The Galleon, Volume 11, Number 2 Page: 3
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NANCY BYRD TURNER
by DEWEY NESMITH
NANCY Byrd Turn- The poet of the commonplace Miss Turner demand-
er is one of those whose philosophy is beauty ed that both or
rare and lucky peo- and its eternal values in life. neither of them be
pie for whom the used. The editor
sv'eet dreams of childhood have come of The Atlantic Monthly had: asked
true. that she let him use one but discard
As a girl she listened to the un- the other.
ending longings of her preacher fath- These poems were read by two
er to see England and developed Englishwomen living in Amnerica
along with him that same strong de- who sent for Miss Turner and on
sire that was one day to indirectly hearing all about her dream decided
take her to England. It was said that that she was not to be disappointed.
the father never heard of anyone's They gave her a $3000 check and
going to England that he did not ask told her to spend it all before she
them to bring him back some English left, Engand. Miss Turner says that
soil (of course they all remembered spending it was one of her easiest
to bring it) and Nancy Byrd tells us tasks.
that she would paint visionary pic- It was while on this trip that she
tures of herself entering into London wrote her long lyric, "On Going Up
in great honor. To his sorrow the To London," the reality of her child-
father never saw England, but his hood dream. Miss Turner says that
daughter did. this poem is her favorite and that
It was because that this dream re- even though she has been there a
mained for her one of the most al- number of times for long visits, she
luring things in life - because she still dreams of going back, so well
never lost her enthusiasm for it does she like England. In fact she
that it was realized. now is planning another trip to the
Island Kingdom in the very near fu-
Miss Turner tells us that as a rec- ture.
tor of Episcopal Church her father Just as people for generations have
never had opportunity to amass any- discovered and lived with Spencer's
thing in material goods except a Red Cross Knight in his adventures,
living for his family and than on so will the future generations read
entering into young womanhood she and live with Miss Turner's "Glory's
was forced to go to Boston to work. Son" in her interpretation of the
After taking a job she felt that the flight of Charles A. Lindbergh from
long desired trip to England was im- New York to Paris in 1927.
possible and as a result penned two
sonnets from the idea that she might "Fling out the Banners of two great
go, as a ghost after she was dead. lands,
These sonnets, "On Going to England Lift two songs that shall blend as
as "Ghost" were published in a New one,
York paper after having been refus- Over the conquered sea - strike
ed by the Atlantic Monthly because bands,
GALLEON-
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McMurry College. The Galleon, Volume 11, Number 2, periodical, 1936; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth137794/m1/4/?rotate=0: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting McMurry University Library.