Poems by Denis Florence MacCarthy Part 21

These forms, oh! they are finer--these faces are diviner Than, Phidias, even thine are, with all thy magic art; For beyond an artist's guessing, and beyond a bard's expressing, Is the face that truth is dressing with the feelings of the heart; Two worlds are there together--earth and heaven have each a part-- And of such, divinest Una, thou art!

And then the dazzling l.u.s.tre of the hall in which they muster-- Where the brightest diamonds cl.u.s.ter on the flashing walls around; And the flying and advancing, and the sighing and the glancing.

And the music and the dancing on the flower-inwoven ground, And the laughing and the feasting, and the quaffing and the sound, In which their voices all are drowned.

But the murmur now is hushing--there's a pushing and a rushing, There's a crowding and a crushing, through that golden, fairy place, Where a snowy veil is lifting, like the slow and silent shifting Of a shining vapour drifting across the moon's pale face-- For there sits gentle Una, fairest queen of fairy race, In her beauty, and her majesty, and grace.

The moon by stars attended, on her pearly throne ascended, Is not more purely splendid than this fairy-girted queen; And when her lips had spoken, 'mid the charmed silence broken, You'd think you had awoken in some bright Elysian scene; For her voice than the lark's was sweeter, that sings in joy between The heavens and the meadows green.

But her cheeks--ah! what are roses?--what are clouds where eve reposes?-- What are hues that dawn discloses?--to the blushes spreading there; And what the sparkling motion of a star within the ocean, To the crystal soft emotion that her l.u.s.trous dark eyes wear?

And the tresses of a moonless and a starless night are fair To the blackness of her raven hair.

Ah! mortal hearts have panted for what to thee is granted-- To see the halls enchanted of the spirit world revealed; And yet no glimpse a.s.suages the feverish doubt that rages In the hearts of bards and sages wherewith they may be healed; For this have pilgrims wandered--for this have votaries kneeled-- For this, too, has blood bedewed the field.

"And now that thou beholdest what the wisest and the oldest, What the bravest and the boldest, have never yet descried, Wilt thou come and share our being, be a part of what thou'rt seeing, And flee, as we are fleeing, through the boundless ether wide?

Or along the silver ocean, or down deep where pale pearls hide?

And I, who am a queen, will be thy bride.

"As an essence thou wilt enter the world's mysterious centre,"

And then the fairy bent her, imploring to the youth-- "Thou'lt be free of Death's cold ghastness, and, with a comet's fastness, Thou canst wander through the vastness to the Paradise of Truth, Each day a new joy bringing, which will never leave in sooth The slightest stain of weariness and ruth."

As he listened to the speaker, his heart grew weak and weaker-- Ah! Memory, go seek her, that maiden by the wave, Who with terror and amazement is looking from her cas.e.m.e.nt, Where the billows at the bas.e.m.e.nt of her nestled cottage rave, At the moon which struggles onward through the tempest, like the brave, And which sinks within the clouds as in a grave.

All maidens will abhor us, and it's very painful for us To tell how faithless Maurice forgot his plighted vow: He thinks not of the breaking of the heart he late was seeking, He but listens to her speaking, and but gazes on her brow; And his heart has all consented, and his lips are ready now With the awful and irrevocable vow.

While the word is there abiding, lo! the crowd is now dividing, And, with sweet and gentle gliding, in before him came a fawn; It was the same that fled him, and that seemed so much to dread him, When it down in triumph led him to Glengariff's gra.s.sy lawn, When, from rock to rock descending, to sweet Alice he was drawn, As through Ceim-an-eich he hunted from the dawn.

The magic chain is broken--no fairy vow is spoken-- From his trance he hath awoken, and once again is free; And gone is Una's palace, and vain the wild steed's malice, And again to gentle Alice down he wends through Ceim-an-eich: The moon is calmly shining over mountain, stream, and tree, And the yellow sea-plants glisten through the sea.

The sun his gold is flinging, the happy birds are singing, And bells are gaily ringing along Glengariff's sea; And crowds in many a galley to the happy marriage rally Of the maiden of the valley and the youth of Ceim-an-eich; Old eyes with joy are weeping, as all ask on bended knee A blessing, gentle Alice, upon thee!

99. The pa.s.s of Keim-an-eigh (the path of the deer) lies to the south-west of Inchageela, in the direction of Bantry Bay.

100. The lusmore (or fairy cap), literally the great herb, 'Digitalis purpurea.'

101. The Phooka is described as belonging to the malignant cla.s.s of fairy beings, and he is as wild and capricious in his character as he is changeable in his form. At one time an eagle or an 'ignis fatuus,' at another a horse or a bull, while occasionally he figures as a compound of the calf and goat. When he a.s.sumes the form of a horse, his great object, according to a recent writer, seems to be to obtain a rider, and then he is in his most malignant glory.--See Croker's "Fairy Legends."

102. Mialloch, "the murmuring river" at Glengariff.--Smith's "Cork."

103. Glashenglora, a mountain torrent, which finds its way into the Atlantic Ocean through Glengariff, in the west of the county of Cork. The name, literally translated, signifies "the noisy green water."--Barry's "Songs of Ireland," p. 173.

104. There is a great square rock, literally resembling the description in the text, which stands near the Glengariff entrance to the pa.s.s of Ceim-an-eich.

National Poems and Songs.

ADVANCE!

G.o.d bade the sun with golden step sublime, Advance!

He whispered in the listening ear of Time, Advance!

He bade the guiding spirits of the stars, With lightning speed, in silver shining cars, Along the bright floor of his azure hall, Advance!

Sun, stars, and time obey the voice, and all Advance!

The river at its bubbling fountain cries, Advance!

The clouds proclaim, like heralds through the skies, Advance!

Throughout the world the mighty Master's laws Allow not one brief moment's idle pause; The earth is full of life, the swelling seeds Advance!

And summer hours, like flowery harnessed steeds, Advance!

To man's most wondrous hand the same voice cried, Advance!

Go clear the woods, and o'er the bounding tide Advance!

Go draw the marble from its secret bed, And make the cedar bend its giant head; Let domes and columns through the wondering air Advance!

The world, O man! is thine; but, wouldst thou share, Advance!

Unto the soul of man the same voice spoke, Advance!

From out the chaos, thunder-like, it broke, "Advance!

Go track the comet in its wheeling race, And drag the lightning from its hiding-place; From out the night of ignorance and fears, Advance!

For Love and Hope, borne by the coming years, Advance!"

All heard, and some obeyed the great command, Advance!

It pa.s.sed along from listening land to land, Advance!

The strong grew stronger, and the weak grew strong, As pa.s.sed the war-cry of the world along-- Awake, ye nations, know your powers and rights-- Advance!

Through hope and work to Freedom's new delights, Advance!

Knowledge came down and waved her steady torch, Advance!

Sages proclaimed 'neath many a marble porch, Advance!

As rapid lightning leaps from peak to peak, The Gaul, the Goth, the Roman, and the Greek, The painted Briton caught the wing'ed word, Advance!

And earth grew young, and carolled as a bird, Advance!

O Ireland! oh, my country, wilt thou not Advance?

Wilt thou not share the world's progressive lot?-- Advance!

Must seasons change, and countless years roll on, And thou remain a darksome Ajalon?

And never see the crescent moon of Hope Advance?

'Tis time thine heart and eye had wider scope-- Advance!

Dear brothers, wake! look up! be firm! be strong Advance!

From out the starless night of fraud and wrong Advance!

The chains have fall'n from off thy wasted hands, And every man a seeming freedman stands;-- But, ah! 'tis in the soul that freedom dwells,-- Advance!

Proclaim that there thou wearest no manacles;-- Advance!

Advance! thou must advance or perish now;-- Advance!

Advance! Why live with wasted heart and brow?-- Advance!

Advance! or sink at once into the grave; Be bravely free or artfully a slave!

Why fret thy master, if thou must have one?

Advance!