And if I sing thy beauty's fame
Thy loveliness is all to blame
I loved before I understood
That in thy veins flowed Erin's blood
And I could not help but tell
Of the fair maiden Isabel
On earth the fairest sweetest spot
I'll leave and shall regret it not
Since I have left my earthly home
What matter is it where I roam
Not to the hill I bid farewell
But to the gentle Isabel
Accept then from an Irish heart
This humble tribute ere we part
For thou to me art very dear
The lone star of my sojourn here
To thee I sadly bid farewell
God bless the maiden Isabel
V K HILL 1846
ISABEL.
(ISABELLA STEWART)
Heart of mine, by thy quick beating,
Thou knowest Isabel is near,
And the gladness of the greeting
Dims my eye with rapture's tear.
Heart of mine, each beat will tell
How I love young Isabel.
When I first beheld the maiden,
So fair to see, so sweet to bless,
I, a stranger, sorrow laden,
Arrested by her loveliness,
Then I thought some hand would set,
On that brow a coronet.
She had grace all hearts beguiling,
She had the wealth of silken hair,
And sweet lips, half proud, half smiling,
Neck of snow and bosom fair,
And each eye a sapphire gem
For a monarch's diadem
Oh, she was peerless in her beauty,
Like the fair moon she walked alone,
And loving her was but a duty,
A spell her loveliness had thrown;
And I thought that I could trace
Erin's pencil on her face