With the mystical references in his poems, it is easy to see that Joseph's studies of, and interest in, Scholastic Philosophy and the writings of St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa and St. Francis, had a great influence on his writing. His poems, however, are not only filled with the love of things mystical, but also with his passionate love for Grace Gifford and for Ireland. They seem brimming with emotions that demand expression.
But the expression of his passion did not
seem to come easy to Joseph, according to his sister
Geraldine who lived with him in Donnybrook, for she said
that he wrote verse with difficultly, but, once
written, rarely made any alteration.
Two volumes of Joseph's poetry were
published. The Circle and the Sword
was
published in 1911 with the assistance of MacDonagh, who
chose which poems to be included. A second volume,
Occulta,
was a collection of poems chosen by
Joseph, which he had written between November 1911 and
July 1915. It was published posthumously along with a
selection of poems from his earlier book, and some of his
later poems, written shortly before his death, all chosen
for inclusion by his sister, Geraldine.
She wrote the forward to this book, and defended her choice of her
brother's works as indicative of the maturity he had
reached as a poet, in spite of the shortness of his
years. The book is concluded with the essay,
Obscurity and Poetry,
written by Joseph for
the Irish Review, February, 1914. The dedication of the
original poems for Occulta
was written by
Joseph and is as follows:
To the Lady Elect
This Book is Dedicated
For by the greatness of the beauty
And of the creature
The Creator of them may be seen
So as to be known thereby (Sap. XIII.5.)
Moreover, by means of her
I shall have immortality
And shall leave behind me
An everlasting memory
To those that come after me (Sap. VIII. 13.)
