John Davidson - Smith - A Tragic Farce: ‘Truth is an airy point between two cliffs Of adamant opinion

John Davidson was born at Barrhead, East Renfrewshire on 11th April 1857. In 1862 his family moved to Greenock and there he began his education at Highlanders’ Academy. Davidson would now spend many years at school and the beginnings of a career in various industries before gaining employment in various schools.

By now literature was a large part of his activities and his first published work was ‘Bruce, A Chronicle Play’ in 1886. Four other plays quickly followed including the somewhat brilliant pantomimic ‘Scaramouch in Naxos’ (1889).

With his reputation gradually providing an income he was also able to explore his true medium; Verse. ‘In a Music Hall and Other Poems’ (1891) together with ‘Fleet Street Eclogues’ (1893) were ample proof that he possessed a quite rare, genuine and distinctive poetic gift.

Davidson now turned further and further towards verse. In 1894 he published his most popular volume, ‘Ballads and Songs’ (1894), and this was followed by a further ‘Fleet Street Eclogues’ (Second Series) (1896) and by ‘New Ballads’ (1897) and ‘The Last Ballad’ (1899).

As the new century dawned Davidson was hard at work on a series of ‘Testaments’, in which he gave definite expression to his philosophy and were published over a seven year period; ‘The Testament of a Vivisector’ (1901), ‘The Testament of a Man Forbid’ (1901), ‘The Testament of an Empire Builder’ (1902), and ‘The Testament of John Davidson’ (1908).

However, on 23rd March 1909, with his finances in ruins, the onset of cancer and profound hopelessness and clinical depression he left his house for the last time. His body was only found on September 18th by some local fishermen.