[Click on superscript numerals to see notes]

 
 
 
 
 
 

                                                                          Edited by R. Gui Le Blanc
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

                                                   Before you now
                                                   I place my soul:
                                                   my sorrows,
                                                   and my dreams;
                                                   that you may read,
                                                   and come to feel
                                                   that in our strife
                                                   our lives entwine-

                                                    And if you gaze
                                                                  into the sky,
                                                    upon one rainy eve,
                                                    I pray
                                                    within my words
                                                    you find a friend;
                                                    a gentle memory-

                                                    And read these words
                                                    as though your own,
                                                    for so I now pronounce them:
                                                    mine no more.
 
 

                                                                           S.F. TYLDSLEY
 
 

      The_Complete_Works_of_Samuel_Tyldsley was published in April of 1974. ¹The writings which follow were omitted from that text.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

     In the introduction to his Complete_Works_of_Samuel Tyldsley, Alvin Greschler states, "Any other works by Tyldsley are but abandoned shadows of his published legacy and, in the author's opinion, not worthy of the time which they steal from Mr. Tyldsley's legitimate writings." ²
      This manuscript is not concerned with any exclusive interpretations of the word "legitimate" beyond that of authorship.  This text is concerned with what Mr. Greschler terms "abandoned shadows".  While I concede that these works are meager replacements for what they may have become, I feel they offer a rewarding glimpse into the art and essence of this enigmatic man.  Tyldsley's greatest offering is, of course, his published work (most of which Mr. Greschler has collected in his "complete" volume)³ and any study of his writing should begin here.  But what of these shadows behind the limelight of publication?  Do these not help us to better understand Tyldsley's craft?  Shadows are not weaker for their lack of light but stronger for their contrast to that light.  In these pages we find some of Tyldsley's most personal writing as well as his most forcefully subjective works.  Some of these pieces are clearly the raw clay from which later, published works were fashioned.⁴  Tyldsley himself is the standard by which these works must be gauged. That standard is perhaps best stated in his introduction to Memories of Tomorrow.  In my mind, these writings meet the criterion found there.
 
 

                                                                                                  R.G.L.
 
 
 

        The song playing is an old Canadian ballad, "Berceuse Acadienne".  It was sequenced by Barry Taylor and can be found at  The Midi Music Page.