One Hundred Masonic Poems - George Markham Tweddell 1887

In 1887 George Markham Tweddell published his book One Hundred Masonic Poems - presented here on these pages - one poem per post. 

A Hundred Masonic Sonnets

The original book includes a long introduction,

which is not published here. A modern reader might

read much of the spirit of the sonnets to be

encouraging Freemasons to study Freemasonry

philosophy in order to adapt its high standards of

personal conduct.

The layout of the original gives a single page to each

sonnet with the page numbering coinciding with

one.

The word ‘Cowan’, which appears in a number of

the following Masonic Sonnets (e.g. No. 3 and No.

31), is used here in its Masonic meaning as an

‘unwelcomed interloper’. As with the Oddfellows

societies, it was the task of the ‘Tyler’ to bar such

people from the Lodge (see No. 72) and financial

accounts of the latter often show money laid aside

for him to pay for beer whilst he undertook his

lonely task at the entrance door.

98

Paul Tweddell 2008

From the original book.

In more recent times, there have been criticisms of Tweddell's Masonic poems, written later in life and suffering ill health. Didactic poetry is no longer the vogue but these next piece is taken from the introduction to the Collected poems of George Markham Tweddell, published in 2008 by Paul Tweddell and Trev Teasdel and the full collection shows the range and depth of the poems - but 

an initial look at these Masonic poems shows that they are: -

•  Clearly didactic (in accordance with the style of the time) and suited to his intended purpose in instructing his fellow Masons and in the words of the second Masonic poem (p. 99 below)“to elevate his vision...help to warm [at least] one frozen mind to life; show the plan of Masonry to be no useless maze to puzzle fools”.
• Have a recognisable form – that of the Sonnet. It is clear that GMT is well acquainted with the form and its variants and there’s evidence to suggest that he might even be innovating with the form if you consider the wide variations of the rhyme schemes over the 100 poems including a few with a non-standard number of lines (these are identified after each poem).
• The diction may not be as ‘elevated’ as in other of his poems however, considering it is a didactic work, the language seems appropriate and nonetheless still contains persuasive imagery with some extended metaphors, etc.
• Indeed the poems employ a range of Masonic emblems such as ‘The All-Seeing Eye’, ‘The Great Architect’, ‘The Gavel’, ‘The Compass’ and more. Furthermore some of the poems refer directly to the emblematic and symbolic function of his poetry but more on that later!
• These sonnets treat a wide range of themes both close to his heart and life’s work as well as being pertinent to being a ‘good Freemason’. Among the themes we find ‘justice’, ‘truth’, ‘love’, ‘sincerity, ‘charity’, ‘freedom from ignorance and superstition’, ‘wisdom’, ‘spiritual development’, ‘prudence’, ‘equality’, ‘friendship’, ‘silence’, ‘tyrants’, ‘oppressors and slavery’, ‘symbolism’, ‘Robbie Burns’, the ‘spiritual temple of the soul’ and many more.

A few of the poems read almost as if he is writing alternative (or Masonic) prayers. Sonnet No. 6 in the collection [p. 100 below] certainly seems to read that way, as could the last, prayer-like four lines of the previous sonnet [p. 100 below], ‘Truth, No I’:
“With joy will welcome in the glorious time
When truth alone will reign. Then, as in heaven
God will be truly served; all wars will cease
And Love and Charity for aye increase”?
v


In Bards and Authors of Cleveland and South Durham GMT comments, in a chapter on Great Ayton’s poet, William Martin, himself a Freemason, with lines that might explain the purpose of his later A Hundred Masonic Poems:
“Save poor Burns’s ever famous “Farewell to the Brethren of the St. James Lodge, Tarbolton”, …… and few other glorious exceptions, the things miscalled Masonic songs are mere bombast, doggerel, or drunken staves, scribbled by men who have been totally unable to comprehend the beautiful system of Morality, “veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols,” which they have profanely professed to defend and illustrate.”
I think, therefore this work clearly attempted to address those concerns. One might therefore look at this work to see to what extent (in compliance with his wish to be judged by the aim of the work) he achieved those aims. Of course GMT exempted William Martin himself from the above!
The Masonic poems illustrate the point that GMT’s full range of poetry functioned in different ways for his various purposes.