, and early Canadian poetry who appreciate traditional formal verse and classical adaptations. Reading the volume feels like taking a guided tour through a nineteenth-century scholar's library, where standard English poetic meters—such as blank verse, ballad rhymes, and heroic couplets—are deployed with deliberate craft. The narrative poems carry a solemn, elegiac momentum that makes their tragic moments genuinely resonant.

Modern readers should be prepared for the formal conventions of 1870s verse, including elevated diction, archaic phrasing, and frequent un-translated Latin titles or classical references. The book reflects the high-imperial patriotism and religious assumptions typical of its period, viewing British expansion and nationhood through a lens of divine sanction. Yet for those willing to engage with its period style, the book offers a fascinating glimpse into how Victorian writers used ancient myths to process their own rapidly changing, modernized world.

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