By the courtesy of the Editors of 'Blackwood' and the 'Spectator' they are republished here.
MOIRA O'NEILL.
CONTENTS.
[THE SONG OF GLEN DUN]
[CORRYMEELA]
[MARRIAGE]
[SEA WRACK]
[A BROKEN SONG]
[THE FAIRY LOUGH]
[A SONG OF GLENANN]
["FORGETTIN'"]
[DENNY'S DAUGHTER]
[LOST]
["CUTTIN' RUSHES"]
["THE OULD LAD"]
[THE RACHRAY MAN]
[BIRDS]
[JOHNEEN]
["BEAUTY'S A FLOWER"]
[THE BOY FROM BALLYTEARIM]
[I MIND THE DAY]
[GRACE FOR LIGHT]
[THE GRAND MATCH]
[THE SAILOR MAN]
[AT SEA]
["LOOKIN' BACK"]
[THE NORTH-WEST—CANADA]
[BACK TO IRELAND]
THE SONG OF GLEN DUN.
Sure this is blessed Erin an' this the same glen,
The gold is on the whin-bush, the wather sings again,
The Fairy Thorn's in flower,—an' what ails my heart then?
Flower o' the May,
Flower o' the May,
What about the May time, an' he far away!
Summer loves the green glen, the white bird loves the sea,
An' the wind must kiss the heather top, an' the red bell hides a bee;
As the bee is dear to the honey-flower, so one is dear to me.
Flower o' the rose,
Flower o' the rose,
A thorn pricked me one day, but nobody knows.
The bracken up the braeside has rusted in the air,
Three birches lean together, so silver limbed an' fair,
Och! golden leaves are flyin' fast, but the scarlet roan is rare.
Berry o' the roan,
Berry o' the roan,
The wind sighs among the trees, but I sigh alone.
I knit beside the turf fire, I spin upon the wheel,
Winter nights for thinkin' long, round runs the reel....
But he never knew, he never knew that here for him I'd kneel.
Sparkle o' the fire,
Sparkle o' the fire,
Mother Mary, keep my love, an' send me my desire!
CORRYMEELA.
Over here in England I'm helpin' wi' the hay,
An' I wisht I was in Ireland the livelong day;
Weary on the English hay, an' sorra take the wheat!
Och! Corrymeela an' the blue sky over it.
There' a deep dumb river flowin' by beyont the heavy trees,
This livin' air is moithered wi' the bummin' o' the bees;
I wisht I'd hear the Claddagh burn go runnin' through the heat
Past Corrymeela, wi' the blue sky over it.
The people that's in England is richer nor the Jews,
There' not the smallest young gossoon but thravels in his shoes!
I'd give the pipe between me teeth to see a barefut child,
Och! Corrymeela an' the low south wind.
Here's hands so full o' money an' hearts so full o' care,
By the luck o' love! I'd still go light for all I did go bare.
"God save ye, colleen dhas," I said: the girl she thought me wild.
Far Corrymeela, an' the low south wind.
D'ye mind me now, the song at night is mortial hard to raise,
The girls are heavy goin' here, the boys are ill to plase;
When one'st I'm out this workin' hive, 'tis I'll be back again—
Ay, Corrymeela, in the same soft rain.
The puff o' smoke from one ould roof before an English town!
For a shaugh wid Andy Feelan here I'd give a silver crown,
For a curl o' hair like Mollie's ye'll ask the like in vain,
Sweet Corrymeela, an' the same soft rain.
I med an' ould caillach I knowed right well on the brow
o' Carnashee:
"The top o' the mornin'!" I says to her. "God save ye!"
she says to me:
"An' och! if it's you,
Tell me true,
When are ye goin' to marry?"
"I'm here," says I, "to be married to-morrow,
Wi' the man to find an' the money to borrow."
"As sure as ye're young an' fair," says she, "one day ye'll
be ugly an' ould.
If ye haven't a husband, who'll care," says she, "to call ye
in out o' the could?
Left to yerself,
Laid on the shelf,—
Now is yer time to marry.
Musha! don't tell me ye'll be married to-morrow,
Wi' the man to find an' the money to borrow."
"I may be dead ere I'm ould," says I, "for nobody knows their day.
I never was fear'd o' the could," says I, "but I'm fear'd
to give up me way.
Good or bad,
Sorry or glad,
'Tis mine no more when I marry.
So here stand I, to be married to-morrow,
Wi' the man to find an' the money to borrow."
The poor ould caillach went down the hill shakin' her finger at me.
"'Tis on top o' the world ye think yerself still, an' that's
what it is," says she.
But thon was the day
Dan MacIlray
Had me promise to marry.
So here stand I, to be married to-morrow,—
The man he is found, but the money's to borrow.
SEA WRACK.