I haven't read all the hero worship you mention; the only essay I've read is Tim's above, plus the occasional elegy or comment on the Sphere. & yes, I do think it at least plausible that he had a more intimate sense of his approaching death than we might easily credit. Not a full-blooded prophecy or a prediction to the hour, but a strong feeling that his time was limited, out of which that poem seems to have been written. I don't know, I never met the man, or heard him read, I'm just judging from the poem, which my knowledge of his early death renders the richer. Finally, you can make the case he made as many mistakes as you please, but those who disagree don't have to be persuaded, if we don't find the case persuasive.
That said, I think the best line quoted in this thread is Paterson's: See how the true gift never leaves the giver. I'm glad to be reminded of that.
Chris
|