Randall is commemorated by James Ryder Randall Elementary School in Clinton, Maryland. : His Poetry included Maryland, My Maryland, and other poems. Baltimore, MD: John Murphy, 1908.
Poems (edited by Matthew Page Andrews). New York: Tandy-Thomas, 1910. : : He wrote numerous other poetry. His later work breathed a deeply religious tone. : : Randall was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He accepted the chair of English literature at Poydras College, Pointe-Coupée, Louisiana, then a flourishing Creole institution. Hearing of the attack upon the federal troops in Baltimore on 21 April, 1861, in which a classmate had been wounded, his Southern sympathies were so aroused that during the night by the light of a candle he composed what is generally acknowledged to be America’s most martial poem, which appeared in the New Orleans Sunday Delta of April 26, 1861. Reaching Baltimore, it was set to the music of “Lauriger Horatius” by Miss Jennie Cary, who added “My Maryland” to each stanza. A German musician of Southern sympathies eventually set the poem to “Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum”, the original of “Lauriger Horatius”.
After the war, Randall engaged in newspaper work, holding several important editorial positions, eventually becoming Washington correspondent for the Augusta “Chronicle”.
He died in August, Georgia, aged 69. He is buried in Augusta’s Magnolia Cemetery
Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). An American Anthology, 1787–1900. 1900.
739 Why the Robin’s Breast Was Red : : By James Ryder Randall ( From : Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). An American Anthology, 1787–1900. 1900. ) : : : :
THE SAVIOUR, bowed beneath his cross, climbed up the dreary hill,
And from the agonizing wreath ran many a crimson rill;
The cruel Roman thrust him on with un-relenting hand,
Till, staggering slowly mid the crowd, He fell upon the sand.
A little bird that warbled near, that memorable day,
Flitted around and strove to wrench one single thorn away;
The cruel spike impaled his breast,—and thus, ’t is sweetly said,
The Robin has his silver vest incarnadined with red.
Ah, Jesu! Jesu! Son of man! My dolor and my sighs
Reveal the lesson taught by this winged Ishmael of the skies.
I, in the palace of delight or cavern of despair,
Have plucked no thorns from thy dear brow, but planted thousands there!
“Why The Robin’s Chest was Red “, A Bird Poem by American Poet James Ryder Randall is About remembering The Jesus Christ who “climbed up the dreary hill / The cruel Roman thrust him on with un-relenting hand,” ( punished brutally in continuous harshness. ) / “Till, staggering slowly mid the crowd, He fell upon the sand.” ( He walked slowly with great difficulty and fell upon the sand. ) That was a memorable day when “a little bird warbled near bleeding Jesus 🩸🩸 🩸: singing by yodeling , that is with a half note 🎵🎶 “/from the agonizing wreath ran many a crimson rill;” : that is, a streamlet of blood ran forming a small channel on the soil. That was a small warbler bird , Robin who “Flitted around” ( rapidly and lightly moved around ) and “strove to wrench one single thorn away;” Meaning, ( twisted strain – fully trying to reach jerkily ) to remove atleast one single thorn away from the ( crown of ) spiky wreath ( crested ) on Jesus , The Saviour. What happened then , was ,
“The cruel spike impaled his breast,—and thus, ’t is sweetly said, /The Robin has his silver vest incarnadined with red.” : : : : : : ( The large stout thorny ) spike – impaled the breast of Robin, piercing with its sharp point. And thus it is sweetly said, ( As The Poet Speaker remembers from the holy story ), The Robin that had had his silver vest, made his flesh red coloured. Here, a painful grief was taken in by the Robin, from the Jesus , the Saviour , as dolorously shown sorrows, in a memorable line of poetry, viz. ” Ah, Jesu! Jesu! Son of man! My dolor and my sighs
Reveal the lesson taught by this winged Ishmael of the skies.” : : The Poet Speaker uttered a sigh heavily with deep sadness ! Here, this “winged / Ishmael of the skies” , is a small bird Robin, who was rejected by the living world due to his smallness and ordinary colourless appearance in just as much as that of the son of Abraham who was cast out after the birth of Issac , considered as the forbear of 12 Arabian tribes which can be learned from the Old Testament. The mankind represented also by The Poet Speaker who says, “Have plucked no thorns from thy dear brow, but planted thousands there!” : And was part of the mid – crowd gathered at the hilltop on that memorable day of crucifixion of Jesus, the Saviour and was among them who actually planted thousands of Spikes / long nails on the forehead “/ thy brows” : It was only one small bird Robin who on that agonising moments of sadness and anguish , attempted to remove atleast one spiky thorn from the forehead so that little of the huge pain and grief taken in by Jesus Christ on behalf of the mankind’s All Sorrows , could be relieved. When we look at the Red ♥️ breasted Robin we get the moral and emotional strength. Thus Robin has become a consolatory bird of reassuring comfort and console which is as much consoling as merciful memorable face of compassion of Jesus Christ , the Saviour of humanity. For this, we go to find a little from inside His Church; the same solace we find and feel outside , in view of red Breasted Robin. : : : :
However, the Science facts behind this is also awesome : : The robin’s distinctive red breast is a beautiful sight as it’s seen against a backdrop of fresh snow ❄️ in Winter. It’s actually a tool in their ongoing campaign to gain or retain territory, according to research from the University of Cambridge. For each year that passes, a male’s red breast gets a little larger ( small silvery white flesh too is visible! ) : : Robins do not typically die of old age, so every year a robin survives is a credit to its survival skills. Following this logic, an older robin with a large red breast is a real threat, as his survival skills must be perfect and complete.. Such a robin could therefore use his sorrowing red ♥️ breast to attract mates, or to intimidate younger birds in battles over territory. : : ♥️ ♥️
” Why The Robin’s Breast was Red” , A Bird Poem by American Poet James Ryder Randall Information Appreciation and poem Analysis Presented by V Jayaraj Pune India October 10 , 2023 : : : : : : : :
MADHU MALTI 