The Pilgrims of Hope and Chants for Socialists

The Pilgrims of Hope appeared in The Commonweal between March 1885 and July 1886, its title being decided on with the publication of the second part.  Sections I, IV, and VIII were included in Poems by the Way after the author abandoned his intention of revising it as a whole.  “To be concluded” stands at the bottom of the last installment.

“Chants for Socialists,” consisting of songs and poems written for various occasions and collected into a penny pamphlet published by the Socialist League in 1885, is here printed entire (with the exception of “The Message of the March Wind,” pp. 3–6), although “The Day is Coming,” “The Voice of Toil,” and “All for the Cause,” were included in Poems by the Way.  “A Death Song,” which also appears there, was written for the funeral of Alfred Linnell, who died from injuries received at a Demonstration in Trafalgar Square on November 20, 1887.  It first appeared in pamphlet form, with a musical setting by Malcolm Lawson.