John Bannister Tabb
Encyclopedia
Father John Banister Tabb (March 22, 1845 - November 19, 1909) was an American poet, Roman Catholic priest, and professor of English. (Although often misspelled as Bannister, the poet's middle name is actually spelled with only one "n", Banister.)
Born into one of Virginia's oldest and wealthiest families, he became a blockade runner for the Confederacy during the Civil War, and spent eight months in a Union prison camp (where he formed a lifelong friendship with poet Sidney Lanier
); he converted to the Roman Catholic Church in 1872, and began to teach Greek and English at Saint Charles College
(Ellicott City, Maryland
) in 1878.
He was ordained as a priest in 1884, after which he retained his academic position. Plagued by eye problems his whole life, he lost his sight completely about a year before he died in the college rooms that he had continued to occupy after his retirement.
Father Tabb (as he was commonly known) was widely published in popular and prestigious magazines of the day, including Harper's Monthly, The Atlantic Monthly, and The Cosmopolitan. His books of poetry include Poems (1894), Lyrics (1897),
Later Lyrics (1902), and, posthumously,
Later Poems (1910). He also wrote one prose work,
Bone Rules (1897), an English grammar; only one of his sermons has survived, a sermon on the Assumption
(August 15, 1894).
English poet Alice Meynell
made A Selection from the Verses of John B. Tabb (1906). His biographer, Francis A. Litz, a former student of Tabb's, published previously uncollected poems and previously unpublished poems in Father Tabb: A Study of His Life and Works (1923); Litz also edited a collected edition, The Poetry of Father Tabb (1928).
The Tabb Monument
in Amelia County, Virginia
is dedicated to his memory.
Poetry
Prose
Biographies
Other
Born into one of Virginia's oldest and wealthiest families, he became a blockade runner for the Confederacy during the Civil War, and spent eight months in a Union prison camp (where he formed a lifelong friendship with poet Sidney Lanier
Sidney Lanier
Sidney Lanier was an American musician and poet.-Biography:Sidney Lanier was born February 3, 1842, in Macon, Georgia, to parents Robert Sampson Lanier and Mary Jane Anderson; he was mostly of English ancestry. His distant French Huguenot ancestors immigrated to England in the 16th century...
); he converted to the Roman Catholic Church in 1872, and began to teach Greek and English at Saint Charles College
St. Charles College, Maryland
St. Charles College was a seminary college in Catonsville, Maryland, originally from Ellicott City, Maryland.- 1776:Charles Carroll of Carrollton signs the Declaration of Independence for Maryland. One of the wealthiest men in the Americas, Carroll staked his fortune on the American Revolution...
(Ellicott City, Maryland
Ellicott City, Maryland
Ellicott City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Howard County, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The population was 65,834 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Howard County...
) in 1878.
He was ordained as a priest in 1884, after which he retained his academic position. Plagued by eye problems his whole life, he lost his sight completely about a year before he died in the college rooms that he had continued to occupy after his retirement.
Father Tabb (as he was commonly known) was widely published in popular and prestigious magazines of the day, including Harper's Monthly, The Atlantic Monthly, and The Cosmopolitan. His books of poetry include Poems (1894), Lyrics (1897),
Later Lyrics (1902), and, posthumously,
Later Poems (1910). He also wrote one prose work,
Bone Rules (1897), an English grammar; only one of his sermons has survived, a sermon on the Assumption
Assumption of Mary
According to the belief of Christians of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and parts of the Anglican Communion and Continuing Anglicanism, the Assumption of Mary was the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her life...
(August 15, 1894).
English poet Alice Meynell
Alice Meynell
Alice Christiana Gertrude Thompson Meynell was an English writer, editor, critic, and suffragist, now remembered mainly as a poet.-Biography:...
made A Selection from the Verses of John B. Tabb (1906). His biographer, Francis A. Litz, a former student of Tabb's, published previously uncollected poems and previously unpublished poems in Father Tabb: A Study of His Life and Works (1923); Litz also edited a collected edition, The Poetry of Father Tabb (1928).
The Tabb Monument
Tabb Monument
The Tabb Monument, dedicated in 1936, is a monument in Amelia County, Virginia dedicated to Virginia-born Catholic poet John Bannister Tabb. The marker, and the plot of land surrounding it, are managed as a state park by the Commonwealth of Virginia....
in Amelia County, Virginia
Amelia County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,400 people, 4,240 households, and 3,175 families residing in the county. The population density was 32 people per square mile . There were 4,609 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...
is dedicated to his memory.
External links
WorksPoetry
- Poems (1894) (Page Images)
- Lyrics (1897) (Page Images)
- Child Verse (1899) (Page Images)
- Later Lyrics (1902) (Page Images)
- The Rosary in Rhyme (1904) (Page Images)
- Quips and Quiddits (1907) (Page Images)
- A Selection from the Verses of John B. Tabb (1906/1910) (Page Images)
- Later Poems (1910) (Page Images)
Prose
Biographies
Other
- "Poetry by John B. Tabb: A Centenary Selection"
- Examples of John Banister Tabb's poetic verse forms. http://tabb-ichthys.blogspot.com/