Denis Florence MacCarthy facts for kids

Denis Florence MacCarthy (born May 26, 1817 – died April 9, 1882) was an Irish poet, translator, and writer from Dublin. He is best known for his beautiful poems and for translating the works of a famous Spanish playwright, Pedro Calderón de la Barca.

Quick facts for kids Denis Florence MacCarthy
Born	26 May 1817
Died	7 April 1882  (aged 64)
Occupation	Writer

About Denis Florence MacCarthy

Denis Florence MacCarthy was born in Dublin on May 26, 1817. He went to school there and at St Patrick's College, Maynooth. He learned Spanish from a priest who had lived in Spain for a long time. This knowledge helped him greatly in his later work.

When he was just 16, in April 1834, MacCarthy published his first poems in the Dublin Satirist. He was part of a group of writers who wrote for The Nation, a newspaper started in 1842 by Charles Gavan Duffy. MacCarthy often used the pen name "Desmond" for his patriotic poems in this newspaper.

In 1846, he became a lawyer in Ireland, but he never actually worked as one. That same year, he put together a book called The Poets and Dramatists of Ireland. He also edited The Book of Irish Ballads, which featured poems by many different authors. His own book, Ballads, Poems, and Lyrics, came out in 1850.

Translating Spanish Plays

MacCarthy became interested in the Spanish writer Pedro Calderón de la Barca after reading about him in an essay by Percy Bysshe Shelley. From then on, translating Calderón's plays became a major part of his life's work. People often called Calderón the "Spanish Shakespeare."

His first book of translations, which included six plays, was published in 1853. More translations followed in 1861, 1867, 1870, and 1873. He finished his translation of Daybreak in Capacabana just a few months before he passed away.

Later Life and Legacy

Until 1864, MacCarthy lived mostly on Killiney Hill, which has a beautiful view of Dublin Bay. Because some of his family members were not well, he moved to Europe for a long visit to find a better climate. When he returned, MacCarthy settled in London. There, he published more translations and a book called Shelley's Early Life. This book told the story of the poet Shelley's visit to Dublin in 1812.

MacCarthy moved back to Ireland a few months before he died on Good Friday, 1882, in Blackrock, Dublin. His daughter, who became a nun, also had a talent for poetry. She wrote under the name Sister Mary Stanislaus.

MacCarthy's poems are known for their beautiful language and love for nature. Some of his most famous poems include "The Bridal of the Year," "Summer Longings" (also known as "Waiting for the May"), and his long poem "The Voyage of St. Brendan." This last poem shows his strong religious feelings.

However, it is his translations of Calderón that truly made him famous in English literature. A well-known historian of Spanish literature, George Ticknor, said that MacCarthy did an amazing job. He said MacCarthy made it possible to understand the greatest parts of Calderón's writing in English, which he had thought was impossible before.

Published Works

Here are some of Denis Florence MacCarthy's published works. Some of them can be found online.

Poetry Collections

• Poems (1882): A large collection edited by his son.
• The Book of Irish Ballads (1846, revised 1869): A collection of Irish ballads.
• Ballads, Poems, and Lyrics, Original and Translated (1850): His own poems and translations.
• The Bell-Founder, And Other Poems (1857).
• Underglimpses, And Other Poems (1857).
• Irish Legends And Lyrics (1858).
• Poems of Denis F. McCarthy [sic], with Life and Notes (no date).

Translated Plays (Drama)

• Dramas of Calderon, Tragic, Comic, and Legendary (1853): This book included plays like "The Constant Prince" and "The Purgatory of Saint Patrick."
• Love the Greatest Enchantment: The Sorceries of Sin: The Devotion of the Cross (1861): This book included original Spanish texts alongside his translations.
• Mysteries of Corpus Christi (1867): This included two "Auto Sacramentales," which are special religious plays.
• The Two Lovers of Heaven: Chrysanthus and Daria (1870).
• Calderon's Dramas (1873): This book featured "Life is a Dream" and "The Wonder-Working Magician."
• Daybreak at Capacabana (La Aurora en Copacabana): This translation was finished just before he died.

Biographies

• The Poets and Dramatists of Ireland (1846): A book about Irish poets and playwrights.
• Shelley's Early Life (1872): A book about the early life of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.