From Charles Hoare 20 November 1877
“Darwin”; the sunset of thy life is cheered,
By recognition;— Honours never sought,
Though nobly earned; will make thy name revered!
Few have so gallantly for Science fought:—
Maligned, abused, with falsehoods too assailed,
Dis-daining answer;— but Truth has prevailed.
Science is honored in thy triumph!— all
Who “think”, must thank Thee, for what Thou hast won;
Tis not alone, mens minds released from thrall,
Humanity is raised, by what you’ve done;—
Before,—All life, seemed tainted at its fount;
Now,—none can guess, how high, mans mind may mount.
Unfettered by a Faith, that all debased,
By teaching, man was born degenerate;
Life’s hugest error, you at once effaced,
And soon mankind your name will venerate;
Not for release from mental slavery
Alone;—but for your dauntless bravery!
Accept this tribute from a humble man,
Tis Earnest, as ’tis honest; may you feel
Its warmth;— you little know, how many scan
Your work, with admiration of the zeal!
With which your life in Truth’s cause, has been spent,
Nay, let us say, it has been only lent.
The Harvest of your Fame, is yet to come;
Now,—is the Seed time of the facts you’ve sown,
Posterity has yet your Worth to sum,
When the Truths ripen; then it will be known,
What mankind owes you, for your contribution,
To its advancement, based on “Evolution”.
Charles Hoare:
York Villa, Lower Avenue | Southampton
20 Nov 1877.
To Chas Darwin Esq | LLD. FRS &c &c &c &c.
On his visit to Cambridge | Nov 18771
Footnotes
Bibliography
Hoare, Charles. [1878.] Dogma, doubt, and duty. A poem, in five cantos. London: Aston and Mander.
Summary
A poem in tribute to CD following the award of his Cambridge LL.D.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-11243
- From
- Charles Hoare
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Southampton
- Source of text
- DAR 140.1: 24
- Physical description
- ALS 2pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 11243,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-11243.xml