Poems MacCarthy, Florence Denis
Poems MacCarthy, Florence Denis Poems MacCarthy, Florence Denis
38 And your ancestors wandered, obscure and unknown, By the smooth Guadalquiver and sunny Garonne. Ere Venice had wedded the sea, or enrolled The name of a Doge in her proud "Book of Gold;" When her glory was all to come on like the morrow, There were the chieftains and kings of the clan of MacCaura! Proud should thy heart beat, descendant of Heber,[22] Lofty thy head as the shrines of the Guebre,[23] Like them are the halls of thy forefathers shattered, Like theirs is the wealth of thy palaces scattered. Their fire is extinguished--thy banner long furled-- But how proud were ye both in the dawn of the world! And should both fade away, oh! what heart would not sorrow O'er the towers of the Guebre--the name of MacCaura! What a moment of glory to cherish and dream on, When far o'er the sea came the ships of Heremon, With Heber, and Ir, and the Spanish patricians, To free Inisfail from the spells of magicians.[24] Oh! reason had these for their quaking and pallor, For what magic can equal the strong sword of valour? Better than spells are the axe and the arrow, When wielded or flung by the hand of MacCaura! From that hour a MacCaura had reigned in his pride O'er Desmond's green valleys and rivers so wide, From thy waters, Lismore, to the torrents and rills That are leaping for ever down Brandon's brown hills; The billows of Bantry, the meadows of Bear, The wilds of Evaugh, and the groves of Glancare, From the Shannon's soft shores to the banks of the Barrow, All owned the proud sway of the princely MacCaura! In the house of Miodchuart,[25] by princes surrounded, How noble his step when the trumpet was sounded, And his clansmen bore proudly his broad shield before him, And hung it on high in that bright palace o'er him; On the left of the monarch the chieftain was seated, And happy was he whom his proud glances greeted: 'Mid monarchs and chiefs at the great Fes of Tara,
39 Oh! none was to rival the princely MacCaura! To the halls of the Red Branch,[26] when the conquest was o'er, The champions their rich spoils of victory bore, And the sword of the Briton, the shield of the Dane, Flashed bright as the sun on the walls of Eamhain; There Dathy and Niall bore trophies of war, From the peaks of the Alps and the waves of Loire; But no knight ever bore from the hills of Ivaragh The breast-plate or axe of a conquered MacCaura! In chasing the red deer what step was the fleetest?-- In singing the love song what voice was the sweetest?-- What breast was the foremost in courting the danger?-- What door was the widest to shelter the stranger?-- In friendship the truest, in battle the bravest, In revel the gayest, in council the gravest?-- A hunter to-day and a victor to-morrow?-- Oh! who but a chief of the princely MacCaura! But, oh! proud MacCaura, what anguish to touch on The fatal stain of thy princely escutcheon; In thy story's bright garden the one spot of bleakness, Through ages of valour the one hour of weakness! Thou, the heir of a thousand chiefs, sceptred and royal-- Thou to kneel to the Norman and swear to be loyal! Oh! a long night of horror, and outrage, and sorrow, Have we wept for thy treason, base Diarmid MacCaura![27] Oh! why ere you thus to the foreigner pandered, Did you not bravely call round your emerald standard, The chiefs of your house of Lough Lene and Clan Awley O'Donogh, MacPatrick, O'Driscoll, MacAwley, O'Sullivan More, from the towers of Dunkerron, And O'Mahon, the chieftain of green Ardinterran? As the sling sends the stone or the bent bow the arrow, Every chief would have come at the call of MacCaura. Soon, soon didst thou pay for that error in woe, Thy life to the Butler, thy crown to the foe, Thy castles dismantled, and strewn on the sod,
- Page 1 and 2: 1 Poems MacCarthy, Florence Denis P
- Page 3 and 4: 3 Spanish Literature," new edition,
- Page 5 and 6: 5 Many of the earlier poems here co
- Page 7 and 8: 7 4. The following are the titles a
- Page 9 and 10: 9 Remonstrance Ireland's Vow A Drea
- Page 11 and 12: 11 BALLADS AND LYRICS. WAITING FOR
- Page 13 and 14: 13 Like a dream. The blue smoke upw
- Page 15 and 16: 15 The golden bells that deck the f
- Page 17 and 18: 17 13. Near the town is the "Fairy
- Page 19 and 20: 19 That cometh with years-- Bitter
- Page 21 and 22: 21 Music-shaken, It doth waken, Hal
- Page 23 and 24: 23 Shudder at their midnight madnes
- Page 25 and 26: 25 Heart-enchanting, Cythna, Genevi
- Page 27 and 28: 27 When I have knelt in the temple
- Page 29 and 30: 29 On the wing of the spring, comes
- Page 31 and 32: 31 Long as a Lapland winter, which
- Page 33 and 34: 33 My own dear isle! LOVE'S LANGUAG
- Page 35 and 36: 35 How poor or great may be my fate
- Page 37: 37 Truth, forget the constant beami
- Page 41 and 42: 41 At my window, late and early, In
- Page 43 and 44: 43 In fragrant sighs its heart reve
- Page 45 and 46: 45 For the summer is always there!
- Page 47 and 48: 47 The dread expanding force of the
- Page 49 and 50: 49 the agile spring so swift and li
- Page 51 and 52: 51 Though Domnal[42] it should be,
- Page 53 and 54: 53 Who hitherto have come to fight
- Page 55 and 56: 55 CUCHULLIN. If Conor's royal stre
- Page 57 and 58: 57 Unto the chariot, and he rode fu
- Page 59 and 60: 59 Last year it was in a vision of
- Page 61 and 62: 61 "Glad am I, O Cuchullin, thou ha
- Page 63 and 64: 63 Thence impetuous wilt thou grow,
- Page 65 and 66: 65 No, the great prize shall not by
- Page 67 and 68: 67 Like bees upon the wing on a fin
- Page 69 and 70: 69 And then they braced their two b
- Page 71 and 72: 71 And thus betwixt the twain this
- Page 73 and 74: 73 To fight the fight where my frie
- Page 75 and 76: 75 All these on me in turn shall so
- Page 77 and 78: 77 With such an easy effort that it
- Page 79 and 80: 79 As a huge mill-stone, cracking i
- Page 81 and 82: 81 He to have died and thou to have
- Page 83 and 84: 83 Ah! hapless deed, that still my
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39<br />
Oh! none was to rival the princely MacCaura!<br />
To the halls of the Red Branch,[26] when the conquest was o'er,<br />
The champions their rich spoils of victory bore,<br />
And the sword of the Briton, the shield of the Dane,<br />
Flashed bright as the sun on the walls of Eamhain;<br />
There Dathy and Niall bore trophies of war,<br />
From the peaks of the Alps and the waves of Loire;<br />
But no knight ever bore from the hills of Ivaragh<br />
The breast-plate or axe of a conquered MacCaura!<br />
In chasing the red deer what step was the fleetest?--<br />
In singing the love song what voice was the sweetest?--<br />
What breast was the foremost in courting the danger?--<br />
What door was the widest to shelter the stranger?--<br />
In friendship the truest, in battle the bravest,<br />
In revel the gayest, in council the gravest?--<br />
A hunter to-day and a victor to-morrow?--<br />
Oh! who but a chief of the princely MacCaura!<br />
But, oh! proud MacCaura, what anguish to touch on<br />
The fatal stain of thy princely escutcheon;<br />
In thy story's bright garden the one spot of bleakness,<br />
Through ages of valour the one hour of weakness!<br />
Thou, the heir of a thousand chiefs, sceptred and royal--<br />
Thou to kneel to the Norman and swear to be loyal!<br />
Oh! a long night of horror, and outrage, and sorrow,<br />
Have we wept for thy treason, base Diarmid MacCaura![27]<br />
Oh! why ere you thus to the foreigner pandered,<br />
Did you not bravely call round your emerald standard,<br />
The chiefs of your house of Lough Lene and Clan Awley<br />
O'Donogh, MacPatrick, O'Driscoll, MacAwley,<br />
O'Sullivan More, from the towers of Dunkerron,<br />
And O'Mahon, the chieftain of green Ardinterran?<br />
As the sling sends the stone or the bent bow the arrow,<br />
Every chief would have come at the call of MacCaura.<br />
Soon, soon didst thou pay for that error in woe,<br />
Thy life to the Butler, thy crown to the foe,<br />
Thy castles dismantled, and strewn on the sod,
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