Excerpt
PROEM And the Angel said:"What hast thou for all thy travail—what dost thou bring with thee outof the dust of the world?"And the man answered:"Behold, I bring one perfect yesterday!"And the Angel questioned:"Hast thou then no to-morrow?Hast thou no hope?"And the man replied:"Who am I that I should hope!Out of all my life I have been granted onesheaf of memory."And the Angel said:"Is this all!"And the man answered:"Of all else was I robbed by the way:but Memory was hidden safelyin my heart—the world found it not." ROSLEEN "She's the darlin' of the parish, she's the pride ofInniskillen;'Twould make your heart lep up to see her trippin'down the glen;There's not a lad of life and fame that wouldn't takeher shillin'And inlist inside her service-did ye hear her laughin'then?Did ye see her with her hand in mine the day thatClancy married?Ah, darlin', how we footed it-the grass it was sogreen!And when the neighbours wandered home, I was theguest that tarried,An hour plucked from Paradise—come back to me,Rosleen!Across the seas, beyand the hills, by lovely Inniskillen,The rigiment come marchin'—I hear the call oncemoreShure, a woman's but a woman—so I took the Sergeant'sshillin',For the pride o' me was hurted—shall I never seeher more?She turned her face away from me, and black as nightthe land became;Her eyes were jewels of the sky, the finest iver seen;She left me for another lad, he was a lad of life andfame,And the heart of me was hurted—but there's nonethat's like Rosleen!" WILL YOU COME BACK HOME? Will you come back home, where the young larks aresingin'?The door is open wide, and the bells of Lynn are ringin';There's a little lake I know,And a boat you used to rowTo the shore beyond that's quiet—will you come backhome?Will you come back, darlin'? Never heed the pain andblightin',Never trouble that you're wounded, that you bear thescars of fightin';Here's the luck o' Heaven to you,Here's the hand of love will brew youThe cup of peace—ah, darlin', will you come backhome? MARY CALLAGHAN AND ME It was as fine a churchful as you ever clapt an eye on;Oh, the bells was ringin' gaily, and the sun was shinin'free;There was singers, there was clargy—"Bless ye both,"says Father Tryon—They was weddin' Mary Callaghan and me.There was gatherin' of women, there was hush upon thestairway,There was whisperin' and smilin', but it was no placefor me;A little ship was comin' into harbour through thefairway—It belongs to Mary Callaghan and me.Shure, the longest day has endin', and the wildest stormhas fallin'—There's a young gossoon in yander, and he sits uponmy knee;There's a churchful for the christenin'—do you hearthe imp a-callin'?He's the pride of Mary Callaghan and me. KILDARE He's the man that killed Black Care,He's the pride of all Kildare;Shure the devil takes his hat off whin he comes:'Tis the clargy bow before him,'Tis the women they adore him,And the Lord Lieutenant orders out the drums—For his hangin', all the drums,All the drums! ...