UC-NRLF 
 
 :jm«lllkm^^. 
 
THE JAMES D. PHELAN 
 CELTIC COLLECTION 
 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2008 with funding from 
 
 IVIicrosoft Corporation 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/dermidorerinindaOOdaltrich 
 
DERMID ; 
 
 OK, 
 
 ERIN IN THE DAYS OF BORU 
 
 BY jrOMN B'AJLTON. ESq. 
 !i 
 
 BAKKISTJiK AT LAW. 
 
 '■ Dear Erin, liow sweetly thy green bosom rises, 
 
 " An emerald set in the ring of the sea; 
 «' Each blade of thy meadows my faithful heart prizes, 
 
 " Tliou Queen of the West, the world's Cush-la-ma-chree ; " 
 
 ^^A^V"^ /^/^^^^^^^A^^/^/w^/^r\r\ 
 
 LonDon : 
 
 PUBLISHED BY LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME & BROWNE, PATEnNOSTER-ROW; 
 AND BY JOHN CUMMING, DUBLIN. 
 
 1814. 
 

 (r^ui.. o^ A/ c^'k.cU*.^! 
 
THE 
 
 DEDICATION 
 
 Of a Book to some titled person seems long to 
 have been looked upon, as a most important stride 
 towards public admiration. A pass-port sends us 
 forth into an enemy's country, without even a fear 
 of being' molested, and how often does it happen, 
 that a dedication to some Prince, Duke, Earl, or 
 Lord at the least, attracts the attention and often 
 the applause of a whole file of ephemeral Review- 
 ers. But what has the Book to encounter, that is 
 sent into the world without a name to hallow its 
 pages ? To be very candid with you, Reader ! 
 though I have many noble men in my acquaint- 
 ance, not one of them happens to have a title, and 
 it would be quite unfashionable to dedicate to a 
 commoner, nay, in me it would be ungenerous. 
 If I fall, I shall fall alone ! I will involve none in 
 my ruin ! 
 
 The period of the following Romance is that 
 interesting epoch in the history of Ireland, when 
 
 780660 
 
VI 
 
 Danish oppression was driven from that country, 
 by the check which it received at the memorable 
 battle of Clontarf. The manners and customs of 
 that age are, I trust, preserved ; while many events 
 connected with its history, are glanced at in the 
 progress of the work, and the plot has been de- 
 signed to present as much variety of scenery as 
 possible. The Lakes of Killarney, the Isle of Man, 
 the County Wicklow, &c. are successively the 
 theatres of the action. The Danes not being 
 entirely converted to Christianity at that period, 
 afforded me an opportunity of introducing the 
 superstitions and rites of Odin, and the other 
 Deities of the Northern Mythology. The battle 
 of Clontarf, in which the catastrophe is wound up, 
 was fought in 101 1, in April it is supposed, I have 
 referred it to the 25th of March, as I was thus 
 enabled the better to mark the time of the Cantos 
 
 by festivals. 
 
 I am conscious there must be many faults in the 
 work, which I have not judgment to discover. 
 Of many I am myself aware. There are too fre- 
 quent interruptions of the main story. The intro- 
 duction of two ballads is injudicious in a work of 
 such native leno-th. In the First Canto Ellen is 
 perhaps left too long to her own reflections The 
 Second and Tliird Cantos appear at first too un- 
 connected. Dermid's route in the Sixth Canto is 
 
Vll 
 
 too circuitous, the reason is obvious, and will I 
 hope |)aUiate the error. The events of the Seventh 
 Canto succeed each other too rapidly, and as to 
 
 the EiiL^hth but here I had better pause. I shall 
 
 not anticipate the Reviewers. To censure will in 
 this case but evince the judii^inent of these Gentle- 
 men of the Black- Rod; while I ha^e only to 
 regret, that I did not publish this poem a few 
 months sooner, and I might have pleaded infancy 
 to all their attacks. One fault however I must 
 
 premise, too great a strain of melancholy runs 
 
 through the poem. I have endeavoured, 1 hope 
 successfully, to divert the reader from sympathiz- 
 inii' in its aloom, by assumiiiiz: a more lively style 
 in the Notes. And, as I have touched on the 
 •^ Notes, I must say I feel not a little proud in having 
 compressed them into so few pages. The mode of 
 quoting at the head of each note the lines com- 
 mented on, seems only calculated to take up papcn-, 
 and would be apt to give my annotations, which 
 are often reduced to two or three words, a top- 
 heavy appearance. Hence I have adopted the 
 double mode of notino', which the reader will 
 perceive, 
 
 Many names of persons, places, &c. which in 
 the orthography of the Irish language are clogged 
 with consonants, I ha\ e taken the liberty of di- 
 vesting of the encumbrance, and j^resenting with 
 
via 
 
 the simple letters which g'ive their pronunciation. 
 Another circumstance, which I would impress, is, 
 that as round towers are by the more received 
 opinion Danish structures, wherever I met these 
 edifices in the course of the scenery, I have sup- 
 posed a Danish garrison there. 
 
 Sensible as I am of so many errors in the course 
 of the work, I may seem unworthy of the indul- 
 gence of that public, for whom I have not devoted 
 so much time and attention as would be requisite 
 to correct these errors. But the more serious pur- 
 suits of life have early called me away, and now 
 more than ever hurry me from a study, which was 
 the amusement of less anxious years. 
 
 Yet, Dermid ! thou hast been too long my com- 
 panion, that our parting should not affect me. 
 Thou hast cheered me when depressed ! Thou hast 
 chastened me when elated ! Thou hast been with 
 me by my winters fire-side ! Thou hast accompa- 
 nied me in my summer-i'ambles ! But now Avilt 
 thou leave me ; and, when I thus bid thee the last 
 farewell, when I think thou art rushing into a 
 world, that will not shew thy faults that charity, 
 I had almost said that partiality which I have felt, 
 I cannot but follow thee with the tear it were 
 
 stoicism to rcRise ! Farewell ! 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 a, Upper Ridlcmd Street, Dublin. 
 
DERMID. 
 
 Canto jf irst. 
 
r-Ty^^^f^r-r-^rr^r-rrrr^r^^rr-rr. 
 
 The scene of tliis Canto is Glanjlesk, and the surroimdivg country, 
 xcithin txco miles of the celebrated Lakes ofKillarney. The tinw is 
 the evening of the llth of March 1014, ivhich is the festival of St. 
 John Beloved of God. 
 
 '.A^\^^>ys/N/v\y\Arf 
 
JDEllMID. 
 
 Canto Jfirst 
 
 A DAY there was when many a minstrel band 
 
 Attuned their harps, green Erin ! *" to thy praise ; 
 Harps, that now silent slumber in thy land, 
 
 The sad survivors of their better days.— 
 No more thy ancient Crotaries j" shall raise 
 
 The songs, that wrung the tyrants in the pale : 
 Compassion hears not, — or can only trace 
 
 Thy childrens' sorrows sighed upon the gale, 
 The sole sad strain that breaks the stillness of their vale. 
 
 * This seems to be the name, which Ireland bore, about the period of this 
 Romance. 
 
 f These were the harpers usually retained in Irish families, as distinguished from 
 the Fileah, or Poets, 
 
12 DERMID. CANTO i. 
 
 Successive lays, each feebler than the last, 
 
 Have died away: — nor, e'en from Tara's* brow, 
 (So has the voice of other ages past,) 
 
 Is one dear echo wafted to us now. 
 In other lands may spring the laui'el bough. 
 
 To wreath some native bard with fadeless bloom ; 
 There may the legend wake the warrior's vow, 
 
 Or cheer the solitary's peaceful home ; 
 But, Erin ! silence reigns around thy minsti-els' tomb. 
 
 And is there not a kindred string to wake 
 
 The patriot strain ? — or has some fatal spell 
 Each record closed, that dared of him to speak, 
 
 Who fought for liberty, who fought, and fell ? 
 
 And yet oft-times a brightening smile shall steal 
 
 O'er winter's face, — and cheer the dreariest scene ; 
 And troubled skies through gloominess reveal 
 
 A struggling beam, the darkest clouds between ; 
 And shall no transient dawn to gild thy fate be seen ? 
 
 * The hill of Tara in the County of Meath, was pretty much the Olympia of 
 Ireland. Vide post. Note 32 of Canto Eighth. 
 
CANTO I. DERMID. 13 
 
 Oh 1 could tlie humble strain, I dared to sing 
 
 In hour of youth, unknown to other care. 
 Call forth some minstrel worthy of the string, 
 
 Or startle energy from long despair ! 
 Then might 1 love these lines, how rude soe'er, 
 
 That could awake such votary of song ; 
 And while to him, alone, their noble heir, 
 
 The fame of ancient bards might well belong ; 
 T would abide in peace amid an humbler throng. 
 
 y^/^^\A^^^V*J^^.#»AA^^^/^*^r\A^^AJ^A^^ 
 
H 
 
 DERMID. 
 
 CANTO r. 
 
 I. 
 
 Pale rose the moon 
 
 -Her haloed light 
 
 Silvers Glanflesk's romantic height, 
 And, with a faint and fitful beam, 
 Quivers athwart the winding stream 
 That rapid rolls its waves beneath. 
 Through borrowed gloom of hanging heath, 
 Where gleam, in moon-light half arrayed. 
 
 Two fortresses, — half wrapt in shade. 
 
 Kuined and desolate appears 
 
 The one, a wreck of other years ; 
 
 Yet Bards record there was a day. 
 
 When, from the bosom of its wood, 
 O'Donoghue has rolled away 
 
 The proudest waves of Lochlin's * flood. 
 
 2 
 
 * A name well known to tlie readers of Ossian's poems, and usvially applied to 
 Scandinavia in general. 
 
CANTO I. DERMID. 15 
 
 But, in unguarded midnight hour, 
 It yielded to the foeman's power ; 
 His lingering hopes of succour lost, 
 The chieitain of the fortress fell, 
 Where last he dared alone their host, 
 
 In the polluted Uaigh cell ; 
 Guarding till death his infant son, 
 And with him buried in the burning dun. 5 
 
 IL 
 
 Thus, twice ten years ago, ('tis said) 
 Loch Lane's * best — dearest monarch bled. 
 His haughty nephew governs now' 
 
 Glanflesk : Upon its bannered brow 
 
 His prouder fortress stands ; with mound, 
 And foss, and I'ampart guarded round. 
 Already on this sacred night, 
 
 Had summoned he his clansmen true ; 
 Morning shall bring the welcome fight 
 
 For glor}^, in their childrens' view : 
 And, ere another moon shall pour 
 Its radiance on Noghaval's tower, 6 
 
 * This was, once for all, the ancient name of the Lakes of Killarney.—— It 
 
 signifies "the inclosed Lake." 
 
16 DER:\IID. canto I. 
 
 Allo's dark stream shall waft afar 
 The gladsome shout of Erin's war. 
 
 III. 
 
 Oh ! Erin ! is thy need so great? 
 
 Is thine such urgency of fate, 
 
 That thus, to thoughts of deadly fight, 
 
 Thy sons must dedicate this night ? 
 
 And shields be struck — and swords be drawn, 1 
 
 Even on the festive of Saint John 
 
 Beloved of God ? — Alas ! the Dane 
 
 Has desolated hill and plain : 
 
 And stern oppression rears his head, 
 
 Where beauty mourned, and valour bled. 
 
 The warrior knows not hour of rest. 
 
 When foemen wrong his native land ; 
 Revenge lives sleepless in his breast, 
 
 The sword gleams sheathless in his hand. 
 Religion cannot bind his arm. 
 
 When hope inspiring points the way ; 
 The patriot feeling wild and warm. 
 
 Slumbers not on the holiest day. 
 
CANTO I. DERMID, 17 
 
 IV. 
 From Ciiliiniane an hundred came 8 
 
 This night, ii small but tearless band, 
 
 All glowing with a generous flame, 
 
 From Danish power to free the land ; 
 And many a valiant chief anon 
 From Dunloe's chasm, and JMangerton ; 
 Nor be the brave forgotten now. 
 From Tomies, and Dunkerron's brow. 
 Impatient of his country's lot, 
 Aged O'Sullivan * still sought 
 The welcome fight, where brand or bow 
 (Even his) — might lay an Ostman f low. 
 And gladly might he hail the field. 
 When Glanflesk's bands had struck the shield : 
 All the fair Ellen's prayers were vain, 
 Her father loved the battle plain : 
 Herself, when hope no more prevailed, 
 AVlien every fond entreaty failed. 
 
 * Here, for prudential motives, I shall only say, that ths O'Sullivans were an 
 ancient family in the neighbourhood of Killarney. 
 
 f The Danes were then often styled Ostmanni or £ast-meu. 
 
 C 
 
18 DERMID. CANTO i. 
 
 Had with him come ; — it was her last sad pride, 
 
 To follow him, 'till war should tear him from her side. 
 
 V. 
 
 How pleasing is that hour of night, 
 
 When partial beams of pale moon-light 
 
 Half nature's loveliness disclose ; 
 
 Wlaile wild imagination throws 
 
 Those soft enchantments o'er the view. 
 
 That finish nature never knew : 
 
 Then is it sweet to breathe the tale 
 
 Of plaintive love ; — when wood and vale 
 
 From many a secret cave prolong 
 
 The streamlet's flow, or owlet's song. 
 
 For such sad luxury of thought, 
 
 Tlie Flesk's fair windings Ellen sought ; 
 
 Her softened soul but ill could bear 
 
 The clang of helm, and shield, and spear. 
 
 That echoes through the fort to-night. 
 
 Dire prelude of to-morrow's fight. 
 
 And many a care had Ellen known. 
 
 Though scarce her eighteenth summer shone, 
 
 On her fair fortune : — fair ! — 'tis past ! — 
 
 They all were summers but the last ; 
 
CANTO 1. DERiMID. 19 
 
 That was in truth a sad slow year, 
 To season's change unknown, 'twas one long winter drear. 
 
 VI. 
 
 Unfilleted her ringlets flowed, 9 
 
 In fair confusion on her breast; 
 And oft her waving mantle showed 
 
 Tlie fineness of her kirtle vest : 
 That mantle broad a brooch restrained, 
 A irift hsr father's valour jjained : 
 (Prize of that day, when first he bled. 
 And Berva's flood flowed slow and red ; 
 When wooded Athardree was won, 10 
 
 And dying Lochlin strewed the dun.) 
 And, in her raven hair, was set 
 A guardian golden amulet. 
 While, round her snowy neck, was rolled 
 That band, whose sympathetic fold 
 (As mothers tell, and maidens deem,) 
 Shrivels at even a guilty dream. 
 Or wish profane, or secret sigh. 
 That sullies virtue's purity. 
 
20 ^ DERISIID. CANTO r. 
 
 VII. 
 
 Though fair be yonder dimpled stream, 
 
 AVhere sheds the moon her silver ray ; 
 Though lovely be the stars that beam 
 
 In spring's unclouded galaxy : 
 Yet brighter once on Erin's plain, 
 
 A fair enchantress Ellen shone : 
 But her, whom many a knight in vain 
 
 Had sought, — a simple peasant won. 
 And, ah ! the bloom has left her cheek. 
 
 The beam has set, that lit her eye ; 
 Each look of languor seems to speak 
 
 Unconscious claim for sympathy. 
 For Lochlin too successful proved, 
 
 Usurpers reign in Tara's hall ; 
 And he, whom first— whom last she loved. 
 
 Had perished in his country's fall. 
 
 VHL 
 
 Yet was it not that blush of youth, 
 AVhich fixed her constant lover's truth ; 
 Nor eye-brow arch.cd, nor dimpled cheek. 
 Nor snowy majesty of neck j 
 
CANTO I. DEllMID, 21 
 
 Nor was it that her raven hair 
 Curled, in contrasted ringlets, there ; 
 Nor that the breeze oft brushed aside 
 The robe, that veiled her bosom's pride : 
 The tapering limb, the graceful arm 
 Passion might wake more wild and warm. 
 But, virtue ! 'tis alone for thee, 
 To fix the heart to constancy ! 
 And it was Ellen's virtues won 
 
 The faithful youth, who well could prize 
 The sweet angelic soul, that shone 
 
 Revealed in her expressive eyes. 
 
 IX. 
 
 Sometimes a transient hope would light 
 Those pensive eyes, and then how bright 
 They beamed ! — but soon were sunk on earth, 
 In penance for that moment's mirth ; 
 As if the truant glance, they stole, 
 Belied the feelings of the soul. 
 Oh ! why has Ellen learned to sigli ? 
 Or tear e'er trembled in an eye 
 So bright ? — yet once she could be gay, 
 But when shall Ellen smile again ? 
 
22 DERMID. CANTO I. 
 
 Each tedious hour of hfe's dull day, 
 More firmly, links the cherished chain 
 Of sorrows unrevealed, that weigh, that wound unseen. 
 
 X. 
 
 Seductive spell ! — deceitful guest ! 
 
 'Tis memory fills her glowing breast ; 
 
 Her fortune dimmed by many a tear. 
 
 The tribute to a lover dear. 
 
 " Oh ! could Louiffa* bear the fleet, - i 
 
 " That burst on liberty's retreat ? 
 
 " Was there not one indignant wave, 
 
 " To plunge it in a watery grave ?" 
 
 Yes, Ellen ! thou indeed mayst weep, 
 
 The dreadful day remembering well, 
 When, on Benhadar's rugged steep, 11 
 
 For liberty thy lover fell ! 
 Memory, sweet solace of the blest, 
 
 Has little charm for misery ; 
 She comes, an uninvited guest. 
 To wring the last — last gem from sorrow's faded eye. 
 
 * The first settlement of the Danes was at Dublin ; and the river Liffey, on 
 which that city stands, was anciently called LouilFa. 
 
CANTO I. 
 
 DERM ID. 23 
 
 XL 
 
 Thus sad remembered she the hour, 
 
 When wearied, from the hard-fouglit field, 
 His prowess won, a peasant bore 
 
 Her bleeding father on his shield ; 
 Still could she trace what then she felt, 
 AVlicn at her feet that peasant knelt. 
 " Alas !" she cried, " my peace is o'er ! 
 " Ne'er shalt thou cheer thy Ellen more ! 
 " Whose life is now (bereft of thee) 
 " But retrospective misery ! 
 " Does not each sigh of mountain-blast 
 " Seem like a dirge for pleasures past ? 
 " My heart, — alas ! — 'twas all thine own — 
 " But it is broken, — thou art gone 
 *' To other worlds for liberty. 
 " I saw thee haste to fields of death, 
 " Oft didst thou turn upon thy path, 
 
 " To look farewell to me : 
 " And, when thy shield's refulgent blaze 
 " Had vanished from my wistful gaze, 
 " When I thy form no more could see, 
 " My anxious vows were breathed for thee. 
 
24 DERMID. canto i. 
 
 " I prayed each guardian power, to rest 
 
 " Upon thy shield and helmet's crest. 
 
 " Alas ! — and is a maiden's prayer 
 
 " Unheard in heaven ? — ^my heart — forbear ! 
 
 " Resigned 1 bend, Almighty Power ! 
 
 " 'Twere rash to tax thine high decree ; 
 " 'Twere rasli to seek, what embrvo hour 
 
 " Of grief is yet reserved for me. 
 " But sure by thee the secret sigh, 
 
 " That's breathed for love, shall be forgiven ; 
 " A softened feeling from on high, 
 
 " A A'irtue in the A'iew of heaven. 
 " Just Providence ! resigned 1 meet 
 " The awful chastisement of fate. 
 " One welcome day shall waft me, o'er 
 " Life's troubled sea, to that blest shore, 
 " AVliere constancy shall weep no more." 
 
 XII. 
 
 Oh ! why should lovers fear to die. 
 
 Whose hearts can throb no more to pleasure ; 
 
 ^Miose life is but a stolen sigh, 
 
 And misery their cherished treasure ? 
 
CANTO I. DERMID. 25 
 
 It" dreams can soften lovers' grief, 
 
 If locked in sleep they cease to languish ; 
 
 How much more dear were that relief. 
 Which leaves not e'en a trace of anguish. 
 
 Some spirit of the hill shall spread 
 
 The sweetest flowers, round true love's pillow ; 
 And pity's tear shall dew their bed, 
 
 And wood-nymphs wreath their funeral willow. 
 Such bliss might stay the soul's last flight. 
 
 The partial pride would be forgiven ; 
 Transporting moment of delight. 
 
 Though stolen from the joys of heaven ! 
 
 XIII. 
 
 Ellen long wandered through the vale, 
 
 And thoughtful marked the river glide, 
 Scarce rufiled by the gentle gale, 
 
 That ravished, from the mountain's side, 
 The hawthorn's breath : — the deer no more 
 In gambols from the forests pour ; 
 The birds have sought the mossy rock, 
 Or hollow of the aged oak ; 
 
 D 
 
26 DERMID. 
 
 Nor more " the finny people" break 
 The calm of rivulet or lake ; 
 Creation slept, nor sound was heard, 
 Save the low humming of the guard. 
 Or murmuring of the distant rills : 
 When sudden from the western hills 
 Deforming tempests burst, — and now 
 Rolled down the Reeks on Tomies' brow j 
 
 The forests trembled far : 
 The pregnant clouds, that veiled the sky. 
 Menaced an heavenly mutiny. 
 
 An elemental war. 
 Dark rolled the Lakes : * — and every scene, 
 Of late so lovely and serene. 
 Now seemed denouncing war and woe, 
 In wrath of heaven, to worlds below. 
 The scene could Ellen charm no more. 
 And often swelled her bosom's snow : 
 When softly, from Turk's distant shore. 
 Echoed unwonted sounds — like signal of a foe. 
 
 CANTO L 
 
 * Of Killarneyo 
 
CANTO u DERMID. 27 
 
 XIV. 
 
 Ellen shrunk back : — she heaved a sigh ; 
 Yet 'twas not that the storm was high, 
 Nor that the gathering horn wound nigh 
 
 Softly, as tearful to betray 
 
 Some secret enterprize. " Such sound 
 
 " Swelled free, when, on his native ground, 
 
 " My bleeding lover lay. 
 ■ " Oh ! God ! too true the Danish spear 
 
 " Had o-ashed his breast : — nor could the shield. 
 " My prayers had blest, protect him there ; 
 " He could not fly, — upon the field 
 
 " His life-blood ebbed away. 
 " Nor was I blest, to shed one tear 
 " O'er him, or bind* one lock of hair 
 " To his cold heart ; 'mid heaps of dead 
 " He found, alas ! unhallowed bed." 
 
 XV. 
 
 Unmlndfid of the beaten path, 
 Ellen had gained the nearest rath ; 
 
 * In tl»ose days the las tribute of affection, to its departed objest. 
 
28 DERMID. cakto i. 
 
 For there the ruined fortress gave 
 
 The shelter of an ancient cave ; 
 
 Where (legends say) from days of old, 
 
 When storms and thunder-clouds are rolled, 
 The harp of ancient minstrel sighs ; 
 
 Who, restless in his lonely tomb, 12 
 
 Oft comes to weep the warriors' doom, 
 And call their spirits from the skies. 
 
 And well he may ! In happier days 
 
 His harp has loved to tell their praise ; 
 
 When virtue listened to the bard, 
 
 And beauty smiled a dear reward ; 
 
 While valour clanged his shield and spear, 
 
 To drown the praise, he would not hear. 
 
 Often they come, on the wings of the blast. 
 To the hills, where the years of their glory were past; 
 Still faithful thy sons after death love to dwell 
 AVhere, Erin ! they fought for thy freedom, and — fell ! 
 
 XVI. 
 
 Sometimes a lonely moon-beam threw 
 Its doubtful gleam, on Ellen's view ; 
 Anon the lightning would illume 
 Each lengthened passage, vault, or cell ; 
 
CANTO I. DERM ID. 29 
 
 And, flashing through the dizzy gloom, 
 
 Make all its horrors visible. 
 And now the thunder's awful sound 
 Is echoed, through the vales around, 
 But, Ellen ! Providence is wise, 
 The bolt commissioned leaves the skies ; 
 Fear not the flash though broad and near ; 
 Love still is Heaven's peculiar care ! 
 
 XVII. 
 
 Ofl;en, through cleft of cavern vast, 
 
 Fearful inquiring looks she cast 
 
 O'er troubled skies : — But on that night 
 
 Horrors appalled her timid sight ; 
 
 Nature, in each distorted form, 
 
 Frowned in an universal storm. 
 
 And all was darkness : — save when jbroke, 
 
 Through yawning clouds, the lightning's ire; 
 Then gleamed distinct, each hill, each rock, 
 
 Each branch, in the electric fire. 
 And all those charms, that could endear 
 Loch Lane, seemed lost in fairy dream ; 
 Darkness embodied gathered there. 
 Save when at times it rolled a mass of liquid flame. 
 
30 DERMID. CANTO r. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 Ellen, ill that lone hour of thought, 
 
 Scanned o'er her past — her present lot ; 
 
 And tear succeeded smile and sigh. 
 
 In mournful variety. 
 
 Nor, unobserved by her, the stream 
 
 Beneath oft caught a passing beam, 
 
 Then flowed insensibly away, 
 
 To darkness, from the partial ray, 
 
 Emblem of human destiny. 
 
 But, mark the chief! who, sad and slow. 
 
 Glides fearful from the vale below ; 
 
 'Tis Maoldun, Glanflesk's proud Lord ! 
 Pausing and listening as he moves, 
 He trembles at the murmuring groves, 
 
 And dreads his own unconscious word. 
 He starts — 'twas but the wild wolf's howl. 
 
 Lengthened along lone Turk's dark wood : 
 He stares, as if a spectre's scowl 
 
 Had crossed him, in this solitude ; 
 His waving mantle mocks his sight. 
 Its flitting shadow seems some wizard of the night. 
 
CANTO I. DERMID. 31 
 
 XIX. 
 
 How dreary were the frozen breast, 
 
 Where generous love ne'er glanced a ray ; 
 
 Where virtue's genial flow has ceased, 
 Locked in eternal apathy ! 
 
 Is there an heart so numb and chill, 
 
 That would not melt at others' woe ; 
 That would not feel u softened thrill, 
 
 For virtue spurned, or valour low? 
 
 But, no ! it is a fancy dream ; 
 
 Or, if there be an heart so cold, 
 Sure it should slumber in a frame. 
 
 Of horror's most repulsive mould. 
 
 XX. 
 
 Would it were so ! — But ever still. 
 
 In fairest form Vice steals abroad ; 
 And man, by deed, and word, and will, 
 
 Profanes the image of his God. 
 Such has yon guilty chieftain been ; 
 Yet ne'er more manly grace was seen 
 
32 DERMID. canto l 
 
 In every motion, look, and limb, 
 Than nature had combined in him. 
 But oft the guilt, that filled his breast, 
 
 Would burst forth through its fair disguise ; 
 Then was ambition's fire expressed, 
 
 INIalignant in his rolling eyes ; 
 And fiendish thoughts — and, lo ! even now, 
 Convulsion knits his haggard brow ; 
 As seeks he, through the winding path. 
 The mystic Lady of the rath • 
 Erica, who, through many a year. 
 Has loved yon cave, that peasant's fear 
 And minstrel's song had tenanted. 
 With many a form of heroes dead ; 
 Yet there, a strange recluse, she dwelt, 
 Nor gave belief to fears, her bosom never felt. 
 
 XXI. 
 
 To that dark cell, with hurried pace. 
 
 Now hies the chief. His guilty gaze 
 
 Oft conjures in the waving heath, 
 Some imagery of former death : 
 As if the shades of other day 
 Were crowding on his dreary way. 
 
CANTO I. DERMID. 53 
 
 Half-conscious, — fearful-half, he pressed 
 
 His robe, like target to his breast; 14 
 
 For heart like his sufficient shield, ' 
 
 Were he on battle's hottest field. 
 
 For who ere now, in hard-fought plain, 
 
 !More spoils could win, or count more slain ? 
 
 But lightest sounds, at night that roll. 
 
 Can paralyse the guilty soul ; 
 
 And midnight breezes wake his fears. 
 
 Who would have faced an host of spears. 
 
 xxn. 
 
 Reached Maoldun the rath, where stood 
 
 A female form in pensive mood. 
 ** Erica 'tis !" with joy he cried, 
 " ]\Iy faithful fair, — my comrade tried 1'* 
 Now near and undeceived he viewed 
 The lengthened robe, the saffron hood ; 
 *♦ It is not she !"~ — But well he thought. 
 Some wandering fair had shelter sought. 
 In those rude cells, whose windings break. 
 Bound Turk, upon tire central Lake. 
 The chief approached, — and bent his knee, 
 And doffed his helm full gallantly. 
 
 £ 
 
S4 DERMID. CANTO I. 
 
 Her hood and mantle, round her prest. 
 
 Concealed her face and swelling breast ; 
 
 Yet, through her robes, his eye could trace 
 
 A form of perfect loveliness. 
 " Fair Lady ! the storm hangs dark o'er the dell, 
 
 " The lightning gleams near, and the thunder rolls round; 
 " Come to my hall, where the legend shall swell, 
 
 " As the praise of thy beauty shall hallow the sound. 
 " Yet, Lady ! if ever thine heart has been kind, 
 
 " If the prayers of a lover thy bosom can move ; 
 *' This mantle, this churlish concealer, unbind ; 
 
 " And I'll pledge thee my truth, on the lip that I love." 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 But quick she folded on her breast 
 
 Her lily arms : He vainly pressed. 
 
 With winning words, his fond request. 
 " Famed warrior of Glanflesk !" she cried, 
 And soon she checked his glowing pride ; 
 For sure, though faintly breathed, that tone 
 To Maoldun was not unloiown. 
 The cadence lengthened on the ear, 
 As if some spirit echoed her. 
 
CANTO I. DER:MID. 35 
 
 MaolJun started from her side, 
 
 Amazed : — " 'Tis but the breeze !" he cried, 
 
 " It is but spirit of the hill ! 15 
 
 *' Often they come, with plaintive thrill, 
 
 " To soothe the hunter's hasty dream, 
 
 " In cavern or by mountain-stream. 
 
 " Oh ! Lady ! why should throb of fear 
 
 " Disturb the quiet of that breast? 
 " Sure, when a lover's aid is near, 
 
 " Thy sighs, fair maid ! were well represt. 
 
 " Would I were spirit of the hill, 
 
 " To flit round thee, when shades decline I 
 
 " My faithful voice should echo still 
 " Only the melody of thine." 
 
 V XXIV. 
 
 But now a strange, an awful sound, 
 The cavern's vaulted roofs rebound : 
 " Beware, fair maid ! of guilt unknown 
 
 " To thee, — nor dream of friendship there ; 
 " Think not that he, who's false to one 
 
 " Would be more true to thee ! Beware !" 
 
36 DERMID. canto i. 
 
 Pale horror marked the chieftain's brow, 
 AVho, lost in wild amazement, now 
 
 Stands motionless ; as if the sound 
 
 Had fixed him in enchanted ground. 
 One look of pity Ellen gave, 
 And hurried from the mystic cave* 
 
 XXV. 
 
 The moon, whose sacred light seems given, 
 Like beacon at the porch of heaven, 
 A while obscured, now steals more bright. 
 Silvering the sombre robe of night ; 
 Bright play its beams on Ellen's path. 
 As glides she devious through the heath.. 
 Maoldun had not dared to stay 
 Her step ; — or guide her on her way. 
 He stood, regardless of her flight. 
 
 Cursing his fate,— the cave,— the storm, 
 Too late to ease her woimded pride ; 
 
 In her last look and parting form, 
 He recognised his destined bride. — 
 Already was she lost to sight, 
 When, darting from the enchanted ground, 
 Homeward he bends j oft staring round 
 
CANTO h DERMID. 87 
 
 With ghastly gaze of doubtful fear. 
 
 Expecting still again to hear " 
 
 The warning strange, the tones of death, 
 
 That broke the silence of tlie rath. 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 Anxious awhile o'er hill and plain, 
 
 Ellen he sought, but sought in vain. 
 
 Wliencc is that shriek ? what voice breathes there ? — 
 
 Is it the whistling of the gale,. 
 That floats and swells upon the air ? 
 
 Or fairy strain from Flesk's lone vale ? 
 What weapons those, that gleam afar ? 
 Sees he some falling meteor-star. 
 Foreboding death and future war ? , 
 Alas ! 'twas more than breath of air. 
 Than fairy strain, or meteor-star ; 
 Nor was a single guardsman there, 
 Nor Hobiller* nor Sentinel j 
 Yet it was more than he could tell ; 
 " It is thy demon, iMaoldun ! 
 
 " That fridits thee still," his conscience said j 
 
 Vide Note 7 to this Canto, ad. Jin. 
 
S8 DERMID. CANTO i. 
 
 " It meets thee in the brightest noon, 
 *' It haunts thee in the darkest shade !" 
 
 XXVII. 
 
 Homeward returned he now in haste, 
 With knitted brow and look aghast ; 
 And, when he reached the outer mound,, 
 Glanflesk rung back his bugle's sound. 
 The blast was long ; — the summons shrill 
 Swelled o'er each intervening hill ; 
 The distant foeman snatched his spear, 
 And thought green Erin's bands were near. 
 But, Lochlin ! rest, — thy fears repelled ; 
 
 For Maoldun would ne'er forego 
 The glory of a well fought field. 
 
 To rush upon a sleeping foe. 
 
 END OF THE FIRST CANTO, 
 
DERMID. 
 
 Canto ^notOf, 
 
The scene of this Canto is at Glanjlesk. The time, (lie night of the 
 -i-^th of March. 
 
 <^^^^%#v.'\^*^^./^r*/\^^'> ■^j\f^\f<^\^\^^ 
 
DERMID 
 
 Canto ^econu* 
 
 I. 
 
 Night wanes apace ; and yet how slow her course 
 
 Seems to the patriot, who but waits the morn, 
 To meet oppression with resistless force. 
 
 And live in light of song to years unborn : 
 How willingly, surrounding clans to warn, 
 
 Fires he the beacons on each mountain-height, 
 And gladdens, as the distant brazen-horn * 
 
 Tells him, the foe prepare for noble fight ; 
 Where gleam their swords and shields through gloom ii 
 burnished light. 
 
 • Vide note 1 to Canto Jint, 
 F 
 
■12 DERMID. CANTO 11. 
 
 II. 
 
 So thought the chiefs, that gathered now, 
 
 Glanflesk ! upon tliy bannered brow. 
 
 " Heard you that winding horn ?" — — They cried ; 
 
 " And are we in our forts defied ? — 
 
 " Again !"— — -'Twas eclioed o'er the Lake. 
 
 Now stand around the startled guard. 
 
 When plain ascending steps are heard. 
 
 Anon they seek, with hasty word, 
 
 " Wlio is the midnight wanderer ? 
 " So nigh the fortress of our Lord, 
 " Wlio durst the brazen bugle wake ?" 
 
 " It is that Lord !" was the reply j 
 
 " 'Tis Maoldun !" the warriors cry, 
 
 Sore wondering he was there. 
 For, by a secret passage, known 
 But to himself,— — he oft alone 
 
 Had sought Erica's cave ; 
 Nor could he now, far led away. 
 And filled with horror and dismav, 
 
 That gloomy winding brave. 
 
CANTO n. DERMII). 43 
 
 The guards drew back. lie passed along, 
 
 Through Beallagh,* Bawn and Mote, amid the murmurin£c 
 
 throng. 
 
 III. 
 Full many a look of mute surprise 
 Marked him alone, — whose piercing eyes 
 Seemed scanning, with malignant glare, 
 The glance of every vassal there ; 
 As if long deeds of darkness taught 
 An envy of their happier lot. 
 Who clasping, as they looked abroad 
 From the high fortress where they stood, 
 Each to his breast a brazen spear. 
 Waked slumbering recollections there ; 
 In guiltless hearts, with many a sigh 
 Sacred to fondest memory ; 
 To days of youth beguiled with those. 
 Who perished on the battle-plain : 
 And, as the startled passion woke. 
 Distinctly to the heart it spoke ; 
 
 * . Vide note 5 to Cant« Jirsl. 
 
44 DERMID. CANTO ii- 
 
 " Revenge ! — Revenge ! — why live our foes, 
 
 " Where fell our comrades ? — Shall the Dane 
 " Not rouse us, as he strikes his shield ? 
 " His beacon-fires should light us to the eventful field." 
 
 IV. 
 Anxious looks Maoldun around, 
 As seeking some dear object : — now 
 A transient smile illumes his brow. 
 While lists he to the welcome sound, 
 
 That hums from western hills afar ; 
 From whose proud tops, through gloom of night. 
 The watch-fires pour a stream of light ; 
 And mark, where Erin's warriors bold 
 By turns their anxious vigils hold. 
 
 Waiting to-morrow's war. 
 Then thoughtful, to the Ree-lan* near. 
 
 He passed ; where dwelt, in those rude days, 
 
 A simple band, — a gallant race. 
 
 And now the wild harp's thrilling tone 
 Distinctly bursts upon his ear ; 
 
 It tells of bright days long unknown ; 
 
 « Vide note 5 to Canto first. 
 
CANTO 11. DERMID. 45 
 
 And, thoiigU the heroes of the tale 
 
 Had gone, each to his narrow cell, 
 
 Yet, to remembrance ever dear, 
 
 They find a sacred record here ; 
 
 Where the full shell, from hand to hand, 1 
 
 Ere now had cheered a social band : 
 
 And mutual converse, fondly sought, 
 
 Had banished bitterness of thought. 
 
 While spoke the old of former days, 
 
 When they had led on battle-plain ; 
 And the young chiefs, with vaunting praise. 
 
 Numbered the fields — they yet must gain. 
 Even O' Sullivan could smile, 
 Sad recollection slept awhile. 
 But, soon as e'er their chief appeared, 
 A sadness stole o'er knight and bard. 
 The harp has ceased its magic sound, 
 
 That late had charmed the listening board ; 
 The hoary minstrels wait around, 
 
 In dread observance of their lord ; 
 Marking, with mute anxiety. 
 Each hurried glance of mystery. 
 
46 
 
 DERMID. 
 
 CANTO XI. 
 
 V. 
 Here sadly, to each blast of air, 
 Clang helm, and horn, and axe, and spear, 
 In many an hard fought battle, won 
 By chiefs, who erst possessed this dun, 
 
 The records of past victory. 
 And yet, though years have rolled away, 
 Since last they gleamed on mountain grey ; 
 Still beam they forth a changeless light 
 Of splendor, on the dazzled sight ; 
 
 Unsullied, and as brilliantly, 
 As if they ne'er had sunk to sword, 
 Nor e'er betrayed their former lortL 
 
 2 
 
 VI. 
 
 Where is the chief, whose arm could gain 
 Such noble spoil on battle-plain ? 
 And where is he who wound that horn, 
 To call his clans, at break of morn, 
 
 'Gainst Scandinavia's host? 
 Alas ! a too successful foe 
 Has laid their early glory low : 
 
CANTO II, DERMID. 4T 
 
 And never shall be heard attain 
 Their gathering cry, o'er wood or plain ; 
 They sought a welcome death, when liberty was lost. 
 
 VII. 
 
 Oft as the mournful breezes sighed. 
 The weiglit of clanging arms replied : 
 As if the chiefs, of other years, 
 Would fain resume their helms and spears ; 
 And from their clouds renew the fights, 
 Where late they lost their dearest rights. 
 
 Mute is the harp ; no more its sound 
 
 jCan soothe the assembled warriors round. 
 
 Wlien, rising from the central space 
 
 To champion * armed, the crowd give place. 
 
 By custom of the fortress bound, 
 On this revolving sacred night, 
 T' assert his lord's undoubted right ; 
 And challenge him, who dare deny 
 His chief's supreme authority. 
 
 * Ceremonies of this kind were usual among all the northern nations. — The 
 custom, here alluded to, is preserved to this day, in the coronation of the Kings 
 of England. 
 
48 DERMID. 
 
 " Say who is he, that durst disown, 
 
 " By thought, or deed, or will, or word, 
 " The title of my sovereign lord ? 
 
 " Let him, whoe'er he be, come on ; 
 
 " I'll prove him traitor with my sword 1" 
 
 VIII. 
 
 He ceased ; when, from a distant cell. 
 Was heard a tone of softened swell : 
 " That man yet lives, who may displace 
 *' The first — last tyrant of his race." — 
 " If thou art man," the champion cried, 
 " Come forth ! and I shall tame thy pride !" 
 In mute expectancy, each eye 
 Glared through the gloomy cavity ; 
 Along the range of arms, that yet 
 Seemed pregnant with the will of fate ; 
 Wliose clang was, warning dire, and whence 
 The rebel voice had issued now : 
 
 While Maoldun, with foot advanced, 
 And hand to blade, such horror glanced 
 From his closed teeth and knitted brow, 
 As would have daunted Innocence. 
 
 No voice replied : " 'Twas feeble tongue, 
 
 " That fain would do our chieftain wrong ! 
 
 CANTO II. 
 
CANTO II. DERiNIID. 49 
 
 " The sword * of words he never tries, 
 " Who fears not such a blade as this !" 
 The champion spoke ; and, on the board, 
 Musing replaced his naked sword- 
 
 IX. 
 
 And, hark ! the voice is heard again, 
 And more mysterious is the strain ! 
 " Can thus O'SuUivan so soon 
 
 " Forget the youth, he once held dear ? 
 " Can Ellen smile on Maoldun? 
 
 " Shall love be wedded to despair ?" — 
 O' Sullivan was deeply grieved. 
 
 This was a scene of mystery ; , 
 
 Visions of former years revived 
 
 Before his soul successively. 
 Remembered he, when all seemed lost, 
 When fled his bands from Lochlin's host ; 
 Himself, stretched wounded on the plain, 
 The victim of relentless Dane, 
 Had not that youth restored the fight. 
 And Lochlin trembled in a peasant's sight. 
 
 * Vide Note 21 to Canto Fifth. 
 G 
 
50 DEE MID. 
 
 CANTO II. 
 
 X. 
 
 " Cruel unknown ! and who art thou, 
 " That wakest my skimberlng memory now ? 
 " Why speak of him, who's lost to me ? — 
 " He fell : — but 'twas for liberty. — 
 " On Hadar's* hill he met his doom, 
 " This breast has been his only tomb. 
 " He sleeps, — to wake, in worlds of bliss, — 
 " But never, — never more in this. — 
 " And happier is it so to die, 
 " Than live in hopeless slavery ! 
 " Oh ! Maoldun ! to-morrow's field 
 " May stretch me on my broken shield, 
 " Then do thou wed my Ellen dear, 
 " And be a father, — friend, — be all she's lost to her.' 
 
 XL 
 
 When hope has ceased to gild the bloom, 
 To cheer the bitterness of grief; 
 
 * The liill of Howth in the county Dublin ; which, as I have already noted, was 
 anciently called Ben-Hadar ; — and Ben signifies an hill in Irish. 
 
CANTO II. DERMID. 51 
 
 How sweet the slumber of the tomb, 
 
 To hun, wlio feels no wish for life ! 
 When earthly joys have ceased to glow, 
 
 When every bud of love has perished ; 
 Oil ! who would wear, on sorrow's brow, 
 
 The withered wreath, whose bloom he cherished ; 
 
 How welcome 'tis, a world to leave, 
 
 Where recollection's griefs attend ; 
 To moulder, in the self-same grave, 
 
 With a long-lost, a bosom-friend ! 
 Death has a dear Lethean sway, 
 
 When sent unsought to virtue's sorrow; 
 Thus he, who weeps and pines to-day, 
 
 IMay live in worlds of bliss to-morrow. 
 
 XH. 
 
 Such thoughts as these, though not exprest, 
 Rose in O'Sullivan's calmed breast; 
 And banished sadness with a smile, 
 
 Like that, which lights the wanderer's eye, 
 
 When he forgets, in refuge nigh, 
 The pilgrimage of length and toil. 
 
52 DERMIDw canto ii. 
 
 " Oh ! Maoldiin ! niethinks 'tis more 
 
 " Than mortal, wakes such awful sounds ; 
 
 " 'Tis sure some guilty ancestor 
 
 " Here walks his penitential rounds !" 
 
 " Mayhap !" cried Maoldun : A smile 
 
 Illumed his ghastly cheek the while: 
 
 " But 'twill not weigh with warriors !" now 
 
 O' Sullivan, with brightening brow, 
 
 Exclaimed. He knew not Ellen's fate ; 
 
 Observed he not her absence yet : 
 
 Or else he thought, in sweet repose 
 She slept apart, nor felt the sense of present woes. 
 
 XHI. 
 
 On signal from their lord, around 
 The bards awake the harp's soft sound, 
 
 The legend's truth. In ancient state 
 
 Above the rest the Fileah sate. £ 
 
 The strain was mournful ; yet it stole 
 Each cherished sadness from the soul. 
 And won it to the sweet relief. 
 The dear unconscious "joy of grief" 
 
CANTO 11. DERMID. 53 
 
 XIV. 
 
 MOUIAT OP THE VALLEY. 
 
 Fair Moriat sat on the mossy stone, 
 With grief her bosom heaving ; 
 
 " Where is the heir of Erin's throne ? 
 " Were all his vows deceivin<T ? 
 
 " Oh ! where," she cried " can Maon be ? 
 
 " Beyond the dark and pathless sea, 
 
 " Alas ! he wanders far from me, 
 
 " His Moriat of the Valley !" 
 
 Her minstrel sat by Moriat's side, 
 
 He was a son of sorrow ; 
 His withered cheek, by misery's tide, 
 
 Was worn in many a furrow. 
 He sung, in measure wild and free. 
 Of plighted love and constancy ; 
 Mistaken sympath}' for thee, 
 
 Fair Moriat of the Vallev '• 
 
DERMID. CANTO n. 
 
 " No lays of faithful love for me ! 
 
 " Sing of some young deceiver, 
 " Who won a maiden's constancy, 
 
 " And yet, alas ! could leave her. 
 " Thus Maon vowed, he'd never rove ; 
 " But happier maid has fixed his love ; 
 " To Mori at could he faithless prove, 
 « His Moriat of the Valley ?" 
 
 " Oh ! Lady ! fear not, lover's heart 
 
 " Has never throbbed sincerer ; 
 " Though fate has destined you should part, 
 
 " He loves thee still the dearer. 
 " An exile sad on foreign shore, 
 " Fond memory cites him o'er and o'er 
 " The graceful form, the winning power 
 " Of Moriat of the Valley. 
 
 " Myself will seek thy Prince ; for thee 
 
 " The winds of winter daring : 
 " I'd rather brave the fiercest sea, 
 
 " Than hear thee thus despairing. 
 
CANTO II. DERMID. 55 
 
 " I'll tell him of his country's fall, 
 " And all those— Yes ! I'll tell him all !— 
 " And win him, from the shores of Gaul, 
 « To Moriat of the Valley." 
 
 XV. 
 
 0581180 Continued. 
 
 On Gallic cliffs young Maon stood. 
 
 And gazed upon the ocean : 
 A bark, borne o'er the swelling flood. 
 
 Aroused his heart's emotion. 
 He thought upon that fatal morn, 
 When from his country's bosom torn, . 
 He left his lonely maid to mourn, 
 His Moriat of the Valley. 
 
 Another wave : the vessel's prore 
 
 Rose o'er its watery pillow. — 
 But Heaven was kind,— 'Twas cast on shore. 
 
 Beyond the ebbing billow. 
 Young Maon flew to aid the band, 
 To all he lent a generous hand ; 
 " Would they were from my native land, 
 " From Moriat of the Valley !" 
 
56 DERMID. 
 
 In ecstasy he raised his eyes. 
 
 An harp was in the corragh : 
 " Oh ! Erin ! comest thou thus," he cries, 
 
 " To soothe thy patriot's sorrow ? 
 " And sure for me, some spirit's wing, 
 " Should wake a welcome on thy string, 
 " And Erin's strains to memory bring 
 " Fair Moriat of the Valley !" 
 
 XVI. 
 
 The minstrel's e3^e in rapture rolled. 
 His locks waved o'er his shoulder ; 
 
 The while his artful tale he told. 
 And hope made zeal grow bolder. 
 
 Ele sung of those, he'd left behind, 
 
 Of lover true, and maiden kind ; 
 
 Each word recalls, to Maon's mind. 
 Fair Moriat of the Valley. 
 
 The chief enraptured hears ; The while 
 
 With hope his bosom swelling : 
 
 " Say ! art thou come from Erin's isle, 
 " From Moriat's lonely dwelling ?" 
 
 CANTO II. 
 
CANTO ir, DERMID. 57 
 
 " 'Tis true ! from Erin's distant shore, 
 " The tempest's ire, the billow's roar 
 " I've braved, her lover to restore 
 " To Moriat of the Valley." 
 
 " Can Moriat, say ! still think on me, 
 
 " And cherish love so dearly ?" 
 " Warrior ! her thoughts all dwell with thee, 
 
 " She loves thee too sincerely." 
 " Then by my spear," the exile cried. 
 And flourished it, with kindling pride, 
 " This brass shall yet in blood be dyed, 
 ♦' For Moriat of the Valley." 
 
 XVII. 
 
 1581(011 Continucti* 
 
 O'er the dark Head * of Wykenloo, 
 
 Morning's first ray was beaming ; 
 Beneath stood JVIaon's bands, — in view 
 
 His broad green banners streaming. 
 
 * Wicklow Head. 
 H 
 
58 DERMID. canto n. 
 
 The Gallic King had lent his might. 
 To aid young Maon in the fight ; 
 And now he comes to claim his right, 
 And Moriat of the Valley. 
 
 His spear soon pierced the tyrant foe ; 
 
 His name shall live in story : 
 The crown of Erin decked his brow, 
 
 And Moriat shared his glory. 
 And still may Heaven's peculiar care 
 Shield valour's son, and virtue's heir 1 
 And only wish thy lady fair. 
 
 Like Moriat of the Valley ! 
 
 XVHL 
 
 All inattentively the while 
 
 Sat Maoldun ; — Nor word nor smile 
 
 Gave to the bard ; — the wish alone 
 
 Stole on his ear, — a dying tone : 
 
 He breathed it, — for he knew not yet, 
 
 (Though artless bard inspired the string,) 
 How close that tale defined his fate, 
 
 'Gainst wliom a Maon yet should spring. 
 
CANTO H. DERIMID. 59 
 
 Delighted by the wild harp's flow, 
 
 Each bosom felt a transient glow, 
 
 That warmed the heart ; and nerved the hand 
 
 To wield in freedom's cause the brand : 
 
 But, Avheii it ceased, chill sadness stole 
 
 Again, o'er every warrior's soul. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 Then traced O'Sullivan, in thought, 
 Years long rolled by, and battles fougiit ; 
 His clan — his friend — his King — his home 
 Were woven in the vision's gloom. 
 
 * 
 " Whither have fled the happy days, 
 
 " When love — when friendship warmed my soul? 
 " Dear years of early happiness ! 
 
 " To what Elysium do you roll? 
 " Are you beyond the world of death ? 
 
 " Oh ! tell me, thou ! some guardian power i 
 ^' I'll prize the retrogressive path, 
 
 " That leads me to their joys once more. 
 
 " Oh ! bring me to those genial climes, 
 " Where bursts from earth the setting day I 
 
60 DERMID. GANTO ir. 
 
 " There is the reign of happier times, 
 
 " The world of years long past away. 
 " There early friends, whose memoi'y dear 
 
 " Lives only now in sorrow's heart, 
 " Thouo-h lono; — too long divided here, 
 
 " Shall meet — and never more to part !" 
 
 XX. 
 
 " But, come !" cries Maoldun, " the shell 
 
 " Shall each intruding care dispel ; 
 
 " The moon has set, — the dawn is near, 
 
 " And dimly burns the beacon-light ; 
 " To-night we feast together here, 
 
 " To-morrow seek the deadly fight. 
 " Then let us drink to " Victory !" 
 
 " Drink " Liberty to Erin !" 
 O' Sullivan's unconscious sigh 
 
 Bespoke an heart despairing : 
 But dear to him was Erin's weal. 
 With wishes fond he drained the shell. 
 
 XXL 
 
 And Maoldun his shell had raised. 
 And now his quivering lip had prest 
 
CANTO II. DERMID. 61 
 
 The foaming draught, with eager thirst; — 
 When sudden, through the warriors, burst 
 An armed youth. " Haste, Maoldun ! 
 
 " Or all is lost ! — a Danish band 
 " Has scoured the vale to-night, and won 
 
 " The fairest prize of all our land !" 
 *' Oh ! have they robbed me of my child?" 
 O' Sullivan in accents wild 
 Exclaimed ; " My steed ! — ere yet too late 
 " To save her from a captive's fate !" 
 " No ! — mine shall be the task, to seek 
 " The foe ;"— cried IMaoldun, " To wreak 
 
 " My wrath, on such barbarity." 
 
 " Haste then !" — the stranjjer cried, " And I 
 
 " Shall guide thee. By my zeal prepared 
 
 " Two steeds stand near." " Thou arm the guard, 
 
 " O'Sullivan ! My bugle's swell 
 
 " Shall lead them on our steps ! — farewell !" ■ 
 
 Spoke Maoldun ; as, with his guide, 
 He hurried down the mountain's side ; — 
 By silvery Flesk now rapidly they glide. 
 
 END OF THE SECOND CANTO. 
 
DERMID. 
 
 Canfo %i)itls. 
 
^^^^.A A/NA^^ Ai^/^/^/^/^^^./".>w^■.^y^ 
 
 The scene of this Canto is the Castle of Rushen, in the Isle of Man. 
 The time is the morning of the I6th of March. 
 
 •^.A^^^'^N/^ ^\/\^>Vvy J^^v^Ay^/^/^.*^*' y ^ J» 
 
DERMID 
 
 cranto X!)irti» 
 
 I. 
 
 Though conquering tyrants forge their heaviest chains, 
 
 And eacli invented shape of horror try ; 
 Yet, while a field of fight in liopc remains. 
 
 The captive's bosom swells not with a sigh. 
 For still he marks, with steadv fearless eve. 
 
 The rising dawn, no mortal can defer ; 
 VVliose splendors shall relume the darkest sky. 
 
 And guide the bonds-man, from his prison drear. 
 To home, — love, — liberty, — to all his soul holds dear. 
 
 But, ah ! how desolate must be his fate, 
 
 Who pines, without an hojie, in land of foes ! 
 
 Nor marks, in all his country's deluged state. 
 
 One spot, where wearied thought could find repose ! 
 
66 DERMID. canto in 
 
 Nor dares to dwell, upon his country's woes, 
 
 With tear or sigh ; though many an image dear 
 Fancy presents, and Memory's griefs disclose, 
 To wring the treason of a captive's tear ! 
 Each glance oppression notes, — " he must not sorrow here !' 
 
 IL 
 
 And, Erin ! many a son of thine, 
 
 The fate of war and I^ochlin's power. 
 Have doomed, as hopelessly to pine. 
 
 On fair Menevia's hostile shore ; 
 Where proudly Sceafell (central hill !) 
 Towers, with gigantic pinnacle, 
 O'er holy vales, and magic bowers, 
 O'er Druid* groves, Norwegian f towers. 
 And many a kirk now dark and drear. 
 Religion sleeps, when warriors snatch the spear. 
 
 * " After the conquest of Mona by Agricola, the Druids fled part to Ireland 
 and others to the North of Scotland, and the Scottish isles ; yet so as tliat their 
 chief residence was in the isle of Man." — Rowland' s Mona Antiqua, Fol. 107. 
 
 -)■ Th"? Norwegians conquered this island, long i-revious to lOli, and held it 
 till 1^6. 
 
CANTO III. DERMID. r,7 
 
 III. 
 
 With soft but sad sensation, now, 
 Enthusiast, on that mountain's brow, 
 Might yield to luxury of tliought, 
 And muse on many a classic spot : 
 While, half revealed, the orb of day 
 
 Trembles upon the distant surge, 
 And spreads, with many a lengthened ray, 
 A golden bridge from the horizon's verge. 
 
 IV. 
 
 Of old, beneath yon spreading oak, 
 
 Has Druid taught, and minstrel simg ; 
 While lake and mountain, vale and rock, 
 
 With many a secret echo rung. 
 Often, npon its spreading bough, 
 Though lightning-seared, and leafless now, 
 
 The Mistletoe * was found ; 
 The golden sickle, from its stem. 
 Severed the sacred branch ; — the gem 
 
 * The ceremonies, used by the Druids in cutting down their revered Mistletoe, 
 were agreeable to the description in this stanza,— Vide Roiuland's Mena Antigua^ 
 Fol. 68. 
 
68 DERINIID. canto m. 
 
 A virgin robe received ; and joy 
 Beamed in each rapt beholder's eye : 
 While many a shout of exstasy 
 
 The sacred groves rung round. 
 Tradition consecrates yon brook, 
 
 It damaged once the Druid's book ; 2 
 
 When Heaven preserved an holier word. — 
 Now is Menevia's* God — the sword : 
 W^ar is her creed : — Even Christian cell 
 Tenants aq, unfrequented dell. 
 
 V. 
 
 ■ 
 
 No more do holy footsteps pass 
 
 The convent walk, of lengthened grass, 
 
 AVhere, as Menevian legends tell. 
 
 Saint Brigid chose her lonely cell : 5 
 
 When, from " the land of Saints," she fled, 
 
 To bless this island's Druid shade ! 
 
 No more the matin hymn is borne. 
 
 Kirk Braddon ! o'er thy hallowed heath ! 4 
 
 * She was in strict league uith the Danes, and consequently was obliged to 
 <!ontribute her men, to establish these invaders in Ireland. 
 
CANTO III. DEIIMID. 69 
 
 The hunter reckless winds his horn, 
 
 Where many a Norman* sleeps in death. 
 
 Little ho knows that sacred plain, 
 
 His foot had ventured to ])roiane, 
 
 Has been the bed of" many a knight, 
 
 Renowned for prowess in the fight. 
 
 The ivy its dead shelter throws 
 
 O'er mouldering wall, or unmarked void, 
 
 Where once St. Trinion's f chapel rose. 
 By league of blasphemy destroyed. 
 
 Nor now is heard the solemn bell, 
 
 From famed St. JNIaughold's sacred well, 5 
 
 Wlicre many a matron ijowed ; 
 
 And offered up her anxious prayer. 
 
 For large estate, and worthy heir, 
 And many a chapel vowed. 
 
 VI. 
 
 Such scenes as these might soothe his mind, 
 Who, to such peaceful thoughts resigned. 
 
 * Tliis was a name, applied in common to all the Northern nations.—— 
 
 f Situated between Peel and Douglas. The tradition of the natives says, it was 
 unroofed by Damons. Vide Grose's Antiquities of England and Wales, Supplement, 
 Vol. ii. 
 
70 DERMID. CANTO in. 
 
 Could look unwarmed from Sceafell's height 
 And mark where, in the dawning light, 
 Norwegia's banners gather far 
 The allies of the Danish war. 
 While the old forests echo round 
 No Druid hymn to rising day. 
 Nor the shrill bell's monastic sound. 
 But the loud shield, that calls Menevia's chiefs away. 
 
 VII. 
 
 With other feelings fired the while, 
 
 A captive youth, in Russen's pile, * 6 
 
 From the dark Dongeon's* height, surveys 
 
 The ruined works of other days. 
 
 'Tis Dermid ! — to whose sovd each wreck 
 
 But seems in sympathy to speak, 
 
 *' Like Erin were we proud ; one day, 
 
 " (Like ours) her grandeur shall decay !'' 
 And, as the legions of the foe, 
 Spreading in bright array below, 
 
 * The Dongeon, or Keep, was an high tower, in the centre of such castles. 
 
CANTO 111. DERMID. 71 
 
 Prepared for Erin's shores to sail, 
 Oft liis indignant heart would swell, 
 As, with convulsive sigh, in thought 
 He fights again, where once he fought 
 For Erin : — when he strode the plain, 
 And could have marked his heaps of slain, 
 
 Though young in fields ! but ah ! 'tis ])ast ; 
 
 His morn's with gloominess o'ercast. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 In mute attention, seems he now 
 
 To mark the gloom o'er Sceafell's brow; 
 
 As if his ear could omen find 
 
 In every rustling of the wind ; 
 
 As if his eye, in pensive mood, 
 
 Could read a fate in every cloud, 
 
 That gathers there : — now marks he o'er 
 
 Each ruined cell, oft marked before. — 
 
 Why does the drooping rose delight ? 
 
 Its bloom is gone ! — its scent is o'er ! 
 Yet, fading in the blast of night, ' 
 
 It wins the eye of pity more. 
 
72 DERMID, CANTO nx. 
 
 The tottering pile, — the ruined hall,— - 
 The aged arch, — the ivied wall 
 Steal on the soul a cherished care, 
 And leave a softened sorrow there. 
 
 IX. 
 
 The lone survivor of the storm 
 
 More dearly wins the pensive soul, 
 With branches seared, and leafless form ; 
 
 Than when spring's gentlest sighs would roll 
 Delighted, through its foliage green, 
 Embalming every bud between. 
 The heart of grief forgets its care, 
 A\T;ien soothed by kindred ruin there. 
 
 But, when the captive's eye has scanned, 
 
 In every trace of fallen pride, 
 Some emblem of his native land, 
 
 To freedom lost, to hope denied : — 
 Oh ! who can tell, what love he bears 
 To every living scene, that wears 
 A look of sympathy ; — that's twined 
 With thought of country in his mind? 
 
CANTO III. 
 
 DERMID. 73 
 
 X. 
 
 Then 'tis, that Fancy, fairy-queen, 
 
 Gives charms to every tlescrt scene; 
 
 And bids endearing prospects rise, 
 
 And smooths each rugged precipice : 
 
 The captive hails hec welcome wand, 
 
 And stands upon his native land. 
 
 " Yes !" cries he in that transient hour 
 
 Of joy, — " there is a sacred power, 
 
 " That cramps the fiercest despots arm, 
 
 " And ever breaks the fellest charm^ 
 
 " That locked a land in slavery ; 
 
 " That one day hears the sufferer's sigh^ 
 
 " Appeal to heaven for liberty '." 
 
 So Dermid felt. — A transient glance 
 Of hope illumed his sparkling eye ;, 
 
 I lis interesting countenance 
 A moment brightened into joy ; 
 
 But sorrow, with triumphant sigh,. 
 
 Soon waked his sad soliloquy. 
 
 K 
 
7-lr DERMID. CANTO HI. 
 
 XI. 
 
 " A time there was, when I could shed 
 
 " A feeling tear, for Erin's woes ; 
 " Ere, on her subject land, I bled, 
 
 " The captive of my country's foes. 
 " But now compassion's source Is dry, 
 " Trembles no tear in Dermid's eye. 
 
 " Yet will a patriot's sorrow speak, 
 
 " Upon this parched — this furrowed brow ; 
 
 " A flood of grief has marked this cheek, 
 " Though pale, and cold, and tearless now. 
 
 " Gone is the tear ! the trace is whole j 
 
 " The cause engraven on my soul." 
 
 XIL 
 
 But sure, through Erin's clouded skies, 
 The sun of Liberty shall rise ; 
 - Yes ! Dermid ! soon its genial smile 
 Shall wake the warriors of lier isle ; 
 For they have slumbered long and deep : 
 Oh ! God ! it is a deadly sleep ! 
 
cAXTo III. DERiNIID. 15 
 
 But clang of arms and battle-sono; 
 Shall banish it, though deep and long, 
 The fathers of her foes even now 
 Are gathering, on the mountain's brow, 
 Wound in the mist, they darkly rise, 
 And oft are heard their broken sighs. 
 As anxious o'er the field they glide, 
 Where soon shall flow the battle's tide ; 
 Half-bent in sorrow o'er the vale. 
 Half-mingled in the mountain-gale, 
 
 They raise a dirge of future fight ; 
 Then, over wood and mountain, sweep, 
 And roll the billows of the deep, 
 
 And burst the sombre clouds of night. 
 
 xni. 
 
 An harp, that stood by Dermid's side, 
 Breathed tones to mortal touch denied, 
 That seemed to sigh in sympathy, 
 With Erin's long-lost Liberty, 
 In many a sullen gale j 
 
76 DERMID. ganto iit. 
 
 And oft, in broken sounds, to raise, 
 The melodies of former days, 
 
 The songs of Inisfail. * 
 " Yes !'' Derm id cried, " on foreign strand, 
 *' Thy lay shall be of Erin's land !" 
 As waked he strains, that once were dear ; 
 ^Vlien swelled on native gales, and breathed in Beauty's ear- 
 
 XIV. 
 
 REALMOND OF ULUN. f ^ 
 
 Oh ! who is the Lady so lovely in grief, 
 
 That looks o'er Moy-Nay, from Slieve-Ban's lofty brow ? 8 
 And who is the gallant, though unarmed chief, 
 
 That breathes to that Lady so ardent a vow ? 
 
 * Inisfail, i. e. " tlie island of Destiny," was a name given to Ireland, on 
 account of the stone of destiny, which it once contained.— Vide Note 6th of Canie 
 Elevetith. 
 
 •)• The ancient name of Ulster, 
 
CANTO in. DERMID. 77 
 
 Her lord was the ]\Ionarch of Conat's fair land, 
 But he's gone to Hy-Brasail, * the warrior's retreat. 
 
 And Ulhn is proud in young Reahnond's command ; 
 'Tis Reahnond who kneels at that fair Lady's feet. 
 
 " Malvina ! how many a sun-beam has set, 
 
 " Since first in the vale of Ovoca we met ; fl 
 
 " I pledged thee ray love on a warrior's word, 
 
 " I plighted my vows on the faith of my sword, 
 
 " Yet still am I doomed unregarded to sue: 
 
 " But, Malvina ! thy Realmond will ever be true." 
 
 " Oh! Realmond! thoujrh Ullin might marshal a band, 
 " That in numbers could butt Moy-Nay's lovely land, 10 
 " Yet our warriors arc brave; and our clansmen, ere now, 
 *' I lave fought for their country: say, Realmond! hast thou? 
 " Oh ! where are the chiefs, that so proudly were seen, 
 " In the van of the battle, with banners of green ; 
 " The knights of the Red Bran cli,"!' that fearless strode forth, 
 " For strangers to fight in the wars of the north? 
 
 * Hy-Brasail, or the inchanted island, was the Fortunatas insulae of tiie ancient 
 Irish ; and they even supposed they could see it in a clear day, from the Isles of 
 Arran, which lie off Galway. 
 
 f For an account of this order, which was hereditary in Ulster, Vide O'Hal- 
 lorans Introduction, S^c. Vol. i. Page 4'0, 41. Their standards were of green 
 
 satin They frequently vaved over the mountains of Scotland, in the support 
 
 of the Picts 
 
78 DERMID. canto hi. 
 
 " But is he a warrior, who skimbers at rest, 
 
 " When his country is fallen, and her children opprest ?" 
 
 XV. 
 
 The shades of past heroes were marshalled in thought : 
 Round Realmond they crowd from their vale ; 
 
 And they din in his ear, how the battles were fought. 
 When they conquered for green Inisfail. 
 
 " Haste ! strike the blow, ere thy country is fallen ! 
 
 " Around us the legions of Cambria pour ! 11 
 
 " Marshal the princes and clans of thine Ullin ; 
 
 " Or freedom shall beam on our island no more." 
 
 Distinct, though unearthly, it breathed on his ear, 
 
 The voice of the chiefs, that were dead: 
 " Our ashes shall never in death mingle there, 
 
 " Where no drop of thy blood has been shed." 
 
 " Then, Malvina !" he cried, " by that passion I swear, 
 " Which first kindled the glow of enthusiasm here ; 
 " Thou shalt see me no more, till the Cambrian foe 
 " Shall be vanquished in battle, or Realmond laid low.— 
 
CANTO III. DERMID. 79 
 
 « Nay! — Malvinai — we'll meet to be happy again, 
 
 " When those clouds of the east are rolled back o'er the 
 
 " main." 
 " Farewell !" had she faltered, but Kealmond was fled. 
 
 Why swells the proud sigh of her lieart ? 
 Her land had she given, that the wish were vmsaid, 
 
 Which unconsciously doomed them to part. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 15aUaD ContinucD. 
 
 The music of battle is heard on the gale, 
 
 And loud shout the foemen afar ! 
 But brave are the heroes of green Inisfail, 
 
 That pant for the signal of war. 
 
 Loud clangs the shield ; — and the bugle is shrill ; 
 
 Sweet music to warrior's ear ! 
 The wild wolf is scared from his haunts on the hill, 
 
 Long a fearless inhabitant there. 
 
 The battle is joined ! And who is the knight, 
 That has rushed on the midst of the foe; 
 
80 DERMID. CANTO m. 
 
 ^VIlose helmet ot" brass is the beacon of fight, 
 And whose " Farrah !" * is Cambria's woe ? 
 
 Yon warrior, who fearlessly ranges the field, 
 
 Bearing terror around and dismay ? 
 The billows of battle he stems with his shield. 
 
 And the proudest roll broken away. 
 
 The battle is won : — the clouds chased away : — 
 
 Lovely Erin is plundered no more : 
 Dear be the hour ! — Oh ! blest be the day. 
 
 When her foemen lie dead on her shore ! 
 
 XVIL 
 0581180 ContinueD, 
 
 in despair wept Malvina, — as, counting each hour, 
 She thought of the days, that were past : 
 
 Shall her Realmond return from the battle once more ? 
 She fancied his horn on the blast. 
 
 •\ " Farrah ! Farrah !" was an usual war-cry among the Irish of a very remote 
 period, when about to rush into battle. Vide Ware's Antiquities of Ireland, Vol. 
 li. Page 17. 
 
CANTO in. DERMID. 81 
 
 And oft on Slieve-Ban would she think on his vow, 
 
 And hope 'twas the gleam of his spear 
 As the lightning illumed Slieve-an-Erin's * dark brow. 
 
 But her Rcalmond, alas ! was not there. 
 
 And ever at night to the valley she'd hie. 
 
 And sit by the shadowy stream ; 
 As if loving the darkness, that mantled the sky. 
 
 Or fearing the morning's pale beam. 
 
 One dark eve, as thoughtful she sat by the rill. 
 
 An armour-clang, heard on the gale. 
 Awaked her attention : — and, lo ! to the hill 
 
 A warrior glides through the vale. 
 
 Light was his step, as, with conqueror's pride. 
 
 His shield to his bosom he prest ; 
 And bounded through the heath, by the river's green side 
 
 Like a meteor that shot from the east. 
 
 * This mountain is visible from Slieve-Ban ; it is in the county Leitrim, and 
 gives a bold termination to the view in that direction. 
 
82 DERMIC. CANTO m. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 " Brave stranger !" she cried, " art thou come from a field, 
 " Where the children of freedom have fallen ? 
 
 " Cleft is thine helm, and broken thy shield ! 
 " Art thou come from the battles of Ullin ?" 
 
 " Fair Queen of the west ! from those battles I come, 
 " From the vale of Moycullen ;" he said; 
 
 " And many a maiden shall weep o'er the tomb 
 •' Of her lover there lowly laid. 
 
 " But llealmond was ours ; — in the front of the field, 
 
 " Undaunted the hero was seen ; 
 " Victory perched on the boss of his shield, 
 
 " Or played on his banner of green." 
 
 " But where is the hero? — where Ullin's brave Lord?" — 
 
 Wildly she grasped the bright hilt of his sword; 
 
 " Dearly indeed were the victory won, 
 
 " If the glory of Erin, young Realmond, be gone ! 
 
 " But I shall be with him !" The chilly wind blew, 
 
 Faintly she sunk on the warrior's breast : 
 
 But welcome the beam, that revealed to her view 
 
 Her lover in him, whom unconscious she prest. 
 
CANTO III. DERMID. 83 
 
 XIX. 
 
 The soft strains died along the shore, 
 The captive touched the harp no more ; 
 Yet oft the breeze, that floated by, 
 Would sweep the strings in melody. 
 It was his true love's favourite air, 
 He loved it, as 'twas dear to her. 
 And, oh ! how pleasant still, as Time 
 
 Rolls dark and shadowy o'er our way. 
 To catch* one fragment of the rhyme. 
 
 One breath of former melody ! 
 
 XX. 
 
 Now Dermid seemed, with wistful gaze, 
 
 The sun's bright path through heaven to trace j 
 
 Anon, with pensive look, he cried, 
 
 " Blest orb ! ere long, in Seinnon's f tide, 
 
 " Thy beams shall set : But, ah ! for me 
 
 " No hope remains, in Erin's isle 
 
 * " It is the voice of years that are gone 1 They roll before me with all their 
 deeds, I seize the talcs as they pass, and pour them fortlx in song.'' Ossiati's Oina- 
 Morul, 
 
 \ Seinnon, i. e, " the place of Bays," was the ancient name of the Shannon.— 
 
84: DERMID, canto iu. 
 
 " To feel, how glorious is thy smile, 
 " When gilding land of liberty ! 
 " Alas ! dear land !" He seemed anon 
 
 To scan each intervening height ; 
 As if their wavino; woods alone 
 
 Concealed his country from his sight: 
 Woods, where, 'tis said, at even-tide 
 Spirits, with minstrel magic, glide 
 O'er southern Barrule's brow, and Kemool's fallen pride. 12 
 
 XXI. 
 
 And now he marks, with gladdened sight, 
 Advancing to the castle's height, 
 The only friend, whom found he here, 
 The good, the generous Waklamer. 
 Soon met their eyes ; — with quicker pace 
 
 Speeds Waldamer: Now lost to sight, 
 
 Through the long halls and passages. 
 
 He hvnries to the Dongeon-height. 
 Mysterious man ! a settled grief. 
 That wooed not sympathy's relief. 
 Sat on his brow : — the gloomy wood, 
 The dreariest cavern's solitude, 
 
CANTO III. DERMID 85 
 
 Were dearer to his pensive heart, 
 
 Than all that social joys impart. 
 
 Yet was there one, with whom, 'twas seen, 
 
 Forgetting care, he could unbend 
 The knitted brow, the haughty mien ; 
 
 And Dermid was that favoured friend. 
 Mysterious man ! There are who say, 
 No human power, no corragh gay 
 Wafted him to Menevia's land ; 
 But that, by some supreme command^ 
 To penance doomed, he walked abroad, 
 To pacify an angry God. — 
 Others, as confidently, told. 
 He knew a prouder day of old, 
 \Vhen Lochlin's land as well might claim 
 His generous nature, as his name. 
 Often, in hour of mystery. 
 His arms wore folded, and his eye 
 Fi.Ked on the ocean vacantly : 
 It seemed some stormy passion swelled 
 Within his bosom, ne'er revealed; 
 
 For ever and anon, 
 Volcanoes of the mind expressed 
 That all within was not at rest, 
 That happiness was gone. 
 
gg DERMID. CANTQ HI. 
 
 Time, as he flies, with rapid wing. 
 
 Can brush away each softer care ; 
 But memory has a deeper sting. 
 
 That pangs the heart of Waldamer. 
 
 XXIL 
 
 Lo ! he ascends with cautious step ; 
 
 But Dermid oft his figure traced. 
 As wound he to the lofty keep, 
 
 Darkening each loop-hole as he passed. 
 Anon more near his voice is heard, 
 In low soft parley with the Guard. 
 And now, each bolt removed, he pressed 
 Dermid, in silence, to his breast ; 
 A more than usual sadness hung 
 Upon his brow, — his faltering tongue 
 Scarce spoke ; — or told, with heavy sigh, 
 Some broken incoherency. 
 Dermid drew back : — His graceful form 
 Seemed trembling with an inward storm. — 
 " Then must we part ! — I know too well, 
 " They banish thee from Dermid's cell." 
 With sad inquiring eye he stood ; 
 An eye, that spoke the gratitude 
 
CANTO nr. DERMID. 81 
 
 He felt for Waklamer.— " My friend '. 
 
 " Oh ! why these looks of sorrow bend 
 
 " On me ? — Oh ! tell me ! — I can wear 
 
 " The heaviest chains ! — but — Waldamer ! — " 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 He ceased. It was an awful pause ; 
 
 \Vhen slowly Waldamer replied : 
 " Yes, Dermid ! we may part ;— Thy cause 
 
 " In vain I pleaded: Syrach's* pride 
 
 " Has named but one hard task for thee ; 
 " Consent, and thou'rt this moment free ! 
 
 " Refuse, and we must meet no more ! 
 
 " Then hear me ! — Thou must aid his power, 
 
 " Sail with his fleets to foreign lands, 
 
 " And be the comrade of his bands." — 
 
 " Farewell ! then ! — Dermid ne'er would buy, 
 
 " With loss of honour, — Liberty. — 
 
 " Though numbed in all her battle-nerves, 
 
 " Though spurned, deluded, and oppressed, 
 " Erin, in memory still preserves 
 
 " A twilight-glory in my breast. 
 
 * " Syrach held the dominion of the Isle of Man, about the beginniBg of tbc 
 eleventh Century." Sachevercll's Isle of Man, Page 28. 
 
88 DERMID. _ canto hi. 
 
 " Nor will I join the recreant band, 
 " That could forget so fair a Land." — • 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 " But, Dermid ! in this little isle, 
 
 " Some scenes there are might win thy praise ; 
 *' Where e'en Captivity might smile, 
 
 " And Sorrow's wilder frenzies cease." — 
 " Oh I Waldamer ! there was a day, 
 
 " When scenes like these were dear to me ; 
 " But, ah ! that time has past away, 
 
 " The reign of love and liberty. 
 " Nor, e'en with thee can I forget 
 
 " The gloom, in which my country set." — 
 " Nay, Dermid! sure those cherished cares 
 " Are suited ill to early years ; 
 " Give me this harp ! — why treasure here 
 " Such fascinating register 
 " Of pleasures gone ?" — " Oh ! Waldamer 1 
 " Rob me not of this comrade dear ! 
 " Its native strains — its pensive flow 
 *' Oft deaden sense of present woe ; 
 " And, if his country's wrongs inspire 
 " The patriot, with a poet's fire, 
 
CANTO iir. DER:MID. 89 
 
 " Alas ! green Erin's sons should be 
 " Ever the first in niinstrelsj !" 
 
 XXV. 
 
 Thoii";htfiil a while stood Waldamer : — 
 Then, dashinfr IVom his cheek a tear : — 
 " And, Dermid ! can no country claim 
 " A privilege, to give thee fame, 
 " But Erin ? Yet Norwegian bands 
 
 " Can hurl their mighty vengeance far, 
 " And Pict, and Scot, and Cumbrian lands 
 
 " Plave trembled tit their shout of war; 
 " What warrior's bosom w^oulcl not warm, 
 " When hopes of glory nerve his arm !" 
 
 " Oh ! thinkest thou, Waldamer ! my pride 
 
 " Could brook, to fight by Syrach's side ? 
 
 " When fired in arms, methinks my brand 
 
 " Would turn upon the hated band 
 
 " That blasted Erin's hopes of peace, 
 
 " All her fond dreams of happiness. 
 
 " Glory were ill on them bestowed^ 
 
 " Wlio'd waste in foreign climes that blood, 
 
 *' That wisdom, power, or energy, 
 
 " That might have made their country free : 
 
 M 
 
90 DERMID. CANTO iii. 
 
 " Though, gathered on a foreign land, 
 
 " Their wreaths may shed a faded bloom, 
 " They fight an unrecorded band, 
 " Who would not rally round their country'^ tomb. 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 " Oh ! Erin ! In thine hour of need, 
 
 " Thy warriors wander o'er the earth ; 
 " For others' liberties they bleed, 
 
 " Nor guard the land, that gave them birth : 
 " In foreign fields, it is their doom, 
 " To seek — their fame, — to find — their tomb. 
 
 " For them no friend of early days 
 
 *' A tear of kindred grief shall shed ; 
 " Nor maiden's prayer, nor minstrel's lays, 
 
 " Shall hallow their neglected bed. 
 " They sleep beneath the silent stone, 
 " To country lost — to fame scarce known." 
 
 XXVIL 
 
 AMiat must the patriot's feelings be 
 Who scans his country's destiny, 
 And finds her lost to liuerty ? 
 
CANTO in, DERMID. 91 
 
 When nought can to his view revive 
 The cheering hope, she yet may live ! 
 But still the retrospective gaze 
 Glances on crowded gloominess ; 
 While the wide future mocks his tear, 
 And clanks the chain, she's doomed to wear. 
 So Dermid felt ; — so Dermid thought j 
 For such had been his country's lot. 
 Unconscious from the warrior's eyes. 
 
 The tears, a patriot's tribute, break ; 
 Aside he turns, — ^but vainly tries 
 
 To hide the grief, he could not check. 
 
 XXVIIL 
 
 AVlio is't could mark, without a sigh, 
 
 The tear, that steals from valour's eye ? 
 
 The generous Waldamer was moved. 
 
 To see the grief of him he loved. 
 
 " Dermid ! forgive me, if awhile 
 
 " I tried thy faith to Erin's isle : 
 
 " Forgive me, if I might have feared, 
 
 " Those vaunted prayers, and hopes I heard 
 
 " Were but a selfish wish of fame, 
 
 " Nor ought of patriot's praise should claim ; 
 
92 DERMID. canto iu. 
 
 " Then mightst thou perish in thy chain, 
 
 " Unworthv to be free agrain. — 
 
 " But thou art true !" witli feelings strong 
 
 O'erpowered, lie sobbed : — then, — " Dennid ! long 
 
 " With admiration have I traced 
 
 " The generous feelings of thy breast ; 
 
 " And gladly would I now disclose 
 
 " My bosom-secrets, — but my woes 
 
 *' I dare not breathe : — this only learn, 
 
 *' I held exalted rank in Erin ; 
 
 *' 'Tis lost ! — and, by a fatal vow, 
 
 " All, but my heart, is foreign now ! 
 
 " Full twice ten years have rolled away, 
 
 " Since left I home : — that fatal day, 
 
 " In pilgrimage * I bent my course 
 
 " For Palestine : — but tempest's force 
 
 " Told me, that Heaven forgave the toil, 
 
 " And cast me on this hostile isle. 
 
 " Yet hostile not to me ; none here 
 
 " Could mock the inoffensive tear 
 
 * From the rise of Maliomctanism, in the sixth Century of tiic Christian jEia, 
 to the year 1665, pilgrimages to Jerusalem were frequent anil practicable ; whilr 
 that city was in the possession of the Arabians. 
 
CANTO III.' DERMID. 93 
 
 " A pilgrim shed. Thus, when no more 
 
 *' Hope led my thoughts to Erin's shore, 
 
 " Resigned I here remained. In time 
 
 " The Normen deemed me of their clime ; 
 " Our dress, our arms, our language one, 
 " Distinction has been long unknown. 
 " Nor was disguise effectless ; — here 
 
 " Oft have I lightened captive's grief; 
 " Oft gratitude, with speaking tear, 
 
 " Unconscious thanked a comrade chief" 
 
 XXIX. 
 
 He paused, as sunk in deepest thought ; 
 Anon, — " And, Dermid ! 'tis my lot 
 " To serve thee now : — fixed is the hour, 
 " To steal thee from thy foeman's power ! 
 " To-morrow Syrach's bands shall pour, 
 " To hunt the wolf on Lonnan's* shore; 
 " Ere they shall sail to Erin's isle, 
 " Partners in Lochlin's gain and toil. 
 " To-morrow Erin's sons shall hail, 
 " With joy, her Patron's festival ; 
 
 * Nortli of Rushen. 
 
94 DERMID. canto m. 
 
 " Then shall the parting sun-beams smile 
 
 " On Dermid, in his own green isle. 
 
 " Go ! Dermid ! to the battle-plain ! 
 " Nor spare for me the gallant Dane ! 
 " I durst not bear thee company, 
 " Nor yet would war 'gainst liberty 
 
 " For wealth of Spanish mine. 13 
 
 " Oh ! could I breathe — but, no ! the tale 
 " Would wring my bosom to reveal, 
 
 " I would not sadden thine. 
 " No tear should dim a warrior's eye, 
 " Upon the eve of liberty !" 
 
 XXX. 
 
 In mute amaze the captive heard ; — 
 
 " Shall I be free ?" — he hoped ! — he feared ! — 
 
 Joy — and surprise — and ecstasy 
 
 Were mingled in his glowing eye ; 
 
 Yielding awhile to nature's sway. 
 
 Little his faltering tongue could say ; 
 
 His speaking eye alone expressed 
 
 The feelings of a grateful breast. 
 
 But Waldamer, who never loved 
 
 To hear the praise, his virtue moved, 
 
CANTO iir. DERMID. 95 
 
 Enjoined his silence : " Converse long • 
 
 " May mark us out for treachery's eye ; 
 " Too oft the lightest chance proves strong, 
 
 " To mar fair hopes of liberty. 
 " But, when the silence of the foe 
 
 " Shall mark their unsuspicious sleep ; 
 
 " We meet ; — the guard is ours ; — I know 
 
 *' A passage from thy prison-keep. 
 " To grief resigned, full many a day, 
 " Throuiih its thick f^loom I've loved to stray, 
 " By none but me explored, a lonely haunted way. 
 
 XXXI. 
 
 " Thus may we wind, this pile beneath, 
 " Our dark but unmolested path, 
 " Till past the guarded out-posts ; — then 
 « Emerging seek fair Tynvvald's * glen ; 
 « And there, with cautious step, resume 
 ♦' The secrecy of cavern-gloom. 
 «' In Sodor's f bay a vessel lies, 
 " Prepared for Syrach's embassies ; 
 
 * Vide Note 3 of Canto Fourth. 
 I Vide Note 4 of Canto Fourth. 
 
96 DERMID. canto ui. 
 
 ♦' But meeter will its purpose prove, 
 " When wafting thee to home and love. 
 " Myself shall guide thee to the shore. 
 " Then think of Waldamer no more ; 
 
 " Forget me !" " Never !" Dermid ceased. 
 
 As crowd bright visions on his breast ; — 
 The gloom of slavery chased away 
 Before a sudden rising day ; 
 Love, — country, — freedom, — all seem hisj — ► 
 No intervening sea> — no foe to mar his bliss.- — 
 
 END OF THE THIRD CANXa 
 
DERMID. 
 
 Canto jfottvt^. 
 
*>A^<\'v/\/\AA/VAAA^S/>JWJVVAA/\»i 
 
 The transactions of this Canto are supposed to happen in the Isle of 
 Man, on the road from Rushen to Peek Island. The time is the 
 night of the iQth of March, 
 
 l^^w^^^/^f^/^/vr^#^J^/w^y«^V^A#v^^^^rf 
 
DERMID 
 
 Canto Sfomt% 
 
 EniN ! thy sons, though wanderhig far away, 
 
 Too oft without an hope to see thee more, 
 Yet love to solemnize thy Patron's day ; 
 
 And that thrice happy time, when pirates* bore 
 The sainted captive to thy favoured shore ; 
 
 Who, standing erst upon Croagh-Phadrig's f height. 
 With sacred staff and heaven-supported power. 
 
 Banished each poisonous snake, and evil sprite. 
 That preyed upon thy veins — for ever from thy sight. 
 
 * Vide, for the truth of this assertion, Joceli/ns Life of St. Palrich, Chap. 13. 
 
 f Croagh Patrick, as it is now called, is a great mountain in the County Mayo. 
 It may be seen at GO miles distance, being 2666 feet above the level of the sea;— 
 it was, according to tradition, the scene of the above miracle. 
 
100 DERMID. CANTO iv. 
 
 II. 
 
 This day is nigh ; — find, " ere its noon 
 " If Heaven but grant my first — fond boon, 
 " Far shall I be from taunt of Dane, 
 " And, as I fought, shall fight again." 
 Thought Dermid : as he past, at night, 
 With Waldamer, South Barrule's height. 
 Enthroned on Sceafell's hoary brow, 
 Night sent abroad her darkness now ; 
 And shades of solemn grandeur cast,, 
 O'er hill, and vale, and ocean vast ; 
 Anon the moon, in silver light. 
 Arrayed each stream and craggy height ; 
 And soon the stars of Heaven beamed forth, 
 And Boreal * splendors fired the North ; 
 Tlien burst to view hill, — fort, — sea, — dell, — 
 A world of " darkness visible." 
 Silence, that pined all day alone 
 On shaded monumental stone. 
 Now walked abroad, — the world was all her own. 
 
 * The Aurora Borealis, or Northern twilight, is a phenomenon too well known 
 to require any length of note. Dr. Halley has given in a manner a distinct history 
 of it, in Philosophical Transactions, No. S^T. The appearances there enumerated, 
 happened from September to April, both months included. 
 
CANTO IV. DERjMID. 101 
 
 III. 
 
 Far in the windings of the shore, 
 
 Through whose long vales, the eye might trace, 
 ^Vliere erst was heard the ocean's roar, 1 
 
 From Tynwald * mount to Kreevy's base, ' ■■' :"''- '• '■■' ■ 
 Was seen of rocks a circling heap ; ■.•.'•■.;..;; 
 
 Beneath Menevia's children lie. 
 
 In subterranean cemet'ry ; 2 
 
 In lonely cavern dark and deep, 
 Where wearied life w'ould love to sleep, 
 
 Ere wakening to eternity. 
 There oft at eve the clang of spears 
 The panting hunter thinks he hears, 
 Reclined on some grey stone ; 
 And oftener still the Minstrel's lay, 
 As echoed from the cavity, 
 In many a swelling tone. 
 
 IV. 
 
 Soon as the friends had reached this spot, 
 Paused Waldamer, — as lost in thought ; 
 
 * FiVc Note 3 of this Canto. 
 
102 DERMID. CANTO iv 
 
 A tear stood doubtful in his eye ; 
 One lone emancipated sigh 
 Had stolen from his throbbing heart ; 
 For soon from Dermid must he part, 
 Sijon shall the onlv friend be gone, 
 'i"Is<;*er in foreign land had known. 
 Far other thoughts in Dermid's breast 
 Had struggled, — in his step confessed. 
 At first, with slow and solemn gait, 
 Mused he upon his country's fate, 
 And oft in thoughtful mood would stand ; 
 Anon, abrupt would wave his hand, 
 And hurry through the vale below, 
 As if to meet green Erin's foe : 
 But softer now new thoughts arose, 
 No more the dread of Erin's foes. 
 His country's champion, Dermid seemed ; 
 And on his brow hope, — joy — and love alternate beamed. 
 
 V. 
 
 Is there in life a voice so dear, 
 
 As that which cheers captivity ; 
 And whispers in the lover's ear, 
 
 Of maiden true, and country free ? 
 
CANTO IV. DERAIID. 103 
 
 Is there a soul so sadly formed, 
 
 So moulded for a tyrant's chain, 
 That could even then remain unwarmed, 
 
 Nor spring to energy again ? 
 If such there be ; — no need to tell, 
 
 He were not of green Erin's band ; 
 Her warriors love their ladies well, 
 
 And dearer still their native land. 
 
 VI. 
 
 Soon as the bright confusion ceased, 
 That varied long in Dermid's breast ; 
 Soon as the cavern's mouth was near. 
 He clasped the generous Waldamer j 
 And hearts of purest friendship spoke, 
 In sigh and in expressive look. 
 Anon a moment from the cave 
 
 Dermid drew back ; A glance he gave. 
 
 Whose pensive meaning looked farewell, 
 
 To Tynwald's mount and lovely vale. 8 
 
 When sudden thundered from below, 
 A mingled shout and shriek of woe^ 
 As from the cavern's womb 5 
 
104 DEKMID. CANTO iv. 
 
 Anon quick passing torches gleam, 
 
 On helms, and spears, and warriors grim ; 
 
 And now they're lost in gloom. — 
 " Alas !" cried Waldamer, — " In vain 
 " Is every hope to reach the main ; 
 " The dream of liberty is o'er, 
 " An host of foemen line the shore." 
 
 VIL 
 
 The shouts have ceased : No warriors i\ow, 
 
 Nor spear, nor helm is seen below ; 
 And all is loneliness and gloom ; 
 
 The visionary torches gone ; 
 As if no beam had lit the tomb. 
 
 As if no shout had pierced the stone. 
 Seemed it as those, who lay beneath. 
 Shook off the iron sleep of death ; 
 
 As if the warriors, long entombed, ' 
 
 For midnight war, their arms resumed. 
 " No ! were the chiefs to rise again, 
 " Who fell of old on Tara's* plain; 
 
 * At Tara in the county Meatli, the Danes sustained a signal defeat in 980. 
 Vide 0' Halloran s General History, Sfc. Vol. ii. Page 242. 
 
CANTO IV. DERMID. 105 
 
 " Were hosts of Ostnien ranfjed below. 
 " I would not dread to face the foe !" 
 
 Dermid exclaimed, " I would not fly, 
 
 " When the rich prize were liberty • 
 
 " Follow !" he cried ; and plunged beneath ; 
 
 " Freedom shall now be mine — or death !" 
 
 VIII. 
 
 « Still, Dermid ! will I follow thee, 
 " And die, or give thee liberty !" 
 
 Cried Waldamer ; The dismal sound 
 
 Of clanging arms was echoed round ; 
 As fearless, through a gloom of death, 
 The chieftains urged their mazy path. 
 Awhile, to cheer his comrade's heart, 
 Spoke Waldamer with soothing art ; 
 But soon to grief himself resigned 
 Would startle at the rustling wind : 
 His breast would heave a secret sigh. 
 And tears unseen bedew his eye ; 
 While memory pictured better days. 
 
 When triumph brightened on his brow ; 
 The idol of his country's praise, 
 
 Tliough wandering and forgotten now. 
 
106 DERMID. CANTO it. 
 
 Anon in low quick words he cried, 
 
 " Am I to every joy denied ? 
 
 " Unknown, unhonoured must I sleep, 
 
 *' No early friend my fall to weep ? 
 
 " And who, to represent my race, « 
 
 " In battle-fields, or peaceful Fes? — * 
 
 " Oh ! that I ne'er had made the vow, 
 
 " Which holds me from my country now !" 
 
 IX. 
 
 Now softer sounds the comrades hear, 
 From distance swelling to the ear. 
 " 'Twas supplication's fondest prayer, 
 " By angel breathed !" — cried AValdamer, 
 As faintly died the plaintive tone. 
 
 Aghast heard Dermid : He had known 
 
 That voice before ; Its softened strain 
 
 Had soothed him oft on Erin's plain. 
 But who can paint his agony, — 
 His hopes, — his fears, — his troubled joy, 
 When, from the distant cavern, rolled 
 
 His very name, distinctly told ? 
 
 Yes ! told ! and in such accents too, 
 
 As who hatl heard unmoved ? 
 
 * The Parliaments of Taia. 
 
CANTO IV. DERMID. 107 
 
 Her voice, to whom his passion true 
 Remained ; — whom most he loved. 
 And oh ! what horrors fill his soul. 
 When, through the mists that round him roll, 
 By distant torch he views a form. 
 Whose memory in his breast lives warm ; 
 That absence had but made more dear. 
 And stamped in deeper character ? 
 It was an ecstasy of pain. 
 He shuddered — doubted — looked — and feared — yet looked 
 
 agam. 
 
 X. 
 
 The voice, a lingering breeze of even, 
 Flowed like the strain, that's waked in Heaven, 
 When loveliest daughters of the sky 
 Mingle, in choral melody. 
 Dermid, undaunted, called aloud 
 
 Her name, in agony of woe ; 
 
 Though spirits were to weave his shroud, 
 Thougli death-v/atches* should ring below. 
 
 » The death-watch is a little insect, which makes a remarkable ticking noise, like 
 the beat of a watch. It is thought to forebode death in the place where it is 
 heard. Vide Grose's Popular Superslitions, Quart, Page 116. 
 
108 DERMID. CANTO ly. 
 
 Soon as he spoke, — the distant light, 
 
 That gave her to his frenzied sight. 
 
 Was dimmed in gloom. — The form no more 
 
 Lived in his eye. — " Oh ! God ! this hour 
 
 " Is welcome ! — ^though it calls me far 
 
 " To other worlds, from Erin's war. 
 
 " Who would not deem the summons dear,. 
 
 *' When sent by such a messenger ? 
 
 " Oh ! 1 will follow on thy path ! 
 
 " Dear angel ! be my guide to death I" 
 
 XL 
 
 Reckless of Waldamer, he traced 
 
 The winding caves, with giddy haste j 
 
 Thinking he still heard shriek and sigh, 
 
 More distant in the cavity. 
 
 Now paused he ; — listened ; — not a sound 
 
 Broke on the awful stillness round ; 
 
 Nor voice, nor flying footstep gave 
 
 An echo, through the silent cave. 
 
 " Then was it but her shade ! — Oh ! God ! — 
 " Where is she now ? — what flowery sod 
 •* Marks her cold grave ? — there let me lie, 
 " And breathe her treasured name, and die." 
 
CANTO IV. DERMID. 109 
 
 Dark was the cave, no ray of light 
 Illumed the eternity of night : 
 
 Pensive he stood, — His way unknown, 
 
 His guide was lost, — his friend was gone. 
 
 " Waldamer ! Waldamer !" — vain was the cry, 
 
 The cavern re-echoes no friendly reply. 
 
 xn. 
 
 " Oh ! wilt thou leave thy friend to death," 
 
 Cried Dermid, " to a living tomb ; 
 " Without a beam to guide his path ?" 
 
 Wildly he hurried through the gloom. 
 When lo ! a line of light appeared, 
 And faint the distant sea was heard. 
 Dermid beheld the narrowed way, 
 And fondly thought the pale moon's ray 
 Might lead him from captivity. 
 Yet, ere he left the cave, — again 
 He called on Waldamer ! — In vain j— 
 The lonely echo died away : 
 Yet once he fancied step behind, 
 Or was it mockery of the wind ? 
 He turned ; — and nothing met his gaze, 
 But caves and gloominess of space. 
 
mo DEllMID, CANTO IV. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 The rocks were high ; — the chffs were steep, 
 That crossed him now ; — with dizzy leap, 
 
 He scaled them all right manfully. 
 That frozen heart can never warm, 
 
 Can never heave a patriot's sigh. 
 That would not danger's deadliest form 
 
 Undaunted meet, for liberty. 
 Each hinderance past, — a transient joy 
 Rose, — as the ocean met his eye. 
 
 Short was his transport : Sodor's steep 4 
 
 Swelled shadowy o'er the silent deep. 
 And on its brow he stands ; while near 
 Resounds the clang of shield and spear. 
 And brightly gleams the moon below, 
 Wliere frowns the fortress of the foe. 
 
 XIV. 
 
 Dermid, in hopeless silence heard 
 The revels of the midnight guard ; 
 As often rung their shouts the while, 
 Where humbly peeped a sacred pile ; 
 
CANTO IT. DERMID, 111 
 
 Where, Erin ! e'en on strangers' land, 
 Thy Patron's church stood unprofaned. 
 And well it might ! — for by that Saint 
 
 Menevia's witchery is o'er ; 
 And Mac Leir's arts in vain were spent, 5 
 
 Where error's mists prevailed no more. 
 No more : — for in that cavern's womb, 
 Tliat subterranean world of gloom, 
 
 Whence Dermid late emerged, — they say, 
 That fell magician has been bound. 
 To walk his penitential round, 
 In figure of a Spectre * hound, 
 
 Until the Judgment day. 
 Dermid had traced the caves to-night, 
 Tlioughtless of fairy, fetch, or sprite, 6 
 
 The subject but of idle lay. 
 
 XV. 
 
 Deserted and alone he stood, 
 
 As if his eye v/ould trace the flood ; 
 
 * Contrary to all etiquette, I shall refer the reader to a modern authovitj', for 
 an account of the Mauthe Doog, or Spectre Hound, — Scott's Lay of the last Min- 
 strel {Canto 6, St. 26) may be a more agreeable and convenient refereuce, than 
 any other that I could give. 
 
112 DERMID. CANTO it. 
 
 Or had those depths ab-eady spanned. 
 That barred him from his native land. 
 When sudden, from a cleft, advanced 
 
 A tall majestic form unknown ; 
 
 Round him a Culdee's dress was thrown :— 
 No look the cautious being glanced 
 From the concealment of his hood ; 
 But as in doubt or terror stood. 
 Anon he spoke, — and waved his hand. 
 With less of counsel than command. 
 
 " Follow ! or every hope is gone !" ■ 
 
 " Yes ! I will go ! — But tell me, where, — 
 " In mercy where is Waldamer?" 
 The silent stranger shook his head. 
 Beckoning to follow, as he led. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 There was a secret sloping path, 
 
 That wound through cleft, and rock, and heath ; 
 
 By that descent, unseen before. 
 
 Was Dermid hurried to the shore. 
 
 Attentive marked he now his guide. 
 
 For they had reached the water's side : 
 
CANTO IV. DERMID. 113 
 
 There the mysterious stranger paused ; 
 
 And, pointing to a creek, enclosed 
 
 By rocks projecting o'er tlie tide ; 
 
 " Fly ! fly ! ere 'tis too late !" he cried. 
 
 Then sought the path and rugged height, 
 
 With desperate speed, from Dermid's sight ; 
 
 Who now his lessening form descries 
 
 Scaling the moon-lit precipice; 
 
 Fast it recedes, — it flics, — and now 
 
 It vanished on the hill's dark brow. 
 
 XVII. 
 
 Dermid, scarce trusting what he'd heard. 
 
 Approached the creek ; — when, lo ! appeared 
 
 (Wliile not a breath disturbed the sea,) 
 
 A corragh floating in the bay. 
 
 " Tempt not the bark ! — Infernal power 
 
 " Has framed it in unhallowed hour, 
 
 " And Elf* has placed it here for thee, 
 
 " To win thee from the shore to sea, 
 
 " From peaceful land to stormy tide !" 
 
 One less undaunted might have cried. 
 
 * Such tricks were usual with the " Water Elfoo.'' 
 P 
 
114 DERMID. CANTO IV. 
 
 Dermid ! 'twas thought unknown to thee, 
 
 Or lost in hope ot" hberty. — 
 
 Triumphant sprung he from the shore ; — 
 
 The woes of slavery were o'er. — 
 
 He looked, — he paused, — a moment there, — 
 
 Again he called on Waldamer ; 
 
 The rocks re-echoed no reply, 
 
 But the mysterious " fly ! fly ! fly !" — 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 To the bark's helm had spell-bound cord * 
 Been hung, with many a mystic word : 
 One knot untie, — a favouring breeze 
 Shall guide thee o'er the yielding seas ! 
 
 Another, and a stronger gale 
 
 Shall swell the tide, and fill the sail i 
 
 Loose but the third, The storm shall rise, 
 
 And mingle winds, and waves, and skies ! 
 But Dermid little then relies 
 On Edda-wovenf mysteries. 
 
 * This cord has been already unravelled by Mr. Scott, (Rokeby, Canto 2, St. 1 \.) 
 That the custom peculiarly prevailed in " tje JU of tpann." Vide Hollinshed't 
 Chronicles, Vol. 1, Page 37, 38. 
 
 t The Edda was the Koran vf the Northern religion. 
 
CANTO IV. DERMID. 115 
 
 Yet found he there more welcome aid, 
 
 A suit of brazen arms was laid 
 
 AVitiiin the bark. — " Alas !" he cried, 
 
 " How broken down is Erin's pride, 
 
 " When these her faithful son could prize, 
 
 " Or walk abroad in foe's disguise! 
 
 " Yet Erin ! 'tis thy childrens' doom ! 
 
 " He, who would 'scape the foeman's wrong, 
 " Must foreign dress and craft assume, 
 
 " Must imitate the foreign tongue !" 
 He spoke ; and, cased in glittering mail, 
 Pushed his light bark from shore, and spread the rustling 
 sail. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 'Twas night ; But well the youth could guide 
 
 The magic vessel o'er the tide ; 
 
 And well he knew each star, whose power 
 
 Could lead him to his native shore. 
 
 Worlds were reflected o'er the sea. 
 
 Doubling Creation's treasury : 
 
 As, o'er the extended blue serene. 
 
 Another universe was seen. 
 
116 DERMID. CANTO ir. 
 
 Here " Winter's-road" * extended wide, 
 
 Spanning, with silvery arch, the tide : 
 
 Cathhn its softened splendor gave ; 7 
 
 Rel-durath smiled upon the wave ; 
 
 And, rising from his watery bed, 
 
 A meteor-blaze Tonthena shed ; 
 
 And, where the shadowy woods were traced 
 
 Upon the water's tranquil breast. 
 
 There the red eye of Berthin gleamed, 
 
 Half in the dark reflection dimmed ; 
 
 While mild Ul-Erin's friendly light 
 
 Shone on the sable robe of night. 
 
 XX. 
 
 And, higher on the blue serene. 
 Traces of northern f lights were seen : 
 While many a scattered beacon-light, 
 That redder glowed through gloom of night, 
 Reflected on the slumbering waves. 
 Seemed starting from the central :f caves; 
 
 * The Milky Way was so called by the Scandinavians. Vide Mallet's Northern 
 Antiquities, Vol. 1, Page 355. 
 
 ■f The Aurora Borealis. 
 
 J These lines allude to that great burning globe, which has been, by some phi- 
 losophers, supposed to occupy the centre of the earth. 
 
CANTO IV. DERMID. 117 
 
 As by some strange convulsion hurled. 
 Through moveless depths of water tar. 
 That felt not the elemental war 
 
 Which shook the centre of the world. 
 But, as the waves and current rose, 
 They broke the ocean's soft repose ; 
 Each scene, that seemed of late to sleep, 
 Enchanted on the unruffled deep. 
 Sprung into life and motion : — Then 
 The mountains seemed to walk the main ; 
 And every star to circle there. 
 As in its native hemisphere. 
 
 XXI. 
 
 Now fresher blew a northern gale ; 
 It poured on Dermid's swelling sail. 
 The horizon, narrowing round, withdrew 
 Each dim reflection, from his view, 
 
 Of land and safety : But yon sky 
 
 Brightens with beams of liberty ! 
 One tear he shed to Iriendship true, 
 A rescued captive's last adieu. 
 
118 DERMID. CANTO iv. 
 
 " Friendship can make a prison dear ! 
 " Nor will I dash away this tear ! 
 " 'Tis thine!" he cries, " my Waldamer!" 
 Then listens to the creaking mast, 
 With mingled joy and grief, as rolls the favouring blast. — 
 
 END OF THE FOURTH CANTO. 
 
DERMID. 
 
 Canto ififti). 
 
«W>/\'k»Sr/wm<N»VV<<VvArrf\rrfW\ 
 
 TJie scene of this Canto is Glendaloch, in the County Wickloxi). The 
 time, the 11th of March, the 'well k?ioxvnfestival of Saint Patrick, 
 
 »^^/WVW\^^^/^/\/lyv/^A/V<yv^/vr/^« 
 
DERMID 
 
 Canto ifift]^* 
 
 L 
 
 " Awake ! sons of Erin ! — The night is past over; 
 
 " The morning of liberty bursts on our plains j 
 
 " Alas ! for the day, when our sons shall discover, 
 
 " They sprung from a race, that could sleep in their 
 chains ! 
 " Awake ! sons of Erin ! — We fear not the stranger, 
 " We will go to the field, to be partners in danger ; 
 " Victory shall follow us, — No fortune can change her, 
 " When united we fight for our Erin go Bragh ! — * 
 
 " The feast of our Patron awakes us from sorrow ; 
 " He implores us to join 'gainst the sons of the sea, 
 
 * " Erin for erer !" 
 Q 
 
122 DERM ID. CANTO v. 
 
 " Our oppressors to-day, but our bondmen to-morrow, 
 
 " Warriors of Erin ! we live to be free ! 
 " When our children can feel ; — to the green hills repairing, 
 " Let us point out each field, where we conquered for Erin, 
 " And teach them to lisp, the first sounds that they learn, 
 " To their God, for the freedom of Erin go Bragh i 
 
 " The sun-shine of freedom, though long — long deluding, 
 " Shall burst through the mists that envelop our isle ; 
 
 " Then shall no dark clouds of discord intruding 
 " Intercept the glad beams, that would gild Inisfail : 
 
 " To the faithful a tribute of praise shall be given ; 
 
 " The shades of the blest, from the breezes of even, 
 
 *' Shall blazon their names on the records of heaven, 
 " The faltliful, who stood by their Erin go Bragh !" 
 
 11. 
 
 Such patriot strains were heard afar, 
 They waked green Erin's sons to war ; 
 And started many a Dane withal. 
 Upon Saint Patrick's festival. 
 While bugle shrill and wild harp's sound 
 Made many a warrior's bosom bound, 
 
CANTO V. 
 
 DERMID. 123 
 
 At freedom's call : — As each prepared 
 
 His countrj's sacred rights to guard. 
 
 But, Glendaloch ! no bugle breaks 
 
 The awful stillness of thy Lakes ! 
 
 O'Tool is gone ! — his bands no more 
 
 Are ranged on thy enchanting shore ! 
 
 No more shall gleam Rath Druim's* height, 
 
 With helm and spear, a burnished light ! 
 
 Alas! how changed! how withered now 
 
 Tiie woods, whose bloom once decked its brow ! 
 
 Dismantled by the tempest's shock, 
 
 Their branches mountain-streams o'erwhelm ; 
 Their trunks droop lonely on the rock, 
 
 Like cloven crest on warrior's helm. 
 
 III. 
 
 No more shall Glendaloch repeat 
 The martial clang, the choral hymn ; 
 
 The warrior's sun of glory's set. 
 The light of piety is dim. 
 
 * Rathdrum, an ancient seat of tlic O'Tools, near Glendaloch Let not the 
 
 reader attach any particular importance to O'Tool's introduction here. It re- 
 gards not the main story, but was essential to the scene. 
 
124 DERMID. canto v. 
 
 The ivy wraps Saint Dogain's cell, * 
 
 That gave a patron to the vale : 
 
 And pilgrims mark, with many a sigh. 
 
 The chapel of the Trinity. 
 
 All ! all is desolation ! — gloom 3 
 
 Has half concealed Saint Kevin's tomb ; 
 
 The Virgin Mother's church is drear, 
 
 The wild-flowers wave ungathered there ; 
 
 And many an aged thistle grows. 
 
 Where erst the pilgrim found repose. 
 
 Oh ! were thy spirit, sainted Kevin ! 
 
 Allowed to visit earth again ; 
 Awhile to leave the bliss of Heaven, 
 
 And mark the ruin of thy Glen : 4 
 
 Would not a troubled feeling rise, 
 To haunt thee even in Paradise ; 
 And whisper, 'mid thy transports there, 
 " Thy cloistered Glendaloch is drear ! 
 " And all unknown and unrevered, 
 " The humble grove, f thy hand had reared!" 
 
 * This and the others that follow, are ancient churches, whose ruins remain in 
 the valley to this day. 
 
 f " Between the Cathedral and the upper Lake, is a group of thorns of a great 
 
 size, and their plantation is ascribed to St. Kevin." Ledimch's Antiquities of 
 
 Ii eland, 2nd Ed. Page 173. 
 
CANTO V. 
 
 DERMID. 125 
 
 IV. 
 
 Here, bosomed in deserted glens, 
 
 Saint Saviour's priory remains ; 
 
 The laver and confessional 
 
 Now totter in the mouldering wall. 
 
 There, part in early light arrayed, 
 
 And part embrowned in thickest shade. 
 
 The Temple of the Desert seems, 
 
 Like Moon eclipsed of half her beams ; 
 
 Oft from its cells, a welcome sound 
 
 Through the deserted glens around. 
 
 Was heard the toll of Vesper bell ; 
 
 The wearied wanderer knew it well, 
 
 Roused by the sound he'd haste along, 
 
 With grateful heart and pious song ; 
 
 While kindly cheer, and friendship's flow, 
 
 Would hail him to the vale below. 
 
 And, when the Monks refreshed their guest, 
 
 (For riot ruled not at their feast,) 
 
 Each would relate some simple tale, 
 
 Some legend of Saint Kevin's vale ; 
 
126 DERMID. canto v. 
 
 Of mid-night voice, or holy well, 
 Or spirit of the Djemon's* dell ; 
 'Till morning's radiance would illume 
 The cloisters of monastic gloom, 
 And call the Pilgrim forth, again 
 To wander o'er the lonely plain. 
 
 V. 
 
 All now is changed! — and, from that height, 
 
 Wliere erst Saint Kevin told his bead. 
 And watched the dreary course of night. 
 
 In penance from his dizzy bed ; 5 
 
 Where late has anxious warrior stood. 
 Like guardian spirit of the flood. 
 Adventuring many a wistful gaze, 
 Along the distant gloominess ; 
 Lest Ostman bands or Ostman rule 
 Approach the regions of O'Tool : 
 
 * The Devil's Glen, a romantic scene near Dunran, in the County Wicklow ; 
 and remarkable for the fall of the Vavtrey 100 feet.— The glen derived its name 
 probably, from some spirit, who might be supposed to haunt it. Were it fre- 
 quented by the whole fraternity, it were still an enviable Pandiemonium. 
 
CANTO V. 
 
 DERMID. 12: 
 
 Tlience, Erin ! o'er thy warriors' graves, 
 The Ostman's conquering lleafcn * waves, 
 
 VI. 
 
 Oft, on the summit of yon tower. 
 Full many a penitential hour. 
 Has sinner knelt ; — ^'till shrift and prayer 
 Banished the sorrows of despair ; 
 And frequent intercourse with heaven 
 Whispered that all would be forgiven. 
 Long years have past, since to its gloom, 
 Like living victim to a tomb. 
 
 A Lady fled in noon of life ; 
 The cause though strange, was yet unknown ; 
 For Eveleen her name alone 
 
 Revealed ; — and pity could respect her griefs 
 She came, 'twas said, in mid-night hour, 
 Mysterious tenant to this tower ; 
 Wliile some believed, an hostile band 
 Had forced her from her own good land : 
 This as it may, — in beauty's pride, 
 Without one clansman at her side, 
 She came ; — and still in these lone glens, 
 Uninjured dwelt 'mid host of Danes. 
 
 * Vide Note 3 to Canto Ninth. 
 
128 DERMID. canto v. 
 
 VII. 
 
 At first her night and day, they tell, 
 
 Were passed in tears in yonder cell ; 
 
 Often the mountaineers would bear 
 
 Tlie victim of the chase to her ; 
 
 Yet, disregarding long or food 
 
 Or friend, she loved but solitude. 
 
 At length by slow degrees estranged 
 
 From grief, — ^her distant manners changed. — - 
 
 With timorous glance and strugfflins: sigh. 
 
 She'd thank them for their sympathy ; 
 
 Anon would tell them, how her Lord 
 
 Had fallen by a treacherous sword, 
 Or he would thank them too ; 
 
 Then, to the royal sepulchre, 
 
 She'd guide them. ; — while the bursting tear 
 
 Revealed the rest : — on new-made grave 
 
 She'd kneel, and weep, and pray, and rave : — 
 
 And now implore her Lord's release, 
 
 From penance-pains, to worlds of peace ; 
 Then thank the morning dew, 
 
 That, spangling each surrounding scene, 
 
 Had washed his humble grave so green. 
 
CANTO V. DERMID. 129 
 
 viir. 
 
 Long lapse of years will soften grief. 
 And reconcile the sad to life: 
 And time, though first emotions seem 
 To shut out pleasure's last pale beam, 
 Beguiles the bosom of despair, 
 And leaves calm resignation there. 
 So, wrapt in softened grief, this day 
 
 Had Eveleen, through vallies wild 
 And gloomy woods, her lonely way. 
 
 With recollections sweet, beguiled. 
 Long had she strayed — where lightest sound 
 Broke not the solemn stillness round. 
 By sweet transition, pious love 
 Had turned her thoughts on joys above ; 
 And, as each tranquil scene she traced, 
 A kindred calm her soul possessed. 
 
 L\'. 
 
 When softly, in the wooded glen. 
 She heard a rustling sound ; — again ! — 
 A cautious footstep seemed to glide 
 More near adown the mountain's side ; 
 
 R 
 
130 DERMID. CANTO v. 
 
 Slowly she raised her pensive eye, 
 It glanced upon — an enemy ! — 
 Her country's enemy : — if glow 
 Of Danish arms could mark him foe. 
 But his was form too gently framed, 
 
 To wake a moment's fear ; 
 She wondered how the soul, that beamed. 
 Such silent sympathy unclaimed, 
 
 Could hold oppression dear. 
 She looked, yet feared to trust the while. 
 For well, too w£ll she knew, that treachery could smile* 
 
 X. 
 
 Jn mute amaze the stranger stood, 
 
 As if reluctant to proceed ; 
 As if some spirit of the wood 
 Were startled, from her solitude 
 
 Of gloom, by his unhallowed tread 5- 
 
 Seemed he her timely care to need. 
 As leant upon a rock he then 
 Appealed in low and faltering strain: — 
 " Oh ! Lady ! on green Erin's land, 
 
 " The wanderer was not wont to plead 
 •• Unheard, unhelped, when friendship's hand 
 ** Could give his wearied spirit aid." — 
 
CANTO V. DERMID 131 
 
 " Stranger ! tor Erin shall 1 say, 
 
 " She ne'er refused a suppliant yd ; 
 " Nor would she, on lier Patron's day, 
 
 " The work of charity forget." 
 Said Eveleen ; and, where she led, 
 His foot instinctively obeyed. 
 "Wlien charity's kind hand is near. 
 And friendship's voice, and pity's tear, 
 How soon the wearied frame revives. 
 And every numbed sensation lives ! 
 
 XI. 
 
 While Eveleen, with humble food. 
 Refreshed him in her solitude ; 
 Often his wistful eye would steal. 
 Along the windings of the vale ; 
 Where, girt by many a mountain grey, 
 -Rolled in itself unsociably. 
 The Valley of the Lakes displayed 
 Its shrines, embrowned in thickest shade 
 Of circling mountains ; that appeared, 
 With rude stupendous height, to guard 
 This hallov. ed region of repose. 
 Here in dark horror LugdufF rose. 
 
132 DERMID. canto y. 
 
 The Southern sentinel; — Beside 
 
 Towered Derrybawn, in waving pride; 
 
 Between them, o'er its rocky bed, 
 
 By woods embrowned a torrent sped ;, 
 
 While with contrasted brightness fell, 
 
 From hills, that westward bound the vale, 
 
 Glaneola's cascade ; — And North, 
 
 Broccagh his mountain mists sent forth ; 
 
 But in the east, no envious height ; 
 
 Shut out the golden flood of light; 
 
 No interposing forest stood 
 
 To veil the rising orb, — that rode 
 
 Full in the breach — e'en now ; — As fate 
 
 Had placed it there a golden gate. 
 
 To guard and gild this sacred ground ; 
 
 While, brightly arched o'er all, and wound 
 
 About the mountains' tops — the sky 
 
 Closed up the enchanted scenery. 
 
 XII. 
 
 The stranger then (his strength renewed,) 
 Seemed longing for the deadly feud ; 
 And as he looked afar, his brow 
 Would kindle at the ruin round ; 
 
CANTO 7. 
 
 DERMID. 133 
 
 His hand in vacancy he now 
 
 Would grasp, — then hum the battle sound. 
 Marked Eveleen, with sad surprise, 
 
 His swelling breast, — his glowing eyes, 
 
 His Danish dress ; — Alas ! had she 
 Cherished her country's enemy ? 
 
 " Warrior! strange scenes have met thine eye ! 
 
 " Those hills are drear ! — These vales axe changed i 
 " In scenes of former liberty, 
 
 " Are Erin's proud oppressors ranged ! 
 " But is it triumph to thine ear, 
 " To know who dealt such ruin here ? 
 
 " Stranger! — Compassion's work is done! 
 
 " I would not look on thee again ! 
 *' But, oh ! when fields are lost and won, 
 
 " When mingling on the battle plain, 
 " Remember, in that giddy hour, 
 " Thy welcome in the ruined tower !" 
 
 XHI. 
 
 *' Lady ! no Ostman triumphs here, 
 *' I am not of the strangers' band ; 
 
134 DERMID, 
 
 " Though Danish are my shield and spear, 
 
 " Green Erin is my native land." 
 
 " Stranger ! apostate sons are worse 
 
 " Than foreign foes ; — the heaviest curse 
 
 " E'er nation knew. -Or say is this 
 
 " A meet disguise for cowardice ? 
 
 " And sleep' st thou, when thy countiy's weal 
 
 " Is balanced in the moveless scale, 
 
 ^' Wlien lightest aid might break the poise, 
 
 " And win that country's liberties ?" 
 
 " Lady! behold, alas ! in me, 
 
 " One long enured to misery ! 
 
 " From fair Menevia's isle I come ; 
 
 *' The hope of liberty and home 
 
 " Has cheered me in the billows' roar, 
 
 " Till driven on yonder craggy shore. 
 
 " But, oh ! my bondage years are fled, 
 
 " My native isle again I tread ! 
 
 " Though Danish dress and arms be mine, 
 
 " Yet, Erin ! Dermid's heart is thine !" 
 
 XIV. 
 ■ " Then, stranger ! fly ! — for e'en this glen 
 " Has seen the triumph of the Dane ; 
 
 CANTO y. 
 
CANTO Y. DERMID. 135 
 
 " And, where Glendasan's* waters glide 
 " From Lochnahaiifan's bordering tide, 
 
 " Their legions are encamped. Oh ! fly ! 
 
 " Though gladly would I breathe to thee 
 
 " The secrets of my misery. 
 
 " What strange events, 'mid Erin's foes, 
 
 " Have made me rest,— if 'tis repose. 
 
 " But, no ! I will not ask thy tear, 
 
 " No sympathy can soothe me here ! 
 
 " Then, stranger! fly! while flight remains 
 
 " From Lochlin, and these hostile glens." 
 
 " Lady ! eflfectless is thy prayer ; 
 
 " The will of heaven has placed me here j 
 
 " And sorrow never shed a tear 
 " Alone, that Erin's sons could share. 
 " Here thy seclusion must have told 
 " The secrets of each mountain hold ; 
 " Well must thou know each winding path, 
 " That issues from these hills of heath ; 
 " Together, Lady ' let us fly, 
 " There is an hope of liberty!" 
 
 * Glendasan river rises about three miles from Glendalocb, out ofaJake called 
 Lochnahanfap. ■ 
 
\3Q DERMID. canto v. 
 
 XV. 
 
 " Fly !— whither ? — not to home ! — for there 
 
 " Each scene is darkened by despair ! 
 
 " No ! let me never leave the gloom, 
 
 " That shades a murdered husband's tomb ! 
 
 " But wilt thou follow me, — and hear i . 
 
 " My sorrows o'er his sepulchre ? 
 
 " There, wrapt in gloominess of death, 
 
 " When wearied worlds have sought repose, 
 " My bosom's pangs I love to breathe, 
 
 " Where none but Heaven can hear my woes." 
 " They reached the Royal Sepulchre : 
 " Stranger! O'Donoghue* sleeps there, 
 " Till trumpet's sound, on day of doom, 
 " Shall break the slumber of the tomb !" 
 Dermid suppressed a struggling sigh 
 For valour in obscurity 
 
 XVI. 
 
 " And is an hero doomed to lie, 
 " Unhonoured in so rude a cairn ? f 
 
 * Vide Note i of Canto First. 
 f The cairn was an heap of stones, usually piled over ancient graves; and, 
 though the custom had ceased long ere this, yet the name, we may tvell suppose, 
 was not banished from the vocabulary, but applied to the more modern tomb- 
 stones. 
 
CANTO V. ■ DERMID. 13^ 
 
 " And was he fated thus to die, 
 
 " Who hved the bravest cliief in Erin ? 
 
 (C ' 
 
 Tis sweet to fall in battle-field, 
 " And there to seek our last repose ; 
 " To sink upon the broken shield, 
 " Amid an heap of slaughtered foes ! 
 
 " But, oh ! how sad has fortune proved ! 
 
 " How hard his fate, who rests unknown, 
 " Where scarce one friend, of all he loved, 
 
 " Shall drop a tear on his grey stone !" 
 Then Derm id glanced an eye of haste, 
 O'er the rude lines, that grief had traced, 
 
 XVII. 
 
 Stay, traveller! stay! — Thy journey is over! 
 
 Thy pilgrimage past, and a refuge is near ! 
 But, oh ! oifcr one prayer for a father and lover, 
 
 For the chief of Loch-Lane, that in death slumbers here! 
 
 s 
 
138 DERMID. canto v 
 
 His home has been open to pilgrim and stranger^ 
 The fatherless clung to O'Donoghue ISIore ; * 
 
 But fortune was cruel, — nor virtue could change her ; 
 Let us pray, that " the green grass ne'er grow on his 
 door !" 7 
 
 Oh ! why did he die f, whose soul ever cherished 
 
 Each feeling of honour, each precept of truth ? 
 Oh ! why has the heart of affection so perished. 
 
 The friend of the aged, the guardian of youth ? 
 Rest, pilgrim ! join in one prayer by this willow. 
 
 For him, who now slumbers to waken no more ! 
 Tread softly the sod • — 'tis O'Donoghue's pillow ! 
 
 Oh ! may " the green grass ne'er grow on his door !" 
 
 No more shall his stag-hound be seen on the mountain, 
 No more shall his bugle-horn wind o'er the heath ; 
 
 He sleeps without song, save the murmuring fountain ; 
 He sleeps, and, alas ! 'tis the slumber of death! 
 
 The sun, that has set, shall illumine the morrow; 
 Spring shall return, but he never more ; 
 
 * " The great," a usual addition, when merited, to Irish names. 
 
 f " Oh ! why did you die ?" was a usual query put to the dead in Irish Elegies; 
 but was, I believe, seldom answered. 
 
CANTO V. DERMID. 139 
 
 To o'ladden the hours of our sufferuj'; and sorrow ! 
 Oh! may " tlio green grass ne'er grow on his door!" 
 
 xviir. 
 
 " Wherever valour was the theme, 
 " O'Donoghue was well-known name, 
 " His love for country, and his battle-fame !" 
 Cried Eveleen ; " nor braver e'er 
 
 " Concealed his name, when foe was near : 8 
 
 " O'er many an Ostman's shattered shield, 
 " Strode he through Beala Leata's field : 9 
 
 " Full many an arm has dared his power 
 " In vain, on Glen-na-Gleod's * shore. 
 " But all these scenes have past away, 
 " Obscurely traced in memory ! 
 " The sufferings of my Lord, — my son, — 
 " The fatal crimes of Maoldun — 
 " Fill my whole heart, whence other theme is gone ! 
 
 * The ancient name of Waterford, where the Danes sustained a very great 
 defeat, in or about A. D. 985. 
 
140 DERMID. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 " Where, o'er Loch-Lane's extended bays, 
 
 " Their wooded brows the mountains raise ; 
 
 " My Lord and I, long years ago, 
 
 " Had dwelt in peace ; when came the foe, 
 
 " When Maoldun, fell monster ! came, 
 
 " In fatal hour with proudest fame, 
 
 " An orphan left when young, he sought 
 
 " What foreign climes and manners taught ; 
 
 " Nor battles shunned : for scarce a fisht, 
 
 " Even on remotest lands was won, 
 " But was a witness of his might, 
 
 ** And victory followed Maoldun. 
 •* With such a fame to home restored, 
 " Who was more welcome to my Lord ! 
 
 ** Whose glowing bosom oft would swelJj 
 
 " When the rapt Crotarie would tell 
 " The glories of his nephew's sword. — 
 
 XX. 
 
 •* But, ah ! how dull the heart must prove, 
 " That gentler passions never move ! 
 
 CANTO V. 
 
CANTO V. DERMID. 141 
 
 " 'Tvvere hard to kindle mountain snow, 
 
 " Or warm it with a genial glow ; 
 
 " Yet harder task were still undone, 
 
 " To warm the heart of Maoldun. 
 
 " Oft from our festive board he'd steal, 
 
 " To some deep gloominess of vale ; 
 
 " And oft I've heard his sullen sigh, 
 
 " As on my Lord, in thoughtful mood, 
 " He'd fix his dark mahgnant eye ; 
 
 " 'Twas ominous of nothing good ! 
 " Suspicion waked within my breast, 
 " More close we marked our treacherous guest; 
 " For well we knew, no kindred tie 
 " Could e'er restrain his enmity. 
 
 XXL 
 
 " Far circled in the Lower Lake, 
 
 " Where winter's rudest billows break, 
 
 " A rock, on Inisfallen's * verge, 10 
 
 " Rears its broad bosom o'er the surge ; 
 
 " Thither, on desperate deeds intent. 
 
 * A romantic island in the Lower Lake, — on which are the ruins of an ancient 
 abbey. 
 
142 DERMID. canto v, 
 
 " When 'twere destruction to relent, 
 " The traitor Maoldun was sent : 
 " But in an unexpected hour, 
 
 " The Lake below its level fell ; 1 1 
 
 " And many a cliff, unseen before, 
 " Revealed its rugged pinnacle ; 
 " Then Maoldun from prison broke, 
 
 " And scaled each intervening rock. 
 
 " That waning night of woe he spent, 
 " Collecting, for his foul intent, 
 " A rebel band : — the next dread day, 
 " In Mucruss woods concealed he lay. 
 " (This from the whispers of his train 
 
 " I learned, as sped we to this glen.) 
 
 " The sun had set on Glena's * hill, 
 
 " O'Donoghue was with us still ; 
 
 " But Inisfallen's abbey bell, 
 
 *' Ere midnight, tolled his parting knell. 
 
 " In luckless hour sux*prised, my Lord 
 
 " Perished beneath the traitor's sword ; 
 
 * A mountain, that overhangs the lower Lake of Killarney to the West.— 
 These places shall come more immediately under observation in the next Canto. 
 Here, Critics ! is the promise of a plentiful harvest ! — But it is not usual to reap 
 on St. Patrick's day. 
 
CANTO V. DER^MID. 143 
 
 " Traitor accursed ! — his hireling train 
 
 " Surprised Glanflesk, in garb of Dane. 
 " My child too ! — on that fatal night, 
 " Was hurried from my frenzied sight 1 
 
 " A sapling from the parent stem, 
 
 " He grew beneath the morning beam ; 
 
 " But, ah ! the chill of sorrow came, 
 " Each bud of hope to blight. — 
 
 " My only child ! — alas ! the murderer ne'er 
 " Had heaved a parent's sigh, or shed a parent's tear. 
 
 XXIL 
 
 " Thus reigned he o'er Loch-Lane ; — and still 
 " Glanflesk had served his guilty will : 
 " For sure they deem, in Danish fight 
 *' My Lord had fallen ; — nor think, that night 
 " What daemon had the sword imbued, 
 " A nephew's in an uncle's blood. 
 " But peace be with him ! — years have fled ! 
 " Now even Maoldun is dead ! 
 " For late by mortal wound, they telly 
 " Pursuing Lochlin's bands, by Lochlin's bands he fell. 
 
144 DERMID. caxto r. 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 " One satisfaction yet remains, 
 
 *' That only to my wish he gave ; 
 " A life of lengthened penitence, 
 " In Sainted Kevin's lovely glens, 
 
 " By my lost warrior's grave. 
 " But Lochlin's foot profane shall tread 
 " The hero's tomb, the Brehon's* bed ; 
 " Nor ever shall his praise be heard, 
 " In the wild legend of the bard." — 
 " No ! not unhonom'ed did he die, 
 " Nor fameless, Lady ! does he lie; 
 " Whose memory green shall linger still, 
 " On Turk's f dark shore and winding hill ; 
 " Full many a minstrel's future lays, 
 " O'Donoghue ! shall sing thy praise ! 
 " And time unaltered shall, for thee, 
 " Prove still a faithful Crotarie,:}: 
 
 " The tear shall dim. the hunter's eye 
 " When resting on thy tomb; 
 
 * The Irish law was called the Brehon law, and their judges Brchons. 
 
 + A mountain that rises over the middle, or Mucruss Lake, at Killarney. 
 
 :J: Vide introductory/ Stanza to Canto First. 
 
CANTO V. DERMID. 145 
 
 " And valour's self shall breathe a sigh, 
 " And beauty weep thy doom: 
 
 " But soon the welcome trumpet's sound 
 
 " Shall tell, that Erin's free, 
 " 'Twill call their patriot spirits round, 
 
 " Who fought for liberty, 
 
 " What joys to such shall then be given, 
 
 " (Who would on earth remain ?) 
 '* When hailed by all the Thrones of Heaven, 
 
 " A proud, — a patriot train !" 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 " Stranger ! thy sympathising voice 
 
 " Recalls me to forgotten joys ; 
 
 " Oh ! couldst thou gain (The hope yet lives,) 
 
 " The woods, that skirt Loch-Lane's dark vale ; 
 " And learn if there my son survives 
 
 " The night, on which his father fell, 
 *' Now needs he not disguise. — No more 
 " Shall JNIaoldun usurp his power. 
 " But ah ! thou can'st not fly ! — The Dane 
 " Has garrisoned each hill and glen. 
 
146 DERMia CANTO v. 
 
 " Ostmen and Galls* around us pour, 
 " Their citadels command the shore. 
 " Struggling beneath the stranger's yoke, 
 " Her children fallen, — her spirit broke, 
 " Erin can never raise her head, 
 " Her chain's too, deeply rivetted 1" 
 
 XXV. 
 
 " No, Lady ! Erin is not lost ; 
 
 " Her sons to free, shall yet be born 
 " Valour, to quell that impious host, 
 
 " And burst the Danish chain with scorn. 
 " Heaven shall ere long assert her cause, 
 '* Her liberties and Brehon laws !" — 
 " May it be so ! but Inisfail 
 " Shall long with many a sigh bewail 
 
 " The absence of my Lord : 
 " His deeds were known on many a field, 
 " Wlien victory hovered round his shield, 
 
 " And mercy held his sword. — 
 " But warrior ! fly !" — she wildly cried^ 
 " E'en this short solace is denied, 
 
 * J. e. " Strangers," a title by which the Danes were then known. 
 
CAN'TO V, 
 
 DERMID. U1 
 
 " Fly !— fly ! — or all is lost '.—the Dane f 
 
 " Advances through the widening glen ! 
 " And, lo ! it is a Pagan Priest, 
 " That hastes to solemnise tremendous Odin's feast !** 12 
 
 xxvr. 
 
 " Oh ! Lady ! 'tis but single foe ! 
 
 " I fear not Danish legions now. 
 
 " But thou?" — " I shun not Lochlin's sight, 
 
 " Her chieftains reverence these years j 
 " 'Tis only with the bi-ave they fight, 
 
 " They war not with a woman's tears."— 
 " Lady ! farewell ! from thee I go, 
 " Boldly to face the crowded foe ! 
 " My plans are formed ! — and sure my mind 
 *' Misgives me, or my dress shall find 
 " A ready path to liberty ! 
 " Nay ! — Lady ! — no ill-omened sigh ! 
 " Ere long Loch-Lane's romantic bays 
 *' May burst upon my anxious gaze ; 
 '* There may I meet some friend still true, 
 " Some clansman of O'Donoghue, 
 
 " To bear glad tidings to thine ear ; 
 
148 DERMID. canto v. 
 
 " The sun of pleasure has not set, 
 " Its genial beams may glad thee yet ! 
 
 " Myself must seek the fight; — but ne'er, 
 *' Ne'er to forget in giddy hour, 
 " The Lady of the ruined tower !" — 
 
 XXVIL 
 
 Dermid was gone ! — and with the Dane ! — 
 They met, as friends would meet again, 
 
 Embarked in one great enterprise, 
 *' Comrade !" the Ostman cried, " this day 
 " We shall disclose the prophecy ;* 
 
 " And lock down Erin's liberties !" — 
 And now with glowing pride, declared 
 (He little thought a Christian heard,) 
 
 The Scandinavian mysteries. 
 Of blest Valhalla's f joys he spoke ; 
 Of Odin, j and the captive Loke ; 13 
 
 And how this earth was flesh of old ; — 14 
 
 The ocean — blood ; — these mountains — bone ; — 
 
 * The Northern nations never undertook anything of weight, without consulting 
 
 the Oracle. Vide Olaur. Magnus's History of the Goihs, Swedes, and Vandals, 
 
 Page 44. 
 
 f Valhalla was the Elysium of the Danes. 
 
 :J; Vide Note 22 of this Canto. 
 
CANTO V. DERMID. 149 
 
 Once active, — warm, — though now so cold 
 A mass, its origin scarce known. 
 
 XXVIII. 
 
 " Though from the pole, the Serpent's breath 
 
 *' Has dealt forth storms, and plagues, and death, 15 
 
 " Since first the world, on mother-night, 16 
 
 " Was born, as Odin's self doth write ; 
 
 " Yet has that God," he cried, " still proved 
 
 " The guardian of the bands he loved ; 
 
 " And still his arm shall lead us on, 
 
 " Who led us erst, when fields were won. 
 
 " See'st thou yon Bridge from earth to heaven, 17 
 
 " Woven of the party-coloured air ? 
 *' To Heimdal the trust is given, 
 
 " To be eternal Warder there. 
 " Through distant showers that arch appears, 
 " And seems to span the universe ; 
 " Beyond that bridge, — beyond this sky, 
 " In worlds of immortality, 
 
 *' Iduna guards the fruit, whose taste 18 
 
 " Preserves us for the immortal feast. 
 " Serimner there shall be our food, 19 
 
 " Through all eternity renewed, 
 
150 DERIMID. CANTO v. 
 
 " Wliere Odin reigns ! ■ — But hark ! — his praise 
 
 " Is walled from the sacrifice !" 
 
 XXIX. 
 
 Ere they had reached the sacred ground. 
 
 The foaming horn * had traced its round : 
 
 The Danes had drunk to Odin's power, 20 
 
 To him, who guards the battle hour ; 
 
 To Freya next of golden tear, 21 
 
 And NIord f of the watery sphere. 
 
 And last to those in battle slain. 
 
 Who ne'er shall cheer the feast again. 
 
 Then, as each named his Patron-God, X 
 And pledged him in the flowing bowl, 
 Un uttered wishes filled his soul ; 
 
 And many a secret gift he vowed. 
 While lover oft would glance a prayer 
 To Vara, § for his Lady fair. 
 
 * The Danes usually drank their Mead, out of the horns of vrild bulls. Fide 
 Mallet's Northern Anliquities, Vol. i. Page 310. 
 
 f Niord was the Neptune of the Scandinavian mythology. Vide Mallet's 
 Northern Antiquities, Vol. i. Page 98. 
 
 J Whom each was usually supposed to have. 
 
 j Vara, in the Northern mythology, is the Goddess who receives the oaths of 
 lovers, and punishes such as violate them. I'ide Mallet's Northern Antiquities, 
 Vol. i. Pa-e 101. 
 
CANTO V. DERMID. 151 
 
 And now swells forth the sacred song, 
 As Dermid mincrles in the throng. 
 
 XXX 
 
 Jt^pmn to £>Din. 22 
 
 Ruler of Lochlin ! whose dread arm 
 Hurls the thunder, — guides the storm ; 
 Starts from their tombs the slumbering dead ; 
 And rolls the waves o'er Niord's bed : 
 
 Dread Odin ! hear 
 
 Thy people's prayer ! 
 Lead us to conquest and command ! 
 Oh ! hear thine own adopted band ! 
 
 Oh ! lead us to the battle-field, 
 Where broken spear and shattered shield 
 Shall thunder on the astonished foe, 
 Thou dealt the death of fate below. 
 
 Erin no more 
 
 Shall doubt thy power, 
 Resistless shall we fight with thee, 
 For Lochlin and for victory. 
 
152 DERMID. canto v. 
 
 By thee first taught, the Scald * shall raise 
 His earliest legends to thy praise ; 
 Thy magic powers and godlike spell 
 Shall fill the Northern chronicle. 
 
 Oh ! hear our prayers ! 
 
 And guide our spears ! 
 When Erin's host shall be our prize, 
 Thou shalt have noble sacrifice ! 23 
 
 We loved thee, when thou wert our King ; f 
 Though far away, thy praise we sing : 
 Equalled by none, — by none subdued. 
 No mortal hand could drain thy blood ! 
 
 Thine own | right hand. 
 
 On Funen's strand. 
 
 * The name given by the Northern nations, to their Bards — and still have we 
 many scald poets ! — 
 
 f Odin, if we believe tradition, once reigned in the North, and was deified for 
 his valour, &c. Vide Mallet's Northern Antiquities, Vol. 1, Page 58. 
 
 X To prevent the unseemliness of lingering dissolution, Odin stabbed himself 
 at Funen, after he had established his laws and worship in the North. Vide 
 Mallet's Northern Antiqxdties, Vol. 1, Page 67. 
 
CANTO V. DERMID. 153 
 
 With self-inflicted agony, 
 Passed thee to immortality ! 
 
 Ruler of worlds ! oil ! hear our vow ! 
 
 Small were the gifts we offered now ; 
 
 Eut soon " the shock of shields" shall close, 24 
 
 " The bath of blood" awaits our foes. 
 
 Hark ! he moves ! 
 
 Valhalla's groves 
 No more contain the Deity, 
 He leads us on to victory ! 
 
 XXXI. 
 
 'Twas then, with proud solemnity. 
 The priests declared their prophecy ; 
 The warriors pressed more eager round. 
 To catch the grand — the awful sound. 
 
 " Sons of the North ! it is decreed 
 " By fate, — his country must succeed, 
 " Who first alone will fearless fly 
 " To Aithedea's * proud monastery ; 
 
 * Now called Agliadoe, a most ancient abbey situated within two miles of 
 Killarney ; and thouglit by Smith, in his History of Kerry, to command the best 
 view of the Lakes. Vide Weld's Kilkrney, Quart. Page 46. 
 
 U 
 
154 DERMID. canto v. 
 
 " And thence remove, ere battle join, 
 
 " The vaunted Image from its shrine. 25 
 
 " The lot shall tell, whom Heaven will prize 
 
 " Most meet for such bold enterprise : 
 
 " Thus Erin long may rue the fight, 
 
 *' To which our King has dared her mi^ht !" — - 
 
 XXXII. 
 
 Dermid received with glowing eje 
 The words of Erin's destiny; 
 The while his fancy rapid strayed 
 
 To this impending battle plain, 
 Forgetful, half he bared his blade, 
 
 He wished it dyed in blood of Dane, 
 The crowd drew back ; — while marked each band 
 The glitter of his half-drawn brand. 
 A moment Dermid paused ; — anon, — 
 " Mine — mine shall be the lot imdrawn ! 
 " Heaven has revealed its high command, 
 " AVlien from JMenevia's distant land, 
 "It sent me thus ! — Oh ! happy hour ! 
 " When late I left proud Russcn's tower, 
 " In Syrach's bark ! — Remembrance warm 
 " Shall consecrate the Heaven-raised storm 
 
CANTO V. DERMID. 155 
 
 " That drove me hither ! — Haste shall tell 
 
 " My zeal, when next we meet ! Farewell !" — 
 
 He's gone ; — and Lochlin's cheers attend him through the 
 vale. 
 
 END OF THE FIFTH CANTO. 
 
DERMID. 
 
 Canto ^ijctfj. 
 
^wjN/vTi^ ^v.»^r■■y^^^AJ^rf^nJ?'-^ A^^^«A^v^ 
 
 The tra7isactions of this Canto are successivelij developed, amid the 
 various scenes of Killariiey. The time is the 21st of March. 
 
 '^^^/w*^/>*^A/^*wv^/w»w\/«^/^*y^^rl^vrf 
 
DERMID 
 
 Canto ^ijctl). 
 
 tfmmiRU fT 
 
 I. 
 
 'Tis Love, — whose impulse, strong thougli unrevealed. 
 
 Inspires the patriot's heart, and nerves his arm ! 
 'Tis Love, sends forth the vi^arrior to the field, 
 
 And gives to glory's crimsoned wreath a charm ! 
 Stranger to change, it glows as briglit, — as warm, 
 
 In hours of bliss, or ages of despair ; 
 Indelible, till every fading form 
 
 Has passed away, that once the soul held dear, 
 'Till death no passion leaves, no earthly feeling there. 
 
 Sometimes it floats upon the balmy sigh. 
 
 Whose sweet contagion swells young Beauty's breast ; 
 Oft, in ilic kindred tear, that dims the eye 
 
 Of friendship, — 'tis unconsciously exprest. 
 
360 DERMID. canto vi. 
 
 In tumults fluttering, when the frame's at rest, 
 
 It paints dear visions to the sleepless soul, 
 Elastic power ! most strong, where most comprest. 
 It comes unsought, and lives without controul, 
 A kindred Heaven below,— the same from pole to pole ! 
 
 II. 
 
 Such Dermid's feelings on that day. 
 
 When Lochlin's prophecy he heard ; 
 And Heaven so seemed to point his way 
 
 To scenes, by early bliss endeared ; 
 For 'mid Loch-Lane's enchantments dwelt 
 She, who inspired the love he felt. 
 And such the warrior's thoughts, as now. 
 From Mangerton's majestic brow, 1 
 
 He measures, with bewildered gaze, 
 Fair scenes of former happiness. 
 Lo ! o'er the russet clouds, that rest 
 On the grey mountains of the east, 
 A whitening splendor plays ! — Anon, 
 
 The overflowing beams of day. 
 Advanced before the sun's bright throne^ 
 
 With liquid gold prepare his way. 
 
CANTO TI. DEIIMID. 161 
 
 AVhilo animated nature wakes 
 
 Through all the widening prospect: — no^r 
 
 With soft sublimity he breaks, — 
 
 He trembles on the mountain's brow ! 
 
 Then, kindling to a brighter blaze, 
 
 (iatlicrs he all his scattered rajs ; 
 
 Gladdens the earth ; and, through tlie whole. 
 
 Pours light's full tide, — Creation's soul ! 
 
 And sure, 'mid all the enchanted climes, 
 
 That daily brighten in his beams ; 
 
 Ne'er was a lovelier scene revealed, 
 
 Than that which Dermid now beheld. 
 
 Here marks lie where, in windings bold, 
 
 The I'ouler-Infrin's * stream is rolled, 
 
 A waving line of splendid light, 
 
 Down jNIangerton's stupendous height : 
 
 There towers in front, with chalky head. 
 
 The Turk, f o'er forests, — through whose shade 
 
 The waters of a torrent J break, 
 
 Down on the bosom of the Lake. 
 
 * Vide Weld's Killarne;/, Quart. Pages 2 and 10. 
 
 f This mountain derives its name from its clialky head. Vide Weld's Killarney, 
 Quart. Page 3. 
 
 t Vide Weld's Killarnei/, Quart. Page 10. 
 
162 DERMID. canto vi. 
 
 Beneath the foamy war appeared, 
 
 Yet not a wave above is heard. 
 
 Beyond the Turk, with graceful bend 
 
 In varied light and shade extend 
 
 The tranquil Lakes : whose winding bays 
 
 Are lost to the inquiring gaze, 
 
 'Mid hills projecting o'er the flood ; 
 
 Whose shelving cliffs are clothed with wood, 
 
 Down to the water's edge. The while 
 
 Bloom rich the woods of many an isle. 
 That dare not, as they were spell-bound, 
 To break the chrystal calm around. 
 Beyond the Lakes, a lengthened chain 
 Of mountains girds the blue serene. 
 From whose dark summits, many a steep 
 Projects terrific o'er the deep ; 
 But, brightened by the golden flood. 
 The hangino; rocks no more were viewed 
 With terror. 'Twas a lovely scene ! 
 
 While far behind, the view was closed 
 By mountains topping mountains, then 
 
 In distance brightened, — softened, — lost.— 
 
CANTO VI. DERMID. 163 
 
 III. 
 
 These mountains oiicc, at break of morn, 
 Have rung Avitli voice of hound and horn ; 
 AVliile echo, o'er the winding hill. 
 The jovial shout would lengthen still. 
 And the young hunter hid below. 
 Ambushed in shade with half-bent bow, 
 Or Alan * fleet, or quivering spear. 
 Would wait the springing of the deer. 
 Dermid no sounds like these had heard; 
 Nor trace of human form appeared 
 O'er all the bosom of the heath, 
 Where urged he his unbeaten path. 
 For all was melancholy now 
 On island, plain, or mountain brow : 
 
 Here could he find no charm. In haste 
 
 Through Eskanuchy's f glen he past ; 
 Where rolled Kavoge with broken floods, 
 Through craggy cliffs and gloomy woodso 
 
 * An old term for a grey-Iiound. 
 
 f This glen lies between Mangerton and the Upper Lake. The Kavoge rolls 
 through it. 
 
164 DERMID, CANTO vr. 
 
 While, like a lonely ray of light 
 Glancing upon a cloud of night, 
 Hope burst on his afflicted breast, 
 And made each scene look gay, — and lulled each care to rest, 
 
 IV. 
 
 Eye less engaged by one dear scene 
 
 Would, from the height where Dermid stood, 
 
 Have scanned each lake, — each hill, — each glen •,— 
 The varied foliage of each wood, 
 
 That rose on many a mountain's side. 
 
 Exulting in its waving pride. 
 
 All whose enchantments seemed to say. 
 
 There was a brighter better day. 
 
 When warriors flew to battle thence, 
 
 And all was vast magnificence. 
 
 But heedless Dermid passed the while. 
 
 His eye was fixed on one fair isle ; * 
 
 Where oft he hailed a father's cot. 
 
 Anxious its humble roof he sought ; 
 
 * The little island in the Upper Lake, to which 1 here allude, is that now knonn 
 by the name of Ronayn ; from an Englishman of that name, who retired thither 
 from the world, nor could he have chosen a more enchanting retreat. Vide Weld's 
 Killariiei/, Quart, Page Hi -2. 
 
CAMTo vf. DERiMID. 165 
 
 AVHiilc each loved scene, to memory dear, 
 Drew forth the silent tributary teai*. 
 
 V. 
 
 'Twas here of old, at dawn of day, 
 A father bent his peaceful way; 
 And hailed the breaking of the morn, 
 With gladsome shout and bugle-horn : 
 There, often in meridian beam 
 Plad sought repose by shady stream. 
 But slowly followed tear on tear, 
 
 As Dermid traced such scenes that dav ; 
 For war had triumphed even there, 
 
 His father's cot in ruin lay. 
 He wound his bugle : — " Hark ! — and near ! 
 
 " Was it some soft reply ?" — He stood \—~ 
 
 Alas ! 'twas but the waving wood, 
 And echo was the only warder there f 
 The youth no other look could cast, 
 Thoughtful along the shore he passed ; 
 Yet hope still pictured to his eye 
 Some lingering dreams of ecstasy. 
 
166 DERMID. canto vi. 
 
 VI. 
 
 Long time he sped by varied scenes, 
 
 Down the smooth rock, — through shaded glens. 
 
 And dark defile, — o'er wooded hill, 
 
 By rough cascade, or peaceful rill ; 
 
 Yet ever was his aching sight 
 
 Fixed on Glena's * extended height. 
 
 But where was she, whose memory blessed 
 
 The very path, that once she pressed? 
 
 Whose image was so woven there, 
 
 Glena it seemed not without her ? 
 
 Thither at eve she oft had strayed, 
 
 'Mid its fair scenes each care to lose. 
 But troubled now the dark cascade. 
 
 Beneath whose fall she loved to muse ; 
 Tumbling adown its foamy height, 
 It broke unwelcome on his sight ; 
 For where was she, whose presence dear 
 Had won his early homage there ? — 
 Now hasty winding round Glena, 
 He views its ancient Dun; j- but, ah ! 
 
 * Vide Weld's KiUurne!/, Quart. Page 3. 
 
 f This is a Dim of my own creation ! But I think I shall appear perfectly 
 justifiable, in placing one here, for reasons I cannot at present explain. 
 
CANTO VI. DERMID. 167 
 
 It speaks no joy. — A wreck of figlit 
 In silent horror bursts upon his sight. 
 
 vir. 
 
 Til ink, when the soul has learned to love, 
 
 A\niat pangs of horror must it prove, 
 
 If, when the hour of hope draws nigh. 
 
 When expectation fires the eye. 
 
 Ruin is traced, where fancy warm 
 
 Had conjured every kindred charm. 
 
 That home endears ! — Yet, with such woe. 
 
 Derm id beholds Glena ; — for, lo ! 
 
 So changed is now the Dun ! — so drear. 
 
 The wearied wolf finds covert there ! 
 
 Yet seemed he not familiar still ; 
 
 But ever sought his native hill, 
 
 If but a breeze should wave the wood. 
 
 Or moan through darkest solitude. 
 
 There was when harp, awakened here. 
 
 Has soothed the wearied wanderer; 
 
 But, ah ! the soul of Music now 
 
 Is silent on Glena's dark brow. 
 
 Where melancholy reigns! Yon oak. 
 
 With scarce an heir to claim its rock, 
 
1G8 DEllMID. CANTO vi. 
 
 ^Vhose mighty branches parched and bare 
 Seem but to tell what once they were, 
 
 Has known a better day ; 
 When, seated in its holy shade, 
 The aged Crotarie has played 
 
 A legendary lay; 
 While in its fostering shadow stood 
 The humbler tenants of the wood, 
 That, long to Lochlin's torch consigned, 
 Have scarcely left a branch behind. 
 
 VHI. 
 
 Dermid aAvhile, with hurried glance, 
 Sought every scene, that pleased him once; 
 But where were all who made them dear ? 
 And she who hallowed them, — oh ! where ? 
 " Perhaps on this same rocky bed," 
 He wildly cried, and grasped his blade, 
 " The chieftain of Glena has bled. 
 " But father ! hear !" and bending low 
 He kissed his sword — a sacred vow ; 
 " Father of her I love ! — I swear, 
 " No Danish chief shall triumph here, 
 " But blood diall flow for thine; 
 
CAN-TO vr. DERMID. 169 
 
 " And many an ill-fated Dane, 
 
 " Stretched 'mid an heap of comrades slain, 
 
 « Shall pay thy Eric* fine !" 
 Still as his indignation rose, 
 
 " And must we live," the hero cried, 
 " E'en in the bosom of our foes, 
 
 " Nor spurn the stranger from our side ? 
 " Dare I not shed one faithful tear, 
 
 " Amid the ruins of my home? 
 " Must I obey the murderer, 
 
 "^ Who leads me to my father's tomb ? 
 " Why is there charm in conquest's wreath, 
 *' When bought by tyranny and death ? 
 " How can the garland's leaves be fair, 
 " When dyed in blood, or stained with captive's tear ?" 
 
 IX. 
 
 Oft, startled from the mountain heath. 
 Sprung the red-deer f on Dermid's path ; 
 
 * An amercement levied from murderers, to atone to the family of the deceased. 
 Vide Conor's Ireland, 2rd Edition, Pages U5, 146. 
 
 + The red-deer, Heron, and Golden Eagle, are thought to have early tenanted 
 Killarney. Vide Weld^s Killarne!/, Quart. Pages 117, 132, &c. 
 
 Y 
 
no DERMID. CANTO VI. 
 
 And, bounding o'er some thorny brake, 
 Wnh speed of arrow swam the Lake : 
 And oft the fearful Heron's head 
 Peeped, doubtful, from the rustling reed. 
 As the young golden eagle passed. 
 Fresh launched upon the mountain blast ; 
 And flapped its wings from height to height, 
 Half-fearful — 'twas its earliest flight. — 
 Dermid, through labyrinth of brakes. 
 Had reached the stream f that joins the Lakes ; 
 He passed its rustic bridge, — an oak. 
 Flung rude across from rock to rock ; 
 And, as the water stole beneath, 
 Unrufiled by the morning's breath, 
 He thought it bore her image dear, 
 AVho oft had loved to wander there. 
 
 X, 
 
 Silent beneath Turk's chalkv brow 
 And gloomy woods he hurried now. 
 Meridian splendors poured the while, 
 Athwart the lake, round many an isle ; 
 
 t Vide fVeld's KiUarney, Quart. Page 129. 
 
CANTO vr. DERMID. 171 
 
 And robed the distant streams * in lioht. 
 
 That rolled down Tomies' rufrn-od heisht ; 
 
 And, from Glcna reflected, streaked 
 
 Turk's hanging cliffs and cataract ; 
 
 Commingling in a golden blaze, 
 
 ^^ here, nearer through the watery space, 
 
 The lovely Dinis f isle was seen, 
 
 With all the thickets of Brickcen ; t 
 
 And that enchanted land, § which rides, 
 
 With spiral length, the subject tides ; 
 
 A winding emerald promont'ry, 
 
 Enshrined within a (folden sea ! 
 
 Dermid had leaped the torrent's force, 
 
 That rolled its dark impetuous course. 
 
 From Pouler-Infrin's gloomy source ; 
 
 " Oh where is now the social band, 
 
 " That once possessed this happy land ?" 
 
 In vain he checked the tear, — 'twould break 
 
 For country's woe down valour's cheek. 
 
 * Vide Smith's Kerry, Page 124. 
 t ride Weld's KiUarney, Quart. Page 126 % Hid. 
 
 J The scene, to which I would here allude, is the delightful promontory of 
 Mucruss, Vide Weld's KiUarney, Quart. Page 19. 
 
172 DERMID. canto vr. 
 
 XL 
 
 Where was the warrior, that withstood 
 The Ostman power in fields of blood ? 
 Wliere was the son of Erin now ? 
 The vaunted hopes, the battle-vow ? 
 Leant thoughtful on his glittering spear, 
 He wept a momentary tear. 
 It was a noble grief of mind. 
 
 Long cherished in a land of foes ; 
 With thirst of vengeance closely twined, 
 
 Of vengeance for his country's woes. 
 " Erin has never seen such sight, 
 " 'Tis not with tears her warriors fight '." 
 Proudly he dashed away the tear. 
 And past along ; " why came it here ?" 
 Short time, beguiled of grief, he scans 
 The Northern Lake * with hurried glance ; 
 Where many an island waved around, 
 With laurestine and arbute crowned. 
 Then turning towards Glena, awhile 
 His brow was briglitened with a smile. 
 
 * The Lower Lake. 
 
CANTO vr. DERMID. 173 
 
 But soon it passed : 'Twas Fancy warm 
 
 Gave to that rock a softer form, 
 Whose snowy marble, mocking sight, 
 Stupendous topped the Eagle's * height ; 
 Unmoved for ages had it stood, 
 Above the homage of each wood ; 
 Like guardian of this inland sea, 
 Enthroned within her territory ; 
 With all her vassals round the Lakes, 
 Glena, MacGilly f Cuddy's Reeks, 
 The purple j: mountain, Cromiglaun, 
 Ghirmeen, the Turk, and Mangerton. 
 
 XII. 
 
 And now, the ruined fort, § in view 
 Appeared, of good O'Donoghue. 
 Sad through the valley Dermid came. 
 By swelling hill and silvery stream ; 
 
 * The Eagle's nest, a stupendous clifF, which towers over the stream that con^ 
 nects the lakes. Vide Weld's KiUarney, Quart. Page 131.' 
 
 f Supposed to be the most elevated mountains in Ireland. Mf. \VeW made a 
 pilgrimage to the highest. Vide KiUarney, Quart. Page 152. 
 
 •{: So called from a peculiar kind of purple heath, with which it abounds. 
 
 J Vide Note 2 of Canto First. 
 
174 DERMID. 
 
 All round him, through the extended glen, 
 
 With grief he traced a dismal scene j 
 
 In front, that dreary ruin stood, 
 
 Eecording a relentless feud. 
 
 With stagnant foss and rampart strewed. 
 
 Remembered he, the natives told. 
 
 By Lochlin's bands it fell of old ; 
 
 His guiltless breast then little knew. 
 
 What Maoldun's revenue could do. 
 
 The well known hill now Dermid wound, 
 
 Wliere late that valiant chief unrolled 
 The standard of Loch-Lane. All roimd 
 
 In sullen gloom his absence told ; 
 No signals echoed through the wood. 
 Nor guardsman at the Beallagh f stood j 
 While lonely, on the topmost height, 
 
 A tattered banner floated still ; 
 That seemed to tell, some fatal fight 
 
 Had called the warriors from its hill. 
 " How are gone by — thy days of pride J 
 *' How art thou iiillen !" Dermid cried ; 
 
 t Vide Note 3 of Canto First. 
 
 CANTO VI. 
 
CANTO VI. DERMID. 175 
 
 As thoughtfully he sought the sliore, 
 And Aithedea's monastic tower. 
 
 XIIL 
 
 The peaceful Flesk awhile he traced, 
 Where through its winding vale it passed ; 
 Till burst the prison isle to view, 
 A\niere the good Kin"; O'Donoghue 
 Confined dark Maoldun of old : 
 
 Were he there still ! as once unknown 
 To crimes, that now had been untold. 
 
 And deeds, that never had been done ! 
 Now fresher blows the odorous breeze. 
 From Inisfallen's* fadeless trees ; 
 As burst the cells, on Dermid's sight, 
 
 Of Aithedea. Romantic light 
 
 Streamed solemn through the embowering shade, 
 And on the burnished casements played. 
 There, Dermid ! rest ! — the breath of eve 
 Is ffatherino; on the wooded Slieve ! t 
 
 * Vide Weld's Killarney, Quart- Page 84, &c. 
 f Slieve signifies " a ridge of hills" in the Irish language. 
 
176 DERMID. 
 
 There Dermitl rest ! the matin strain 
 Shall call thee to thy toils again ! 
 Peace to their souls, who lorded land, 
 Only to sti-etch the bounteous hand ; 
 Only to gild the orphan's lot. 
 Or cheer the banished patriot ! 
 Their memory shall be hallowed long, 
 
 Whose only joy, whose fondest care 
 Was, but to weave the sacred song^ 
 
 Or welcome wearied wanderer ! 
 
 XIV. 
 
 Now the departing sun-beam breaks. 
 Through smiling glens on golden lakes ; 
 Illumining each sacred cell. 
 Whence near resounds the vesper bell. 
 Dermid advanced J "Alas!" bethought, 
 " What have I borne ! — how changed my lot, 
 " Since last, fair Aithedea ! I viewed, 
 " Such beams illume thy solitude!" 
 Then half forgot his cares, the while 
 He knelt unconscious in the aisle. 
 Fondly he breathed his wishes there. 
 Kneeling upon the cold grey stone ; 
 
 CANTO vr. 
 
CANTO VI. DERM ID. 177 
 
 Well was his heart attuned to prayer, 
 It throbbed with every swelling tone. 
 
 XV. 
 
 The youngest INIonk, when all had ceased, 
 
 Anxious to cheer a wearied guest, 
 
 lleceived with friendship Dermid there, 
 
 Thouoh dressed in arms ot" foreigner. 
 
 " Stranger ! thy welcome shall be said, . 
 " At blazing hearth and plenteous board !"■ 
 
 " Father ! thou see'st, e'en thus arrayed, 
 
 " A captive to his home restored !" 
 His piteous tale then told he o'er, 
 
 Of slavery on Menevia's shore ; 
 
 And last detailed with glowing e_ye 
 
 The grand momentous prophecy. 
 
 " Little," he adds " would I rely, 
 
 " In Scandinavian prophecy; 
 
 " But since our foes have such design, 
 
 " Well were the Image moved : — Her shrine 
 
 " Might yet pi'ovoke the angry foe, 
 
 " To lay those cells and cloisters low." 
 
 The monks approved ; — With choral swell 
 Gathered they round the sacred cell, 
 
 z 
 
178 DERMID. canto vr. 
 
 Where unprofaned tlie Image stood 
 
 To votary's view confest ; 
 The Virgin Mother of his God, 
 
 Most blessed of the blest.- 
 
 xvr. 
 
 That duty done ; — the monks retraced 
 The aisle to cheer their pensive guest. 
 He witli unconscious gaze the while 
 Measured each intervening isle ; 
 And envied the reflected light 
 That played upon Glena's loved height. 
 As robed the sun, with setting rays, 
 Loch-Lane's secluded loveliness. 
 Romantic, through the splendid scene, 
 Gleamed hill, and vale, and lake between j 
 Here all in burnished light arrayed ; 
 There gently softening into shade, 
 Or lost in evening's mists ; — while round 
 The circling shadowy mountains frowned, 
 
 Narrowing the golden scene. The rays 
 
 Of parting day, — a living blaze, 
 Down Tomics' shelving bosom rolled ; 
 It seemed as if a tower of gold 
 
CANTO VI. DEllMID, 179 
 
 Were raised by more than mortal power, 
 
 For favoured spirits there to dwell. 
 Upon Loch-Lane's enchanted shore ; 
 
 While many a rugged pinnacle, 
 Ilemoter to the westward, shone, 
 Wrapt in the splendors of the sun, 
 And seemed but portion of the sky, 
 Kindled with light of palest dye. 
 
 XVIL 
 
 Their humble meal the monks had spread. 
 And to their cheer was Dermid led : 
 Sometime, in converse simply gay. 
 Their social hours were whiled away ; 
 And confidence was sweet relief. 
 With such kind friends, to Dermid's grief. 
 But mid-night came ; and with it brought 
 A kindred gloominess of thought ; 
 Then spoke they of green Erin's woes, 
 And all her fears, and all her foes : 
 Then Dermid's fiery eye expressed 
 The patriot feelings of his breast ; 
 A sullen majesty sat now 
 Repulsive pn his knitted brow. 
 
180 DERMID. CANTO vi» 
 
 Anon he spoke of hard-fought fields, 
 
 Of warriors dying on their shields, 
 
 Of faithless spear, — and broken sword. 
 
 And kindled still at his own word. 
 
 When full on his expressive face. 
 
 The torches gleamed a steady blaze ; 
 
 Then sudden started from his side 
 
 The youngest monk ; " Oh ! heaven !" he cried,. 
 
 " My fallen friend ! That very brow 
 
 " He wore, that very look he cast, 
 " When hurrying to the fight ! But now ! 
 
 " A look like that was Dermid's lastl" 
 
 " Not Dermid's, Roderic !" was half exprest, 
 
 As folded in each others arms, they looked the rest,-~- 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 So met these friends : — whose early days 
 Were spent, in unmolested peace 
 
 Together. Now, their transports o'er, 
 
 Timid restraint prevailed no more : 
 While Roderic to Dermid told 
 
 All the sad fortunes of Loch-Lane ; 
 How scarce ten rapid days have rolled, 
 
 Since Maoldun, to meet the Dane, 
 
CANTO VI. DERMID. 181 
 
 And raze Noghaval's hostile hold, 
 
 Had summoned all his warriors bold ; 
 
 And how, to aiil the welcome figh(, 
 
 O'SuUivan had come that niuht ; 
 
 How all but waited dawnine; dav. 
 
 When 'mid them rushed, — 'twas strange to say, — 
 
 A youtli ; who, with some treacherous tale 
 
 Of plunderers having scoured the vale. 
 
 Allured the chieftain ot'GlanHesk, 
 
 With thoughtless speed and idle risk, 
 
 To fbllov/ on their steps alone ; 
 
 " Never returned our Maoldun ! 
 
 XIX. 
 
 " It is believed, perhaps with truth, 
 
 " The stranger guide was some bokl youth 
 
 " 01" Lochlin's train ; He seemed to know 
 
 " Full well the movements of the foe ; 
 
 " And hence, 'tis thought, our chief he led 
 
 " To death, by Danish ambuscade ; 
 
 " Though strange events have made me deem 
 
 " His fall more slow ; This as it may, 
 
 " We rue the night, the stranger came, 
 
 " And won our bravest chief away. 
 
182 DERMID. canto vi. 
 
 " For scarce had Time elapsed ; and still 
 
 " Their bugle-horns were heard j When, lo ! 
 
 " Around Glanflesk's ill-fated hill 
 " Gathered the silent — crowded Ibe : 
 
 " In vain called forth O' Sullivan 
 
 " Glanflesk's confused and stranger-clan : 
 
 " The foe rushed on ; The fight was lost : 
 
 " Surrounded by the Danish host, 
 
 " The ased chief was borne awav, 
 
 " To horrors of captivity. 
 
 " So told the ^ew who 'scaped that night 
 
 " In darkness from the doubtful fiirht." 
 
 XX. 
 
 In hurried Avords, then Roderic told. 
 
 How swept the foe around Loch-Lane, 
 And overwhelmed Glena's strong hold ; 
 
 How Dermid's father, when each scene 
 Lay waste, in pilgrim's dress had sought 
 
 The Virgin Mother's church ; * " for there. 
 
 * The Abbey of the Blessed Virgin Marj' in Dubh'n (the only remains of which 
 are now converteil into a merchant's stores,) was once a most celebrated Abbey, 
 founded in 8G?. Vide Hank's Dublin, Page 186. 
 
CANTO VI. DERMIC. 183 
 
 " Oiu- noble King ere long, 'tis thought, 
 " Will guide the force of Erin's spear 
 
 " In freedom's cause." Then last disclosed 
 
 Only in Derm id's car, 
 How, when his early friend was lost, 
 
 Himself sought refu'ie here. 
 
 XXL 
 
 The while would Dermid often break 
 His hurried narrative; — and seek 
 In whispers indistinct her fate. 
 
 Whom most he loved. — " Gone ! — Roderic ! — gone ! — 
 *' Then am I come, alas ! too late !" 
 
 In melting grief he sobbed ; — Anon,. 
 *' And in those dying hours when most 
 *' We think of what we loved and lost, 
 
 *' Spoke she of me ? But, tell me not ! 
 
 " Better her Dermid were forgot : 
 
 " Gone !" — he repeated, " Then, farewell ! 
 
 *' Ye dreams of bliss ! no more avail 
 
 *' Your loved cnchantiTients ! She shall ne'er 
 
 *' Be woven in the vision dear ! 
 
 " She ! — Roderic ! she who could alone 
 
 " Have made it dear ! — but is she gone ?" 
 
184 DERMID, canto vi. 
 
 Then, in unsocial gloom, he paced 
 The hall, with folded arms ; — " 'Tis rest 
 
 " To leave this world ! Thou sure didst say, 
 
 " Erin expects, some fatal day 
 " Ere long, her energies to try, 
 
 " In one last field for liberty !" 
 
 " She does !" a sudden brightness shone, 
 
 On Dermid's pale cold cheek ; 'Tis gone ! 
 
 *' Then, Angel ! we will meet once more !" 
 
 Anon more firmly traced he o'er, 
 
 Unbroken by a single sigh. 
 
 The tale of his captivity ; 
 
 And what he felt for Erin there, 
 
 A patriot's hope, a captive's fear. 
 
 XXII. 
 
 Anon of Glendaloch's fair scenes 
 
 He spoke ; — and all that led him thence; 
 
 All the fond hopes, that to the last 
 
 Gilded his prospects, — all now past ! 
 
 Then Eveleen's unhappy state 
 
 Engaged his artless sympathy ; 
 " Sad is indeed that Eady's fate !" 
 
 Said Roderic, — " Dermid ! but to thee, 
 
CANTO VI. DERMID. 185 
 
 " Whose aid may cheer the mourner yet, 
 " Would I the guilty deeds repeat 
 " That sinner trusted to mine ear 
 
 " In hour of penitence : now, hear ! 
 
 " And learn what makes me doubt the tale, 
 " That by a sudden death our chief incautious fell. 
 
 XXIII. 
 " Two days had passed since that dread night, 
 " When Maoldun in secret fight, 
 *' 'Tis thought, hatl fallen : the darkest shades 
 " Had closed on hills, and lakes, and glades ; 
 " When loud was heard, — it haunts me yet, 
 
 *' Such peal, as if some spirit hurled 
 
 " The batteries of another world 
 " In volleys at the abbey-gate. 
 " The bolts withdrawn, — Erica stood 
 
 " (She whom Glanflesk has known too well, 
 
 " The mystic Lady of the cell,) 
 " Amid the storm ; — nor fire nor food 
 " Implored: — but, placing in my hand 
 " This vellum * closed with seal and band. 
 
 * Al] the ancient Irish manuscripts arc on vellum. 
 
 A a 
 
186 IDERMID. 
 
 " This," she exclaimed all pale and wan, 
 
 " This is the shrift of guilty man ; 
 
 " The candid truth may wipe away 
 
 " A moment of a guilty day : 
 
 " Read it !— Their better right 'twill tell, 
 
 " If yet the injured live ! — farewell !" ■ 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 Oh, fathers ! in your morning prayer 
 Remember him cro then laid low ! 
 
 The dead may claim compassion's tear, 
 But should not find on earth a foe ! 
 
 And, oh ! if, in monastic gloom, 
 Resentment kindle at my tale. 
 
 Oh ! cease to start me in the tomb ; — 
 'Tis sweet to bid the world farewell.—^ 
 
 Remorse embitters my last hours, 
 My guilty deeds around me throng 
 
 It is a penitent implores, 
 
 Remember him in matin-sons; ! 
 
 CANTO VI, 
 
 o > 
 
 'a 
 
CANTO vr. 
 
 DERMID. 187 
 
 XXV. 
 
 Can you forget how stories ran, 
 
 AVhen Flesk's fair stream with ruin flowed ? 
 Now know, it was not wandering Dane, 
 
 A nephew shed an uncle's blood. 
 Too much I fear you bear in mind 
 What crimes that nephew had designed ; 
 How JNIaoklun, in prison pent, 
 Raged to revenge his punishment. 
 But, oh ! remember, he is gone ! 
 Your penitent is Maoldun ! 
 The Lake ran low, — the hour was come ; — 
 I burst my chains, I fled my tomb : 
 Revenge was first in every thought, 
 As with a guilty few I sought 
 Glanflesk, where guarded least ; — my train 
 Rushed o'er the moat in garb of Dane, 
 And, to all else regardless, flew. 
 Where slept the good O'Donoghue. 
 
 XXVI. 
 His Lady shrieked ; — she could no more :— 
 Her Lord had fallen ; — my hirelings bore 
 
188 DERMID. 
 
 The senseless form of Eveleen 
 
 To Glendaloch's secluded scene. 
 
 Well did my artful soul conceive, 
 
 She would not part her husband's grave ; 
 
 Thus in that glen was raised for her 
 
 A new but empty sepulchre, 
 
 Where she believed her Lord's remains 
 
 Were laid ; — while I, as from my chains 
 
 Released, with treacherous intent, 
 
 Reported her a penitent ; 
 
 And that, with guilt or gloom possessed, 
 
 She fled those scenes, where memory traced 
 
 The imaije of her fallen Lord, 
 
 CD ' 
 
 The Danish band, the hostile sword ; 
 
 But ever her retreat concealed. 
 As if I knew not where she dwelt ; 
 The while O'Donoghue's young heir 
 Consigned I to Erica's care ; 
 Loch-Lane believed him, with his sire, 
 Deep buried in a wreck of fire, 
 
 The ruined rath : His sickly form 
 
 ^Vould need, I thought, no murderer's arm. 
 But still, as months rolled slow away. 
 He grew in strength ; and oft would say 
 
 CANTO vr. 
 
CANTO VI. DERMID. 189 
 
 Such lisping magic from his tongue, 
 
 As round Erica's neck he chmg, i 
 
 It wrung from guilt a pitying tear. 
 
 So simply stole it on the ear. 
 
 XXVII. 
 
 One morning, as the Pagan pressed 
 The smiling infant to her breast, 
 (Oh ! can I now that deed impart. 
 Whose recollection wrings my heart ?) 
 
 I wrenched the child from her embrace : 
 Anger rolled darkly in mine eye ; 
 " Erica ! it is doomed to die, 
 
 " Or live to blast our happiness." 
 
 " Oh, JNIaoldun ! canst thou upbraid ? 
 " Be mine the guilty deed !" she said ; 
 " Ne'er shall the babe disturb thy peace, 
 " Or bar my lover's happiness ! 
 " Fear not, — thy wishes shall be done I" — 
 Fathers ! they were, — alas ! too soon. 
 Years have gone by ; — but vengeance true. 
 Though slow, is thine, O'Donoghue ! — 
 Fathers ! your word may speed me hence. 
 Your suppliant dies in penitence ! 
 
190 DERMID. 
 
 Oh ! pray for him, who cannot breathe 
 A prayer, but for the sleep of death !— — 
 
 XXVIIL 
 
 The Shrift was closed ; — a prayer was won : 
 
 " Dermid ! that guilty Maoldun 
 
 " By artifice could twine around, 
 
 " And win the heart he wished to wound." 
 
 Said Roderic, — " In our days of youth, 
 
 " We dream of friendship, faith, and truth ; 
 
 " We build our hopes and visions bright 
 
 " On fancy's props and pleasure's site ; 
 
 " But soon the storms of life arise, 
 
 " And blast the airy paradise. 
 
 " The foe that, in the fields of fisht, 
 " Calls thee to conquer or to die, 
 
 " To shield thy every dearest right, 
 " Or not survive thy liberty, 
 
 " As friend such generous foeman prize ! 
 
 " But he, who with insidious art 
 " Can feign a sympathetic care, 
 
 CANTO VI. 
 
CANTO VI. DERMID. 191 
 
 " And twine himself around thine heart 
 
 " To choke each rising virtue there, 
 " Is fellest foe, in friend's disguise !" 
 
 XXIX. 
 
 " Unwept," cried Dermid, " may he die, 
 " Who has been false to friendship's tie ! 
 " May none of all his minstrel-train 
 " Receive him from the battle-plain ! 
 " Nor, Maoldun ! shall trump of fame 
 
 " Be sullied with thine hated name." 
 
 " Oh ! cease, he slumbers in the tomb, 
 " Nor mortal should prejudge his doom !" 
 Cries Roderic, " Here repose this night ! 
 " To-morrow shalt thou to the fight ! 
 " Myself, the Virgin INIother's cells, 
 
 " Sharing thy path, will seek j — and learn 
 " If yet thy banished father dwells 
 " There ; or the crowded tents has sought, 
 " AVhere many a comrade patriot, 
 " Ere long on Tara's hill, * shall welcome thee to Erin 1" 
 
 * The meeting place for the Irish bands. 
 END OF THE SIXTH CANTO. 
 
BEKMID. 
 
 CTaitto ^cDciitS). 
 
ff^j^^^^rJ'^^f-r^r^t^^rj^-f't-t^^^ 
 
 This Canlo describes a route from Killar?iej/ to the cave of Dunmore 
 near Kilkenny, S^c. The time is the 22nd if March,^ 
 
 i s ^'^v ^v^^^ v^^v^vs^^/Nyv* ./"■/■Vs/-*^ 
 
B Ell MID 
 
 Canto ^ctjeutl). 
 
 I. 
 
 " The voice, that wooed thee, Lady dear ! 
 
 " Has never flattered yet ; 
 " The heart, tliat throbbed its liomage liere, 
 
 " Has never known deceit ; 
 " If fate must rivet Erin's chains, 
 
 " And freedom beam no more ; 
 " \^liat charm in Hfe for me remains, 
 
 " Unshared with thee, — Astore ! * 
 
 * This seems to have been an endearing term among the Irish. It is at this 
 day the burden of a very popular air. ^'allancey has employed pages on its derio 
 vation. Vide Collectanea Hibemica, Vol. ii. Pages 291 — 2, 
 
196 DERMID. canto vii. 
 
 " But, no ! my country must be free, 
 
 " The days of triumph come ; 
 " Prophetic gleams of liberty 
 
 *' Are bursting through the gloom ; 
 " How glorious shall their splendors shine 
 
 ** On those whose griefs are o'er ! 
 " Bat what on earth can banish mine, 
 
 " Bereft of thee,— Astore !" 
 So Dermid spoke ; — as looked he now 
 At dawn a last farewell from Aithedea's green brow, 
 
 II. 
 
 Short time with thoughtful eye he stood. 
 Gazing o'er Inisfallen's wood ; 
 As if, through some dividing glen, 
 To view a Father's cot again ; 
 When Roderic, with anxious pace, 
 Approached him near the green hill's base. 
 " Dermid ! there is an hope, that breaks 
 
 " Triumphant through the darkest fate ; 
 " It tells, thy love may cheer those Lakes ! 
 
 " A father hail thy presence yet !" 
 
 *' May cheer those Lakes ! — Oh ! Roderic ! why 
 *' To me these words of mystery ? 
 
CANTO vir. DERMID. 197 
 
 " Why cruelly refuse to tell, 
 
 *' When — how she died ? — Oh ! why conceal 
 
 " Each record of her fate? But e'er, 
 
 *' When Dermid questions thee of her, 
 
 *' Thou answerest him a word alone, 
 
 *' A syllable, She's gone ! — gone ! — ^gone ! 
 
 III. 
 *' May cheer those Lakes ! — That hope is vain ; 
 *' We parted, ne'er to meet again ! 
 " Here gathered to my view arise 
 " The happiest hours — the fondest ties ; 
 *' Such ties as love, as friendship wove, 
 " Which have been true — and still shall prove 
 *' As firm, as to their country they, 
 " Who linked those bonds in better day. 
 " On hallow-eve, in these lone groves, 
 *' I dared to breathe my earliest loves ; 
 " In sport and play some gayer wight 
 " Would spend that superstitious night ; 
 *' Would spell his loves, — or trace the brake, 
 *' Or dream upon the mystic cake : 
 " But I could never join in mirth, 
 ** Sorrow presided at my birth j 
 
198 DERMID. canto vir. 
 
 " And early love had made me prize 
 " A moon-lit walk a paradise. 
 " Yet long as life should linger here, 
 " That melancholy still were dear, 
 " If blest with her, — whose form's exprest, 
 " Alas ! but in her lover's breast. 
 " Hours of my youth ! your rays of joy 
 " Still beam in twilight memory ! 
 " And, oh ! if time should ever steal 
 " (When life and death have poised the scale,) 
 " The fading vision from my view, 
 " That ever still presented you ; 
 " Then shall it be my fondest sigh, 
 " With them to fade ; — and, when they're gone, to die," 
 
 IV. 
 
 " Dermid ! the joys of wedded love, 
 
 " With other maid, thou yet mayest prove !" 
 
 " No, Roderic ! wedded to my heart 
 " Sorrow has clung, — we cannot part. 
 
 " She is gone ! — I have seen her dim form at even ! 
 " She lives for her lover in Erin no more! 
 
CANTO VH. DER.AIID. 199 
 
 " A spirit of the mountain, — A sun-beam of Heaven ! 
 
 " We shall meet, when the tumults of battle are o'er. 
 " Oh ! sad is his fate, who is destined to rove 
 " From the land of his birth and the maid of his love, 
 
 " Oh ! knew I the spot that in death is her pillow ! 
 
 " At morn and at eve should that ground be my bed ; 
 *' I would wed her cold grave ; — I would teach the young 
 " willow 
 
 " To weep o'er her lover — to shadow her head. 
 " Oh ! sad is his fate, who is destined to rove 
 " From the land of his birth and the maid of his love." 
 
 XV. 
 
 *■' Oh, Dermid ! whence that sigh, — that tear, 
 
 " \Mien feeble Erin claims thy spear ?" 
 
 " xVli, Roderic ! this alone remained 
 " To win me from this fairy land. 
 
 " Farewell, dear Lakes ! I still might wish to stray, 
 " Where love once winged the moments in delight y 
 
 " But hope denies the glimmer of a ray ; 
 " Despair enfolds me in the gloom of night. 
 
200 DERMID. canto vii. 
 
 " Adieu, ye groves ! farewell, ye native meads ! 
 
 " And every tree, that bears her hallowed name 
 " May happier lovers wander in your shades, 
 
 " And sweeter Minstrels celebrate your fame !" 
 
 VI. 
 
 The friends had vaulted on their steeds ; 
 
 And now Loch-Lane's romantic shades, 
 
 And Aithedea were past. — They stood 
 
 Awhile in silent solitude : 
 
 And sure it were a frozen heart, 
 
 That could without emotion part 
 
 The shrine of love ; — the hallowed scenes. 
 
 That charmed the hours of innocence. 
 
 Then Dermid's meaning eye expressed 
 
 The gloomy thoughts that filled his breast ; 
 
 As, from remoter mountains drear, 
 
 He looked a glance on all most dear ; 
 
 A parting glance, that seemed to speak 
 
 His pleasures buried in the wreck : 
 
 One other view ; — and all was lost 
 
 Each vista of enchantment closed. 
 
 VH. 
 Sad were their recollections now, 
 As. ohdino- down Knock-Lcvanc's brow. ] 
 
CANTO VII. DERMID. 201 
 
 They viewed, alas ! — they knew too well, 
 The Danish tower nigh Finian's* cell. 
 "Noghaval! still the Reafen floats 
 
 " Triumphant on thy hostile height [ 
 " Loch-Lane's ill-fated patriots 
 
 " Shall never challenge to the fight 
 
 " Thy warriors ! — never !" Dermid cried, 
 
 As, panting with indignant pride, 
 He thought on all his country's woes. 
 Cautious they traced Ownallo's plain. 
 To Ballybeg : — now Glen-na-Mhain, 2 
 
 With all its Druid altars, rose 
 
 To view, — shrines long o'erturned and drear,-— 
 
 The storm of war had triumphed there ; 
 
 Anon the friends unconscious hied 
 
 By fair Kilcolman's f wooded tide : 
 
 And now at distance can they see 
 
 Ard-Patrick's ruined monastery ; 
 
 Awhile they paused one prayer to tell, 
 
 In sainted Mallog's ruined cell. J 
 
 * Vide Note 6 of Canto First. 
 f It was here the immortal Spencer composed his Fairy Queen. 
 X Kilmallock, the Balbec of Ireland. 
 C C 
 
202 DERMID. canto vir. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 The sun had reached meridian heiixht. 
 When burst Knockany on their sight ; 
 Thoughtful they trace the fatal field, ^ 
 
 Where Con at, on her broken shield 
 For once had iall'n : — when Seinnon's shore 
 Lamented long Dioma's power. 3 
 
 But now Knockany's glens are fair. 
 As if no chief had fallen there ; 
 The stream flows peaceful o'er its bed. 
 Nor blushes as when Conat bled ; 
 When heaps of slain had locked its tides, 
 And dying chiefs embanked its sides. 
 - All now in loveliest robe is drest, 
 
 The valley and the sacred cell, 
 As if to soothe the patriot's breast ; 
 
 And Dermid felt the welcome spell. 
 
 IX. 
 
 " Imleach ! * how art thou fallen ! — How low 
 " Thy sacred walls lie levelled now ! 
 
 * Enily, Vide ArchdnU's Mon. Uih. I'age Goi. 
 
CANTO vn. DERMID. 203 
 
 " The bristling spears displace the grove, 
 " Where all was piety and love ! 
 
 " How art thou fallen !" Iloderic cried, 
 
 As through the thickest woods they glide, 
 To where the Suire romantic steals. 
 Through hanging groves, and sunny vales. 
 Now full in view his cloisters f towered. 
 
 Who perished on Mo}albe's red field ; 
 The chapel, crypt, and shrine embowered, 
 
 Through sacred groves were half revealed : 
 And dimly on the topmost rock 
 A round tower stood, like branchless oak ; 
 And near it was the sacred stone, X 
 Momonian monarcbs' earliest throne. 
 
 X. 
 
 As from Carsiol's § monastery. 
 They now refreshed resumed their way. 
 His fair maid's fate — his country's fall 
 Fill'd Dermid's soul. — Nor Killenaule, 
 
 f Cormac's chapel at Cashel. 
 
 J On the ascent to the cathedral at Cashel is a stone, where it is said the 
 Kings of Munster were crowned. Momonia was the ancient name of that province. 
 
 § Cashel. 
 
204 DERMID. CANTO YIL 
 
 With its enchanting scenery, 
 
 Could wake his praise. He passed away 
 
 Silent and sad : — nor silvery Lakes, 
 Nor bold defiles, nor wooded brakes, 
 Divert him from Glena's dark hill, 
 Or from a father's ruined isle. 
 Now by Killmanagh's cell they're borne. 
 
 Thoughtful o'er many a devious height ; 
 'Till started by the Danish horn, 
 
 As rose Clomanty's * tower in sight : 
 Evening's grey mists had gathered there, 
 And shaded silvery Avonfeor ; — f 
 As Roderic and Dermid tried, 
 With slackened rein, the ford below Dineina's tide. 
 
 XL 
 
 " Hark ! — hark ! — what sounds appal mine ear ! — 
 " What glittering arms, — what chiefs appear 
 " How wildly down yon cliff was borne 
 " That winding blast of bugle horn ! 
 
 t 
 
 * Vide Grose's Antiquities of Ireland. Vol. 1, Page 79, 80. 
 i- i. e. " The rapid river," was the ancient name of the river Nore. 
 
CANTO Tir. DERMID. 205 
 
 " Again, — again," — " Pursue ! pursue !" 
 " 'Tis echoed round ;" — " The foe's in view ! 
 " Pursue ! — pursue ! — pursue !" — 
 
 " Oh ! Dcrmid ! whither shall we fly ? 
 " Our friends are far, — the foe is nigh ;- 
 " Our wearied steeds have little power 
 " For fleeter speed, — their fire is o'er. 
 
 " And hark ! — again !" — " Pursue ! — pursue '."- 
 " All then is lost ;"— " The foe's in view ! 
 " Pursue ! — pursue ! — pursue 
 
 I'' 
 
 " Roderic ! thy friend has never feared, 
 " ^^^len foe was nigh, or bugle heard : 
 " Here shall I stand, nor be it said, 
 " At Lochlin's shout that Dcrmid fled. 
 " The oak may break," — " Pursue ! pursue !" 
 " But will not bend," — " The foe's in view ! 
 " Pursue ! — pursue ! — pursue !" — 
 
 " Stand stranger, stand ! — our spears are true !"— 
 " I fear not Lochlin's spear, — nor you !" — 
 " Wlience warrior?" — " From Carsiol's height;" — 
 " And whither ?"— " To the field of fiyht :" 
 
206 PERMID. CANTO vxr. 
 
 " Evening's grey mists liad dimmed our view, 
 " Thine arms are Lochlin's ; — 'haste ! — adieu ! 
 " Adieu ! — adieu ! — adieu !" — 
 
 XII. 
 
 Hurried they now ; — as o'er the flood 
 Saint Kenny's two-hilled city * stood ; 
 
 There Scandinavia's shields were heard : 
 When, lo ! an undisturbed retreat. 
 For Roderic a shelter meefe. 
 
 The caverns of Dunmore appeared, 4. 
 
 Till he should seek, with dawning day, 
 The Virgin Mother's monastery. 
 Whilst Derm id wends, unwearied still. 
 To Erin's bands and Tai'a's hill. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 Now sombre night her starry robe 
 Had spread o'er half the silent globe ; 
 As Roderic, in the caverned space, 
 Drew from the flint the latent blaze. 
 
 _ * Kil-Kenny. 
 
CANTO vir. DERMID. 207 
 
 Where he had gatliercd rush and heath, 
 The blasted fern and ivy wreath : 
 Then in a sheltered cell he spread 
 His mantle, — ^'tvvas an humble bod ! 
 With many an anxious thought opprost, 
 He laid his wearied limbs to rest ; 
 
 In vain : For sleep denied to close 
 
 His busy eyes in soft repose. 
 
 Scarce could the flickering flame illume 
 
 The dreary length of cavern gloom ; 
 
 Where chrystal shapes, in its pale light, 
 
 Gave to imaginative sight 
 
 Altar, and cross, and holy cell, 
 
 Through gloominess half-visible : 
 
 There sleepless Rcdcric thought he scanned 
 
 His brother INlonks, a solemn band, 
 
 In glad procession, as to hail 
 
 The victory of Inisfail ; 
 
 And once he thought the vision dim 
 
 Had paused, as if to wait for him. 
 
 XIV. 
 Long thus were Roderic's thouglits impelled, 
 Through wide Imagination's field ; 
 
208 DERMID. 
 
 \Vlien sudden, In this solitude. 
 He thought he heard a moan, 
 
 He turned ; a minstrel's figure stood 
 Full in his view : 'Tis gone ! 
 
 Now hasty steps were heard ; A flame 
 
 As from the deepest caverns came. 
 
 Awhile it chased the gloom. 
 
 Roderic affrighted told his bead, 
 
 Awhile in fearful doubts he prayed. 
 
 He wished it were a dream ; 
 
 But no delusion could be there. 
 
 It was no mockery of the air ; 
 
 Nor was it flash of forked fire, 
 ■ Hurled down surcharged with heavenly ire, 
 That could so long illume : 
 
 He snatched a fir-branch from the blaze. 
 
 And hurried through the deep recess. 
 
 XV. 
 
 Little could such a torch illume 
 The misty cells— the lengthened gloom ; 
 But strong and brilliant was the blaze 
 Of the compressed collected rays ; 
 
 CANTO vir. 
 
CANTO vii, DERMID, 209 
 
 Within their sphere a globe of hght 
 
 Dispelled the obscurity of night; 
 
 And shewed, where, filtered through the caves, 
 
 A streamlet rolled in rippled waves : 
 
 Anon there glimmered on his sight 
 
 A lengthened line of feeble light ; 
 
 It was a torch's doubtful flame ; 
 
 And as he near and nearer came, 
 
 The soft low language of complaint. 
 
 As from adjoining cell, was sent ; 
 
 An echoed groan, — a deep-drawn sigh. 
 
 The bursting throb of agony : 
 
 He looked ; and horror and amaze 
 
 Thrilled through his soul, — and fixed his gaze. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 With moveless lip and swelling breast, 
 
 A female by an altar grey 
 Knelt ; while her frantic look expressed, 
 
 That much she wished, yet feared to pray. 
 And now to heaven she raised her eye. 
 Then beat her breast in agony. 
 
 " Oh, yes ! it is Erica's form !" 
 
 She who late braved the midnight storm, 
 
 Dd 
 
210 . DERMID. CANTO vrx. 
 
 And bore to Aithedea, alone, 
 
 The shrift of guilty Maoldun. 
 
 Still in her eyes, though faint exprcst, 
 
 A beam of loveliness was traced, 
 
 Tliat triumphed there in happier day, 
 
 \\1ien guilt and sorrow were away ; 
 
 For, oh ! there was a time, the smile 
 
 Of peace there beamed a witching wile ; 
 
 The wasted form — the hollow eye — 
 Now spoke long years of misery. — 
 
 XVII. 
 
 The siffh that swells a female's breast 
 Claims more than common interest: 
 Oh ! who unmoved could hear her tell 
 Her bosom's sorrows to the gale. 
 
 With voice of melody ? 
 Dull were the wight, who would not feel 
 The mute but eloquent appeal 
 
 Of beauty's melting eye ! 
 
 A buo-le-horn at distance woimd, 
 
 Wildly she started at the sound ; 
 
 " Then is he far away 
 
 i'» 
 
CANTO VII. DERM ID. 211 
 
 She knelt ; — she kissed the altar grey, 
 Then looked around all franticly, 
 
 But still she feared to pray. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 At length, with look of wild despair. 
 
 She gazed around ; — the inward storm 
 Swelled, as she glanced on Roderic's form : 
 
 *' What stranger wanders here ? 
 
 " Ha ! thy pursuit for him is vain, 
 
 " Ne'er shall he pay thy Eric * fine ! 
 
 *' With him shall my affections rest, 
 
 " I would not tear them from his breast : 
 
 " Stranger ! thou canst not enter here, 
 
 " This cell is sacred to despair." — 
 
 " If sorrow only dare intrude, 
 
 *' Oh, Lady ! on thy solitude, 
 
 " In grief long versed, — though young in age, 
 
 " Myself might claim the privilege." — 
 
 " Oh ! if thou hast an heart can melt 
 " To other's tear, to other's sigh ; 
 
 * Vide Note to Stanza 8 of Canto Sixth. 
 
212 DERMID. canto vii. 
 
 " Or if thy bosom ever felt 
 
 " The kindred throb of sympathy, 
 •' Farewell ! — Leave me to die alone, 
 
 " For he my bosom loved, is gone ! 
 
 " Sorrow had mixed a cup for me, 
 
 *' Of more than mortal misery ; 
 
 " Yet to the bitterest dregs I quaffed 
 
 " It all, — my lover filled the draught ! 
 
 *' Ha ! — art thou IMonk ? — Though long delayed, 
 " 'Tis come sweet solace to my grief; 
 
 " Well needs my sickened soul thy aid, 
 " 'Tis struggling on the verge of life !" 
 
 And now in holy confidence 
 
 They join — and prayer and penitence. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 Let him, who Lady's heart would move 
 To passion's sigh and tenderest love, 
 Breathe his true vows when moon-beams pour. 
 For love delights in midnight hour, 
 Or calm of summer even : 
 
 And soon as in his circling arms 
 
 Her heart beats quick — her bosom warms j 
 
CANTO vii. DERMID. 213 
 
 Then let him whisper constancy ; 
 The soft embrace — the broken siffh. 
 Shall be by her forgiven. 
 
 But, oh, beware ! — for darkest fate 
 Shall close his gloomy evening yet. 
 Who could deceive the confidence 
 
 Of unsuspecting innocence, 
 
 'Twill cloud his view of Heaven ! 
 
 XX. 
 
 Erica so of old was won, 
 
 When fought the gallant Maoldun 
 
 'Gainst Lochlin's power with Albyn's host j 
 
 As if no foes his native coast 
 
 Oppressed ; — or Albyn's fearless band 
 
 Were weak to guard so fair a land. 
 
 Yet was it so ! and, on that day. 
 
 That day, when red Loncarty's field 5 
 
 Rung with the groans of Liberty, 
 
 Or heard triumphant Lochlin's shield ; 
 Alone, upon that dreadful morn, 
 
 When fled the gallantest his post, 
 
214 DERMID. CANTO vir. 
 
 Uniiceding blast of rallying horn, 
 
 He stood against the foeman's host ; 
 'Till gallant John de Luz retrieved 
 
 The glory of the fight, 
 And many a Scottish banner waved 
 
 O'er Lochlln's fallen might. 
 'Tvvas then Erica's father bled,. 
 Herself (when all her comrades fled 
 With Lochlin's wreck) would rather dwell 
 
 With conquering Maoldun : — His prayer 
 
 Seductive stole upon her ear, 
 
 Nor loved she less the laurel wreath, 
 
 He wore, — ^though sprung from fields of death, 
 Though gathered where a fatlier fell ; 
 She yielded to the Christian Lord, 
 
 Alone to him she fled. 
 And he, who feared not Pagan sword, 
 
 Was conquered by a Pagan maid. 
 Tims with her, in inglorious flight. 
 He left the Scottish camp at night. — 
 To fair Loch-Lane they fled j — where he 
 
 In all a warrior's splendor shone. 
 While in Turk's caverned secrecy 
 
 Erica lived and loved unknown. 
 
CANTO VII, 
 
 DERMID. 215 
 
 XXI. 
 
 'Twas on that fatal night when fell 
 O'Donoghue, that to her cell 
 
 Her Maoldun an infant led ; 
 " To thee this boy shall be resigned, 
 *' To thee are all my hopes consigned, 
 
 " He, ere he learn revenge, must bleed ! 
 " Thou must this night explore the path, 
 " That joins these caverns to the Rath 
 " Where dwelt his father ; — yes ! — 'tis true ! 
 " The great, — the dead O'Donoghue ! 
 " There undiscovered shalt thou dwell, 
 " Where none will dare explore thy cell !" 
 
 No more; with conscious speed he fled. 
 
 " And shalt thou triumph o'er the dead? 
 
 « Xo !" — She resolved the child should dwell 
 
 With her, where late his father fell ; 
 
 'Till JNIaoldun should fix his death, 
 
 And doom him victim of his wrath : 
 
 'Twas doomed. To peasant's secret care. 
 
 The Pagan gave the unconscious heir ; 
 While Maoldun believed the tale. 
 That by assassin's arm he fell. 
 
216 DERMID. canto vir. 
 
 XXII. 
 
 Years past ; — In humble fortune grew 
 The son of great O'Donoghue ; — 
 In humble fortune, — ^yet there were 
 
 Those marks of genius in his eyes. 
 That spoke the soul, which could not bear 
 
 The trammels of such lowly guise ; 
 Proudly he sought each welcome field, 
 Where Erin clanged the battle-shield. 
 'Twas then that first resolved the Dane 
 To blast the peace of fair Loch-Lane ; 
 Then first the crowded foemen sought 
 O'Sullivan's strong fort ; — they thought, 
 If he were bent to their command, 
 E'en Maoldun would yield hard tribute for his land 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 The foemen met ; — and long the field 
 
 Was doubtful, — when O'Sullivan 
 Fell with his wounds: — then Lochlin's shield 
 
 Had borne down his discouraged clan, 
 But, with a fearless mountain train. 
 That peasant youth retrieved Loch-Lane j 
 
CANTO vxr. DERIMIIX 217 
 
 Nor, when the foe was rolled away, 
 
 Forgot he, on that glorious day. 
 
 His bleeding chief;— Though faint, he bore 
 
 The warrior from the field of gore.— ^ 
 
 And what a rich reward he felt, 
 
 When at his feot fair Ellen knelt ! 
 
 When she, whom proudest chieftains wooed. 
 
 Poured forth her softest gratitude 
 
 To him ! " A peasant's son,'' he cried, 
 
 " Claims not such praise ; — be mine the pride 
 " To guard thee from the ruthless foe, 
 " And watch my chief, — ^and welcome health's returning 
 
 glow !' 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 A sigh — a tear alone expressed 
 The gratitude of Ellen's breast ; 
 Yet 'twas that dear unconscious sigh 
 
 First raised presumptuous hopes in him ; 
 It was her soft expressive eye, 
 
 When with affection's tribute dim. 
 And who to Ellen was more dear, 
 Though basking not in splendor's glare, 
 
 E e 
 
21S DERMID. CANTO vir. 
 
 Than he, who in the deadly strife 
 Had saved a father's fame and life ? 
 Who still, with unabated zeal, 
 
 Watched by his bed 'till health returned, 
 'Till every feature late so pale 
 
 Again with life's warm current burned. 
 Then breathed the youth in Ellen's ear 
 His parting vows, his first — last prayer ; 
 And, hurrying from the fortress, sought 
 Those fields of fame, — where yet he tliought 
 A visionary liope remained 
 To rise to glory — rank — command ; 
 Nay more — to merit Ellen's hand ; 
 But from Benhadar's fatal fight 
 He ne'er returned to cheer her sight. 
 Soon heard she all ; — and who could tell 
 
 The frenzy that her soul possessed ? 
 Nor could O'Sullivan conceal 
 
 The generous sorrow of his breast ; 
 While oft he mourned the sense of pride 
 That could such kindred hearts divide. 
 
CANTO vn. 
 
 DERMID. 219 
 
 XXV. 
 Thus passed a year of gloom away ; 
 When Maoldun, — oh, fatal day ! 
 Ellen first saw ; — And soon he sought 
 
 Her father's dun, as if to cheer 
 The unsocial gloominess of thought, 
 
 The cherished darkness of despair. 
 But no, — 'twas with a deeper scheme, 
 To nain fair Ellen's hand he came ; 
 Both, by his fond entreaties won. 
 Removed to his more guarded dun. 
 O' Sullivan there gladly heard, 
 What bands had Maoldun prepared 
 
 To storm Noghaval's tower. The while 
 
 One even, her sadness to beguile, 
 Ellen strayed forth ; — she found no charms 
 In boasted feats of war, or clang of gathering arms. 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 'Twas then she sought, with devious path. 
 The shelter of that mystic Rath • 
 Where dwelt Erica ; — who ere now 
 Suspected much the traitor's truth, 
 
220 DERMID. canto vii. 
 
 Wliose plighted love — whose perjured vow 
 
 Deceived her unsuspecting youth ; 
 But when she heard the praise, that won 
 
 Her simple heart, that night bestowed 
 On Ellen j — when her ISIaoldun 
 
 Forgot her, e'en in the abode. 
 That, dreary as it was, she loved, 
 Wliile to his vows he faithful proved ; 
 It seemed an hour by heaven designed 
 To start the slumbers of his mind. 
 Who little knew how woman's love. 
 When wai'ped by jealousy, can move. 
 Her's was the awful warning voice 
 To Ellen from the cavities ; 
 'Twas she from secret cell that niglit 
 Belied the champion, and the right 
 He dared assert ; — 'twas she forbade 
 Amazed O'Sullivan, to w^ed 
 His Ellen to Glanflesk's proud chief: 
 Thus learned Erica's heart relief. 
 While pleased she thought, no other's charms 
 Should win her lover from her arms. 
 
CANTO vii. DERMID. 221 
 
 XXVII. 
 
 Through gloomy caves, her secret path 
 Retraced she to the ruined Rath ; 
 Thence as she glanced, with pensive eyes, 
 O'er a wide moon-lit paradise ; 
 She marked an ambuscade below : 
 
 Silent approached she through the heath, 
 She knew the standards of the foe ; 
 
 Anon she heard, in low soft breath, 
 " Great their rewards shall be who bring 
 " Such beauty to our gallant King ; 
 " The lovely Ellen, Erin's pride, 
 " Would gladly now be Ostman's bride ! 
 
 " How hard she struggled with our band ! 
 
 " Could we but sack this fairy land ! 
 
 " Here pause ! and for the work of death 
 
 " Prepare ! — hark ! — heard you ? — in yon heath ?— 
 
 " To arms ! — be silent ! — but prepared ! 
 
 " 'Twas but the wolf our steps had scared !" 
 
 Onward they thought it sped ; And now 
 
 Seemed it to guide their way to Glanflesk's wooded brow. 
 
222 DERMia 
 
 XXVIII. 
 
 Deceived they stood ; — Erica 'twas. 
 Who rushed, in this eventful pause. 
 To where, unconscious of alarms. 
 Slept a young chief beside his arms. 
 Beneath Glanflesk's dark brow : — Arrayed 
 
 With his bright helm, and shield, and spear. 
 
 Sought she his comrade bands ; — " Prepare 
 " Two steeds for instant use !" she said, 
 " Ellen by Danish band is won, 
 " Prepare the steeds, or all is gone ! 
 " I knew their track !" — ^but nought she said 
 Of foe's advance, or ambuscade; 
 She feared the dread impending fray ; 
 
 And well she knew, nor threat nor prayer 
 Could win brave Maoldun away. 
 
 Did he but think a foe was near. 
 
 XXIX. 
 
 Thus still by love's fond fears inspired. 
 In the same youthful arms attired 
 She hurried off her Lord : — With speed 
 Through silent winding dells she led j 
 
 CANTO VII. 
 
CANTO VII. DERM ID. 223 
 
 " And can we yet o'ertake the Dane, 
 
 " Or Ellen ?"— Maoldun oft cried, 
 As, with drawn breath and slackened rein. 
 
 He hurried with his unknown guide ; 
 Nor checked that guide his panting beast, 
 
 Till reached they Mallog's cells. " Here rest ! 
 
 " And I will pledge my faith, — thou'lt soon 
 " See her thou lovedst, Maoldun ! — 
 " But move not hence vvhile I'm awav !" 
 She fled ; — nor for one lazy day 
 Returned ; — and then all dark disguise 
 
 Of voice and sex was thrown aside. — 
 " Turn not on me those wondering eyes, 
 
 *' Oh, Maoldun ! thy stranger guide 
 " Has sent me hither : Happy night ! 
 
 " Thou left Glanflesk ! An horrid fight 
 
 " Has cost But can Erica sigh, 
 
 " To tell thee every hope is vain, 
 " To gain my rival's liberty, 
 
 " To win thy fortress from the Dane ? 
 " A wanderer from a land now drear, 
 " Alone of all I come thy falling fate to share." 
 
224 DERMID. 
 
 CANTO VII. 
 
 XXX. 
 
 " Ellen !—Gknflesk !— Erica ! say, 
 
 " Is she — Glanflesk too lost ? — away I — 
 
 " No ! — thou art false ! — And couldst thou frame 
 
 " So black a tale ? — ^but, no !-^I dream ! — < — 
 
 " And thou Erica art as dear 
 
 " Now, as when first we met ! — But swear, 
 
 " Swear on thy love — Is all — and h&w ? 
 
 " Glory and I are strangers now !" 
 
 'Twas then the light of penitence 
 
 Burst on his humbled heart : — 'Twas thence 
 
 He sent his shrift to Aithedea, 
 
 By fair Erica ; — Power was lost. 
 
 And every hope in life was crost ; 
 
 Hence he resolved to close in fight 
 
 The memory of that fatal night ; 
 
 But never more to meet the gaze 
 
 Of those, who heard of his disgrace^ 
 
 Who knew him in his better days, 
 Who now might mock his misery : 
 
 Hence, strengthening what report had said. 
 
 He sent his shrift, as from the bed 
 
 ■r-^ V^.., 
 
CANTO vir. DERMID. 225 
 
 Of dying sinner ; — then witli her, 
 
 AVhom still he loved, in deep despair 
 Sought Dunmore's caverned secrecy j 
 Where long disconsolate he spent 
 
 The ages of remorse in prayer 
 And self-inflicted punishment. — — 
 
 XXXI. 
 
 Erica had thus far disclosed 
 
 In broken words ; — whilst oft she paused 
 
 In dubious silence ; — and in thought 
 
 Seemed pondering on some secret wrong 
 She feared to tell ;-^then wildly sought 
 
 A blessing from a Christian tongue. 
 When loudly thundered from afar 
 A clang of spears — a shout of war ; 
 Then a triumphant cry was heard 
 
 Of " Death or Erin's liberty !" 
 And wide the gleam of arms appeared 
 
 Through many a cleft rock brilliantly. 
 
 XXXII. 
 
 " Oh ! God of justice !" Roderic cried, 
 *' Our country has indeed been tried 
 
 F f 
 
226 DERjMID. canto vii. 
 
 " In suffering ; but thy mercy comes, 
 " It bursts upon our fathers' tombs ; 
 " They startle from their iron sleep, 
 
 " As if they heard the welcome sound, « 
 
 " Wliose thrilling tone — whose cadence deep 
 *' Shall pierce the caverns of the ground ; 
 " When Heaven's bright banner, wide unfurled, 
 
 " Shall call the patriot to that bliss, 
 " That freedom in another world, 
 
 " He was so long denied in this. 
 " Perchance, Erica ! Erin's train 
 " Of warriors go to meet the Dane 
 
 " Upon Eblana's* shores : 
 " And shall we in their guidance hie, 
 " And to the Virgin's monast'ry 
 
 *' Direct our guarded course? 
 " There shall be heard thy humble prayer, 
 " Thy vows of faith be offered there ! 
 " And, circled by green Erin's band, 
 " We need not fear invader's brand i" 
 
 * Dublin. 
 
CANTO vn. DERMIU. 22.7 
 
 Erica spoke nol ; — but her eye 
 IjOoked a consent ; — she checked a sigh, 
 He hurried her along, — as round 
 Echoed Dunmorc his country's gathering sound. 
 
 END OF THE SEVENTH CANTO. 
 
DERMID. 
 
 Canto CEiflStS. 
 
»v/\«wvr\<Nr/^r>AA<v<v«vvA^KV>*v<<*> 
 
 This Canto gives an account of the gathering of the Chiefs, from the 
 various parts of Ireland, to oppose the Danes, ivho had challenged 
 them to one decisive struggle for Liberty, on the plains ofClontarf, 
 near Dublin. The gathering is supposed to liave been completed on 
 the 23rd of March, as marked by the close of the Canto. 
 
 wwvf>/w#v<SA/»A/t/>/vA/tf\/</vrvs/v 
 
DERMID. 
 
 Canto (BiQf^tf^. 
 
 I. 
 
 Kings of the world ! the captive's tear. 
 
 Though discontented, is forgiven ; 
 The sufferer's sigh, though smothered here, 
 
 Is heard beyond the gates of heaven. 
 Attempt to stem the torrent's course, 
 'Twill burst with more destructive force; 
 The wind, long pent in caverns drear. 
 Will shake the world to reach its sphere ; 
 Thy ruling spirit fills the whole. 
 Stamped living on creation's soul. 
 
 Dear Heaven-defended Liberty ! 
 
232 DERMID. canto mu 
 
 Tyrants ! full soon an awful day 
 
 Will come, when you shall rue the wrong ; 
 When Heaven shall wrest from you the sway. 
 
 The oppressive sway, you held so long ; 
 The slave, though slumbering on his chain, 
 Must start to liberty again ; 
 Returning day — meridian light 
 Shall chase away the darkest night : 
 And one day thy unclouded glow 
 Shall cheer the veriest slave below, 
 
 Dear Heaven-defended Liberty I 
 
 H. 
 Erin ! thy days of peace are o'er. 
 The hunter winds his horn no more j 
 The banners of the Ostman wave 
 O'er many an unrecorded grave ; 
 The minstrel, that through cave and rath 
 Could once the soul of music breathe ; 
 And soothe the heart of Lady fair, 
 Or cheer the pensive wanderer, 
 Now only weeps the parting strain 
 Of fallen Lord on battle-plain ; 
 
CANTO vm. DERINIID. 233 
 
 Or calls the gallant warrior far 
 From joys of home to scenes of war. 
 For lo ! green Erin's chiefs are now 
 Gathering from vale and mountain brow ! 
 From each remotest cliff they pour, 
 From wooded lake and winding shore. 
 And, hark ! the summoning war-cry thrills 
 
 Through the dark glens of Inisfail ! 
 And, list ! — the echo from her hills ! 
 
 It lives — it swells upon the gale ! 
 Each patriot warrior from afar 
 Welcomes the long expected war. 
 As oft the silvery summons wound 
 Famed Tara's meeting hill around : 
 Thither their aged Kino; Boru * 
 
 Had summoned every faithful brand. 
 Soon as the Danish bugle blew 
 
 A challenge to green Erin's band. 
 
 III. 
 
 The island warriors of Recairn f 1 
 
 Have come to share the fights of Erin ; 
 
 * I hope this name requires no note. f Rathlin island. 
 
 Gg 
 
234 DERMID. canto viir. 
 
 And with them, partners in their toils, 
 The heroes of the Scottish isles, 
 From Yla's Lough, and Dera's * Heath, 
 And where f Saint Columb sleeps in death ; 
 By brave MacDonall led, they sought 
 The fields where kindred valour fouffht. 
 Their fearless bands extended now. 
 From dark Dunluce's rocky brow, 
 To where, like wreck of ruined world. 
 The Giant Cliffs J confusedly hurled 
 Rose o'er the ocean. — Time had formed 
 
 Strange changes on that classic spot. 
 Where once a burning mountain warmed. 
 
 The cold waves of the North now float. 
 Yet still is traced in Basalt veins 
 
 Where erst the Lava torrent stood ; 
 Though now no parent hill remains. 
 
 No Crater swells the boiling flood. 
 
 * Jura. •{■ Jona. 
 
 \. The Giant's Causeway, where (tradition says) was once a Volcano; an opi- 
 nion to which the Letters on the coast of Antrim allude. (Page 139.) 
 
CANTO viH. DERMID. 235 
 
 The chiefs ah-eady of Benmore * 
 
 Had gathered from the Grey-man' s-path, 
 
 Where often on romantic shore 
 
 He liaunts the cliffs, as Legend saith. 
 
 IV. 
 
 Lo ! from Glanflush's stream advance 
 
 MacGuilly and his gallant clans ; 
 
 Sullen and sad the chiefs come on, 
 
 Their thoughts on days of freedom gone, 
 
 When Loch-e-Coleth rolled her waves '2, 
 
 O'er Cumbria's fallen warriors' graves ; 
 
 Duncha's name shall live in story. 
 
 The bright star of Dalreida's glory ! 
 
 The valiant love to trace each spot 
 
 Of fields, where erst their fathers fought, 
 
 And conquered. Here such kindling look 
 
 MacGuilly casts ; — he ill could brook 
 Ardmoy's round tower, — that late he passed ; 
 Yet seems that parting look — his last — 
 
 * " At Fairhead, anciently called Ben-more, i. c. the great promontory, is a 
 passage between an heap of Basaltic pillars, called Fhir-leith, or the Orey-manV 
 path, well worth the traveller's attention." Scmird's Top. Hih. Title " Fairhead." 
 
236 DERMID. canto viii. 
 
 To say ; — " These plains shall ne'er record 
 " The triumphs of the foeman's sword, 
 
 " The taunting of the Danish bard ; 
 " And ne'er, from Siieve-Mish* or Knock-lade, 
 *' Through scenes where once Saint Patrick strayed, 
 
 " Shall shield-beat of a foe be heard !" 
 The chiefs of Dunsobarcheigh'sf height. 
 And Lemna's field of fatal fight, 3 
 
 And they, who dwelt by Locha's X shores. 
 Or in Moyinnis' § ruined towers, 
 Had joined the warriors of Lougli Neagh, 
 Who country fled and Lochlin's sway ; 
 For, bosomed in that lake, arose 
 The round towers of their haughty foes. 
 Nor be Eandrum's * chiefs untold, 
 Nor they who dwelt in Lea f of old. 
 
 Or Rath-mor-Muline's X royal bower ; 
 O'Hara's clan, O'Sheil's, O'Neill's, 
 MacDonall's, crowded through the vales. 
 
 Impatient for the battle hour. 
 
 • Wliere St. Patrick kept the swine of Milco. f Carrickfergus. 
 
 X Lagah river. § An ancient city, on wliose site Belfast now stands. 
 
 * Antrim, f An ancient district on the river Ban. -\- Coleraine. 
 
CANTO viii, DERMID. 237 
 
 V. 
 
 The welcome shout of Liberty 
 
 Had burst upon O'Doghcrty ; 
 
 Called he his chiefs, a gallant band, 
 
 From all Daire-Calo-aich's ^ lake-sirt land : 
 
 From fair Foniaine, j" and Camus' cell ; 
 
 From Aileach's llath, and vVrragell. 
 
 O'Conors and O'Donalds came, 
 
 Nor shall we pass O'Cahanc's name, 
 
 Dnngiven's Lord ; — nor those, who late 
 
 Had marked their holy Abbot's fate ; 4 
 
 Now gladdening, as the hour drew nigh. 
 
 They could revenge his parting sigh. 
 
 By echo sped the war-cry pours 
 
 On Darabonis' '.[ winding shores ; 
 
 Tirconall § caught the inspiring gleam, 
 
 It lit O'Donnell's beacon-flame. 
 
 Came on, with triumph in each eye, 
 And confident of victory, 
 
 * Londonderry Count}-. -f Fauglian vale. 1 Lough-Foylf . 
 
 ij Donegal County. 
 
238 DERMID. canto viii. 
 
 Clunena's chiefs; — recording well, 
 
 How Finliath fought» and Lochlin fell. 5 
 
 O'Cleries and MacSweenies pour 
 
 From lone Loch-Suidy's* rocky shore. 
 
 Clonmany echoed back the blast, 
 
 O'er Cromla's Druid hills it past ; 6 
 
 Thence wafted o'er the Lavath's wave, 
 
 Started more loud from Chma's cave, 
 
 (Where Ferad-Arth, when Cormac fell, 
 
 Found shelter in the mountain cell ;) 
 
 Then burst in thunder on the plain, 
 
 Where Tura's fortress rose. " Again !" 
 
 O'Donnell started with a sigh ; 
 " Oh ! God ! it is my country's cry !" — 
 Awhile he stood ; — then snatched his spear ; 
 Listened, " again !" He wept one tear. 
 
 VI. 
 
 " Can Glory's dream — can hope of fight 
 " Allure thee from the last — sad rite ; 
 
 " The last — thy dear — dead INIoina claims ?" 
 
 " Heard you those shouts ? — they are not dreams 
 
 * Lough-Swilly. 
 
CANTO vm. DER.MID. 239 
 
 " That tear mc from her bier ! — again! 
 
 " My country ! 'tis thy summoning strain ! 
 
 " To you, dear friends ! the task is given ; — 
 
 " Moina ! we soon shall m.eet in Heaven ! 
 
 " But let me kiss that livid brow ; 
 
 " Now — Lochlin ! — I can meet thee now ! 
 
 " Give me my sword !" He bared the blade, 
 
 " Ere long it shall have- other sheath."^ 
 " Thy shield too !" — " No ! I claim not aid, 
 
 " O'Donnell now would welcome death. 
 " Yet give it, partner of my life ;" 
 
 Moina was linked with that dear word ; — 
 He siehed — " Its orb in deadliest strife 
 
 " Has lonw been faithful to its Lord ; 
 " In distant fields it was my tent, 7 
 
 " In peace my proudest ornament ; 
 " My boat when forced to stem the tide, 
 " In battle-plain it flanked my side : 
 " We have been — but we too must part 
 
 " As suddenly ! This swelling heart 
 
 " Will burst upon the battle-plain, 
 " But thou shalt bear thy Lord to Tura's halls again. 
 
240 DERMID. canto tiii. 
 
 VII. 
 
 " ]\Ioina ! farewell ! — my fated urn 
 
 " Awaits me on the field of gore; 
 " I could not from the fight return, 
 
 " I would not Moina lives no more ! 
 
 " How drearily the time is traced, 
 
 " That holds me from iny Moina's arras ! 
 " But soon together shall we rest ! 
 
 " Oh ! for the hour of war's alarms ! 
 
 " The anxious maid shall leave her hall, 
 
 " To seek her lover on the heath ; 
 " His parting soul shall bless her call, 
 
 " 'Twill cheer him in the worlds of death. 
 " But who shall weep when I am gone ? 
 
 " Or mourn the sad revolving day 
 " That sees me die ? 1 stand alone, 
 
 " The lovely Moina is away !" 
 
 vni. 
 
 Now round Lough Esk the red-deer throng; 
 And shudder, as the martial song 
 
CANTO VIII. DERMID. 241 
 
 Proclaims the clansmen of MacGrane, 
 
 The gallant chiefs of Bannagh's plain. S 
 
 And witii them many a Lagean gleams 
 
 From Samor-avon's * rapid streams. 
 
 Hasty they pass Loch-Derg's dark waves. 
 
 Saint Fintan's cells, Saint Patrick's caves ; f 
 
 And now approach Saint Eunan's cross ; | 
 
 Amid his holy cells they pause, 
 
 Nor leave the shrines of fair Rathboe, 
 
 Till half the Danish tower lies low. 
 
 " So perish," they triumphant cry, 
 
 " Each monument of slavery !" 
 
 Nellia had heard ; — Saint Colman's cell § 9 
 
 Rung with the shouts of Tyrinfail. |j 
 
 Wave, wood, and cliff, and glen around 
 
 Prolonged awhile the welcome sound. 
 
 Where once fair Eiimania reared 10 
 
 The palaces of Ullin's power. 
 And Crove-Ree's royal rath appeared. 
 
 Though crowned with Albyn's Ibrts no more. 
 
 * Earne river. | St. Patrick's purgatory in Loch-Derg. 
 
 X At Rathboe, the modern Raphoe. § At Arboe. || Tyrone. 
 
 Hh 
 
242 DERMID. canto viii. 
 
 And where the fortress of O'Neill 
 
 Looked from Dungannon's pinnacle. 
 
 And, hark ! a silvery sound is borne, 
 
 The answer of Eirgal's horn ! * 
 
 And quick succeeds an echoing tone 
 
 From Clogher of" the golden stone !" 11 
 
 MacQue has left his wooded isle, 12 
 
 And on Drummara^h's f height the while 
 
 Stands fearless ; — though his men are few, 
 
 He knows them brave, -He found them true. 
 
 IX. 
 Now, o'er MacGuire's dark territory, ^ 
 Is heard the mother's parting sigh ; 
 And many a bride's and maiden's tear 
 Is shed for those they love most dear. 
 Loch Earne's shores resound afar 
 The dreadful cry, " To war ! to war !" — 
 How oft in yon embowering groves 
 Have maidens softening mvned their loves ; 
 
 * An ancient district in the west of Ulster, 
 f Omagh. t Fermanagh County^ 
 
CANTO vnr. DERMID. 243 
 
 As traced tlicy with enchanted gaze 
 
 Calm scenes of kindred happiness ; 
 
 Extended lakes, and clustering isles, 
 
 And slumbering woods, and sacred piles. 
 
 Alas ! liow changed ! — now warriors move 
 
 Through each fair glen, and shadowv grove: 
 
 And o'er the troubled Lake appears 
 
 The broken gleam of holms and spears. 
 
 Often the chime of yonder bell* 
 
 Has soothed the soul when evening fell ; 
 
 But now, alas ! with maddening sound. 
 
 It calls Esroa's chiefs around. lo 
 
 So loud it peals upon the car, 
 
 In Cladagh's woods the} scarce can hear 
 
 The cataract ; where, bards have told, 
 
 Erin's red King was lost of old. 
 
 The chiefs from Davagh-Phadric's well 'j 
 
 And Rheba:]: met at Devenish' cell; 
 
 Those scenes with reverence they trace, 
 
 "Where Saint Laserian dwelt in peace ; 
 
 « At Inis-RIac-SoInt island, in which are the ruins of an Abhey. 
 f At Belcoe. % An ancient city south of Lough Earne. 
 
244 DERMID. canto vni. 
 
 And each recess, where knee was bent 
 By anchorite and penitent. 
 Well pleased they view the ivy's shade 
 Mantling the tower, where Lochlin bled ; 
 For low he lies who raised that pile. 
 His clansmen driven from Devenish isle. 
 Anon their fervent prayers they pour, 
 Triumphant round the fallen tower : 
 " Freedom ! thou dearest treasure given 
 
 " To man ! Inheritance from heaven ! 
 
 " Oh ! mayst thou cheer with genial smile 
 " Throuoh endless time our native isle '" 
 
 X. 
 
 O'Reilly and O' Sheridan 
 
 Had joined O'Rourke of Brefny's clan,* 
 
 Where the luxuriant groves embower 
 
 Drumlane's old monastery and tower ; 
 
 And now through Muinechan's rough land f 
 
 Gallant MacMahon fires his band ; 
 
 With zealous shout the warriors pour 
 
 Round Clones' ratlis and hostile tower ; 
 
 * Cavan County. f Monaghan County. 
 
CANTO VIII. DERMID. 24.5 
 
 And thunder on the astonished foe, 
 " Erin's revenge is sure, though slow 1" 
 Anon, where Danish tower is seen, 
 They turn their arms to Eniskeen ; 
 The distant Fews have caught the sound, 
 They roll the echo I'ar around, 
 Where, as the Crotarie can tell, 
 Perished the conquering Niall Caille ; * 
 
 'Twas there, beneath yon precipice. 
 
 Where sedgy Callen flows, — he set 1 
 A sun that never more shall rise. 
 
 But bright in Memory's twilight yet. 
 
 There fell O'Neill ; The leading star. 
 
 The ffuidino; soul of Erin's war ! 
 But, hark ! the silvery bugle swells 
 From Sainted Patrick's plundered cells, f 
 And, lo ! a flash of armour plays 
 Adown Drumsallagh's precipice. 
 
 O'Neill still lives ! His childrcns' fame 
 
 Through time shall eternize their mighty father's name ! 
 
 * Drowned in the river Callen. f At Armagh, anciently called Drumsallagh. 
 
246 DERMID. caxto viii. 
 
 XL 
 
 And now the summoning bugles pour 
 Along the jilains of Orior, 
 O'Hanlon gladdened as they passed, 
 And doubly answered every blast ; 
 No braver chiefs for battle rose, 
 No feller bands for Erin's foes. 
 Louder the bugle's wild-notes rush 
 Through the dark vallies of Glanfiush ; * 
 O'er Brech-ach-luan's f glorious field, 
 Where Lochlin rued her shattered shield ; 
 Thence were prolonged the martial peals. 
 To Magh-er-alin's lovely \ales, 
 
 And throuo;h Dromaragh's cave. 
 Dromore's brave warriors gladly heard, 
 Already for the fight prepared. 
 
 And joyous echo gave ; 
 They waved their banners on the rath, 
 They wound their bugles o'er the heath. 
 
 * The great bog about Scarvagli. 
 f Lough Bricklanti, where the Danes sustained a great defeat in 827. 
 
CANTO VIII. DERiMID. 247 
 
 How lovely, when the moon's pale ray 
 
 Round Moirath * sleeps ! — How fair her vales, 
 
 When gilded by the rising ray, 
 
 That through her waving forests steals ! 
 
 Yet valour found not pleasure there, 
 
 The patriot's breast with joy ne'er swelled j 
 
 'Till battle-axe, and hehn, and spear, 
 AVere widely through her glens beheld, 
 
 'Twas then, with glowing glance, he cried, 
 
 " Oh ! INIoirath ! lovely is the beam, 
 ^' That plays adown thy heathery side, 
 
 " Where warriors crowd, and banners stream !" 
 
 XH. 
 
 And now o'er Locha's f waves is borne 
 The echo of the winding horn ; 
 Anon it steals more soft and slow 
 Along the Giants'-Rath. J — Drumboe 
 Scarce wafts it, yet the dying thrill 
 Awakes the warriors of her hill ; 
 
 * MoJra. t Lagan river. % The Giants' Ring. 
 
'248 DERMID. canto vht. 
 
 Ne'er were they deaf to battle's cry, 
 The summoning blast of Liberty ! 
 And now the thrilling horror steals 
 Through Benchor's * wide but ruined cells, 
 
 And Dundaleathyglass ; f 
 Where Scraba's hill and Karn-Gaur 
 
 In solemn majesty appear. 
 Starts many a chief prepared for war ; 
 
 And mace, and helm, and shield, and spear. 
 In bright succession pass. 
 From fair Loch-Cuau's J rapid wave 
 Crowds many a knight and warrior brave. 
 Is it the distant vesper bell. 
 That tolls in Saul's secluded cell? 
 Or comes the hymn of other years 
 From blest Dun- Patrick's § sepulchres ? 
 What swelling sounds, what echoes breathe 
 Among her bowers, and crypt, and rath ? 
 Alas ! 'tis from Leth-Cathel's || plain ; 
 No holy hymn, — no peaceful strain 
 Rath-Keltair If hears ! — The bugle's swell 
 Bursts on the forelands of Isheal : * 
 
 * Bangor. f Donagliadee. J Loch Strangford. § Down- Patrick. 
 
 (iLecale Barony, f An ancient fortress, near Down-Patrick. * St. John's point. 
 
CANTO VIII. DERMID. 249 
 
 So wound the bugle, when of old 
 
 Ulidia's * might to war was rolled ; 
 
 And now Killough so loves the strain 14 
 
 Which erst could garrison her plain, 
 
 That still through time, her sea-washed caves, 
 
 Ever at ebb and flow of waves, 
 
 Prolong the echo of the horn. 
 
 That waked her chiefs on battle morn. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 From deep defile and hanging wood 
 The clansmen of MacCartane crowd ; 
 Their shields and helms o'er Annadorn 
 
 Gleam dimly in the moon's pale ray ; 
 Nor sleep the mountaineers of Mourne, 
 
 Nor are Iveach's brave chiefs away ; 
 A giant host they stand prepared, 
 Where, winding from the mountain's verge, 
 Long washed by many a sullen surge, 
 The pass of Bealachaneir steals ; 
 Traced in the legend of the bard, 
 Through the deep bosom of Donard ; 
 
 * A very ancient name of the County Down. 
 I i 
 
250 DERMID. canto viii. 
 
 Beneath that stream, whose waters still 
 Gush from the breaches of the hill, 
 And wander through the vales. 
 The bugles of MacGcnnis break 
 The calm of Temple-Gaurin's * lake ; 
 Distinctly had the summons poured 
 Beyond the Bay of Carlingford, 
 Already o'er MacScanlan's f tomb 
 Waves many an helin and spear and plume ; 
 The Pagan ^ Temple echoes far 
 
 Dundalk's accord— the shouts of war. 
 
 Anon the voice of freedom moves 
 Through dark Ballrichan's Druid groves j 
 Thence wafted by the winding shore, 
 It thunders round Drimisken's tower, 
 And by the river § of Drumcor ; 
 Beneath Ardee's romantic height 
 
 O' Carrol ranges Uriel's || spears ; 
 And often turns his glowing sight 
 
 To sepulchres of other years ; 
 
 * Near Derrike-Loch, in the County Down. f Ballymascanlan. 
 
 :^ The Ship Temple at Dundalk. § The river Dee. || County Louth 
 
CANTO viir. DERMID. 251 
 
 " This hill," * he cries, with kindling pride, 
 
 " Look, soldiers ! there ! it is not mute ! 
 " It tells us how our fathers died, 
 " It calls us to revenge at length 
 
 " The plundered cloisters f of Saint Bute ; 
 " For Heaven we fight, and Heaven shall be our strength !" 
 
 XIV« 
 
 Surrounded now with manj a spear. 
 
 The ruins of Tlachgo appear ; 15 
 
 Where, on October's closing night, 
 
 Monarchs have fired a nation's light ; 
 
 And given a tributary blaze. 
 
 To brighten winter's gloomy days. 
 
 Thence sped has swelled the sullen tone 
 
 Of war to Domleach's X house of stone ; 
 
 Soon as was heard the battle cry 
 
 By Ballyeo's § hermitage, 
 Hope kindled young MacDowell's eye, 
 
 While n:iemory smoothed the brow of age ; 
 
 * Castle-Guard hill at Ardee. 
 
 f Monasterboice near Drogheda, plundered by tlie Danes in 968. 
 t Duleek, j Slane. 
 
252 DERMID. canto \in. 
 
 " Alas ! my son ! I weep to tell, 
 
 " Why lived we in this distant cell 
 
 " So long ; — But 'twas, till thou couldst bear 
 
 " 'Gainst Erin's foes a dreaded spear, 
 
 " The firm spear of revenge ; for know, 
 
 " Thy brother perished by that foe ! 
 
 " And, long as unrevenged he lies, 
 
 " No bard shall sweep the harp for him ; 
 
 " In fields of death he sunk, to rise 
 " No more ! — A ray of glory's dim ! 
 
 " My heart is warm, — But, ah ! my hand, — 
 
 " Thus palsied, has forgot the brand !" 
 
 " Father ! I swear then by my sword," 
 
 It was a warrior's sacred word. 
 
 He doffed the sheath, — ^lie kissed the blade, 
 " This hand was made for public weal ! 
 
 " 'Twill teach full many a Danish maid, 
 " MacDowell ne'er revengeless fell." 
 With heart that never throbbed to fear. 
 He hailed the glittering sword and spear ; . 
 And, panting for revenge or death. 
 Shook them towards Donaghmore's proud rath. 
 Though long oppressed Ardbraccan rose 
 Unbroken, against Erin's foes ; 
 
CANTO VIII. DEHMID. 253 
 
 Kilskyre, though plundered oft, could yet 
 Such echoes of accord repeat ; 
 Such tones of valour waked pour forth, 
 As shook in Kcnanuse * the warriors of the north. 
 
 XV. 
 Now by Loch Shillin's wooded shore 
 The valiant men f of Gael pour. 
 
 From Lerha's crypt ; and Ardagh's cell 
 
 The ruined abbey of Saint Moell ; 
 
 Sacred Moydoe, and Shroole supplied 
 
 Some gallant rocks to stem the tide ; 
 
 How fair Grian-ard ! X thy Pagan rath 
 
 Toivers o'er the wide extended heath ; 
 
 And gleans through valley, wood, and break, 
 
 Vistas of many a silvery lake ! 
 
 'Twas from thy brow with wistful eye, 
 
 OTerral looked o'er Annaly; 
 
 'Twas on thy brow his fires were set, 
 
 'Twas at thy base his clansmen met ; 
 
 The while, in gloomy grandeur, stood 
 
 O'Quin, where towered Rath-Cline's dark wood. 
 
 ♦ Kells. t The O'Ferrals. % Granard, 
 
254 DERMID. canto viih 
 
 His clan in silence marked his brow, 
 
 'Twas calm — then sad— nay, sullen now ; — 
 
 And ever as from fair Grian-ard 
 
 The cry was sent, now plainer heard, 
 
 O'Quin would bare his glittering skene, 
 
 Scarce seen ere it was sheathed again. 
 
 Anon a lonely tear would break 
 
 Unconscious, down the warrior's cheek ; 
 
 " Why does Rath-Cline," he faintly cried, 
 
 " So proudly rise o'er Seinnon's tide ? 
 
 *' Wliy does she look with conscious sway 
 
 " O'er the green vales of Annaly ? 
 
 " And yet her chief No ! Erin ! no ! 
 
 " Perish the man, whose private feel 
 " Could warp him from the public weal ! 
 " We all are comrades in thy war ! 
 
 " United shall we meet the foe, 
 " And Annaly's proud Lord shall be my leading star," 
 
 XVI. 
 
 From Kinel-Enda's * hill and stream 
 O'Brennan's hardy clansmen came : 
 
 * An ancient territory in the county Westraeath, near the hill of Usneach. 
 
CANTO VIII. DERMID. 2.55 
 
 Drumrane lay low, Her sons no more 
 
 Echoed the cry, Her pride was o'er. 
 
 But Coen-drum * a gallant band 
 Had marshalled from her mountain land ; 
 Beneath her hill the warriors stood 
 Cloncall t supplied from many a wood j 
 Nor were the lively chiefs of Came 
 E'er absent from the fights of Erin. 
 TuUagh ! X thy pensive Lord had long. 
 
 Indignant, scanned his country's woes ; 
 And panted to revenge her wrong. 
 
 In fight for liberty to close ; 
 Impatient for that first-glad field, 
 He waved his spear, he beat his shield ; 
 And, as Lagenia's § host he scanned, 
 Each broad edged lance, each gallant band ; 
 He turned a melting glance to heaven, 
 As if to hope the wish forgiven. 
 As if his speaking eye implored 
 For death from gallant foeman's sword j 
 
 ^ An ancient territory, containing the celebrated hill of Usneach. — f Forghnev. 
 
 J A little tract now called Bessvillc in the County Westmeath. 
 
 § The ancient name of Leinster. Vide Note 1 of Canto First. 
 
256 DERMID. canto vin- 
 
 As if the soul, that fired that eye, 
 
 Were panting for eternity. 
 
 " Better to die, although unknown, 
 
 " Than live when dearest friends are gone ! 
 " When, by winter unfettei'ed, the streams shall be flowing, 
 
 " Wlien spring shall the flowers of the valley restore ; 
 *' When the woods shall bloom gaily — their odoui's bestowing, 
 
 " Oh where shall I be ? In dear Erin no more ! 
 
 " Death's sombre evening around me is spreading, 
 " But life has no pleasures for me to deplore ; 
 
 " 'Tis not to part them my bosom is bleeding, 
 
 " But those who were dearest shall cheer me no more !" 
 
 XVII. 
 
 And now Ath-Maine's * remoter clans 
 To Usneach's Pagan hill advance; 
 Ere long Killare's romantic wells. 
 Now Multifernon's cave and vales, 
 Echo their gathering cry. 
 
 Afl ancient tract north of Loch Derrivaragh in the County W^estraeath. 
 
CANTO viir. DERMID, 257 
 
 And with them comes a gallant train, 
 The border chiefs from fair Loch Lene, * 
 
 And from Saint Fechin's f priory ; 
 From lakes where many an Ogham word 
 Preserves the sad but true record, 
 Tiiat genius found but one retreat. 
 Where learning's twilight lingers yet. 
 Lo ! where majestic towers Knock Eyn, 
 O'ershadowing its Patron's shrine ! 
 There dim appear through wooded brake 
 The chiefs of Derrivaragh's lake; 
 The bugles of their rear-guard swell 
 From sainted Eyn's monastic cell ; 
 
 The van through Connal's rath is rolled,. 16; 
 
 AVhere Erin's fate shall yet be told. 
 Enthusiasts they seek the dell. 
 
 Where triumphed IMeath, — where Lochlin fell ; 17 
 
 Next, by the stream J of golden hand, 
 By Muillingar § they pass, through many a lovely land. 
 
 * A Lake in the same County. — It signifies the " Lake of Learning !" 
 f At Fore. % A stream issuing out of Lougli Fojle. J Mullingar. 
 
 Kk 
 
258 DERMID. canto viik 
 
 xviir. 
 
 Lynn's vale and ruined monast'ry 
 
 Echoed to O'Malachlin's cry ; 
 
 Nor was MacGawly's clan away 
 
 On liberty's eventful day. 
 
 Far, o'er Loch-Annin's * golden tide^ 
 
 The answering buo;les wound : 
 And glen and wooded isle replied 
 
 In many a martial sound. 
 Anon, beyond its winding shore. 
 The war-cry bursts upon Dunore ; f 
 With eager zeal his patriot clan 
 Gathers around ISIacGeoghegan ; 
 Their lances gleam an iron grove, 
 Their streaming banners wave above 
 His sAvord their chieftain gladly wields. 
 
 And clangs his spear, he loves the sound. 
 And, as he dreams of future fields, 
 Welcomes the chiefs that crowd exulting round. 
 
 * That beautiful sheet of water, now better known as " The Lake of Belviderc,'^ 
 from Lord Belvidere's seat, extending a considerable way along tlie banks. 
 
 f Dunore at lliis day exhibits a fine old Castle, carefully upheld by the 
 present proprietor Sir Richard Nagle. 
 
CANTO viir, DERMIET. 259 
 
 XIX. 
 
 From Croghan's hill of golden sands 
 
 Hurried MacCoghlan's gallant bands j 
 
 The O'Molloys beside them stood, 
 
 The warriors of the fatal wood ; 18 
 
 And, where is traced o'er distant plains 
 
 The boundary yclept Eugene's ; 
 
 That bound, which Lena's bloody field 19 
 
 Had traced with many a broken shield. 
 
 'Tis there O' Conor's standards float, 
 
 Erin's first — deargst patriot ! 
 
 O'Dcmpsey and 0' Carrol there. 
 
 The warriors of Ivernis' *' shores, 
 
 And Clonmacnois' central towers, 
 
 For welcome fields and fights prepare. 
 
 Through Clonaslee and deep Glandine 
 
 The bugles wind round Blama's f heights. 
 No more upon his Celtic shrine 
 
 He celebrates the Pagan rites j 
 
 * Banagher. 
 
 t Slieve Bloom mountains, where Beal was formerly worshipped Ou them ai'e 
 
 Jhe sources of the Barrow and Nore, anciently called Berva and Avonfeor. 
 
260 DERMID. canto viii. 
 
 But gladly speeds the cry of war, 
 Where Berva and steep Avonfeor, 
 Fed by his bounty, sportive stray 
 Through many a shadowy wood, and many a valley grey. 
 
 XX. 
 
 The chiefs of El-ui-Mordh* had heard, 
 O'More was never unprepared 
 
 When country called. On Gavran's f rath, 
 
 Mac-Gilla-Phadruic, o'er the heath 
 
 Guides his son's glance ; where proudly rose 
 
 The round towers of his country's foes ; 
 
 " Must then these piles still mock our sight, 
 
 " Recording how we fell in fight ? — 
 
 " A day there was, my son ! But now 
 
 " Helm would sit heavy on my brow ; 
 
 " My shield hangs idly in the hall, 
 
 " My spear has rusted ; — Erin's call 
 
 " Here only swells the feeble sigh, 
 
 " I cannot fight for Liberty : 
 
 " But, oh ! remember thou thy race, 
 
 *' Heaven gives thee youth for noble days." 
 
 Queen's County. f An ancient rath in Upper Ossory. 
 
CANTO vHi. DERMID. 261 
 
 The while, with inattentive ear, 
 
 His gallant son snatched shield and spear ; 
 
 And rushed with bounding heart to hail 
 
 The bright array, where through the vale 
 
 O'Denipsey's generous clansmen came 
 
 From Clanmalierc, and Berva's stream ; 
 
 With fierce O'Regan's scanty band 
 
 From dark Monela's wooded land. 
 
 And with them many a rising sun, 
 
 O'More, O'Brenan, and O'Don. 
 
 Where towered Chill-Ochra's •'^ ancient wood. 
 
 No chief for Erin's freedom stood ; 
 
 But many an helm and spear appeared. 
 
 Soon as the gathering cry was heard. 
 
 Alas ! they're hostile all ! 
 And, lo ! the Danish Reafens pour 
 Wildly above yon wave-washed f tower ; • 
 Nor could fair Dun-na-maes supply % 
 One scanty brand for Liberty, 
 
 One chief at Erin's call. 
 
 » An ancient forest, that stood on the northern ridge of the Maraghaigh 
 mountains. 
 
 f Grantstown tower. J Dunamase. 
 
262 DERMID. 
 
 CANTO VilX, 
 
 XXL 
 
 Resounds the swelling shout of war» 
 
 O'er Carmen's wooded mounts afar, 20 
 
 Through many a scene of former death 5 
 
 O' Kelly from his ancient rath* 
 
 Welcomes the sound. — Saint Evan's cell f 
 
 Presents, by Berva's strand, 
 The guardians of the sacred bell, 21 
 
 MacEgan's pious band. 
 
 Now, o'er the forests of Chill-Daire, X 
 
 And by Saint Brigid's house § of fire. 
 
 Through central plains || of Pagan rite, 
 
 The shout is borne to Cromla's H height ; 
 
 Killossy heard ; — Her caves around 
 
 Rung with the long tumultuous sound j 
 
 As sought her chiefs, a fearless train. 
 
 The royal towers of Naas Laigean. 
 
 * Moattt Ardscol. \ Monasterevan. J Kililaic. 
 
 f Vide Note to Stanza 5 of Canto Tenth. \\ The celebrated Curragi: 
 
 ^ The hill of Alien. 
 
CANTO Via. DEllMID. 263 
 
 Where many a warrior thunders now 
 
 The gathering cry of" Croni-a-boe." * 
 " Where is tlie battle ? we fear not the stranger, 
 
 " Our comrades ne'er shrunk at the sight of a foe ; 
 *■' Still shall be found, ever foremost in danger, 
 
 " The warriors, whose gathering cry's " Crom-a-boe !" 
 " In peace they are gentle, — in Avar they are fearless, 
 
 ** Unequalled in friendship, imconquered by foe ; 
 ** Through time may their faith to green Erin be peerless, 
 
 *' And heaven shall re-echo the glad " Crom-a-boc !" 
 
 XXII. 
 
 No chiefs for Erin's cause appeared 
 
 On fair Eblana's distant hills ; 
 The Ostman shield alone was heard 
 
 Adown her wooded pinnacles. 
 The Dane had garrisoned her shore. 
 From Hadar's hill to Isod's tower ; 
 (To that same tower, where, legend says, 22 
 
 Fair Isod's spirit loves to dwell, 
 
 * This was the war-cry of an ancient sept in the County Kildaie ; it is retained 
 as the motto to the Duke of Leinster's arms, whose family settled in that Countyb 
 
2G4 DERMID. canto vuu 
 
 And wake those visionary lays, 
 
 He once could breathe, she loved so well :) 
 And thence to where, 'mid forests' pride. 
 That flank ]\Iallhidert's silvery tide. 
 
 An abbey crowns the dell ; 
 Where ages never shall efface 
 The small but venerable trace 
 
 Of sacred Mary's well. 
 O'er waste of waves and rolling deep. 
 The captive looks from Hadar's steep ; 
 That steep, where once with dizzy sight. 
 He followed on the gre-hound's flight ; 
 Where erst, with swift unerring spear, 
 He chased the nimble-footed deer ; 
 " And must I, on that mountain's brow, 
 " Live a deserted bondsman now ?" 
 
 xxni. 
 
 Ere this the chiefs of Wykenloo * 
 
 Had armed for battle-plain ; 
 A day there was when Erin knew 
 
 No braver firmer train. 
 
 * Wicklow County, 
 
CANTO viii. DERMID. 265 
 
 By beardless prince to battle led, 
 O'Toors brave bands reluctant fled 
 The hills where their loved monarch bled. 
 And fallen Rath-Inver's * smoking tower. 
 O'Byrne in llainilough f no more 
 
 Shall spread the feast : MacMorogh cast 
 
 A parting look — it was the last — 
 On scenes most dear. — Doubling the wood 
 Beneath a cataract they stood ; 
 Through frowning cliffs to glens below 
 It fell, a precipice of snow, 
 Scattering around a misty wreath, 
 A rainbow o'er the sunny heath. — 
 Exiles they thence resumed their path. 
 And often traced, 'twas known too well. 
 The spot where comrade chieftains fell ; 
 And many a lingering look they cast 
 O'er waving forests as they past ;— 
 To catch a fading glance once more 
 Of all those scenes so dear before. 
 
 * An ancient fortress of the O'Tools, at the mouth of Bray river. 
 f Ranelagh. 
 
 l1 
 
266 DERMID. canto vni. 
 
 The Druid piles of Beal-tinne-glas * 
 Afar were seen ; — and now they pass^ 
 ^Vhere lonely wood and vale recall 
 The memory of their country's fall : 
 Yet never had they failed in fight. 
 Until that dread eventful night 
 
 When Glendaloch was lost. 
 Sad reliques from that field they glide, 
 Now homeless by LouifFa's tide ; 
 O'Byrne oft grasps his rounded shield, 
 And often from the hostile field 
 
 Looks on his broken host ; 
 Then, ever as a glance would steal 
 Back on the fields where comrades fell j 
 Where only Lochlin's towers remained 
 O'ershadowing his native land, 
 Unconscious would he point the spear, 
 As if the conquerors were there ; 
 As If he wished, his broken band 
 With Lochlin's host were hand to hand. 
 
 * Bahinglas. 
 
CANTO viir. 
 
 DERMID. 267 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 And, lo ! a partial gleam is borne, 
 It flashes on MacMorogh's eye ; 
 
 And, hark ! to the triumphant horn ! 
 Alas ! why bursts the warrior's sigh ? 
 
 His burning home sends forth those rays, 
 
 Lochlin has lit that beacon-blaze. 
 
 Now pause they at the Daemon dell, 
 
 Where Poll-a-Phuca's torrents swell ; 
 
 Wliere fair LouifFa's waves are rolled 
 
 Through central caves to depths untold. 
 
 Hills piled on hills frown dark on high, 
 
 The gulph beneath foams dreadfully ; 
 
 And every chasm in the earth 
 
 Seems burst to give a deluge birth. 
 
 ■ Little these scenes can win the eye 
 
 Fixed on the flill of Liberty ! 
 
 Another intervening height 
 
 Shall rob them of their country's sight ; 
 
 They raise their helms, — they bow their spears, 
 
 For once they soften into tears. 
 One look ! — one anxious look ! — and now they fly. 
 To live in freedom, or for Country die ! 
 
268 DERMID. canto viii. 
 
 XXV. 
 
 Where banners float round Leighlin's cell, 
 
 By Saint Laserian's crypted well. 
 
 The warriors of O'Ryan's land 
 
 Are gathered *. — many a gallant band 
 
 Had past through Berva's lovely vales. 
 
 Where plundered Achad-Finglass stood ; 
 And where Saint Mullin fixed his cells, 
 
 Long ere the Dane had crossed that flood, 
 Or blasted Carlow's sacred plain 
 With burning torch and foot profane. 
 Nor few from Geeragh's Rath had come, 23 
 
 Where loveliness once pined in gloom. 
 Echoed Slieve Buy but mountain blast ; 
 
 O'Morrogh from its lovely brow 
 Sped not the sound, — unbailed it past ; — 
 
 But, hark ! an answering bugle now 
 Along the tranquil waves is borne ; — 
 Alas ! it is the foeman's horn ! — 
 And proud upon the distant plain 
 Appears the city * of the Dane ; 
 
 * Wexford. 
 
CANTO vm. DERMID. 269 
 
 And farther south on rocky steep 
 Their fortress * towers o'er the deep ; 
 Nor could the cause of freedom claim 
 One warrior from " the rapid stream." f 
 The Dane holds Argetross' J deep mines, 
 His towers o'crshadow Sainted Kenny's § shrines. 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 The while, from fair Loch-Derrig's shore 
 O'Brians and MacEgans pour ; 
 O' Kennedy from wooded Thire || 
 
 Leads forth his clan. Nor be O'Dwyer 
 
 Forgotten here, a gallant train 
 
 He calls from Rath-na-Nurlan's H plain. 
 
 Where Roscrea's ** broken towers record 
 
 The victory of Erin's sword, 
 
 The chiefs have met : their shouts the while 
 
 Ring round Monaincha's deathless isle. 24 
 
 * Hook tower. f The river Nore. 
 
 J An ancient mine near the Nore, supposed to be the modern village of 
 Rathbeagh. 
 
 § Kilkenny. || An ancient district in the Countj Tipperary. 
 
 f An ancient fort in the plains of Casbel. 
 
 *• Here bad the Danes been lately defeated. 
 
270 DERMID. canto vm. 
 
 Already by Dunmore had wound 
 
 Their gathering cry ; — unwelcome sound 
 
 It burst upon Saint Kenny's height ; 
 As now through Claghna's * mountain brake, 
 Erica with and Roderic, 
 
 They seek CluntarfFe's f eventful jfight. 
 From Culdee cells J the wild shouts come. 
 That burst upon O'Mara's tomb ; § 
 As if the summons fain would win 
 The sleeping hero from within. 
 From Thurles' plains the welcome peal 
 Has roused the warriors of Clonmel ; 
 There was a day, those bugle-strains 
 Could call from Glen-na-Gleod's || scenes 
 
 O'Meaghir's band. Now Danish towers 
 
 Frown o'er her lovely winding shores ; 
 And Reginald's round pile ^ appears 
 Bristly with Scandinavian spears. 
 
 * Kellymount. + Clontarf. :|: Monaincha. § Toomavara. 
 
 II Waterford. % A round tower at Waterford. Vide Grose. 
 
CANTO viii, DERMID. 271 
 
 XXVII. 
 
 Silence and solitude still stood 
 
 Confest in Achad-Garvain's * wood ; 
 
 No more upon their favourite dun 
 
 The Decies dwelt ; — the chiefs were gone^ 
 
 In Oon-a-mort and Oon-a-glour f 
 
 O'Fallon and his chosen band 
 Had found a shelter from that power, 
 
 Which wasted the surrounding land. 
 Yet not inactive slept they there, 
 
 To Erin were their thoughts still turned ; 
 And, in their gloomy sepulchre. 
 
 For fields of fight tlieir bosoms burned j 
 Gladly ihey heard the gathering sound ; 
 Already had their bugles wound 
 Strange horrors on Saint Declan's shore,. 
 And the round towers of Ardmore. ■: 
 
 That signal sound Dar-Inis J knew ; 
 Clashmore sent forth her valiant few, 
 
 * Dungarvan. f Two curious caves, in the County Waterford. 
 
 % Otherwise called Molana, an island in the bay of Youghal. 
 
272 DERMID. 
 
 But times there are, when aid thouffh light 
 Decides the day and wins the fight. 
 Cloyne heard the gathering shout in vain 
 That called her chiefs to battle-plain ; 
 The Dane had garrisoned each cell, 
 Where Gnome and Banshee love to dwell ; 
 Spell-bound by day, at night they glide 
 O'er the enchanted banks of Bride ; 
 That Bride, whose silvery echoes far 
 Are busied now with shouts of war. — 
 
 XXVIIL 
 
 Now, wafted o'er Ive-Liathan's * plains, 
 They roused the clansmen of O'Leyns ; 
 All fearless they prolonged the cry 
 O'er Labacally's f cemet'ry. 
 Though full in view the Reafen floats 
 From Coi'cagh's X towers, — the patriots 
 Undaunted crowd ; — O'Driscol's band. 
 From Inis-Davly's § southern land. 
 
 Rushed forth, to Liberty awaked : 
 
 CANTO viir. 
 
 Barony Barrymore. f Hag's-bed. f Cork. -J Cape Clear. 
 
CANTO VIII. DERMID. 273 
 
 Rcverers of Saint Olan's power 
 
 Came many a clan from Bantreigh's * shore, 
 
 And Adragoiil's cataract. 
 Nor were the sons of Corcalleagh f 
 Absent on this eventful day ; 
 They crowd from Ira-Kieran's caves, 
 Their summoning bugles start the waves. 
 No Ostman shield-beat filled the gale. 
 Round Bally- Vourney's holy well ; 
 Thither O'Keefe, from Glennamain J 
 Had come, to meet the valiant men 
 Of Gougane-Barra's lovely glen ; 
 And with him stood O'Donovan 
 From rock-girted Glen-Barrahane. § 
 MacCarthy, when he heard the sound, 
 Turned to Dunkearma's || chiefs around ; 
 " What shouts are crowding on mine ear ?"— 
 *' Alas ! brave Prince ! too much we fear, 
 " Apostate sons have waked that swell ; 
 " The chiefs of Corcalleagh rebel ; 
 
 • Bantry. f Barony Carbcry. J Ferraoy Baronj. 
 
 { A rocky glen near Castlehaven. || Kinsale. 
 
 M m 
 
274 DERMItX canto viii. 
 
 " From Temple-Brian's Pagan land 
 
 " They seem to crowd, an hostile band. 
 
 " And, lo ! their standards are in sight ! 
 
 '• Tliey come to storm Dunkearma's height !" — 
 
 « Where is O'Leyns ?"— " Alas ! he too 
 
 " Assists their cause!" — " Then all are true ! 
 
 " That chief has never breathed deceit, 
 
 " That name was ne'er dishonoured yet !" — 
 
 XXIX, 
 Now, round Corrigia's * craggy shores, 
 Wildly the summoning bugle pours ; 
 Tn the deep chasm of Dunloe 
 
 Some scattered chiefs for freedom rise ; 
 From Killenane's romantic brow, 
 
 And Skellig's penance-precipice. 
 Ty-Vorney-Geerane's gallant band 
 
 Beneath Saint Brandon's hill f appears ; 
 And, on Maclda's caverned strand, 
 
 Glitter MacGilly Cuddy's spears. 
 But, oh ! amid surrounding cries 
 Of *' Liberty !" that rend the skies ; 
 
 23 
 
 * County Kerry. f Knock-Brandon, 
 
OANTO vnr. DERMID. 275 
 
 How silent still art thou, Loch-Lane '. 
 Was such the triumph of the Dane, 
 That not an echo from thy vales 
 The glorious cry of freedom hails ? 
 Such was not once thy solitude. 
 When reigned O'Donogliue the good, 
 Or haughty Maoldun ! — No more 
 Around Glanflcsk their clansmen pour ; 
 Or, Heaven ! what thunders of applause 
 
 Would break thy slumbers, fair Loch- Lane '. 
 
 Erin migiit triumph in the strain, 
 That called such warriors to her cause ! 
 
 XXX. 
 
 Ti-aleigh * and Teuthal's -f fort snppl y 
 Some hearts that throb for liberty ; 
 And now they tug the sturdy oar, 
 Through roaring waves, round rocky shore, 
 Where Seinnon sweeps his inland sea 
 With consciousness of majesty. 
 Anon they pour the misty spray. 
 Where woman X never traced her way, 
 
 * Tralee. f Listowel. | Inis-Catha, where no woman was allowed to land. 
 
276 DERMID. canto viit. 
 
 Ere yet the sacrilegious Danes 
 
 Had desolated Erin's plains : 
 
 Now stands their round tower on that shore, 
 
 ^Vhere gleam their crowded helms no more ; 
 
 For soon the mighty Bryen came, 
 
 (Long hallowed be that patriot name !) 
 
 And wrested back from Lochlin's band 
 
 The sway of Inis-Catha's land. 
 
 MacEnery's and O'Grady's clan, 
 
 With generous O'Callaghan, 
 
 Rushed to the war: Their bugles' tone 
 
 Started remotest Leimnacon ; * 
 As passed they through O'Connel's land, t 
 And summoned forth his faithful band; 
 Nor waited long : — with tiger start, 
 And freedom swelling at his heart, 
 
 Sprung forth O'Conneh Now their oars 
 
 They fearless tug round Luimneach's towers ;< 
 And often, with triumphant cheer. 
 Startle the wondering Ostman there. 
 
 . * Loop-head. f Barony Connello, in tlie County Limerick, 
 
 t Limerick, a sea-port of the Danes. 
 
CANTO viit. DERMID. 277 
 
 How proudly, on that glorious day, 
 
 The Seinnon's billows rolled away 
 
 With seeming consciousness ; the while 
 
 Each barge, with banners streaming wide, 
 And brand and spear, seemed wooded isle 
 
 By Zephyr wafted o'er the tide. 
 
 XXXI. 
 
 Already, from Dalcassia's * land, 
 Boru had led his faithful band ; 
 And many a knight and warrior true 
 Had looked on home a last adieu, 
 To follow where his banners wave. 
 
 Through danger's deadliest toil; 
 From ancient Dysert and Drumclieve, 
 
 And Iniskerry's pile. 
 No answering blast from Tenabore f 
 Was heard, or Avon-Gearna's :j; shore ; 
 So long O'Bryen ne'er delayed, 
 When Erin claimed a patriot's aid. 
 But, lo ! O'Gorman's banners green 
 Float o'er his native Tullichrien ; 
 
 ♦ County Clare. f Kilfenora, J Six-mile-bridge. 
 
278 DERMID. canto viri> 
 
 And with liiin, from their rocky shore, * 
 O'Loghlin's hardy clansmen pour. 
 The tower f is fair, that rears its liead 
 O'er yonder streamlet's waving bed ! 
 And brightly fall the beams of night 
 On Kennedye's monastic height ! 
 Proud MacNamara's troops are there, 
 And the brave men of Magh- Adhair : 2S 
 
 They gladly leave, for fields of fame, 
 The country of Siona's game. 
 Impatient of delay, around 
 They often swell the bugle's sound ; 
 It moans e'en to Can-cora's X l^a^ls ; 
 And Kill-da-Lua's § crypted walls 
 
 The welcome melody rebound. 
 
 Alone the chosen warriors move 
 
 From the dark valley of Moycroove ; 
 
 ^Miere Munster's prince erst claimed his right, 27 
 
 When Cambrian Briot joined the fight ; 
 
 Who could behold, Moycroove ! thy plain, 
 
 I^or live that battle o'er again ? 
 
 * Burrcn Barony f Q"'" abbey. 
 
 The palace of Bryen Boru, near Killaloe. § KiHabe. 
 
CANTO viir. 
 
 DERMID. 27^ 
 
 XXXIL 
 
 Far o'er Loch-Derrig's peopled flood 
 Faithful O'Madden's banners crowd ; 
 Long used to war, more gallant train 
 Ne'er conquered on the battle-plain. — 
 Now by Clonfert the summons pours ; 
 
 And, o'er Saint Connel's cell, * the blast 
 Bursts on Beal-Atha's f riven towers, 
 
 Where late O'Kelly's chiefs had past ; 
 From Dumogh-Dairne's X once happy home 
 Without one sigh their prince had come ; 
 The temple of Saint Jarlath's shrine § 
 No lingering parting glance could win. 
 'Die summons of Kilcolgan's bell 
 Was answered in Dun /Engus' || cell •, 
 
 Yet, ere the warrior pushed his barge 
 
 I'rom Arran-more's dark rocky verge, 
 
 ITe turned ; — and Fancy's pencil dvevi 
 
 lly-Brasail's ^I fairy isle to view ; 
 
 * Kilconnel. t Athcnry. J Dunmore. § In Tuam. 
 
 II In the greater isle of Arran, wliich was anciently called Venisnia. 
 
 f The Fortunatffi Insulse of the Irish, which they thought they could see from 
 die Isles of Arran. 
 
280 DERMID. canto viii. 
 
 In whose enchantments, legends say, 
 The good shall dwell till judgment day; 
 Where minstrel shall resume the strain 
 That once he swept on native plain ; 
 And chiefs his praise again shall claim, 
 As, o'er their fields of woildjy fame, 
 They press upon the airy foe, 
 Where mimic blood shall seem to flow. 
 From Annadown and Turey's * plain 
 Comes many a chief to meet the Dane ; 
 With flag unfurled and naked sword, 
 O'Donelan, Clan-Breasail's * Lord, 
 Welcomed his country's gathering sound, 
 And called his virtuous clan around. 
 Magh-Ullin * in O'Flaherty 
 
 Sends forth an host. O'Shaughnessv, 
 
 O'Kirwan's and O'Mailly's clan 
 Had gone, with brave O'Halloran 
 To Tara's hill ; nor Beauty's tear 
 Could long detain O'Daly here ; 
 
 Ancient tracts in the County Galwaj". 
 
CANTO VIII. DERMID. 281 
 
 No private feel the heart subdued, 
 That would have given its dearest blood 
 
 For liberty : Love never draws 
 
 A patriot from his country's cause. 
 
 XXXIII. 
 
 With two-edged axe, determined throng, 
 
 The Galloglasses met at Cong ; 28 
 
 From Carra's rocks, and Saxon cell, 29 
 
 And grey Croagh-Phadrig's * pinnacle. 
 
 The forest f of the dream supplied 
 
 An hardy band j — and Firmalgaid % 
 
 Her mountaineers from Nephin sent 
 
 With hearts unwarpcd and pride unbent. 
 
 The banners of the Eagle Isles 
 
 Now silver yon remotest hills. 
 
 And who is he, — that warrior bright. 
 
 Whose sword, like meteor of the night. 
 
 Flashes, as if its edge were set 
 
 To gild benighted Erin's fate ? 
 
 * Croagh-Patrick in the County Mayo. f I'ide JoccUti's life of St. PalricL 
 
 + Tyrawly Barony. 
 
 X n 
 
282 DERMID. canto vni. 
 
 It is MacCostelo, whose sword 
 Is not more trusty than its Lord, 
 
 'Tis Kierrigia's * chiefs advance ! 
 The meeting f waves in cavern drear 
 Echo their shout ! — And hehn and spear 
 
 Gleam brightly o'er the blue expanse ! 
 
 XXXIV. 
 
 The chiefs of Slieve-Gae J were prepared, 
 Gladly the summoning blast they heard ; 
 Ballysadare's o'ershadowed cell 
 Rung with O'Hara's bugle swell ; 
 Where foamed her loud and broken tides 
 
 Were ranged the followers of O'Bean ; 
 And, through the woods that clothe her sides, 
 
 O'Beirne's advancing bands were seen. 
 From Lugna-Clogh, § and Sligeach's plain 
 MacForbes and brave O'Bunachain 
 Had led their few ; — MacDonogh's band 
 On steepest precipice remained, 
 
 * Costelo Barony. f At the truly picturesque village of Cong. 
 
 "I Sligo County. § The Giants' grave. 
 
CANTO VIII. DERMID. 283 
 
 With careless step and mountain song, 
 But heart that throbbed for Erin's wrong : 
 The eagle, startled from repose. 
 On his broad dusky pinions rose. 
 Sore wondering who had dared intrude 
 Adventurous on his solitude. 
 Soon as on distant hills were seen 
 Their crowded chiefs and banners green, 
 Near and more near the triumph swelled ; 
 
 From man to man the signal flew, 
 And Sligeach's mountain warriors hailed 
 
 The heroes, whom so well they knew j 
 Their ecstasy would force its Avay, 
 And oft was heard the loud " Huzza ! 
 " Ours, ours shall be the victory ! 
 " JNIacDonogh fights for liberty !" 
 Embrowned by many a rugged hill. 
 Heaves the dark bosom of Loch-Gill ; 
 Where many a sullen bugle swells 
 Through wooded isles and Culdee* cells. 
 The warriors of JNIacDermott Roe 
 Are ranged along the vales below. 
 
 * I should perhaps ere this have mentioned, that the Culdees were a celebrateil 
 monastic order in the 6th century. 
 
284 DEHMID. canto vnr. 
 
 And through the heath ; — himself the while 
 
 In gloom_y grandeur looks from high, 
 And muses from his secret hill 
 
 On war, and power, and victory. 
 Anon at signal they prepare 
 To move for Tara's hill and war ; 
 And now beyond Ben-Golban's steep 
 Their war-shout echoes o'er the deep, 
 Lochlin ere long shall rue the day 
 They left the vallies of Slieve-Gae. 
 
 XXXV. 
 
 Leith-Druim, * on her shadowy lakes 
 Received the sound ; — and now it breaks, 
 Where proud Loch-Allen foams and swells 
 'Mid hoary cliffs, his centinels ; 
 Sprung up the hunter from his dream. 
 Where slumbering by the mountain -stream, 
 Phantoms had chilled his soul that nio;ht : 
 And visions, crowding on his sight. 
 Collected scenes of danger gave. 
 Of Luath f struggling with the wave. 
 And speckled Bran f stretched faint and low 
 "3y arrow from an Ostman bow ; 
 
 '*- Leitrim County. f The names of hounds in Ossian's poemj , 
 
CANTO VIII. DERMID. 285 
 
 Starting be blew a recboat-blast, 30 
 
 From caverns drear 'twas ecbocd back ; 
 No more his heedless stag-hounds passed, 
 
 No longer urged the counter-track ; 
 Their feeble yell, from distance borne, 
 Seemed but the echo of the horn ; 
 Sullen awhile they wished to glide 
 By Scinnon's dark romantic tide ; 
 Another blast the liunter blew, 
 And through Drumshamboc's woods they flew. 
 There many a gallant band has met, 
 And many a bright sun risen to set ; 
 Oh ! 'twas in truth a gallant sight, 
 
 When each steep momitain's beaconed brow 
 Displayed the banners of each knight. 
 
 Whose armour dimly gleamed below ! 
 IMacRanell and O'Rourke have come 
 From Fenagh, and the plains of Crom : * 
 Anxious they trace each distant hill 
 
 That peeps above the horizon's edge ; 
 And wish 'twas Tara's pinnacle 
 
 Already in their reach. 
 
 * Magh Slciight near Fenagh, where Crom was worshipped. 
 
286 DERMID. canto vin. 
 
 XXXVI. 
 
 " Moy-Nay ! * how green thy mountains swell ! 
 
 " Nor guile nor fear thy warriors know, 
 " Alike prepared, with ready zeal, 
 
 " To aid a friend or front a foe ! 
 
 *' Oh ! may thy sons through time be blest ! 
 
 " In peace — in war — at home — abroad, — 
 " May victory hover on their crest, 
 
 " And virtue lead them to their God !" — 
 
 So rose the hymn of Croghan's bard, 81 
 
 Within Religna Ree he knelt ; 
 From Dathy's tomb his voice was heard 
 
 Through scenes where virtuous Cathmor dwelt ; 
 Where once " the friend of Strangers" spread 
 
 The feast ; nor had his spirit fled : 
 
 The same, that ruled at Atha's board, 
 Still filled the hall of Croghan's Lord-, 
 To whose majestic rath that day 
 Hastes many a warrior from Loch- Kay, f 
 By brave JNIacDermott led ; 
 
 * County Roscommon. f Kingston lake near Boyle. 
 
CANTO VIII. DERMID. 287 
 
 In vain to smile that chieftain tries, 
 He could not leave his paradise 
 
 Without a tear ; 'tis shed ! 
 
 With kindling pride he waves his plume. 
 
 It trembles on the water's gloom ; 
 
 Oft would he strike his polished shield. 
 
 And listen as the echo swelled ; 
 
 His aged sire, whose vision dim 
 
 Can catch no parting glance of him,. 
 
 Harkens with mental prayer the while 
 
 From fair Macreeny's sacred isle,*" 
 
 'Till silence of the rustling oar 
 
 Tells him his son has reached the shore* 
 
 O'Hanly and O' Flanagan, 
 
 And vigilant Tomonia's clan 
 
 Shrunk not on gathering day ; 
 Ath-lu-an f sent from Seinnon's wave 
 Her trusty chiefs ; — nor were the brave ± 
 
 Of Corcaghlan away. 
 Kilmaine — Clonthuskert — Bealnagar — 
 Were ever first in Erin's war. 
 
 * Inismacreeny. f Athlone. i The O'Brennans. 
 
288 DERMID. canto vih. 
 
 The children, on Slieve-Ban's dark heath. 
 Welcomed the bugle's lengthened blast, 
 Smiling unconscious as it passed j 
 
 They little think its fatal breath 
 
 May blight, in one short hour, the peace 
 
 That gives to home its happiness. ' 
 
 XXXVII. 
 
 Round Croghan from Silanchia's * shore 
 O'Madden's blithe companions pour ; 
 And with them from Clin-Uadach'sf land 
 Springs forth O'Fallon's fearless band. 
 How cheerful are thy sons, Moy-Nay ! 
 Fearless of death or battle day i 
 Impatient for the fight, they urge 
 The mimic war on Croghan's verge; 
 Sometimes as friend, and now as foe. 
 Each band is ranged above — below ; — 
 
 * The Barony of Longford in tlic county Galway, which adjoins the county 
 lloscommon. 
 
 t An ancient tract in the county Roscommon. 
 
CANTO vm. DER]\IID. 289 
 
 Oft, in the winding cave, was laid 
 
 The martial— friendly ambuscade ; 
 
 And now the little armies beat 
 
 Their shields;^ — they shout — they rush — they meet I 
 
 Parry — and flash — and dart — and spring — 
 
 With splendid play, and liglitning's wing ! 
 
 And lo ! they fall ; — now seem to die ! 
 
 But never, even in sport, can fly ! 
 
 With transport wild, O' Conor pressed 
 The heir of Conat to his breast ; 
 Closer the little Roderic clung, 
 And fonder lisped his artless tongue, 
 As if in triumph for the tear he wrung. 
 
 XXXV III. 
 
 " Oh why did I learn to guide the spear, 
 " If now I be left deserted here ? 
 " Why didst thou give me this little shield, 
 " And tell me a larger I yet should wield ? 
 " This arm, methinks, is weary of play ! 
 " This bosom is throbbing for battle-day ! 
 " Let me be with thee I — when dastard's brand 
 " Would aim in unguarded hour the blow, 
 
 o o 
 
CANTO VHI. 
 
 290 DERIMID. 
 
 " Heaven might direct a feeble hand, 
 
 " And a timely dart lay the Ostman low !" 
 
 " Too soon, dear Roderic ! shalt thou learn 
 " The wrongs, — the toils, — the wars of Erin ! 
 " Too soon remember, pei'haps with a sigh, 
 
 " Thy father fought for her liberty !" 
 
 " Oh, Father ! our country's fate might win 
 " The sigh, but wherefore those tears of thine ? 
 " Thou often hast told me o'er and o'er, 
 
 " To weep was the solace of woman's fear, 
 " My mother has wept ; But ne'er before 
 
 " Has Roderic seen a father's tear !" 
 
 XXXIX. 
 
 'Twas now the closing hour of night ; 
 Grey morning streaked a partial light 
 
 On Tara's bannered brow : 32 
 
 Betimes the freshening breeze would stray 
 O'er many a plume and helmet grey. 
 
 That there crowd brightly now. 
 Now might those classic spots be traced 
 Where Erin's proudest warriors passed 
 Their happiest hours ; — Where, JNIinstrels tclJ, 
 When night has closed o'er hill and vale, 
 
CANTO vnr. DERMID. 291 
 
 The spirits of those warriors move 
 
 Majestic tlirough each waving grove ; 
 
 And, still on former pleasures bent, 
 
 Fancy they fight the tournament. 
 
 The hiu'dled bowers, the simple Fes, * 
 
 Could charm the youthful chieftain's gaze, • 
 
 When held with liberty more dear 
 
 Than palaces unblest with her. 
 
 lluined are now those bowers — and drear. 
 
 The signal spears gleam brightly there ; 33 
 
 A gathering sign for battle-fields, 
 
 Forerunner of the shock of shields ! 
 
 XL. 
 
 Now dawning morn each chief revealed 
 
 That lingered still in sweet repose ; 
 Pillowed upon his rounded shield, 
 
 With spear still grasped, he feared no foes ; 
 AVliile his broad helm, with waving crest. 
 Would brush the dew-drops from his breast ; 
 And his grim hound, with lengthened form, 
 Would watch his bed, and fold him warm. 
 
 • The grand council of Tara was denominated the Great Fes. 
 
292 DERMID. canto viir. 
 
 " The warrior, ere the field is won, 
 
 " Ere the long campaign is done, 
 
 " Dreams of blood and battle-plain, 
 
 " Fights his former fields again ; 
 
 " Leads and fronts a grove of spears, 
 
 " Commands where deadliest danger stares, 
 
 " Nor wakes, 'till startled by the cry 
 
 " Of—" Victory ! our Victory 1" 
 
 " The young in arms may sleep ! — for them 
 " Shall fancy paint unsorrowed dream ; 
 " For me no hour of rest remains 
 " While triumphs foe on Erin's plains. 
 
 " The young in arms may sleep ! No care 
 
 " Shall start their hasty slumbers there ; 
 " My thoughts, too true to Erin's woes, 
 " Dispel the enchantment of repose." 
 
 So thought Boru ; as sleepless now 
 
 He looks from Tara's peopled brow ; 
 
 Round him his mantle loosely flowed, 
 
 As through the sleeping bands he strode; 
 
 And Moran's mystic collar round 34 
 
 His neck in many a fold was bound, 
 
CANTO VIII. DERxAIID. 293 
 
 Unshrivelled still, as when of old 
 He first assumed the magic fold. 
 In glory's chastest beams he shone, 
 A steady light, alas ! a setting sun. 
 
 XLI. 
 
 Of all the beacon-fires, but one 
 
 Still glimmered faint on Tara's browj 
 « So feeble," thought Boru, " so lone 
 
 " My early friends survive I now ! 
 " They, like these lights, exulting erst 
 « In all the blaze of glory burst ; 
 " But like these lights have vanished all, 
 " I should not have out-lived their fall." 
 Eager he glanced his eye beneath, 
 Where many a band upon the heath 
 With spear, and helm, and axe was spread, 
 Like silvery mist on mountain's head. 
 Careless of danger round they lay. 
 Cased in the arms of battle-day ; 
 Green Erin's sons the fear disowned 
 That shrunk to ravelin or mound ; 
 Each warrior castled in himself. 
 Proud in the bulwark of a friend, 
 
!894 DERMID. 
 
 Feared not the force of foe or elf, 
 
 While battle-axe or spear remained ; 
 Nor thought of Keep or Barbacan, 
 While fenced by all his gallant clan. 
 
 Sweet is the vision fancy draws 
 
 In slumbers snatched upon the shield ; 
 
 When victory seems to crown the cause 
 That leads the hero to the field ! 
 
 Nor would he wish the dream unslept 
 That lays him low on battle-plain ; 
 
 If, ere the chilling thought has crept. 
 He hears his friends' triumphant strain. 
 
 XLII. 
 
 The rising sun now brightly plays 
 On groves of steel, a burnished blaze : 
 Ere now the lightly armed Kern * 
 Had waked the " Liberty and Erin !" 
 Echo had not dismissed the sound, 
 Ere every chief stood armed around. 
 
 * Vide Note 1 of Canto First. 
 
 CANTO VIII. 
 
CANTO vin. DERMID. 295 
 
 When, lo ! tliey viewed the banished band 
 From Glendaloch's secluded land, 
 O'Tool, MacMorogh, and O'Byrne ; 
 Now could they view each banner green, 
 Anon each cleft in shield was seen : 
 Grief in the Monarch's bosom swelled 
 
 Soon as the suppliant band drew near ; 
 One hand advanced the bloody * shield. 
 
 The other raised the broken spear. 
 " Come to the feast ! — We march to-day ! 
 
 " To-mori'ow meet the foe ! 
 " All here shall gladly aid to lay 
 
 " Your proud oppressors low !" 
 " All ! All !" the valiant bands reply, 
 " To-morrow death or Liberty 
 
 XLIII. 
 
 Bright through the wooded glens appears 
 The gleam of helms, and shields, and spears ; 
 Like foamy waves by winter's blast 
 Through a long range of caverns cast. 
 
 • Vide Ossian's " Cathlin of CliUha." 
 
296 DERMID, canto viir. 
 
 Conat — Momonia — heart and hand, 
 
 Were marshalled under one command j 
 
 The enmities of years forgot, 
 
 The battles that so late they fought : 
 
 No more Feargall's forsaken shield 35 
 
 Darkens the union of the field, 
 
 And Targlin's stream, though red with blood, 
 
 Conat forgets for country's good, 
 
 All clothed in arms the warriors crowd 
 
 To break the chains of slavery ; 
 Prepared to meet their country's foes. 
 And soon in mortal strife to close 
 
 For Erin and for Liberty^ 
 And never sure was braver band 
 Arrayed to fight for native land j 
 
 Their banners bright between : 
 A forest seems forth-rising there, 
 With all its bloom and branches fair,. 
 And leaves of spangled green. 
 
 XLIV. 
 
 The morn's repast was spread, — ere moved 
 The warriors to the fights they loved. 
 
CANTO VIII. DERMID. 297 
 
 The marshal* wound a bugle blast ; — 
 
 It swelled along the ruined halls. 
 The squires of Tara's nobles passed, 
 
 And hung their shields upon tlie walls : 
 Another blast ; — each targeteer 
 Arranged his master's helm and spear : 
 A third was wound ; — the heralds guide 
 Each warrior to the rank of pride ; 
 The sons of Erin crowd along, 
 The children of the sword and song. 
 Now kings, and chiefs, and bards, have pastj 
 And silent is the bugle's blast ; 
 Boru is seated on his throne, 
 A Brehon's legislative stone ; f 
 The King of Ullin on his right X 
 Appears, with many a Red-Branch Knight, 
 \Vlio oft, as swept the minstrel sound. 
 Would beat a martial time around ; 
 
 * These were the ceremonies observed at the festivals of Tara. Vide O'Hal- 
 loran's General History of Ireland, Vol. 1, Page 130. 
 
 f Many of these Brehons' chairs still remain in Ireland. 
 
 X This was the order in which the provincial kings sat. Vide Kealinges Ireland, 
 Fol. 341. 
 
 Fp 
 
298 DERMID. canto vm. 
 
 To Tara's hill from northern shore, 
 MacCafFrey Ullin's standard bore. 
 
 Momonia's Lord upon the left, 
 And proud Dalcassia's chiefs appear-, 
 Their bright plumes waving in the air. 
 Behind the throne, among the spears 
 Of Conat's chiefs, her monarch rears 
 
 His helmet oft in battle cleft ; 
 MacDermott as his marshal came, 
 With many another chief, whose name 
 Is wrested horn the rolls of fame. 
 
 XLV. 
 
 Why is Lagenia's King away 
 Upon this great eventful day ? 
 
 Alas ! he aids the plunderer: 
 But few of all his former band 
 Were won to raise the recreant brand. 
 
 Or follow Maolmurdha's spear. 
 Hoary apostate ! age's breath 
 
 Has changed the blackness of thy brow^ 
 But time can never bleach the faith 
 
 A mantle's clasp makes perjured now ! 3G: 
 
CANTO vm. BERMID. 299 
 
 Here on his seat, with sullen mien, 
 The gloomy JVIalachy * is seen ; 
 Next are enthroned f the bishops there, 
 Hereditary JNlarshal next j — and near 
 The Banner-Knight and treasurer. 
 Rank over rank around them rise 
 The bards, the priests, the deputies. 
 
 XLVL 
 
 ^ow speaks amid the throng Boru : 
 
 " Once have I been, brave youths ! like you^ 
 
 " A day there was, the bugle's breath 
 
 " Was sweetest music to mine ear ; 
 " My sword ne'er rusted in its sheath, 
 
 " When Erin's sorrows claimed it bare. 
 " My hand — my bosom then were her's, 
 
 " But now, alas ! this frame is weak ; 
 *' 111 could it bear the shock of spears, 
 
 " Yet lives my heart within the wreck. 
 
 * Malachy's gloom arose from his having been deposed in favour of Br}'en ; 
 ■and it was with an hope to tarnisli the latter's glory, that we shall find him, in the 
 11th Canto, withdrawing liis forces from the battle of Clontarf, at the very onset. 
 
 t Vkle O'Halloran's History, &c. Vol. I, Page 129. 
 
300 DER^IID. OANTO viii. 
 
 " And with you, in the field of death, 
 
 " Mine eye shall mark each warrior's patk 
 
 ." The spirits of your fathers come, 
 
 " They crowd around me from the tomb ; 
 
 " And I shall meet them, — meet and tell, 
 
 " How of their sons each fought or fell ; 
 
 " But should this anxious zeal be vain 
 
 " To break the galling Danish chain ; — 
 
 " Boru shall teach you how to die, 
 
 " How to revenge your liberty ; 
 
 " Then shall some dense — some gloomy cloud 
 
 " Receive me in its sullen shroud ; 
 
 " Shall wrap me from my fathers' sight 
 
 " In dark impenetrable night. 
 
 " I would not hear the funeral cry 
 
 " Weeping o'er Erin's liberty. 
 
 '* 111 omens ! by what evil spell, 
 
 " Came I to be your oracle? — 
 
 " For sure, if each to self prove true, 
 
 " The cause must conquer ! 'Tis for you, 
 
 *♦ While but a lingering drop remain, 
 " To shed it on the battle-plain 
 
 " In Erin's cause. The blood shall speak, 
 
 ^* That's spilt upon our country's wreck j 
 
CANTO viir. DERM ID. 301 
 
 " Our sons shall mark the fatal spot, 
 
 " And concjucr where their fathers fought. 
 
 " Heaven shall defend us ; Lochlin's train 
 
 " Shall ne'er disturb our peace again j 
 
 " No more deluded we repair, 
 
 " At Beltinne eve, to Callen mountain ; S7 
 
 " No more address misguided prayer 
 
 " On Druid-rock to Light's pure fountain. 
 
 " No more on Conan's runic stone 
 
 " Trace we the hymn of valour gone, 
 " Inscribed in magic character ; 
 
 " A wise Omnipotence our cause 
 
 " Shall guard, — our liberties and laws ;, 
 
 " For freedom's rights must sure be dear 
 " To him whose goodness placed us here ; 
 
 " Through whom, their ancient rites abjured, 
 ** The Danish bands shall listen to the Christian word." 
 
 XLVII. 
 
 Soon as he paused, — the Minstrels trace 
 His line through long iNIilesian race, 
 From many a chiefj who lives in story, 
 A gem in Erin's crown of glory 
 
SOS DERIMID. CANTO vrir. 
 
 Anon they sung, in sweeter lays, 
 
 The deeds that crowned his early days. 
 
 " Alike thou'rt skilled in battle-field 
 
 " To hurl the dart — and strike the shield ; 
 
 " Or mount in peace the Brelion chair, 
 
 " And speak the words of wisdom there. 
 
 " Oh, Bryen ! thy glory shall never depart 
 
 *' From the record of Erin, the patriot's heart ; 
 
 " Triumphant 'tis twined in her garland of fame, 
 
 " And will bloom forth through tempests and ages the same, 
 
 " When the sons of our cliildren shall lisp to their sires, 
 " When they learn to esteem all that virtue inspires, 
 *' Wliile they hear of their country, — the finger of truth 
 *' Shall point out thy name to the emidoiis youth. 
 
 " When the minstrel shall feel that the hour draws near, 
 ^' Which must part him from all that in life was most dear, 
 " He will snatch up the harp, and its last thrilling breath 
 *' Shall expire in thy praise as he sinks into death. 
 
 " And oh ! if our country should ever again 
 ** Be trod by oppression, — be bent to the chain, 
 
CANTO VIII. 
 
 DERMIU 303 
 
 " May Heaven her charter of freedoin renew, 
 " And send to her wishes another Borfi !" 
 
 So sung the Bards ; — such votive lay 
 Has Tara hoard since Cathbad's * day. 
 
 The tale of other years ; 
 On Bryen's brow the crown is laid. 
 The banner of the realm displayed, 
 Meath's deposed prince alone in gloom appears. 
 
 XLvni. 
 
 He rose ; — " I grieve that word of mine 
 
 " Must thus prolong the ill-omened strain 
 
 *' Our king commenced ;" — his eye expressed 
 
 The wounded pride that racked his brea,st, 
 
 " But much I err, or hard defeat 
 
 " Our chains shall rivet closer yet ; 
 
 '•' This blade," he cried, and bared his brandy, 
 
 " Has often served my native land ; 
 
 " And trust mc, warriors ! Erin's weal 
 
 " Is dearer than my tongue can tell. 
 
 * It was at the instigation of the Arcli-Diuid Cathbad, tliat Connar Mor, in 
 tlie fii-st centiuy, revived the convention of Tara. 
 
304 DERMID. canto viii, 
 
 " But 'tis not yet the hour, — 'twere vain 
 " To dream of liberty till then." 
 
 " Cease !" Morrogh * cries, " Thy boding voice 
 
 " Is never fated to rejoice ; 
 
 " Cover thy blade, thou man of pride ! 
 
 " It hangs not easy by thy side ! 
 
 " I doubt the man whose ill-timed sigh 
 
 " ^Vould damp the glow of liberty !" ► 
 
 " I scorn," cried Malachy, " advice, 
 
 *' 'Tis ]\Ieath's birth-right to act alone, 
 
 " He shall not part it like his throne, 
 
 " While this same sword is his !" 
 
 On signal from Boru, j\IacLiagh f 
 Awaked a soothing minstrelsy, 
 A tone of melting eloquence ; 
 E'en JNIalachy seemed softened thence. 
 A patriot's zeal — a warrior's fire 
 Flashed on the minstrel's quivering wire : 
 Each warrior, leaning on his sword. 
 Chimed every tone, — treasured each word ; 
 
 * Morrogh was the son of Bryen Boru. 
 ^ MacLiagh was chief harper or crotarie in the court of Bryen Born. 
 
CANTO VIII. DER^IID. 305 
 
 The coldest of the gallant throng 
 Would grasp his blade, with fond desire 
 
 To be the hero of such song ; 
 As rapid crowded on his gaze 
 The tournaments of former days : 
 He loves, — he rages, — smiles, — or weeps, — 
 As each successive theme the minstrel sweeps. — 
 
 XLIX. 
 
 When, lo ! in Danish armour drest. 
 Appears an uninvited guest ; 
 
 Unmoved he fronts the silent stare 
 Of every chief and minstrel there; 
 Wearied he seems to need repose. 
 Too proud to seek it of his foes. 
 " Stranger ! thou too shalt share the feast ; 
 " 'Tis free to wearied wanderer : 
 " And, e'en thou wert the Ostman Lord, 
 " The leader of the Danish horde, 
 
 " Thou shouldst be welcomed here. 
 " Come, stranger ! share the feast ; nor fear 
 " That treachery lies ambushed near ; 
 " Though Erin's sons can wield the spcai', 
 " They welcome the distrest. 
 
 Q q 
 
306 DERMID. canto viir. 
 
 " Their monarch hails thee. — Banish care ! 
 
 " Ours is a generous enmity. — 
 " Thou needst not pledge or safe-guard, where 38 
 
 " All is blithe hospitality. 
 " Here may we join the feast to-day, 
 " To-morrow meet in deadliest fray ; 
 " Nor small shall be the warrior's boast, 
 " Who conquers him that dared our host." 
 
 L. 
 
 Each chief then hails him to the feast 
 Wliere stranger was a welcome guest ; 
 And, as around the board they lean. 
 The quickest eye had scarcely seen 
 Each warrior from his armour bright 
 Stealing the trophies of the fight 
 Offensive to the Ostman's sight. 
 " Remove not these !" — the stranger cries, 
 " Dearer have never blest mine eyes. 
 
 " Remove them not ! they have their charm 
 
 " When wrested from oppression's arm. 
 " To dare your host were bold essay, 
 " But little m.erit can I claim ; 
 
CANTO VIII. DERMID. 307 
 
 " Your guards have known me once, To-day 
 
 " My peaceful pass-port was my name. 
 " I come to fight for liberty 
 
 " Where Erin's warriors meet ; 
 " To conquer in your victory, 
 
 " Or die in your defeat. 
 " Nor, while one shattered plank shall float 
 " To bear a faithful patriot, ^ 
 
 " Shall I my country's cause forsake : 
 
 " We'll guard or perish in the wreck !" 
 
 He doffs his helm ; 'Tis Dermid stands, 
 
 Disguised as Dane, amid green Erin's bands. 
 
 END OF THE EIGHTH CANTO. 
 
DERMID 
 
 Canto il^intj^. 
 
<VNAA/l/V>iVNA^^^\AiVN<\AA/N/SA<Nf< 
 
 The scene lies on and about the hill of Howth, near Dublin, and in 
 the Danish Camp, The time is the evening of the 23d of 
 March, 
 
 l/WWVt«WWV/\A/VW/W\r/WVW%^^ 
 
DERMID* 
 
 Canto il5itttl)* 
 
 I. 
 
 Oh, Providence ! liow secret are the springs. 
 
 By which thou rulest the World ! — Removed how far 
 Seem cause and effect, ere thy wisdom brings 
 
 Some great event to ripeness ! — Yet there are, 
 Who with presumptuous discontentment dare 
 
 To tax Omnipotence ; — who think to scan 
 Creation's system with the feeble stare 
 
 Of sifted reason : though the soul of man 
 Be but a spark of that eternal light, 
 
 Which, howsoe'er undazzling mortal sight. 
 Unbounded glows and lives throughout Creation's plan.- 
 
312 DERMID. canto ix. 
 
 II. 
 
 Long silent was Benhadar's steep ; 
 
 And peaceful flowed the azure deep, 
 So on its bosom wood and sky 
 
 In calm reflection seemed to lie, 
 That birds would plunge their plumage there, 
 As if it was their kindred air j 
 So calm, as if it were not now 
 
 The eve of that eventful day. 
 When Erin's sons shall front the foe 
 
 Of Erin's land and liberty : 
 The allies of that plundering foe 
 Now ^arkly mingled in the vale below. 
 
 IIL 
 
 Close by Saint Fenton's* sacred wood 
 Norwegia's f gallant warriors stood ; 
 Their deep extended ranks displayed 
 A bright array — a countless aid : 
 
 * An ancient church on the hill of Howtli. 
 
 •|- The auxiliaries presented in this stanza are all conformable to the History. 
 Vide Vallancey's Coll. Hib. Vol. i. Page 520. 
 
CANTO IX. DERMID. 313 
 
 There licr young Princes traced tlie field 
 
 Beneath their fatlier's rounded shield. 
 
 AVilh them were ranged alons the shore 
 
 The hardy sons of'Inistore, * 
 
 Led on by Lodar's son. — And near 
 
 King Sitric's Danish bands appear; 
 
 Willi them the false Brogarvan stands, 
 
 And Brodar's brazen-armoured bands. 
 
 And many a chief of noble race 
 
 From Lewis and the Hebrides. 
 
 Menevia and the Shetland isles 
 
 Had sent their host to Locldin's toils ; 
 
 From distant towers were dim displayed 
 
 The floating banners of the Swede ; 
 
 Unrolled by good Olaus' f son, 
 
 And marked with deeds of battles won : 
 
 War — glory were his only laws. 
 
 And conquest dear in any cause. 
 
 * The Orkney Islands. 
 
 t Olaus the tributary, was the first Christian King of Sweden ; he reigned from 
 980 to 1019. His son, whom I here suppose commanding the auxiliary Swedes, 
 was named Amund, Vide Verlot's Revolutions of Sweden, Pa^e 998 9. 
 
 R r 
 
314 DERMID. canto ix. 
 
 Unlike his sire, whom Sweden long 
 
 Shall celebrate in legend-song ; 
 
 And proudly hail the day he quaffed 
 
 The Braga-Gebar's mantling draught. 1 
 
 Oh, Amund ! were thy path as bright 
 
 In virtue's trials as in war ; 
 Sweden would love thy cloudless light. 
 
 And hail thee as her leading star. 
 Dalcarlia's warriors flanked his side, 2 
 
 An ancient tribe, whose faith was tried 
 VVlien Erin's sons and Albion's host 
 Joined Harald in the field he lost. 
 The splendor of the setting sun 
 O'er many a brazen helmet shone ; 
 AVhere stood a long extended line 
 Of chiefs from Drontheim's * ruined shrine. 
 And he, who was Lagenia's pride. 
 Her King — now stood by Sitric's side ; 
 A sun eclipsed — a clouded beam ! 
 And many a chief of weaker name. 
 That floats not on the wing of fame. 
 
 * At Drontheim had once been a celebrated Pagan temple, destroyed by King 
 Olaus, when he introduced Christianity into Sweden. 
 
CANTO IX. 
 
 DERMID. 315 
 
 IV. 
 
 Thus gathered, they for war prepare 
 The glittering brand — the polished spear ; 
 And many an helm on valour's brow 
 Shines brightly on the waves below. 
 When sudden rolled a mournful gale, 
 It shook each Danish corragh's sail ; 
 Then swelled and died upon the air. 
 Like dirge for shipwrecked mariner. 
 So rise the storms, the legend says. 
 When, from their golden palaces, 
 The blue-eyed Parcae * of the North, 
 With Asgard's wizard-train, come forth. 
 So, wrapt in whirlwinds, they roll 
 
 To where the Edda serpent f reigns ; 
 So call him from the frozen pole 
 
 To start the slumbering hurricanes 
 
 * The Parcae, or sister Destinies of the nordiern mythology, were represented 
 as beautiful virgins, named Urda or the past, Verdundi or the present, and Skulda 
 or the future. And Asgard was a palace or court of the gods, in the middle of 
 tlie world. Vide Malkfs Northern Antiquities, Vol. ii. Pages 28 and 51. 
 
 t Vide Note 15 o/Canio Fijlh. 
 
316 DERMID. 
 
 From caves, where many a shivering form 
 His pallid limbs in darkness shrouds ; 
 
 From caves, the chambers of the storm. 
 The prisons of the thunder-clouds. 
 
 Alas ! that beauty's task should be 
 
 To deal thus once man's misery I 
 
 V. 
 
 Yet true it was, that very breeze 
 Led in the storm that rolled the seas 
 On this eventful eve ; — and now 
 Gather the clouds on Lunnii's * brow ; 
 Like mist upon its pinnacle, 
 Sits many a spirit of the hill ; 
 Anon in columns from on high 
 They roll, like meteors, through the sky. 
 And, lo ! how swell the distant floods. 
 Now scarce defined from troubled clouds ; 
 And, hark ! the pealing thunder roars, 
 The billows burst beyond their shores : 
 
 CANTO IX. 
 
 Lambay island, off Dublin. 
 
CANTO IX, DERMID. 317 
 
 Tlie lightning o'er the deep appals, 
 The clouds reveal, by intervals, 
 
 A blazing mass of" sky. 
 The Danes believed, by will of Heaven 
 The storm was sent to close this even ; 
 As if commissioned winds were swelled, 
 Prophetic of to-morrow's field, 
 
 The dirge of Erin's liberty. 
 
 VI. 
 
 The magic Reafen's woven gold 
 
 Floats o'er the extended main ; 
 The Drottes marked each fickle fold 
 
 With loud prophetic strain. 
 The brazen bands with wistful eye 
 Observed the war of sea and sky ; 
 And thought, each broken wave revealed 
 An omen of the expected fiekh 
 (For Bryan and his bands ere now 
 Had joyous come from Tara's brow ; 
 They gleamed a long extended line 
 By Sainted Douloch's crypted shrine.*) 
 
 * St. Douloch's church near Dublin, the most ancient ecclesiastical structure 
 in Ireland. Vide Grose's Antiquities of' Ireland. 
 
318 DERMID. canto ix. 
 
 When sudden o'er the rolling seas 
 
 They mark a struggle of distress ; 
 
 A vessel rising on the deep, 
 
 Then sinking down a wavy steep. 
 
 E'en valour sighed : — and pity's tear 
 
 Burst from each generous warrior there. — 
 
 Now flies the corragh o'er the tides, — 
 
 Now loudly creak its bilging sides, — 
 
 Now nearer rolls a mountain-wave ! — 
 
 " Oh, Heaven ! all's lost ! the sea's their grave ! "— 
 
 Lost ! no ! awhile, and they perceive 
 
 One boldly rising from the wave ; 
 
 And now more plainly is descried 
 
 Another, borne above the tide 
 
 Locked in the swimmer's grasp : — the while 
 
 Each warrior cheers him through his toil ; 
 
 Afar the signal torches gleam, 
 
 Benhadar kindles in the beam ; 
 
 So brilliant is the light they pour 
 
 To guide the strugglers to the shore. 
 
 VII. 
 
 Success had crowned the bold essay. 
 One wave — and on the shore they lay ; 
 
CANTO IX. DERMID. 319 
 
 A pilgrim, and a stripling bright 
 
 In armoury of Irish knight. *: 
 
 The life-drop scarcely seemed to warm 
 
 The youthful warrior's slender form ; 
 
 Listless he flung his frozen hands 
 
 Along the weeds and wave-washed sands : 
 
 The pilgrim raised him with a sigh, 
 
 He moved, — then ope'd his languid eye ; 
 
 " My friend ! — my — " Dark the pilgrim frowned, 
 
 He raised the warrior from the ground : 
 
 Quickened his pulse, — his cheek flushed warm, 
 
 Slowly he moved his gentle form. 
 
 And now had raised his head ; 
 Then, leaning on the pilgrim's arm, 
 
 Proceeded as the soldiers led. 
 
 VIII. 
 Oft, as he followed sad and slow, 
 
 He raised to heaven his pensive eye ; 
 That look of deep though silent woe 
 
 Seemed to reproach the troubled sky. 
 'Twas disappointment ! — 'twas despair ! 
 As if he thought, that warring air 
 
320 DERMID. caktq is% 
 
 Were raised to swell a welcome sound, 
 To roll his funeral dirge around. 
 As if the thunder were untrue. 
 Its task undone, — one bolt still due ; 
 One friendly bolt to plough his grave, 
 One flash to light him to the narrow cave. 
 As some poor mariner, when tost 
 Deserted on some hostile coast, 
 Turns from the shore with wild despair. 
 For desolation meets him there ; 
 And casts a lingering gaze of woe 
 On the dark flood that rolls below ; 
 As if he wished his rest were there. 
 With all now lost he once held dear. 
 So looked the warrior youth, as now 
 Descended they Benhadar's brow. 
 With graceful step and tapering limb, 
 Seemed he of Heaven's cherubim, 
 And thus revealed to mortal eye 
 For purposes of destiny. 
 
 IX. 
 
 Haughty was his companion's mien, 
 His eye but for a space was seen. 
 
CANTO IX. DER:\IID. 321 
 
 Then, wrapi in frowns, seemed ill to bear 
 
 Each warrior's rude infjuiiing stare. 
 
 Now, with mysterious carefulness, 
 
 He round him drew liis pilgrim's dress. 
 
 Strange thoughts possessed the Danish band, 
 
 His form seemed moulded for command ; 
 
 They fancied, as he crossed the heath, 
 
 A fainter shadow marked his path ; 
 
 Such power imagination claims 
 
 To realise her vision-dreams. 
 
 Through tents, and towers, and armoured men, 
 
 They haste along the crowded plain : 
 
 With secret gaze the pilgrim scanned 
 
 The mountains of his native land ; — 
 
 The ruins on Benhadar's height, — 
 
 The tower of Swords * thougli dim to sight, — 
 
 Saint Douloch's church, — Saint jNIarnoch's hill, f 
 
 Were scenes remembered fondly still. 
 
 The peace, that once had slept around, 
 
 Was banished by tlie bugle's sound; 
 
 * Swords within 6 miles of Dublin, presents at this daj', the ruins of a fine 
 old castle and abbey, and a round tower in good preservation. 
 
 f Portmarnock hill. 
 
 s s 
 
322 DERMID. canto ix. 
 
 And signal shouts were heard afar, 
 
 The beat of shield, — the trumpet shrill, — 
 
 The neigh of steeds and cry of war 
 Were echoed round the peopled hill : 
 
 The sounds were heard along the surge. 
 
 From Dalkey's* isle and rocky verge 
 
 To Cabragh, in whose woods, we're told, 4 
 
 The Corybantes dwelt of old. 
 
 X. 
 
 Now past Norwegian battlements, 
 They neared the Ostman monarch's tents ; 
 For Sitric with Norwegia's Lord 
 Had leagued ; and each by his good sword 
 Had sworn, to jealousies unknown, 
 Their fights and fortunes should be one. 
 The moon had glanced her rising beam 
 On Finglas'f groves and winding stream, 
 And now had tolled the solemn bell 
 Of evening o'er Saint Patrick's well ; 
 
 * A romantic little village near Dublin. 
 
 f Another village near Dublin, where were anciently an abbey, and a well 
 dedicated to !?aint Patrick. 
 
CANTO IX. DERMID. 323 
 
 O'er sacred shrines, that e'en the Dane 
 Had never ventured to profane ; 
 Little were gained, and mucli were lost. 
 If sacked they these : — for in their host 
 Of allies many now there were, 
 
 Who had received the dawnin grays 
 
 Of Christian faith ; — To anger these 
 Were more than even Danes would dare. 
 The pilgrim and the youth the while, 
 
 With conscious pride, the soldiers led 
 
 Along the rude formed barricade ; 
 And pointed to each living hill, 
 Each tented plain, each bristly grove 
 That reared a wood of spears above. 
 
 XI. 
 
 The pilgrim saw ; but none could see 
 
 His eye's repulsive mystery, 
 
 As hasty glanced he o'er the line, 
 
 To where upon remotest plain. 
 
 He thought he traced, through mist and gloom, 
 
 The glittering helm — the waving plume — 
 
 And many a banner's brilliancy 
 
 Unfurled in cause of liberty. 
 
324 DERMID. canto ix. 
 
 " Oh, Lochlin ! mayst thou rue the day, 
 " When first thy corraghs stemmed the sea, 
 " When first thou stolest on the peace — 
 " The mansions of an happy race !" 
 Triumphantly the guards explained 
 The strength of each confederate band ; 
 " Green Erin knows not half her fears, 
 " Say ! who could count these allied spears ? 
 " Lochlin shall garrison the shore, 
 " We strike the shield, — the harp may pour 
 " Its softness in Cancora's hall, 
 " Erin is large enough for all !" 
 
 XIL 
 
 Now had they reached King Sitric's tent ; 
 
 The festive song was heard amain, 
 And oft the Trabant's * ear was bent, 
 
 To catch the burden of the strain. 
 Soon as the ship-wrecked friends appeared, 
 Soon as their suppliant wish was heard, 
 
 * " Trabants is the name given to the yeomen of the guard in the Northern 
 Courts." Mallet's Northern Antigiiilies, Vol. i. Page 239. 
 
CANTO IX. DERMID. 325 
 
 A guardsman to the tent repaired, 
 
 And (b'cw the silken cord ; 
 Then clasped his hands, and bent his knee, 
 In all a vassal's fbiilty, 
 
 And spoke the homage word. 
 The haughty prince scarce raised his eye, 
 
 The minstrel ceased to sweep the string ; 
 Still knelt the Trabant learfully, 
 
 Nor dared address the King. 
 At length, " What brings thee hither? — speak!"—— 
 " Two strangers, late escaped Irom wreck, 
 " Guards have conducted to these tents; 
 " Thine aid they seek to speed them hence ; 
 " A pilgrim one, if right we guess, 
 
 " The other seems of Erin's race." 
 
 " Erin's ! but lead them in ! 'twere best 
 
 " To hear their right to such request !" 
 
 XIII. 
 
 The feast was o'er ; from hand to hand 
 
 The shell had past, and cheered the band ; 
 The social soul in friendship there 
 Forgets restraint, — unloads its care 
 In many a regardless ear j 
 
326 DERMID. canto in. 
 
 :rj:o 
 
 Tales of the chase and many a jest 
 Amused the King, and crowned the feast ; 
 And often too the wild harp stole 
 Its magic on the enchanted soul ; 
 Sometimes the King with brightening eye 
 Would cheer the panting minstrelsy ; 
 
 His fair Rovina sat beside : 
 She bent her blue and rolling eye 
 In half affected modesty, 
 
 And pledged him in the purple tide. 
 He pressed her waist and fingers fair. 
 Then whispered softly in her ear ; 
 " The wreath, dear maid ! which battle stains 
 " Must yield to that which beauty twines ; 
 " Here blest with thee content I'd dwell, 
 " Nor think a wish for Odin's* vale. — 
 " And sure if mortal tongue could dare 
 " Foresay the doom that waits us there, 
 " The sold, where love ne'er breathed a sigh, 
 " Is banished from that purer sky, 
 " Wliere those of former constancy 
 " Shall love through all eternity. 
 
 * Valhalla, the paradise of the Scandinavians. 
 
CANTO IX. 
 
 DERJNIID. 327 
 
 G» 
 
 XIV. 
 
 " Woman's voice and beaming eye 
 " Delight us when our toil is done ; 
 
 " But sure the heart confined must be, 
 
 " That, thoughtless of variety, 
 
 " Could ever be content with one. — 
 
 " But start not, dearest ! Thus I sung. 
 
 " Ere knew I what it was to love ; 
 " But who, that heard thy honied tongue, 
 " Or on thy blooming beauties hung 
 
 " Entranced, could faithless prove ? 
 
 " Rovina ! thou alone couldst bind 
 
 " The heart that once was wild and free ; 
 " In beauty's silken chains entwined, 
 " The captive, to his lot resigned, 
 " Feels not a wish for liberty." 
 He spoke ; liis guards the canvass drew, 
 And gave the strangers to his view. 
 
 XV. 
 
 In mute amaze glared every eye, 
 That marked their air of dignity. 
 
1% DERM ID. CAKTO IX. 
 
 The wanlor youtli, his helm and plume, 
 
 His tapering limb, and waving hair, 
 The timid blush of youthful bloom, 
 
 Tiiat burned at their inquiring stare. 
 With folded arms the pilgrim stood. 
 Regardless of the foes that viewed ; 
 It seemed, as if the waves and storm 
 Had shrunk from his commanding fornio 
 Rovina, with surprise oppressed. 
 Had sunk upon her Sitric's breast. 
 Her hair in ringlets round her rolled. 
 Her locks were plaited threads of gold. 
 « Who?— whence?— and whither ?— tell me all !" 
 Exclaimed the Danish general. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 " Monarch !" the youthful warrior cried, 
 
 And faltered half, and blushed, and sighed ; 
 
 " Tossed at the mercy of the sea, 
 
 " Myself a son of chivalry ; — 
 
 " A pilgrim he, — who late has vowed, 
 
 " Should we escape the angry flood, 
 
 " Never to look on light again, 
 
 " Till kneeling by Saint Kevin's shrine ; 
 
CANTO IX. DERxMID. 329 
 
 " For Glendaloch our course was bent, 
 
 " But heaven has baffled our intent. 
 
 *' This, Prince ! is all a wanderer's tale ! 
 
 " Aid, or restore us to the gale ! 
 
 " A gentler wave may urge the oar, 
 
 " And watt us to the wished for sliore !" — 
 
 " Impostors all !" — Rovina cried, 
 
 As pressed she to the monarch's side ; 
 
 " Banished for crimes, guilt haunts their way, 
 
 " They dare not lace the light of day." — 
 
 XVII. 
 
 Silent the pilgrim stood the while, 
 
 Yet heard he with a secret smile 
 
 The youth's defence; — the sujipliant strain 
 
 So ready told — Init told in vain. 
 
 But, when the fair Rovina ceased, 
 
 His sinewy arm he slowly raised ; 
 
 " Yes, Lady ! 'tis for crimes we roam, 
 
 *' Thus left without an earthly home ; 
 
 " It was a deadly sin ! But time 
 
 " Will prove the justice of the crime ; 
 " It would benumb the listener's ear, 
 " Perchance 'twill freeze compassion's tear, 
 
 T t 
 
3S0 DERMID. canto ix. 
 
 " Lady ! a crime of blackest dye ! — 
 
 " An outlawed love of liberty !" — 
 
 It seemed, as if the pilgrim's word 
 
 Had paralysed the Danish Lord ; 
 
 The form, — the voice, — were not unknown ;— » 
 
 " But no ! — It cannot be!" — Anon, — 
 
 " Patriots !" he cried, with taunting tone, 
 
 " From distant lands your course is bent 
 
 " To see to-morrow's tournament 1" — 
 
 " Then many a Dane, with broken shield, 
 
 « Shall rue the tilting of that field !" 
 
 The pilgrim said, — " Is't come to this ? 
 
 " Presumptuous daemon !" — Sitric cries, 
 
 " Whose rashness could provoke me here ; 
 
 " But, know ! thou canst not make me fear ; 
 
 " Born on that glad revolving night 5 
 
 " When Christians hail their Saviour's birth, 
 " I can control each subject sprite, 
 
 " Driven from its sphere to roam on earth ; 
 " No spells can rob me of renown, 
 *' Or secret word cleave courage down. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 *' Rovina! thinkest thou not, to-night 
 " The moon lends but a scanty light ?" 
 
<?ANTo IX, DERMID. SSI 
 
 " 'Tis but a cloud !" Rovina cried, 
 
 " Tliat dims its loveliness !" — she sighed. 
 
 " Twill pass," the pilgrim quick resumes, 
 
 " The moon shall steal from present glooms, 
 
 " And burst as splendid and as gay 
 
 " As if no darkness marked her way ! 
 
 " But Sitric, oh, beware ! — tiiy fate ! 
 
 " Seducer never triumphed yet !" 
 
 " Madman ! no more," — the monarch cried, 
 
 " Thou shalt not tamper with my pride ; 
 
 "Bear them away ! — meet sacrifice 
 
 " To lock down Erin's liberties. 
 
 " No canting Culdees here we need, 
 
 " To preach their enei'vating creed ; 
 
 " Do not my country's laws allow 
 
 " Another bride, * a second vow ? 
 
 " And what mysterious fiend art thou, 
 
 " That darest to taunt me thus ? — but, no ! 
 
 " I hold not converse with such foe ! 
 
 * " It was common for the people ot the North, to marry two wives or more. 
 Men of wealth and power considered a number of wives, as a mark of grandeur." 
 Mallet's Northern Antiquities. Vol. 1, Page 329. 
 
332 DERMID. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 " Trabants ! why stand you ? have you heard ? 
 *' Or am I even by you unfeared ? 
 " Remove these spies ; or, with them sent, 
 " You chance may share their punishment !" — 
 
 At other time, full many a blade 
 
 Had started from its sheath ; 
 And many a zealous slave obeyed 
 
 His monarch's lightest breath : 
 But where was now the man that dared 
 To stir one step ol" all the guard? 
 
 " Vassals obey me, or repent !" — 
 *' Guards follow me !" — the pilgrim said, 
 
 And led them from the tent. 
 
 XX. 
 
 Sitric was sad ; he flung his wreath 
 
 Upon an harp that ceased to breathe ; 
 And, as by spell of wizard elf. 
 His soul seemed rolled into itself 
 The eye, that beamed such love before. 
 Was dull, its passioned light was o'er. 
 
 CANTO IX. 
 
CANTO IX. DERMID. 333 
 
 Tliat voice had once ere now, he thought, 
 Assumed such haughty tone ; — it broufjht 
 Strange recollections too : — in vain 
 Rovina strove to cheer the Dane ; 
 And now the lip to love was cold, 
 Where many a passioned kiss was told. 
 
 xxr. 
 
 The while along the extended heath 
 
 The victims by the guards were led ; 
 And nuw approached those groves of death, 
 
 ^Vllere many an Imnian victim bled. 
 The night was strangely cahn ; — no gale 
 Stole on the air, or broke the spell ; 
 Wide o'er the plain, through gloom of night; 
 Gleamed helm, and shield, an awful light. 
 The moon the while, like warrior's shield, 
 Glanced over tower and tented field ; 
 Where armoured hosts, a bright array, 
 Spread, like mist silvered by the ray. 
 Oft on his path the pilgrim viewed, 
 Now circled in unhallowed wood, 
 The warrior's home — the lonely cairn 
 Of chiefs that fell of old for Erin. 
 
334 DERftllD. canto ix. 
 
 " Can they sleep there ?" he faintly cries. 
 The tears had started from his eyes j 
 And sure that tear must e'er eno-aoe 
 That trickles down the cheek of age. 
 
 XXII. 
 
 Further were gloom of thought pursued, 
 But slowly issued from the wood 
 
 Odin's selected train ; 
 Through time their ancestors had been 
 The guardian priests * of Odin's shrine. 
 Their victims in this solemn hour 
 They hurry to the stone f of power, 
 
 With fond caressing | strain. 
 Emboldened by the pilgrim's word, 
 The youth now feared not Lochlin's Lord ; 
 Yet pensive followed through the plain. 
 Encircled by the magic train. 
 
 * " Among the northern nations," says Diodorus Siculus, " a family is charged 
 from father to son, with the care of the temples, and the worship of the gods."— 
 Hist. Lib. ii. Cap. 47. 
 
 f On which the victims were laid. :f As was usiiaK 
 
CANTO IX. DERMID. 335 
 
 He thought, the forests breathed around 
 Strange voices and prophetic sound ; 
 As huno; from each unhallowed tree 
 The trophies of past victory. 
 As shattered shield and broken spear 
 Waved in the breath of evening there. 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 Now had they reached the sacred ground ; 
 
 A solemn stillness reigned around. 
 
 The bird, that late had loved to sing 
 Upon each shady mantling tree, 
 
 Cun never rest her wearied wing- 
 In valleys of impiety ; 
 
 And sometimes through the calm was heard 
 The wolf, that in those forests once 
 
 Dwelt undisturbed ; as if he dared 
 
 Those who usurped his ancient haunts. 
 
 The priests beheld, with kindling brow, 
 
 Fair victims for so great a vow ; 
 
 A vow which soon, they fondly thought, 
 
 Would cloud for ever Erin's lot, 
 
 " What noble offerings crown this day, 
 
 " Sure omen of our victory !" 
 
336 DERjNIID. canto ix. 
 
 The chief-priest cried, — " the Vyse * shall long 
 
 " Record these victims in his lay ; 
 " And Odin's f feast shall live in song, 
 
 " And our proud deeds in memory." 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 The strangers to the stone were led. 
 
 There at sun-rise condemned to bleed ; 
 
 The altar on three rocks displays 6 
 
 Its blood-stained slope ; — the Drottes bring 
 The sharpened axe — the brazen vase — 
 
 The sprinkling brush, and sacred ring. 
 There was another victim there. 
 
 Apart he kneh, his hands to heaven 
 
 Were raised, with prayers to be forgiven, 
 
 His grey locks floated on the air. 
 Of late the aged chief was ta'en 
 In skirmisli by the southern Dane. 
 Though now so feeble, changed, and wan. 
 Danger oft met he in the van. 
 
 * The Vysc was the historic bard, or chronicler ol'thp Scandinaviain. 
 i- yii/r Nutc 12 to Canio I'i/lli. 
 
CANTO IX. DERxMlD. 337 
 
 When, waked bj horn and beat of shield, 
 Death hovered o'er the battle-field. 
 Unawed he heard the buzznig sound 
 Of horrid preparations round ; 
 But other sorrows weighed his breast, 
 
 Oft was he seen to fix liis eye 
 
 Upon the Heavens in vacancy. 
 Nor was a sigh supprest ; 
 As if some shade in the expanse, 
 To memory dear, had met his glance ; 
 As if some form of other days 
 Had shot across the tiloominess. 
 
 "" to' 
 
 f God of repentant Christians ! hear !" — 
 The priests of Odin broke the prayer, 
 *' Upon this stone thy wishes pour, 
 " That God can never aid thee more !" 
 
 XXV. 
 *' Barbarians ! 'twas the last relief 
 '* To ease the bursting heart of grief j 
 " But you deny me even this ; 
 " Yet is there sure a world of bliss, 
 
 u u 
 
338 DERMID. 
 
 " Where yet" — ^he sighed, — he faintly smiled ; 
 
 Then turning, marked with wondering eye 
 
 The pilgrim's sullen majesty : 
 
 111 could such gloomy figure win 
 
 A glance in death, — a look in pain ; 
 
 There his dim vision stared no more, 
 
 'Tis fixed on the youthful warrior. 
 " It cannot be !" — he faltered wild, 
 
 Then pressed his hand upon his brow 
 
 Furrowed in many a wrinkle now. 
 
 The youth more firmly marked the tear. 
 
 As, trickling in a lonely sphere. 
 
 It stained the stranger's cheek ; 
 
 Then, rushing to the aged form, 
 
 He feebly sunk upon his arm, 
 
 But word he could not speak : 
 
 While e'en the Drottes wept the fate 
 That doomed a father thus and child to meet. 
 
 CANTO IX. 
 
 END OF THE NINTH CAN'iO. 
 
DEBMID. 
 
 Canto %tni^. 
 
r>j>rf\j>^/N^^^^^^^^Aytf^^^»v»^A/NA 
 
 TJie Irish camp is for a short time the theatre of action. The scene 
 then clianges to the Danish camp. The time is the night of the 
 23d of Marchf and the morning of the 24tth. 
 
 ^«w^««^#^^M/v«</^A/wv<^lA/wvw^«w 
 
DERM ID- 
 
 Canto %tnt% 
 
 I. 
 
 Oh, Liberty \ how dost thou cheer our toil. 
 
 Thou richest gift to man on earth bestowed ! 
 Each virtue springs beneath thy genial smile. 
 
 As in the immediate presence of a God ! 
 What must he feel, who from the heavy load 
 
 Of dire oppression frees his native land ; 
 Who hears triumphant, in his blest abode. 
 
 The grateful paeans of an happy band. 
 To thee, — to peace restored ; and by his patriot hand ! 
 
342 DERMID. 
 
 CANTO X, 
 
 But ever still mistrust the man, whose tongue, 
 
 When freedom calls him to the eventful field, 
 Could stoop to cavil for a private wrong, 
 
 Where comrade warriors joyous strike the shield ; 
 Whose bosom never with that feeling swelled. 
 
 Which often starts the warrior's sullen tear ; 
 Whose heart alike to friendship's grief is steeled. 
 
 And country's woe : — who but directs the spear 
 To sate a vengeful soul, — to feed some passion there. 
 
 II. 
 
 So Derm id thought ^ as on the rath, 
 That rises o'er Saint Douloch's heath, 
 'Mid Erin's chiefs he sat : the while. 
 With warm but unavailing toil, 
 Strove the deceitful King of Meath 
 To vindicate his doubted faith ; 
 For there were those, who openly 
 Charged him with league of treachery ; 
 Too well they knew, the embattled host, 
 The tented field, — the living coast, 
 
 The grove of spears, — the helmets' blaze, 
 With hope of gaining what he lost. 
 
 Would shake him from his promises. 
 
CANTO X. DERMID. 343 
 
 III. 
 Give mo thy Garvarye of death !" 1 
 
 Exclaimed the King ; — " and must my faith 
 " Be doubted on my native land ? 
 " Oh ! that some Ostman's welcome brand 
 " Had stretched me 'mid the happy dead 
 " That Tara * strewed when Lochlin fled ; 
 " Yes ! fled from that same Mai achy 
 " You now would brand with treachery. 
 " Give me a Corsned !" — Half aghast 2 
 
 He cried ; — " It shall not be my last ! 
 " Tell me an bath, and I will swear !" 
 No more could gallant Turlogh f hear ; 
 " Why swear then by my naked sword ; 
 " And if thou'rt traitor to thy word, 
 " The blade, by which thou swear'st to-day, 
 " Shall soon revenge thy perjury." 
 
 IV. 
 
 The King of j\Ieath half-bared his sword. 
 As sullcnlv lie started round; 
 
 * Wlicro Malacliy 'n 980 gave the Danes a great defeat. 
 
 f Tul'logh was the son of Morrojjli, and consequently, as the reader may 
 recollect, grandson to Hryeu Borfi. 
 
344 DERMID. canto x. 
 
 Awaked suspicion's lightest word 
 
 Tore open every rankling wound ; 
 And raised the frenzy of the mind, 
 That brooded on a crown resigned. 
 Boru had pressed young Turlogh's hand ; 
 Obedient to a sire's command, 
 Though fired with all a patriot's rage. 
 
 Submissive sunk the warrior's eye, ' 
 
 He valued well the words of ao-e : 
 
 The monarch turned to Malachy ; 
 " The tongue of youth is prone to strife, 
 " And captious in the morn of life ; 
 *' We once could speak as rash as he, 
 " As boldly and as vauntingly ; 
 *' Comrade forgive his warmth ! — Nor hoard 
 " For dark revenge the impassioned word !" — 
 *' Revenge !" repeated Malachy, 
 
 " I have not such a coward heart ; 
 " And foul indeed his heart must be, 
 " That could reserve its enmity ! 
 
 " He deals more deep than I in art, 
 *' Who could suppress with dark disguise 
 *' The sense of present injuries. 
 " But, traitor though I am, my brand 
 " Respects e'en thus my King's command." 
 
CANTO X. 
 
 DERJMID. 345 
 
 V. 
 
 Dcrmid indignant turned aside, 
 
 He feared to trust his kindling pride ; 
 
 And now he marks the distant plain, 
 
 Whence loud the revels of the Dane 
 
 Are heard ;— While oft the moon-beams dance 
 
 Adown the passing guardsman's lance, 
 
 Now dwells his eye where near him stand 
 
 Beneath the rath, like cherub band. 
 
 As true, as lovely, as serene, 
 
 A group of virgins robed in green : 
 
 Shamrocks are woven in their vests. 
 
 And wreathed around their artless breasts ; 
 
 Bosoms, that never heaved a sigh 
 
 For wish of love or young desire. 
 The hallowed shrines of chastity ; — 
 
 Each held a torch, whose sacred fire 
 Was kindled in Saint Brigid's * name, 
 A portion of the eternal flame. 
 
 * A fire, somewhat similar to the vestal fire of the Romans, was preserved at 
 
 Kildare, in honour of Saint Brigid. It was kept by virgins, who were most 
 
 usually of the first quality, — daughters of chieftains. Vide Holtinshed's Chronicle. 
 Vol. 2, fol. 29, and Anthologia Hibernica. Vol. 3, Page 241. 
 
 X X 
 
346 DERMID. canto x. 
 
 VI. 
 
 Anon he fondly thought, he traced 
 
 A whiteness gathering in the east, 
 
 With ready spear and anxious eye, 
 
 Still gladdening as the fight drew nigh. 
 
 Yet ever as Remembrance brought '. . \ 
 
 Her, whom he fondly loved, to thought ; — 
 
 " Oh ! were I laid on battle plain ! 
 
 " Would that this broken heart were cold ! 
 " Yet small shall be thy triumph, Dane ! 
 
 " My arm has not been weak of old. 
 
 " Ere but an hour has past away, 
 
 " How many a chief shall rue this spot ; 
 
 " And moulder, undistinguished clay, 
 " The traitor and the patriot !" 
 
 He spoke ; — and sunk to soft repose 
 Upon his shield : — remembered woes 
 Crowded not on his hour of rest, 
 Or broke the spell that soothed his breast. 
 
CAXTo X. DERMID. 347 
 
 For slill the wish of waking thought 
 Attends the sleeping patriot. 
 
 VII. 
 
 The while in fearless merriment 
 
 Riot the Danes from tent to tent ; 
 
 And often, round the burning pine. 
 
 In warlike dance the heroes join. 3 
 
 The vassal's bosom was at rest, 
 
 But horrors filled the monarch's breast ; 
 
 To soothe his fears he strove in vain 
 
 By listening to the martial strain 
 
 Rovina played : — " Oh ! cease !" he cried, 
 
 " Such wilder strains have failed to move; 
 *' Sing not of war or glory's pride, 
 
 " Rovina ! be thy lay of love !" 
 
 VIII. 
 
 Rovina swept the harp again, 
 
 And thought to play more soothing strain j 
 
 But, strange ! the quivering wire would breathe, 
 
 In lengthened tone, but dirge of death. 
 
 Rovina saddened at the sound, 
 
 Half fearfully she looked around, 
 
348 DERMID. canto x. 
 
 As if she could their fetches* see, 
 Whom Odin marked for destiny. 
 Once more to sweep the harp she tried, 
 In vain, — no quivering strings replied, 
 Or answered in such sullen tone, 
 She shuddered, ere the sound was gone. 
 Nor could the brave so soon forget 
 
 How many fell on Tara's plain ; 
 Nor vanished from their records yet 
 
 The close of Turges' cruel reign. 4 
 
 Well they remembered that dread day 
 When Lochlin's vessels ploughed the sea ; 
 Erin had shortened then their way. 
 
 She met them on tlie deep : 
 When snatched Fingal f the struggling Dane, 
 And plunged into the swelling main ; 
 The waves, a moment severed, rose 
 A watery cairn o'er the foes. 
 Together must they sleep ! 
 
 * Vide Note 6 of Canto Fourth. 
 
 f An Irish chief, who, at tlic desperate naval engagement between the Danes 
 and Irish off Dundalk, grappled with Sitric the Danish admiral, and plunged into 
 
 the deep with his victim, — both perished Vide O'Halloran's Histori/ of 
 
 Ireland. 
 
CANTO X. DERMID. 349 
 
 Dundalk ! thy cliffs for many a year 
 Shall frown above their sepulchre ; 
 The day, the Danish monarch fell, 
 Shall live in Northern chronicle ! 
 So thought each bard, — and sullen stood 
 Thrumming his liarp in pensive mood. 
 
 IX. 
 
 Rovina's heart had caught the thrill, 
 And throbbed to kindred sorrow still ; 
 But now, as if she should command. 
 She swept the harp with master-hand ; 
 Oft turning from the quivering string 
 To hear the praises of the king. 
 
 " From his tower of gold when Heimdal shall break, 5 
 " When his trumpet shall sound, and the gods shall awake, 
 " When the sky shall roll back, and the Heavens disclose 
 " The armies of evil, the legions of foes ; 
 
 " Then shall we hover round, 
 
 " 'Till victory's latest sound, 
 
 " Cleaving the bursting ground, 
 " Calls us above ! 
 
350 DERMID. canto x. 
 
 " When heaven's first mover shall burst from the North, 
 " And the Twiliiht of Gods from our chaos beam forth : 
 " When Loke and the spirits of evil shall fly, 
 " Released from their thraldom of years, -but to die : 
 
 " Then shalt thou fly with me, 
 
 " Still shall we constant be ; 
 
 " Worlds of eternity 
 
 " Shall measure our love ! 
 
 " When the sun-beams shall cease to illumine our sphere, 
 " When the fire of destruction shall float on the air ; 
 *' When the land shall be lost in the waste of the waves, 
 " And powerless Odin rolled back to his caves : 
 
 " Then shall we wander, love ! 
 
 " Through worlds of bliss above j 
 
 " And each moment fonder prove, 
 " In Valhalla's grove ! 
 
 X. 
 
 " No other strain," Rovina cried, 
 
 " Of sadness shall breathe here ! 
 " We must not damp the warrior's pride, 
 
 " When the hour of fight is near. 
 
CANTO X. DERMID. 351 
 
 " Strangers to war, let maidens sing, 
 
 " Let children listen to the string ; 
 
 " But minstrels should not crowd this tent 
 
 " While Erin's might to war is bent ; 
 
 " Or warriors softening hear the lay 
 
 " Upon the eve of battle-day. 
 
 " Why do these Trabants crowd around ? 
 
 " Does Erin thus prepare for fight ? 
 " The shield-beat were a meeter sound 
 
 " On this eventful night. 
 
 XL 
 
 " Why wave your red plumes, like the lightning-seared fern? 
 
 " Why sparkles a star on each battle-shield bright ? 
 " To tell you the deeds of your fathers in Erin, 
 *' The battle by day, and the plunder by night, 
 " Soon as had sunk the evening beam 
 " O'er haunted glen and fairy stream ; 
 " On wings of wind your fathers flew 
 " To plunder Inisfail for you : 
 
 *' Degenerate race ! in vain you dare 
 
 " To guide the force of Lochlin's spear, 
 " A name is all that lingers there, 
 " A tomb is all that waits you here. 
 
352 DERMID. canto x, 
 
 *' Peace-pampered children of a race divine, 
 
 " With woman's lieart, — no, — not an heart hke mine ! 
 
 ** Your prince may hst, — But do not you forget, 
 
 " His valour's tried, — Your's young and doubtful yet !" — 
 
 XII. 
 
 Amazement fixed the listening thronjj. 
 
 As if they heard prophetic song ; 
 
 As if Banshee had dared to break 6 
 
 The awful stillness as she went ; 
 And mark, with individual shriek, 
 
 Their Monarch's fate-devoted tent. 
 They thought she screamed and clapped above, 
 Where yet the funeral should move ; 
 And where should fall each gallant knight 
 To-morrow in the eventful fight : 
 As if e'en Odin's self had come 
 To warn them of impending doom. 
 " Rovina !" Sitric cried, " thy word 
 " Has saddened e'en the Danish Lord. 
 " Why does that bosom heave so warm ? 
 *' V\^hy mingles grace in all thy form, 
 " When war shall call me to the field, 
 " And brand may stretch me on my shield ?" 
 
CANTO X. DERMID. 353 
 
 Then softly, in Rovina's ear, 
 
 He breathed the voice none else should hear, 
 
 XIII. 
 
 " I was not wont to be thus sad 
 
 " Upon the eve of battle-field ; 
 " None ever grasped a spear more glad, 
 
 " None less regarded helm or shield ; 
 " But love can change the flinty heart, 
 
 " Can wring a tear from iron brow j 
 " Rovina ! 'tis from thee to part, 
 
 " That racks thy lover's bosom now." 
 
 " Oh ! if to-morrow's fatal plain 
 
 ** Should see thy closing destiny ; 
 " Think not Rovina shall remain, 
 
 *' Death's sleep were sweet when shared with thee ! 
 ** The blast, that lays thy branches low, 
 
 " Shall wither mine, beside thee laid ; 
 " Together have we twined till now, 
 
 " And sure together shall we fade. 
 
 XIV. 
 
 " Oh, Sitric ! thou shalt conquer long, 
 " When 1 shall be far — far away, 
 
 Y V 
 
354 DERMID. canto x. 
 
 " Forgotten in the minstrel's song, 
 
 " And banished from thy memory. 
 " When throbs this heart no more with life, 
 
 " Rovina's shade shall flit round thee ; 
 " Shall watch thee through the deadly strife, 
 
 " In form of thy fair Valkary. * 
 " And, when the hour of fight shall come, 
 " My guardian shield shall turn thy doom, 
 
 " While Lochlin's host prevails ; 
 " But should the fate of battle turn, 
 " Or conquest crown the cause of Erin, 
 " Thou shalt not fall inglorious then, 
 " But circled in thy heap of slain. 
 " And, ere a pang of death is thine, 
 
 " Ere Lochlin's fall distract thy soul ; 
 " That soul released shall float with mine, 
 
 *' Where spirits of affection roll, 
 " For ever in Valhalla's gales." — 
 
 XV. 
 
 'Twas strange that he, who never feared 
 ' In scenes where deadliest danger stared ; 
 
 * The Valkaries were celestial virgins, whom Odin employed, to choose out in 
 battles those who should fall, and to make victory incline, according to his wish. 
 Vide Mallet's Northern Antiquities. Vol. 1, Page 102. 
 
CANTO X. DERMID. 355 
 
 Who never dreaded warrior's sword, 
 
 Should tremble at a woman's word. 
 
 Wlien young, who had a nobler name ? 7 
 
 Unequalled in the rolls of fame ; 
 
 Fearless he stemmed the strongest ford. 
 
 And, as he cut the roaring tide. 
 The tempest seemed to dread his word : — 
 
 The yawning chasm appeared less wide 
 Wlien from the precipice he sprung ; 
 Old in experience, but in vigour young. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 But, when the buckler, sword, and lance, 
 Awaked him from the stripling's trance; 
 When proudly through the seas he wound, 
 
 With all his gallant fleet around ; 
 
 But who would rashly dare to raise 
 The song to more than mortal's praise? 
 Yet now he trembled in his tent, 
 'Mid scenes of fearless merriment. 
 If ever sure to man were given 
 Forewarning of his death from heaven ; 
 Sitric might think, 'twas fate revealed 
 The issue of to-morrow's field. — 
 
356 
 
 DERMID. CANTO X. 
 
 XVII. 
 
 Now loudly, on the trembling air, 
 Was heard the clash of shield and spear ; 
 And, from the crowded plain, was borne 
 The varied blast of brazen horn : 
 From tent and tower the Ostmen crowd 
 To join the sacrifice of blood. 
 « Sitric, our Prince ! the dawning hour 
 « Now calls thee to the stone of power !"- 
 Sullen and slow the monarch rose, 
 And rather would he meet his foes, 
 Than, in his present temper, brook 
 The pilgrim's penetrating look. 
 But, as the King of Lochlin's host. 
 He should preside ; yet 'twas a boast 
 He gladly had resigned ;— as nigh 
 The clamorous Ostmen rent the sky 
 With shouts of " Sitric '.—Victory !" 
 Now to the place of sacrifice 
 The Prince drew nigh, the Drottes rise ; 
 With awe the crowded bands retreat 
 Around the ministers of fate ; 
 
To whom alone, they thought, was given 
 
 To hold an intercourse with heaven ; 
 
 By prayer and offering to appease 
 
 The wrath of slighted Deities ; 
 Or tell from quivering leaf, or falling star. 
 When Odin speaks for plunder, peace, or wai'. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 Grey morning had her vapoury light 
 Poured from Benhadar's shadowy height ; 
 And now the rising orb of day 
 Plays on the horizon's verge, 
 Half seen above the gilded sea. 
 Half hid beneath the surge. 
 The King leaned sullen on his sword, 
 And all but waited for his word ; 
 Within the ring the young chief stood, 
 The earliest flowers were round him strewed, 
 
 First victim at the stone, 
 " Spare him !" the aged prisoner cried, 
 " Or let me perish by his side ! 
 
 " Oh ! grant a father's boon '." 
 'Twas vain ; — with inattentive ear, 
 The Monarch fix'd his signal spear, 
 
358 DERMID. canto x. 
 
 Yet trembled ever, as he viewed 
 The firm unbending mien with which the pilgrim stood. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 And now the awful word of death 
 
 Hung on his lips ; when from the ring 
 The pilgrim rush'd before the King j 
 
 Across the sacred ground he flies, 
 Nor did one guard oppose his path, 
 
 Fixed mute in motionless surprise. 
 Fearless he drew his robe aside, 
 " Sitric ! — remember !" stern he cried ; 
 His mien — the fire that lit his eye, 
 Spoke him a chief of dignity. 
 And bent the Ostman's pride. 
 
 XX. 
 
 *• Save all ! or by thy sword I swear 
 " The hour of thy disgrace is near!" — 
 " Touch not a man !" — in accents loud 
 Cried Sitric to the astonished crowd : 
 ** No ! though my brightest plans were marred, 
 *• Though this my only hope were given, 
 
CANTO X. DERMID. 359 
 
 " I would not spurn a suppliant bard, * 
 " Or harm one minister of heaven !" 
 Such artifice had Sitric sought 
 To veil the truth ; — he little thouglit 
 His bands had heard the pilgrim's word, 
 
 Or marked the horror of their Lord. 
 
 Their victims lost, the Danish vow 
 
 Shall never be performed now. 
 
 And thus, through time, may heaven oppose 
 
 The guilty schemes of Erin's foes ! 
 
 Thus may oppression's arts prove vain 
 
 To bind her children in the chain ! 
 
 * The respect paid to this profession was formerly very great. Vide Ossian's 
 Temora. Book i. 
 
 END OF THE TENTH CANTO. 
 
DERMID. 
 
 Canto 6Iet)ent|i. 
 
*^r,#^/^A^^/*rfV^^/^^^A/^^^^^/v^/^/w^^^/v 
 
 The battle on the plains of Clontarf, the 24:th of March. 
 
 WW v>^v/v>/wVN/ww wr>/wwvr<* 
 
DERM ID 
 
 Canto Clctentl). 
 
 I. 
 
 The sun in golden splendour walked the sky ; 
 
 When through the tents the hostile warriors woke, 
 And, as the long wished hour of fight drew nigh. 
 
 As o'er CluntarfFe the gathering sun-beams broke, 
 Freedom in proud defiance from the yoke 
 
 Seemed struggling to assert her ancient sway ; 
 Nature sent forth her charms ; — creation spoke ; 
 
 And, ever as the bugle wound that day, 
 'Twas hailed by echoing hills, and many a courser's neigh. 
 
264. DERMID. canto xr. 
 
 II. 
 
 Where Partholanus * died of old 
 
 Was gathered many a patriot ; 
 Where Erin's flag of waving gold 
 
 Streamed o'er Saint Douloch's lofty moat. — 
 The enchanted standard of the Dane, 
 At distance, floated o'er the main, 
 And sometimes would it flap and fly. 
 Then drop its wing ambiguously f ; 
 The while, a brilliant multitude, 
 Along the shore the foemen crowd-j 
 And ever as they press around. 
 Are heard amid the varied sound, 
 'Mid beat of shields and clang of swords, 
 The Ostman King's exhorting words : — 
 
 III. 
 
 " Vain, comrades ! vain are the thoughts of retreating, 
 " Swift rolls the river that severs our way, 
 
 * Partholanus, one of the early colonists of Ireland, died at Clontarf, then called 
 Moynealta. 
 
 ■\ Vide Note 3 to Canto Ninth. 
 
c^KTo XI. DERMID. 365 
 
 " The billows of ocean around us are beating, 
 
 " Dominion or death is the word of the day ! 
 " An ominous gale from our country has wandered 
 
 " O'er island, and ocean, o'er mountain and lea j 
 " Triumphant it waves through our mystical standard,. 
 
 " Ours shall still be "the town, on the lake of the sea!" 1 
 " Far are we now from our dear native shore, 
 
 " The morasses of Lochlin can guard us no more." 
 
 Soon as the IMonarch ceased to speak, 
 Tlie clash of shields was heard afar,. 
 
 Echoed along the A^^apentake, * 
 Loud prelude of approaching war. 
 
 Dread was the clang and beat of shield. 
 
 As Lochlin gathered to the field ; 
 
 " Success has crowned our first emprise^ 
 
 " Omen of future victories!" 
 
 They cried ; — and, fired with mad delight^ 
 
 Eaised loud the dismal song of fight 
 
 IV. 
 
 Meantime, more distant from the coast, 
 Marshals Borii his gallant host ; 
 
 » A division of country, adopted by the Danes from the Saxous, 
 
S66 . DERMID. canto xi. 
 
 Their banners floatino; in the gale 
 Crowned with the harp of Inisfail. 
 Forests of spears o'ershade the field, 
 And mace, and brand, and hehn, and shield. 
 Who has not heard of Bryen's name ? 
 Or sleeps he in the trump of fame ? 
 Where is the voice to wake the blast, 
 That tells of Erin's glory past ? 
 With glittering sword and brazen helm, 
 He moves ; — the guardian of the realm : 
 And, as he forms his bands for war. 
 His cheering words are echoed far. 
 
 V. 
 
 " If, countrymen ! there was a day, 
 
 " When freedom shed her genial ray 
 
 " Upon our fair secluded isle, 
 
 " And nursed our youth with warmest smile ; 
 
 " Think of that day, and sheath the blade 
 
 " In hearts, that would your rights invade. 
 
 " The hand, that's raised for freedom's laws, 
 
 " Shall find its strength renewed from heaven ; 
 " The sword, that's drawn in country's cause, 
 
 " To lay her tyrants low is given. 
 
CANTO XI. 
 
 DERMID. 367 
 
 " If there's one here, who knows not yet 
 
 " His country's foes, his country's fate ; 
 
 " Who does not heave a swelling sigh 
 
 " When hostile round towers meet his eye : 
 
 " Go then ! and thunder in his ear 
 
 " The eriefs our land was doomed to bear ! 
 
 " Tell him what countless Jiosts of Danes 
 
 " Have dared pollute our native plains ; 
 
 " Trampling, oppressing us, — how long ! 
 
 " They hate us, for they did us wrong. 
 
 " The dream of slavery is o'er, 
 
 " Erin's revenge shall sleep no more ! 
 
 " Nor Norman, Dane, nor Easterling, 
 
 " Shall ever be again our King. 
 " Now the eventful hour is nigh, 
 " To eternize our liberty ; 
 
 " 'Tis our last hope ; — if this be vain, 
 
 " If guilt now triumph o'er the plain ; — 
 
 " 'Twere better die ! a rising race 
 
 " May early learn each link to trace, 
 " That chains them down to slavery." 
 
 VI. 
 
 The shout rung round ; — " Come ! strike the shield ! 
 " An hour and freedom shall be given ! 
 
16S DERMID. CANTO xi. 
 
 " Tliere is a Bryeii in the field, — 
 
 " There is a God in Heaven !" 
 To whom was then each prayer addrest, 
 
 They raised a sacred song ; 
 One wish, one mind, one interest 
 
 Pervades the o-allant throno;. — 
 Ere to his secret hill retired 
 Boru, — his son lie thus inspired : 
 " Take thou this sword ! — 'twas true to me, 
 " And may it prove as firm to thee ! 
 " I have outlived the tented field, 
 " No more the weighty mace I wield, 
 " The battle-axe or rounded shield, 
 " My days of fight are done ; 
 " Oh ! take them, and in battle-plain, 
 " While rushing on the astonished Dane, 
 " Prove thou art Bryen's son." 
 
 vir. 
 
 Leaning on spear, or shield, or sword. 
 Each warrior waited but the word 
 
 To join in deadly feud ; 
 The signal shouts from tent to tent, 
 Through wood, and vale, and tower, were sent, 
 Where many an hero stood. 
 
CANTO XI. DERMID. 369 
 
 'Twas then, say legends of the Dane, 
 
 That Thor's red cloud was often seen ; 
 
 That oft he snatched the crimson wreath 
 Which o'er his iron brow was bound, 
 
 And shook it on the hosts beneath, 
 Shedding dismay and horror round. 
 Three times had the bugle wound over the field, 
 Three times had the foe clanged the answering shield, 
 Long and loud was the blast ; yet more loudly arose 
 The shouts of the brave, as in battle they close, 
 
 VIIL 
 
 Scarce was the eventful fight begun, 
 When Erin found a faithless son 
 In INIalachy ; who traitor proved. 
 And from the fight his bands removed. 
 Nor he alone his vow forgot, 
 Revenseful Maolmiu-dha fought 
 For Lochlin's King : — yet Erin stood. 
 Breasting unmoved the battle-flood. 
 The War-God, from his thunder-cloud. 
 Smiles at the din of battle loud ; 
 And, hovering o'er the fatal field, 
 Still doubtful which should win or yield, 
 
 3 A 
 
370 DERMID. canto xi. 
 
 Alternate mows the hosts beneath, 
 And deals around promiscuous death. — = 
 
 IX. 
 
 Lorma ! ill-fated was the hour 
 
 Thy Euric dared O' Conor's power ; 
 
 Long shalt thou, from his native vale, 
 
 Look o'er the deep for Euric' s sail ! 
 
 In vain his absence shalt thou mourn, 
 
 Thy Euric never shall return ! 
 
 O'Conor's blade has pierced his side, 
 
 Life gushes in the crimson tide ; 
 
 Cold on a foreign land he lies. 
 
 Thou ne'er shalt close thy lover's eyes ; 
 
 And, on the scarf thy hands once knit, 
 
 Eagles shall plant their scaly feet. 
 
 Firm had the royal father stood 
 
 By his young sons, while unsubdued ; 2 
 
 And led them with parental guard 
 
 Unhurt, where deadliest danger stared ; 
 
 And now his dying grasp upheld 
 
 The shattered frcii'ment of his shield. 
 
 Did not fate weep that day to choose 
 
 O'Conor and brave Euric foes ? 
 
CANTO XI. DERINIID. 371 
 
 O' Conor passed ; " No stripling's blood 
 
 " Has e'er my battle-axe imbued ! 
 " 'Tis not with such I wish to fight !" — 
 He said, — as Norway's princes met his sight. 
 
 X. 
 
 The while full many a gallant Dane 
 Had Dcrmid stretched on battle-plain ; 
 Well had the warrior used his blade. 
 The bravest shrunk away dismayed ; 
 Or with vain rashness crowded there, 
 'Twas certain death to face his spear. 
 Firm, like the sea-girt rock, he stood, 
 That proudly rises o'er a flood ; 
 Though hosts of foes surround his shield, 
 Like waves they break, like waves they yield. 
 Now, circled by the hostile bands, 
 In front dark INIaolmurdha stands ; 
 Raised he in vain the brazen shield. 
 In vain he fled along the field, 
 The danger still pursued. 
 Now Dermid's well aimed blow descends 
 
 Through his cleft helm ; — The bands around 
 Draw back ; — In pain the traitor bends, 
 
372 DERMID. caxto xi. 
 
 Then, writhing with the gaping wound, 
 Sinks in a tide of bloo d. ■ 
 
 XL 
 
 And is Lagenia's monarcli low ? 
 
 Has Erin lost her deadliest foe? > 
 
 There, tyrant ! lie! The traitor»s blood 
 
 Were poison meet for vulture's brood ! 
 And ever may he fall like thee, 
 Who aids the foes of liberty ! 
 But, oh ! there is a darker deed 
 
 Reserved for Maolmurdha yet ; 
 His bosom has not ceased to bleed, 
 
 His heart, though feebly, still can beat. 
 It is not yet the Apostate's hour, 
 
 His deeds of darkness are not done ; 
 His skeyn shall drink, with deadly power, 
 
 The blood of Erin's bravest son. 
 Dermid rushed on ; — nor looked below. 
 He warred not with a fallen foe ; 
 But marked his path along the field 
 With dying Dane, and shattered shield.. 
 
CANTO xr. 
 
 DERMIU 373 
 
 XII. 
 
 Rut all was vain ; for Sitric's might 
 
 Was turniiifj fast the scale of fi^ht: 
 
 Beneath his arm O'DonncU falls. 
 
 The only hope of Tiira's walls ; 
 
 O'Carrol, Uriel's prince, in vain 
 
 Dares to oppose the gallant Dane; 
 
 Still as he conquered, — IMinstrels round 3 
 
 Rung in his ear the cheering sound, 
 
 " The hour of Lochlin's pride is nigh, 
 
 " The hour of Erin's slavery I" — 
 
 " 'Twas by a conqcror's right I gained 
 
 " The fciilty of this good land, 
 
 " And by that right shall triumph still, 
 
 " The sovereign Lord of Inisfail. 
 
 " Bare your unchristencd arms ! 'tis vain, 4 
 
 " For valour nerves the conquering Dane. 
 
 " We claim not even Odin's power 
 
 " To prosper us in battle hour." 
 
 So Sitric cried, as by his sword 
 
 Fell JMothla next, the Desian Lord ; 
 
374 DERMID. cakto si. 
 
 Unchanged by agony, when dead 
 The fearless warrior's brow displayed 
 The self-same look — the self-same air 
 That marked him in the Brehoii chair, 
 
 XIII. 
 
 Despair her gloomy banner spread, 
 
 Bathed in the fallen patriot's gore ; 
 And ceaseless howled, where warriors bled, 
 A tale of flight and efforts vain, 
 How victory led the fiery Dane, 
 
 And Erin lived no more. 
 Now, 'gainst the youthful Turiogh, stood 
 The chief who deluged fields with blood ; 
 On his bright shield a wolf* was seen, 
 Emblazoned gold on oround of creen, 
 'Twas Sitric's self — No mark of fame 
 
 Yet graced young Turlogh's virgin shield ; 5 
 
 He lived as yet an unknown name, 
 
 This was his first — his fital field. 
 
 * Such emblematic figures were usual on the shields of chiefs. Vide Mallei's 
 Northern Aiitiqidlies. Vol. i. Page 2tl. 
 
CANTO XI. DERMID, 375 
 
 In haste he hurled an errinfj dart. 
 Panting to pierce the Ostman's heart ; 
 With surer spear on Sitric rushed, 
 From Turloo-h's side the life-blood flushed. 
 
 XIV. 
 As stag, enclosed in his own vales. 
 When each retreat, each refuge fails, 
 Sinks on the field to death resigned; 
 Yet casts a piteous look behind. 
 That speaks, though seldom understood. 
 Reproach to him who sheds his blood : 
 So, fallen upon the very ground 
 That erst he traced with youthful bound, 
 The d}'ing Turlogh looked around. 
 
 He raised his eye to heaven ; one tear, 
 
 A claim for mercy, trembled there ; 
 Yet mingled with upbraiding glance. 
 
 That seemed in thoughtless anguish cast. 
 As if to tax the Omnipotence 
 
 That made his earliest field his last. 
 
 XV. 
 
 " Why ebbs the tide of battle so ? 
 " And can the sons of Erin yield ? 
 
376 DERMID. canto xr. 
 
 " And shall their comrades lost and low 
 
 " Deserted die on battle-field ? 
 " Oh ! are your boasted deeds of fame 
 " The bloodless visions of a dream ? 
 " And are your hearts — your hopes so gone ? 
 
 " Has valour so renounced our isle ? 
 " Then may we weep the fatal stone, 6 
 
 " Then may we mourn the Liafail ! 
 " Comrades in war ! one struggle more, 
 
 " And freedom shall relume our shore 1" 
 
 Cried Morrogh, as he sought in vain 
 Victorious Sitric o'er the plain. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 The while where'er the Ostman fought, 
 His axe and spear were bathed in gore ; 
 
 Unhappy was the warrior's lot. 
 Who met the gallant conqueroi-. 
 
 Red from the slaughter of the field. 
 
 He flew where, leaning on his shield, 
 
 The wearied prince of Conat stood, 
 
 Fainting with wounds and loss of blood ; 
 
 " Where is my foe ? — What ! — Is there none 
 " To meet me in the battle-tide ? 
 
CANTO XI. DERMID. 377 
 
 " And has the fight so soon been won ? 
 " Is Conat's spirit broken down ? 
 
 " Whence were the vauntings of her pride ?" 
 
 " No ! Conat's spirit is not flown ! 
 
 " Sitric ! O' Conor is not gone ! 
 
 " Dream not, rash Prince ! of Erin won, 
 
 " Beyond the Seinnon foemen rise 
 
 " Who ne'er shall lose their liberties. 
 
 " Whose soil, if common births should fail, 
 
 " None left to fight for Erin's weal, 
 
 " Would raise a subterranean band 
 
 " To sweep oppression from the land. 
 
 " Sons of unhappy sires ! the hour 
 
 " Of battle shall dissolve your power ; 
 
 " And Lochlin long shall rue the star 
 « That led her bands to Erin's war." 
 
 Faltering he poised his fainting form, 
 
 Feebly he raised his bleeding arm ; 
 
 But, ah ! his spear effectless flew. 
 
 The Ostman monarch's was more true. 
 
 " Come, Lochlin ! gaze upon the sight, 
 " And triumph in the wounds you see ; 
 
 " But think though maddened by delight, 
 
 " Erin still pants for liberty !" 
 
 b3 
 
378 DERMID. canto xi. 
 
 'Twas so the flitting spirit spoke 
 As from its mortal frame it broke. 
 
 XVII. 
 
 Sitric shrunk back behind his shield, 
 Here dared he not alone the field j 
 Fierce Morrogh rushes o'er the plain, 
 A brave avenger of the slain. 
 For Bryen's deeds inspired his son 
 Through long campaigns and battles won ; 
 Throuo-h danger's deadliest scenes he flies, 
 Round him embattled chieftains rise. 
 The foes of Erin shunned his way, 
 Nor yet forgot the fatal day. 
 When last, their very walls * beneath, 
 He dealt around resistless death ; 
 A lion, on his silvery shield, 
 
 The symbol beamed of chivalry ; 
 And, as he flew across the field, 
 
 The foe retreated sullenly. 
 
 * '• A. D. 1013, Leinster was miserably wasted and plundered by Morrogh 
 
 O'Bryen, son to Bryen Boru, then King of Ireland, • even up to the walls of 
 
 Dublin." Harris's Dublin, Page 193. 
 
CANTO XI. DERMID. 379 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 Near him the Pruice of Inistore, 
 Markuig O'Beh-ne bereft of power, 
 Bleeding and faint, — with eye of wrath 
 Had crossed the feeble warrior's path, 
 His steed curvetting o'er the plain 
 With bloody hoof through heaps of slain ; 
 " Turn, son of Lodar !" Morrogh cried, 
 
 " No life-blood issues from my side i" 
 
 That moment JVIorrogh's spear was raised. 
 
 The next it pierced the foeman's breast. 
 
 The war-horse plunged ; — and on the shore 
 
 The monarch fell, — to rise no more. 
 
 " And have I bent thy stubborn pride ? ! 
 
 " Haste to Valhalla!" Morrogh cried, 
 
 " And, while thy tyrant fathers stare, 
 
 " Tell them his name who sent thee ! — Speed • 
 " Bid them for welcome large prepare 
 
 " The tyrants of a country freed. 
 
 " Ere long, methinks, shall crowd them there 
 
 i» 
 
 XIX. 
 
 Morrogh advanced o'er heaps of slain 
 That marked his path upon the plain ; 
 
380 DERMID. canto xr. 
 
 In vain Conmiiol dared his might, 
 Or challenged him to single fight ; 
 In vain he raised his sword to heaven 
 With many a mystic sign engraven ; 
 Idly it fell, — but Morrogh's skene 
 Stretched on the field the haughty Dane : 
 On his cleft shield the warrior lay 
 Gazing on death without dismay, 
 " Still can I fight ! — and is there one 
 
 " Of Erin's chiefs dare meet me ? — None ! 
 
 " Or am I spurned ?" — he feebly cried, 
 Half rising on his bleeding side ; 
 " Is there a foe, and I will fight 
 
 " 'Till Lochlin's victory crowns the night ?"— — 
 
 The bugle blew ; " Is all then lost ? 
 
 " Are Lochlin's hopes for ever crost? 
 
 ** But none shall ever wield this sword, 
 
 " Or say 'twas won from Danish Lord." 
 
 He grasped the blade, — but life gushed fast. 
 
 One sigh he heaved, — it was his last. — 
 
 XX. 
 
 The lingering beams of ebbing light 
 Now yielded to the clouds of night ; 
 
CANTO XI. DERMID. 381 
 
 And sullen, Lochlin's warriors quit 
 
 The doubtful field in safe retreat ; 
 
 Soon as the signal-sound was heard, 
 
 No bow was bent, no mace was reared ; 
 
 The sword upraised forgot its wound. 
 
 The spear dropped bloodless on the ground, 
 
 'Till morning * should the fio-ht renew. 
 Such deadly feud had marked that day. 
 That Lochlin feebly rolled away. 
 With broken spear and shattered shield. 
 Through heaps of slain that strewed the field ; 
 
 While Erin dared not to pursue. 
 
 XXI. 
 
 Creation slept ; and night sunk still 
 From darkened sky on silent hill. 
 The beacon-fires with splendid light 
 Illumed the sombre robe of night ; 
 'Twas then, returning from the field, 
 Morrogh a writhing form beheld j 
 
 • The battle of Clontarf, although fought with much obstinacy, was however 
 decided in one day, but for us " Paulo majora canamus !" &c. 
 
382 DERMID. canto xr. 
 
 Lagenla's King, upon his path, 
 
 Lay weltering in the mists of death. 
 
 " Oh, Prince ! if Morrogh be thy name, 
 
 " Thou hadst an heart could feel for grief ; 
 " Nor does it lessen hero's fame 
 
 " To give a wounded foe relief. 
 " But, if thy soul disdain the prayer 
 " A suppliant offers to thine ear, 
 " Strike at an heart, that never yet 
 " With feelings of a captive beat. 
 " Give me thy hand !" — The Prince obeyed, 
 Half raised him from his bloody bed ; — 
 Then sunk beside him on the ground, 
 The traitor's * skene had ope'd the wound. 
 " Now can I die!"' — The monster cried, 
 " Delightful hour !" — A treacherous smile 
 Played on his ghastly brow the while ; 
 He tore the blade from JMorrogh's side. 
 
 Then plunged it in his own. 
 Revenge was vain ; — beyond its reach 
 The victim sunk upon the beach, 
 And died without a groan. 
 
 * Morrogh fell by a treachery of this nature, but History attributes the perfi- 
 dious request to a Dane who lay bleeding on the field. 
 
CANTO XI. 
 
 DEIIMID. 383 
 
 There, traitor ! unregretted lie ! 
 
 For who, of Erin's daughters fair, 
 Shall breathe a tributary sigh. 
 
 To consecrate thy sepulchre ? 
 He, who could false to country prove, 
 AVould never be more true to love. 
 No sigh shall breathe o'er thee. 
 
 But the cold blast of even ; 
 No tear be shed for thee, 
 
 But the night-dew of heaven. 
 
 •o" 
 
 XXII. 
 
 The moon-beams slept on helm and shield, 
 That gleamed in fragments o'er the field; 
 And solemn silence reigned around, 
 Unbroken by the slightest sound. 
 Save when was heard the parting sigh 
 Of many a chief there left to die. 
 The mists of death had gathered now 
 On Morrogh's cold and dewy brow ; 
 Anon, as if his parting sight 
 Were aided with prophetic light, 
 ♦' Move me not, comrades ! here I'll lie ! 
 " By treachery was your Morrogh slain ; 
 
384 DERMID. canto si. 
 
 " Yet is it sweet on battle plain 
 
 " To fall, where bards our deeds shall tell ; 
 " And, as we raise the swimming eye 
 
 " To early scenes remembered well, 
 " To think with joy, we only die 
 " Upon the eve of liberty !" — 
 Coldly he sunk upon the sand, 
 And grasped in death his faithful brand. 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 Stretched on his round unbroken shield, 
 His clansmen bore him from the field ; 
 Then many a lovely maiden wept, 
 And breathed a €ronach* where he slept. 
 " Morrogh ! thy glory is gone by, 
 
 " And blighted has tiiy victory been; 
 " But beauty's tear and valour's sigh 
 
 " Shall keep thy memory ever green !" — 
 Sullen and slow his steed stalked by 
 That bore him oft to victory ;' 
 Slow was his gait, and sunk his eye, 
 No kindred fire now lighted there; 
 
 * A funeral sons. 
 
CANTO xt DERxMID. 385 
 
 His mane flowed down disorderly, 
 
 Instinctive rolled the silent tear. 
 For i\Iorro<T]i oft the nionrnfid sound 
 
 Of minstrels echoed on the shore, 
 Nor warriors blushed to weep around 
 
 For him who ne'er should conquer more. 
 And with them mourned MacDouall's band, 
 The hardy cliicis of Scotia's land : 
 Unbroken had they fought that day, 
 Where deadliest danger Icil the wjiy ; 
 For Heaven itself should guide the strok(" 
 
 That, needing more than mortal might, 
 Could shiver the deep-rooted oak, 
 
 Or bend such valour in the fiffht. 
 Silent they marked the fallen chief. 
 No sigh- — no tear expressed their grief; 
 But each oft bared his glittering skene. 
 And wished for day, and battle-fields again. 
 
 XXIV. 
 'Tis in Kilmainham's* sacred ground, 
 Erin ! thy patriot rests his head ; 
 
 • At Kilmainham near Dublin, a remarkable head-stone, about 7 feet high, 
 
 is still pointed out by tradition, as marking Morrogl»"s tomb. Vide Harris's 
 
 Dublin, Page 196. 
 
 <2 ^ 
 
386 DERJNIID. 
 
 The tairest shamrocks spring around, 
 And shed their dew-drops on his bed. 
 
 Upon his tomb no ivy creeps, 
 
 No wreaths of deathless laurel rise ; 
 
 No fondly cherishei floweret sleeps, — 
 Yet there thy truest patriot lies ! 
 
 Thither shall future mourner come, 
 And, when he thinks of virtues fled. 
 
 Shall totter from a lost friend's tomb 
 To drop a tear on Morrogh's bed ; 
 
 Where often, ere the dawn of morn, 
 A blast is heard, (so legends tell) 
 
 Such was the blast of the bugle horn 
 The day the patriot Morrogh fell. 
 
 CANTO XI, 
 
 END OF THE ELEVENTH CANTO. 
 
DEBMID. 
 
 Canto Stoelftl). 
 
A'^/^/^^/^A4^<^/^<^^«^4V^/>/s^</>'y^4^AA 
 
 The battle renewed, on the plains of Clontarf, the 25tk of March. 
 
 ^>*#vr*</N^*v\/>/<A/wwv«*>/>*ww 
 
DERMID, 
 
 Canto irtoclfti)* . 
 
 Oh 1 say then can it be, when patriot's soul 
 
 Has burst the trammels of its mortal frame; 
 ^^'hen angels wait to guide it to the goal. 
 
 The bosom of its God whence first it came ; 
 That earthlv recollections should not claim 
 
 One fond regret, one momentary thouf^ht? 
 Xo I no ! — awhile it hovers in the dream 
 
 Of earth ; — ^nor couldst thou, 3Iorrogh I have forgot 
 So soon the glorious cause for which thy country fought 
 
390 DERMID. canto xii. 
 
 II. 
 
 Night had her sable veil withdrawn, 
 And now the faintly glimmering dawn 
 Dappled the east ; — Tlie silent sea 
 Reflected far the doubtful ray ; 
 Anon, half risen from his bed. 
 The sun his chastened radiance spread. 
 The shadowy corraghs of the foe 
 Had intercepted morning's glow ; 
 Yet, through the intervals, were traced 
 Bright lines of splendor o'er the east. 
 And now Louiifa's limpid stream 
 
 Had caught the bright — the golden beam. 
 
 That, glancing 'thwart the kindling sky. 
 
 Played on the Virgin's monastery ; 
 The scenes of penitence; 
 
 Whose walls arose in antique pride 
 
 At bowshot from LouifFa's tide. 
 
 Which silent sought the slumbering main, 
 , As listening to the matin-strain 
 That softly floated thence. 
 
CANTO XII. DERMID. 391 
 
 The solemn sound, from distance borne, 
 
 Had died upon the breeze of morn ; 
 
 As Rodcric and Erica sought 
 
 Cluntarffe, in sad but silent thought. 
 
 While many a tear the convert shed 
 
 For happiness for ever fled ; 
 
 And oft confused emotions rose, 
 
 As each would fondly think of those 
 
 Whom most they loved ; — who, ere the night. 
 
 Might perish in the doubtful fight. 
 
 Oft Roderic sought, what bugle wound ? 
 
 What shadow passed in Dunmore's cell ? 
 "What shout of more than mortal sound ? 
 
 What torch ? — what flash ? — She could not tell : 
 Forlorn, dejected, and opprest, 
 A sigh would swell Erica's breast. 
 As he repeated the request. 
 
 IV. 
 
 But, hark ! upon the breeze of morn. 
 The distant din of battle borne ! 
 For Lochlin's bands and Erin's might 
 At dawn renewed the doubtful fight. 
 
392 DER^IID. canto xh. 
 
 Willie " murdered Morrogh !" was the cry, 
 " Revenge ! Revenge and Liberty !" 
 Then was a gallant stranger seen 
 Ranging the field with haughty mien, 
 
 In minstrel's garb arrayed ; 
 Fearless he fought for Erin's power. 
 And, in his hand all stained with gore. 
 
 Brandished a bloody blade. 
 And as he fought he seemed to crave ^ 
 
 From some kind arm, the death he gave. 
 His brand to 'scape Giolla hoped. 
 But soon a ghastly wound it ope'd ; 
 Then, as his life-blood gushed away, 
 The dying chief was heard to say, 
 " Triumph not, warrior ! in my doom, 
 " This self-same field shall be thy tomb !" 
 A lordly ruin on the heath 
 He sunk, his eye-lids closed in death. 
 
 V. 
 
 His helm in vain Dolatus wore. 
 In vain his brazen shield he bore ; 
 In vain invoked each Pagan power 
 To aid him in that tryino; hour ; 
 
CANTO xir. DERMID. 393 
 
 The mystic stranger's sword prevailed 
 O'er helmet cleft, and broken shield. 
 Dolatus ! oft thy sire shall stand, 
 Feeble and blind, on some high land ; 
 And oft shall stretch his palsied hand, 
 
 As if to feel the breezes' course. 
 With many a wish for thy return ; 
 
 Ne'er shall he hear thy sinewy force 
 Ploughing the deep from fields of Erin ! 
 Sullen the conqueror turned ; when, lo ! 
 Before him stood a prouder foe. 
 'Twas Sitric ! who revenjjefid viewed 
 Dolatus weltering in his blood. 
 " Vassal ! thy sacred garb can claim 
 " No mercy now ; — the minstrel's name 
 " Revered, — but thus profaned by thee, 
 " Can't shield thee from thy destiny, 
 
 *' From Sitric's arm !" With sullen pride 
 
 Tlie stranger drew his robe aside ; — 
 His armour, (^littering in the ravs 
 Of morning, shed a burnished blaze : 
 Sitric drew back, — " Then art thou Knight, 
 " And worthy of my single fight ! 
 
 3 D 
 
394 DERMID. canto xii. 
 
 " Come on then, — soon, too soon thou'lt know 
 
 " That Sitric is a fatal foe !" 
 
 Swift as the avena-ing bolt of heaven, 
 
 Hurled he the spear of death ; — 'twas driven 
 
 Deep in the stranger's breast, — his brand 
 
 Dropped feebly from his nerveless hand : 
 " Thanks, Heaven !" — he cried, and wildly gazed around, 
 Then sunk a corse upon the crimsoned ground. 
 
 VI. 
 
 The victor paused not in his way, 
 
 But rushed into the thickest fray. 
 
 Regardless of the fallen chief 
 
 His arm had vanquished in the strife ; 
 
 A soldier, that beside him lay. 
 
 He vainly thought 'twould give relief, 
 
 Drew back the minstrel's garb ; when say, 
 
 What thoughts were his, — what strange dismay, 
 
 It was — the well-known Maoldun ! — 
 A smile was on his iron brow, 
 
 That seemed, in livid character. 
 To say, he triumphed in the blow, 
 
 And death was welcome to despair. 
 
CANTO xii. DERMID. 395 
 
 But pale his cheek, — his hand was cold, 
 He seemed not what he was of old, 
 
 When red Loncarty's field was won. 
 
 VII. 
 
 'Twas he, who late, in Dunmore's cave. 
 
 Each hour to meditation gave ; 
 
 But, when he heard the gathering sound 
 
 Echoing the distant hills around, 
 
 Quick he resolved, where Erin fought, 
 
 To close the agonies of thought : 
 
 In vain Erica then implored. 
 
 He whispered some consoling word. 
 
 'Twas in the gloom of midnight-hour 
 
 Through the dark caves he stole his way, 
 To seek CluntarfFe's eventful shore. 
 
 And perish in the glorious fray ; 
 'Twas then, all vmexpectedly. 
 His passing form caught Roderic's eye ; 
 'Twas he, that wound the signal blast 
 As eager from the caves he past ; 
 Now his the sleep, no sounds can break. 
 He sleeps, but never more to wake ! 
 
396 DERMID. canto xii- 
 
 VIIL 
 Unbroken still the intrepid Dane 
 Shrunk not, o'er all the battle-plain ; 
 Bright gleamed brand, battle-axe, and spear. 
 As if a flight of sea-gulls there ^ 
 
 Spread their white pennons through the air. 
 And now, advancing o'er the plain. 
 The spear of Dermid gleamed again ; 
 Bright flashed the lightning of his blade. 
 That death and terror round him spread. 
 When storms assail some cloud-capped hill, 
 How proudly, from its pinnacle. 
 The eagle rears his lengthened form. 
 
 And spreads his dark wing to the storm ; 
 
 As if he thought its fearless force 
 
 Could turn the lightnino; from its course : 
 
 So Duvgall, Aulaffe's son, upheld. 
 
 Fearless of foe, his shadowy shield ; 
 
 So eagle-like, no Lagean bright 
 
 Could dazzle Norman Duvgall's sight. 
 
 But, humbled soon by Dermid's spear. 
 
 The haughty warrior perished there. 
 
CANTO XII. DERMID: 397 
 
 " Thanks, gallant chief!" exclaimed the Dane, 
 
 While weltering on the fatal plain ; 
 
 " Delightful thought! my soul ere even 
 
 " Shall mingle in V^alhalla's heaven ! 
 
 " My canopy the emblazoned shield * 
 
 " That fenced me long on battle-field !" 
 
 IX. 
 
 O'Neill had fallen by Sitric's arm. 
 Life yet was lingering in his form ; 
 When, to a\enge the chieftain low. 
 Derm id rushed boldly on the foe. 
 Upon tile fallen warrior's breast. 
 His foot the Ostman monarch pressed. 
 
 And Dermid dared ; " Come on !" he cried, 
 
 AVith half averted look of pride, 
 
 " If 'twere an Ostman there lay low, 
 
 " Is It not thus thou'dst treat thy foe ?" — 
 
 " No foe then were he !" Dermid said, 
 
 " Green Erin wars not with the dead ; 
 
 * The brightest ornament, in the imagination of this warlike people, was tlie 
 polished shield; and religion could borrow no more magnificent idea for Valhalla, 
 than its being roofed with tlic shiekls of the warriors who filled it. 
 
398 DERMID. 
 
 " Departed valour claims a tear, 
 
 " I'd shed it on an Ostman's bier !" -= 
 
 And now in deadly contest close 
 The gallant chiefs, — the well-matched foes j 
 Each host, — each warrior, in mid-fight 
 Had paused to mark such noble sight ; 
 Axious, as if their common life 
 Depended on that doubtful strife. 
 
 X. 
 
 No sun-beams pierce Killester's * wood, 
 
 There anxious for the signal word, 
 Reserved the chiefs of Con at stood. 
 
 Each leaning on his trusty sword. 
 Thrice did the Irish standard wave, 
 And many an hero found a grave ; 
 But, hark ! the signal sound is given. 
 
 And Conat comes to crown the day ! 
 The Northerns thought, a band from heaven 
 
 Was sent to fight for liberty ; 
 While death stared from each brazen shield. 
 And mowed the harvest of the field. 
 
 CANTO Xil. 
 
 * A village near Clontarf. 
 
CANTO xir. DERMID. 399 
 
 Helm, shield, and spear, were swept along, 
 As, mingling 'mid the astounded throng, 
 The bands of Conat joined the fight, 
 And Sitric swept from Dermid's sight ; 
 Unwilling from the doubtful feud 
 
 He turned, Short time the battle stood, 
 
 Then ebbed away in waves of blood. 
 
 XI. 
 
 Then was the Reafen bathed in gore, 
 Lochlin gave ground along the shore ; 
 In vain the gallant Sitric tried 
 
 His Danes to rally to the fight ; 
 In vain he spoke of fallen pride. 
 
 Or steady stand, or hopeless flight ; 
 Confusion, and dismay, and death 
 Defined the Conat warriors' path. 
 Oft, when the Serpent of the North 
 The elemental war deals forth, 
 And breathes the long collected leven 
 E'en to the battlements of heaven j 
 Haply some pilot, from his sleep 
 
 Awakened by the tempest's roar, 
 
400 DERMID canto xii. 
 
 Finds his light vessel on the deep. 
 
 Torn from her moorings, lost to shore ; 
 Distractedly he treads the deck, 
 Unwilling to desert the wreck ; 
 So Sitric, while an hope remained; 
 Deserted not his gallant band. 
 
 XIL 
 'Twas in that dizzy hour of strife. 
 By Dermid's arm fell many a chief; 
 Yet meek-eyed Mercy traced the field 
 Beneath the shadow of his shield. 
 Norway's young Princes stemmed the tide, 
 
 Anrud and Carril ; — Fired with pride 
 
 Of all their youth achieved, they sought 
 
 The combats where the bravest fought ; 
 
 But Derm id comes, — " And can you dare 
 
 *' To front the dangers of his spear ? 
 
 *' Fly ! or you never more shall share 
 
 " A victor's joy, a warrior's care, 
 " Or beauty's fond embrace !" 
 
 But, sure! the souls that valour warmed 
 
 For dastard flight were never formed. 
 Danger was pleasant to their gaze. 
 
CANTO XII. DERMID. 401 
 
 Dermic! drew back ; " Why come you here, 
 
 " Your years ill-fitted for the spear ? 
 *' Forbear ! and live for better days, 
 
 *' For other cause, and brighter praise '." 
 
 " Our country little praise would give, 
 " If shrunk we now, or fled to live ; 
 
 «« No ! — warrior, — no ! We will not leave 
 
 " This field, though doomed to be our grave." — ■ 
 Cried Anrud, and with adverse brand 
 
 Called upon Dermid ; " Warrior ! stand ! 
 
 *' Not thus shalt thou escape our swords, 
 
 " -Or boast of Norway's baffled Lords !" 
 
 " Then must thou perish !" Dermid said, 
 *' Rash youth !" and raised his glittering blade, 
 Anrud was doomed to die, — and there. 
 Yet not by axe, or sword, or spear ; 
 Some distant hand had bent the yew. 
 The bow-string twanged,— the shaft was true; 
 Brave Anrud fell—" And art thou low?"— 
 Carril exclaimed,— and met the blow 
 By Dermid aimed for Anrud's breast ; 
 " Thy spirit sure will wait for me !" 
 On Carril's lip was half exprest. 
 He warred no more with liberty. 
 
 3 E 
 
402 DERMID. canto xii. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 And are you fallen in early pride ? 
 
 No maid shall weep upon your tomb ; 
 You rose o'er battle's flowing tide, 
 
 An ebbing billow bore your doom I 
 Unhappy Princes ! sad the hour, 
 Wlien from your native Drontheim's tower 
 Your mother saw you slowly wind ; 
 When dearest scenes were left behind ; 
 Armed for the fight, prepared for war. 
 
 You reined your steeds ; Once from afar 
 
 She thought she met your lingering gaze 
 Cast on that tower in gloominess ; 
 Ajrain she marked vou, — life's warm flood 
 Had ceased its pulse, — alone she stood, 
 Her eye grew dim, — her heart throbbed cold, 
 Her sons were gone, — her days were told !— 
 Your comrades shall not mark your grave, 
 They wait you at the sea-washed cave - 
 And long shall wait ! for never more 
 Shall Norway's Princes hunt the boar. 
 
CANTO xir. DEHMIU 403 
 
 XIV. 
 O'er many an heap of slaughtered foes 
 Proudly victorious Dcrmid rose ; 
 O'er many a wave of battle tost, 
 Unmatched by all the Danish host. 
 Wlien, lo ! the Ostman King appears 
 
 Again ; hemmed in by hostile spears ; 
 
 Proud in his strength, like wintry flood 
 Contracted in a vale, he stood ; 
 Slow was the step of his retreat. 
 
 Nor turned he from the foeman's sight ; 
 As if he hoped to rally yet, 
 
 Or victory were in his flight. 
 " Not yet is all my vigour spent ! 
 
 " Oh, Odin ! hear a warrior's prayer, 
 " Who never yet to battle went, 
 
 " But victory has hailed him there." 
 
 Cried Sitric ; as, with brightning glance. 
 He marked the gleam of Dermid's lance. 
 " Hither ! brave youth ! — No earthly band 
 " Shall screen thee now from Sitric's brand." 
 
404 DERMID. canto xir. 
 
 XV. 
 
 Enthroned upon Saint Doulocli's Rath, 
 
 Ased Boru had long beheld. 
 With kindhng pride, brave Dermid's path, 
 
 Sitric's retreat along the field ; 
 But in his breast what fears arose, 
 When closed in fight these noble fi3es. 
 Long had they fought, when Sitric's sword 
 Fell shivered from its wounded Lord, 
 His right arm bled ; yet void of fear 
 He wildly snatched a brazen spear, 
 "' This then shall give thee death !" he cried, 
 
 " Such ne'er flew faithless from my hand !" — 
 But faithless now it glanced aside, 
 
 'Twas buried in the gory strand : 
 Dermid's its path more deadly traced, 
 It quivered in the Ostman's breast. 
 Oh ! what a sight for Lochlin's host ! 
 
 Loud groaned they through the extended field, 
 For there had fallen their proudest boast, 
 
 Their monarch writhed upon his shield : 
 Sitric half-raised his feeble form, 
 His hand was cold,— his blood flowed warm, 
 
CANTO xii. DERMID. 405 
 
 " The harp — the Danish scald shall tell, 
 
 " Not imrevenged this day I fell ! 
 
 " Valhalla's joys ! to me how dear, 
 
 " I shall have many a goblet * there ! 
 " And Odin's hall shall scarce contain 
 
 *' The souls of Erin's votive train!" • 
 
 With many a sigh, and tear of grief. 
 The flying Ostmen raise their chief; 
 They stretch him on his battle-shield, 
 And bear him from the hard-fought field ; 
 Moveless he lay, in swoon of death. 
 His heart's-blood tracks their hasty path. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 The while unwearied Dcrmid flew 
 
 Wherever danger met his view ; 
 
 But soon as marked the Danes his fall 
 
 On whom their confidence relied. 
 No leader could their hopes recall. 
 
 Confusedly to the shore they hied ; 
 
 * The Danes believed, that in Valhalla they should drink out of the skulls of 
 the enemies they had killed in battle ; and probably supposed, the draughts would 
 he proportioned to their number. Vide Mallet's Northern Antiqmtics,\o\, 1, p. 121- 
 
406 DERMID. canto xfr. 
 
 All to the shore, save Brodar's * band, 
 
 Vencreance rose bloody to then- sight, 
 ," Better to die with sword in hand, 
 
 " Than unrevenged seek hopeless flight !" — 
 So spoke they ; and malignant sought, 
 Where Erin's royal patriot 
 Uno;uarded stood ; — fierce Brodar drew 
 
 The fatal bow, — the shaft was true : 
 
 In vain to bare his faithful brand 
 Boru essayed, — his feeble hand 
 Dropped cold, — he fell, — his dying gaze 
 Was fixed on fates of future days. 
 
 XVIL 
 
 Revealed before his eyes arose, 
 In that prophetic hour, the woes, 
 The years of woes his native land 
 Should suffer from invader's brand. 
 But, see ! a fitful smile, — a beam 
 
 Across the brow of sorrow plays ; 
 Some sacred vision cheers the dream, 
 
 And gilds the gloom of future days ! 
 
 * This is accurately agreeable to history,- 
 
CANTO XII. DERMID. 407 
 
 Half smiles Boru, — his cheek is pale ; 
 
 A moment, leaning on his lance, 
 He looks along the distant vale, 
 
 A parting view, a dying glance. 
 The sun on the horizon stood. 
 Splendid he set on fields of blood ; 
 As if his beams were sent to hail 
 Freedom's return to Inisfail. 
 The acjed hero fixed his sight. 
 With awe, on the receding light ; 
 That seemed like him to wane away, 
 Lost to the glow of early day. 
 " Farewell !" he cried, as faint and dim 
 The parting radiance glanced on him ; 
 " Farewell ! lost beam ! But one short hour, 
 
 " And I shall follow on thy path ; 
 " And hail thee from an happier bower, 
 
 " Bursting on worlds that know not death !" — 
 
 A fragment of the orb remained ; 
 
 " 'Twill light my way !" He clenched his hand 
 
 Close to the wound ; The parting beam 
 
 Lit in his eye a fading flame ; 
 
 That flame is fled, — that beam retired ! — 
 
 The sun has set, Boru expired ! • 
 
408 DERMia CANTO xii. 
 
 His spirit, in a lengthened sigh , 
 Was wafted to eternity. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 The while his faithful gre-hound, * prest 
 
 To his dead master, moveless lay ; 
 And clung more closely to his breast, 
 
 As faster ebbed life's tide away ; 
 As if he would have waked the slain. 
 Or warmed him into life again ; 
 And constant whined a mournful tone, 
 'Twas yet a lonely Ululone. j 
 But soon the warriors gather romid, 
 The minstrels wake the mournful sound ; 
 There the afflicted Keeners ij: throng, 
 And raise the unaffected sono". 
 MacLiagh § oft swept his master's praise. 
 His thoughts were rolled to former days, 
 And scenes endeared to memory ; 
 
 * The Irish gre-hound is a species, now I believe extinct. It vas most valua- 
 ble for the chase of the wolves, animals with which Ireland then swarmed. 
 
 -f- The funeral song of the Irish. 
 
 J Women who, like the mourning women of the Romans, Arabians, &c. were 
 hired to weep at Irish funerals. 
 
 § Vide Stanza 48 of Canto Eighth. 
 
CANTO xir. DERMIDv 409 
 
 When in Cancora, happy time ! 
 
 He wove the magic thread of rhjme» 
 
 And waked the tale of hberty. 
 " llow scathless now ! how humbly laid ! 
 
 « Where is the pious Bryen's might ? 
 " A narrow shield's the monarch's bed 
 
 " AVho proudly walked the ranks of fight !" 
 And then, as with prophetic fire, 
 He hurried o'er the trembling wire ; 
 " Oh, Erin ! weep his memory green, 
 
 " With whom has set thy sun of glory ; 
 " Dangers surround, though yet unseen, 
 
 " The lengthened pilgrimage before thee." 
 
 XIX, 
 
 Erin's revenge for Bryen low 
 Now bursts upon the scattered foe ; 
 On Brodar and his treacherous band ; 
 Feeble the friends, that round him stand. 
 And thinly set j like blasted trees 
 That wither in the mountain-breeze 
 Upon the heights of Fiongall ; * 
 
 » The district north of Dublin, now called Fingal. 
 3 F 
 
410 DERiNIID. CANTO sii. 
 
 That curve their mossy trunks in air, 
 Emblems of sorrow and despair. 
 
 Survivors of a forest's fall. 
 With anger flashing from their eyes. 
 The conquerors scale the precipice ; 
 
 " Fly to your tents ! — No woman there 2 
 
 " Shall meet you with the pointed spear ; 
 " Or drive you to the fight again, 
 
 " Unworthy of the name of men!" 
 
 Thus spoke they ; — while the spear and sword 
 Avenged the death of Erin's Lord, 
 
 XX, 
 
 The while unable to sustain 
 
 The speed, with which a feeble train 
 
 Essayed to bear him off, and spent 
 
 With wounds, was Sitric in a tent 
 
 Laid down ; — where, on the pilgrim leant, 
 
 The youthful captive warrior stood. 
 
 Late rescued from the angry flood ; — ■ 
 
 Warrior no more. — in beauty's pride. 
 
 The guise of arms all thrown aside, 
 
 A maiden stood revealed. — The Dane 
 
 An hope recalled to life again ; 
 
CANTO xri. DERMID. 411 
 
 He looked around with dying stare ; 
 
 " Oh, Thor ! thy mace or all is gone, 3 
 
 " Give me one moment of thy zone ! 
 
 " Give me thy hand ! Oh, Lady fair ! 
 
 " I feel an icy chilhiess here, 
 
 " This cheek is cold and wan ; 
 
 " 'Tis Sitric !^ — I can fight again ; 
 
 •' Where am I ? — bear me to the plain ! — 
 
 " Tliere is a life-drop lingering here, 
 
 " I'll shed it on my country's bier." . 
 
 Full on her face he fixed his eye, 
 
 " Ha ! art thou then my Valkary?* 
 
 *' Say, am I in another sphere ? 
 
 " Rovina said she'd meet me there !" 
 
 And, lo I from far Rovina speeds 
 
 All wild, to where the Ostman bleeds ; 
 
 " Oh ! Sitric, let us fly !" she cries, 
 
 *' Our corraghs o'er the ocean rise ; 
 
 " Thy shield is hung upon the mast, 4 
 
 " And all prepared !— Oh, Sitric ! haste ! 
 
 " Free blows the wind for Lochlin's land, 
 
 " Our flight but waits for thy command !"— — 
 
 • Vide Kote to Stanza li of Canto Tenth. 
 
412 DERMID. 
 
 CANTO xrr. 
 
 XXI. 
 
 " Then wait ye long ! and has my shield, 
 
 *' My sentinel in many a field, 
 
 " That clung so faithful to my side, 
 
 " Deserted now its Lord ?" he cried ; 
 
 " Then farewell, life ! — thou hast no power 
 
 " For Sitric to lament thee more ; 
 
 '' Farewell !" he cried, and raised his eve : 
 
 " Rovina ! — Couldst thou bid me fly ? 
 
 " No ! thouo-h the winds should swell each sail, 
 
 " And Odin favour every gale, 
 
 " I would not fly ! My spear, — my sword, 
 
 " They sure will not forsake their Lord : 
 " How vainly did my bosom warm, 
 
 " Erin was fated to be free ; 
 " But sure no chain shall bind this arm, 
 
 " Dear Lochlin ! I will fall with thee !" 
 
 He paused, — his eyes in death seemed closed. 
 
 Anon he started. ^" Ah 'tis lost ! 
 
 " That shout, — again ! — they press ! — we yield ! — 
 " Their spears — oh, help me ! — who — the field ? — 
 
 " Farewell ! Rovina ! We shall yet — 
 
 " In worlds — oh, where? But wc shall meet!" — 
 
CANTO xir, DERMID. 413 
 
 Rovina's shivering hand he pressed, 
 Then sunk convulsed upon her breast. 
 
 xxir. 
 
 Rovina grasped the sword of death, 
 
 " And wouldst thou, Sitric ! banish me ? 
 
 *' Unkind to drive me from thy path, 
 " The patli that leads to liberty. 
 
 " With thee Rovina's early days, 
 
 " On rolling deep or heathery hill, 
 " Were happy spent : — in war or chase, 
 
 " She has been thy companion still ; 
 " And could she live, when thou art gonc^ 
 " Lonely, unhonoured, and unknown ? 
 
 " Rovina will not slee}) from thee, 
 
 " One sacred fire shall round us burn ; 
 *' And they, who loved thee true like me, 
 
 " Alone shall share our funeral urn. 
 " It is my right, * and I shall be 
 *' Ere long with him who lived for me. 
 
 * The Danish, like the Hindoo women, used to throw themselves on the burn- 
 ing piles of their fallen Lords. 
 
414 DERMID. canto xii, 
 
 " Erin .' we can defy thy power, 
 
 " Prepare the pile ! one blaze shall join 
 " Our happy souls, to part no more ; 
 
 " Thy spirit shall be launched with mine. — 
 " Prepare the pile ! — mine eye must close, 
 " 'Tis heavy for such sweet repose !" 
 
 'Tis done ; — the steel has pierced her breast, 
 Her soul has sought the worlds of i-est. 
 Throuo-h time shall Northern mhistrels tell 
 How Sitric and Rovina fell ; 
 And lover, as he roams alone. 
 
 Shall mark her grave with secret tear. 
 And pray upon the mossy stone, 
 
 That his fair maid prove so sincere. 
 
 XXHL 
 
 Now Erin wakes the triumph sound, 
 No Danish echo breathes around ; 
 
 How sweetly swells the magic tone 
 
 Of minstrel when the fight is o'er ! 
 How softly, when the field is won. 
 
 Triumphant freedom's wild notes pour 
 
CANTO XII. DERMID. 415 
 
 Where sleeps the fallen foe ! 
 How welcome is the genial ray 
 That lights the torch of liberty 
 
 When tyrants are laid low ! 
 
 Tis then that gladly from their toils 
 The host of victor heroes throng. 
 While liberty around them smiles, 
 
 To feast of shells, and minstrel's song,— 
 And measure wild and gay ; 
 And often, as of that day's field 
 The deeds were told, — with beat of shield 
 They harmonized the lay. 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 Many a triumph rent the sky. 
 
 As moved the hero of the day, 
 Dermid the child of Victory, 
 
 To where the lifeless Sitric lay ; 
 There still the captive female stood. 
 Like some fair spirit of the wood ; 
 As shines the haloed orb of night 
 Tlirough showers that dim her mystic light ; 
 
IIQ DERMID. CANTO XII. 
 
 So beams through tears that captive's smile, 
 As pale she stands by Sitric's pile. 
 " Sitric ! how happy !" Dermitl cries, 
 " Oh ! may thy frailties be forgiven 1 
 
 " The brave but sleep to wake in heaven !" = 
 
 Unconscious turned the female's eyes. 
 In such an hour 'twas sweet relief 
 To catch the sympathy of grief; 
 " Ellen ! — my long lost !" — Dermid cried, 
 " Dermid !" his Ellen faintly sighed, 
 And in his bosom sought the blush of joy to hide. 
 
 XXV. 
 
 The while she wished — but feared to breathe 
 
 All the long months of grief she bore. 
 Since she believed he met his death 
 
 Upon Benhadar's rocky shore ; 
 Confession soft no need to speak, 
 'Twas stamped upon her altered cheek. 
 There are some throbbings of the heart 
 
 That language never can reveal ; 
 A blush, a sigh, sometimes impart 
 
 What mortal tongue could never tell. 
 
CANTO xrn DERMID, 417 
 
 Such was the tlirob of Ellen's breast, 
 
 Wlien to iier lover's bosom prest. 
 
 As some dark cloud, long swelled with storms. 
 
 Glows in the sun's returnins lioht ? 
 Beneath his fostering radiance waims, 
 
 All silvered in his genial sight ; 
 Thus Dermid's presence calls forth now 
 Each slumbering charm to Ellen's brow ; 
 Grief only leaves a softened trace 
 Of interesting loveliness. 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 " Ellen ! though far I've roved 
 
 " O'er the wide sea, 
 " My thoughts were with her I loved, 
 
 " Ellen ! with thee. 
 " Thy image with me flew, 
 " To my fond memory true, 
 " No other joy I knew, 
 " Ellen Aroon ! * 
 
 ■'■ The burden of a popular Irish air. It signifies, I believe, in English, <•' Ellen 
 my choice !" 
 
 3g 
 
418 DERMID. canto xu. 
 
 " Thee still would Dermid trace 
 
 " In each hope of bliss j 
 " Each dream of happiness 
 
 " Painted thee his ; 
 " Pleasures seemed shared with thee, 
 " Dangers were dared for thee, 
 " Thou cheeredst captivity, 
 " Ellen Aroon ! 
 
 " No more is oppression near ; 
 
 " Ellen ! we're free ; 
 " Erin has planted here 
 
 " Liberty's tree. 
 " Oh ! that beneath its bough 
 " Our faith were plighted now, 
 " Heaven should bless the vow, 
 " Ellen Aroon !"— 
 
 xxvn. 
 
 '' And dost thou not remember me?"—- 
 The aged warrior cried, who late 
 Was victim marked for Lochlin's fate ; 
 
 " Yet fondly have I thought of thee. 
 
CANTO XII. DERMID. 419 
 
 " When victory waved thy humble crest ; 
 " W'hen, ralhed by thy ghttering blade, 
 " iNIy warriors fought and Lochlin fled !" — 
 
 lie clasped him to his grateful breast, 
 
 " 'Tis thy 0' Sullivan !" he cried, 
 
 " Ellen ! wilt thou be valour's bride ?" 
 
 She dared not look, — she could not speak, 
 
 A blushing smile stole o'er her cheek ; 
 
 The constant Dermid learned the while, ' 
 
 ^Vhat Kings might envy from that smile. 
 
 XXVIIL 
 Tlie pilgrim marked her throbbing breast ; 
 Each thought she felt, — each wish represt 
 
 He well could scan, ^He wished to ease 
 
 The trembling thoughts of loveliness, 
 And threw aside his pilgrim's dress. 
 " Thee too, dear Waldamer ! to meet, 
 " Then is our bliss indeed complete !" 
 Cried Dermid, — " Well should I have known 
 " That pilgrim's dress, that Culdee's zone. 
 " Then was it thou, who urged my flight 
 " From Sodor that eventfiU night," — 
 
420 DERMID. canto xir, 
 
 " Yes, Dermic! ! strange events indeed 
 " Waked in that cave my anxious dread ; 
 " For, as we wound its depths beneath, 
 " Spies marked I steahng on our path ; 
 " But, when thy devious step essayed, 
 " Through gloom, to reach this lovely maid, 
 
 " To me they rushed. They little knew 
 
 " My wishes to their cause untrue ; 
 
 " Each hailed me as a friend long known, 
 
 *' A faithful comrade of their own. 
 
 XXIX. 
 
 " 'Twas then I learned, that Danish band 
 
 " Had torn her from her native land j 
 
 " And that, till ransom large. were paid, / 
 
 " Menevia's isle should hold the maid. 
 
 " From them I won the care of thee, 
 
 " Fair Lady ! and thy liberty 
 
 " Rewards my hopes j — the happy hour, 
 
 " To save thee from the Ostman's power, 
 
 " Was not then come ; Thy Dermid's flight 
 
 " Alone could signalize tliat night, 
 " Of him some idle tale I weaved, 
 " That soon from me the foe believed. 
 
CANTO XII. DERMID. 421 
 
 " While I resolved to watch with thee 
 
 " Another day for liberty. 
 
 " Unmissed a moment bv the Dane, 
 
 " I sought thy Dermid ; when this dress 
 *' With joy I saw ; There had it lain 
 
 " Neglected, since those days of peace, 
 " When monks and pilgrims wandered there, 
 " Their musings undisturbed by sound of shield or spear. 
 
 
 " Dermid! I knew thy wonder well 
 
 " Might then seek more than I could tell ; 
 
 " The dress seemed meet, — I threw it o'er, 
 
 " And urged thee from the hostile shore. 
 
 " Thence when thy corragh I espied 
 
 " Fast gliding o'er the tranquil tide, 
 
 " To Ellen I returned ; — nor thought, 
 
 " When cheering her unhappy lot 
 
 " To win her confidence I tried, 
 
 " Slie was my Dermid's fated bride. 
 
 " Her in the cavern's solitude 
 
 " Concealed I, and supplied with food ; 
 
 " And, when approached the hour of flight, 
 
 " Thither, in gloominess of night. 
 
422 DERMID. canto xir. 
 
 " Derm id ! these very arms I bore 
 
 " Which once thyself in battle wore, 
 
 " When from yon mountain dragged away, 
 
 " All bleeding to captivity : 
 
 " Arms, which from Russen late 1 brought 
 
 " For thee, — but in our speed forgot, 
 
 " In these arrayed, fair Ellen viewed, 
 
 " With pitying eye, the stains of blood ; 
 
 " She little thought the tear, that crept 
 
 " Then down her cheek, for thee was wepU 
 
 " When Ellen, to green Erin's band, 
 
 " Should be by me consigned, I meant 
 " Unknown to seek wild Cambria's land, 
 
 " Self-banished ; but 'twas heaven that sent 
 
 " My storm-rocked corragh hither; Soon, 
 
 " How fell by treacheiy Maoldun, 
 
 " I learned, and from a comrade chief;—- 
 
 " Yes, Derm id ! from O' Sullivan : 
 " Farewell ! disguise ! 'tis sweet relief 
 
 " To meet ye thus ! And learn, no Dane, 
 
 " No trembling slave, — no Waldamer 
 " Restrains your joyous triumph here ; 
 " In me a banished Prince you knew, 
 " In me Loch-Lane's O'Donoshue !" 
 
CANTO XII. DERMID. 423 
 
 XXXI. 
 
 " When Maoldim, oh ! dreadful night ! 
 
 " Had stormed my fortress ; — in the fight 
 
 " I fell but by a shallow wound, 
 
 '• And faint with loss of blood had swooned ;. 
 
 " In secret cavern was I laid, 
 
 " The ti-aitors deemed my soul had fled. 
 
 " Hours past, when ope'd my swimming sight, 
 
 " And, lo ! a female by torch-light 
 
 " Leaned over me : she gave me food, 
 
 " Already had she staunched my blood, 
 
 " She gave me life ; but claimed a vow, 
 
 " Ne'er to reveal my name, till low 
 " Were she or jVIaoldun ; — the while 
 ** Her care would guard from secret wile 
 " My son, — whom Maoldun consigned, 
 *' She said, to her sole care. — Resigned 
 " I thanked the stranger, — life was sweet, 
 " While yet an hope remained to meet 
 " My child again : — the while I sought, 
 " In pilgrimage to banish thought ; 
 " But, on ]\Ienevia's island cast, 
 " I early learned, what events passed 
 
424 DERMID. 
 
 " In Erin's isle ; with anxious ear 
 " Aught of famed Maoldun to hear. 
 
 XXXII. 
 
 " It now remains for me to say 
 
 " Why Sitric trembled at my word : 
 " Some thirty years have passed away, 
 " Since upon Beala-Leata's field, * 
 
 " We both were young, beneath my sword 
 " He sunk upon his useless shield ; 
 
 " 'Twas then my mercy he implored, 
 " And to his Pagan-Gods appealed, 
 " If e'er the chance of war should place 
 " Some friends, who formed my happiness, 
 " Beneath his power, to think of me, 
 " And give them back to liberty. 
 " Yet feared I to reveal my name 
 " Before Rovina ; — beauty's claim 
 " Might baffle e'en religion's ties ; 
 " I waited till the sacrifice. 
 " There I believed his pride would fear, 
 " That Lochlin's gathered host should hear 
 
 » rule ^'ote 9 of Canto Fifth. 
 
 CANTO XII. 
 
CANTO XII. DERMIC. 42'? 
 
 o 
 
 " He fell ill battle: — well I knew 
 " He dared not, in their priesthood's view 
 " By whom he swore, on Odin's feast, 
 " Deny the right I softened to request. 
 
 XXXHI. 
 
 " But who is she, so sad and wild, 
 
 " That comes this way, Distraction's child ? 
 
 " Convulsion shakes her palsied form, 
 
 " Her eye-balls shoot a frenzied glare^ 
 " Her bosom rolls, an inward storm, 
 
 " And wildly flows her auburn hair. 
 " Comes she some lonely hapless maid, 
 " To see her lover lowly laid? 
 " The tear, that rolls adown her cheek, 
 " Is visible e'en hence ! — That shriek ! — 
 
 " But list to her ! — oh ! were it true," • 
 
 Faintly exclaimed O'Donoghue, 
 " She says her Maoldun's not dead, 
 " Have I deceived thee, generous maid ! 
 *' Have I the truth revealed j — 'tis death ! 
 " Who'll save thee from the tyrant's wrath? 
 *' Self-banished to some desert shore, 
 " Ne'er shall I breathe my sorrows more 3 
 
 3 H 
 
im DERM ID. 
 
 " fntruder on another race, 
 
 " T have ont-lived my better days !"- 
 
 CANTO 5tn. 
 
 XXXIV, 
 
 Erica 'twas, that met his eye; 
 
 And oft she called, with piercing cry, 
 
 On Maoldun. O'Donoghue 
 
 His pilgrim's dress around him drew ; 
 Then rushing to her, — " Lives he yet? 
 
 " Tell me, Erica ! haste, my vow — 
 " Oh! where is Maoldun's retreat?" — 
 
 She pressed her heart, — " Here only now 
 f The warrior lives ! in yonder plain 
 " Unhonoured lies he 'mid the slain !" 
 She spoke, and wildly rushed away 
 To Avhere in death the chiellaiu lay; 
 " Stranger !" she cried with vacant stare, 
 And grasped O'Donoghue, " Look there ! 
 " Have you no tear of pity ? — none ! 
 
 " Thou canst not weep for Maoldun !" 
 
 The chief was moved; compassion's power 
 
 Stole on his heart, and dimmed his eye ; 
 The breast, that never swelled before 
 
 On battle plain,— now heaved a sigh. 
 
CANTO XII. 
 
 DERMID. ' 427 
 
 Anon, " My vow is freed !" lie cries, 
 And flings away his dark disguise. 
 
 XXXV. 
 
 The soldier, that had late beheld 
 
 Tiie death of Maoldun, — (that knew 
 The chief, — when no disguise concealed 
 
 The well-known features from his view,) 
 Beside him motionless still lay, 
 Wounded and weak ; — life's lingering ray 
 But faintly lit his closing eyes, 
 
 By darkest mists of death opprest; 
 " My father! Edmund !" Dermid cries, 
 
 And sinks upon his bleeding breast. 
 Edmund half ope'd his swimming eye, 
 " Is Dermid come to see me die? 
 " And is it only now we meet ? 
 
 " jMeet ! and, alas ! so soon to part ! 
 " Ere long this pulse shall cease to beat, 
 
 " An icy chill surrounds my heart. 
 
 " But could I, when my country wept, 
 *' And wept, alas ! in tears of gore, 
 
428 DERMID. canto xii, 
 
 " Remote from freedom's fields have slept, 
 
 " And died unknown on distant shore ? 
 " My son ! — But no ! " His looks grew wild, 
 
 " Thou art O'Donoghue's lone heir ! 
 " Yon Pagan, when thou wert a child, 
 
 " Consigned thee to my fostering care." 
 
 He ceased, and heaved a parting sigh. 
 
 Then closed in peace his languid eye. 
 
 " And I have then a mother too '■ 
 
 " Yes ! Waldamer ! — O'Donoghue ! — 
 
 " My father !" Dermid cried, " she dwells 
 
 " In Glendaloch's secluded yales." 
 
 " She too ?" — O'Donoghue implored, 
 " Has Eveleen escaped the sword? 
 
 " Then am I blest indeed !" He knelt, 
 
 And grateful breathed to heaven, all that his bosom felt.— 
 
 XXXVI. 
 
 Time passes on ; — but minstrel's lay 
 Shall still a faithful record prove 
 Of all the joys that crowned that day 
 AVith freedom and festivitv. 
 
CANTO xir. DERMID. 429 
 
 When Roderic bound the nuptial tie, 
 
 And Ellen blest her Derm id's love. 
 Still lovers, at the bridal board, 
 Are wished like Ellen and her Lord ; 
 And oft O'Donogluie ! thy shade * 
 Is seen at eve o'er hill and glade ; 
 The shepherd hails the happy houi 
 That led him to the ruined tower ; 
 Where he has seen the good old King, 
 AVhom yet f revolving years shall bring, 
 Destined by fate once more to reign 
 
 Amid the enchantments of Loch-Lane. 
 
 While many a pious record tells, 
 How, in Saint Brigid's sacred cells. 
 Erica passed her closing days. 
 The holiest of the penitents, in piety and peace. 
 
 * The eye of the wandering native of Killaincy often conjures such a vision 
 amid the windings of tlie Lake. Vide Weld's Killarney, Quart. Page 83. 
 
 \ Like the Arthur of tlie Britons, it is thought lie will reign again over 
 Killarney. 
 
430 DERMia CANTO xii. 
 
 Erin ! forgive, that of thj lovely land 
 
 Presumptuous have I dared so long to sing ; 
 Attempting theme that needed master-hand, 
 
 A golden harp, and swept by angel's wing : 
 But 'twas affection led me to the string, 
 
 I felt a troubled joy, a strange desire 
 Swell in my bosom ; as thy bravest King, 
 
 And chiefs of other days, in rude attire, 
 Passed dim before mine eyes, and swept the feeble wire. 
 
 'Tis sweet to mark the consecrated spot. 
 
 Where warriors won, and minstrels sung their praise ; 
 Where virtue comforted, — and valour fouofht. 
 
 While memory wakes the joys of other days, 
 And with enchantment every scene arrays: 
 
 But, oh ! v.'hen country's woven in the spell, 
 How do we cherish each endearino; trace, 
 
 That of Iier ancient majesty can tell, 
 Of wars which Erin fought, and fields where Eochlin fell ' 
 
CANTO XII, DERiMID. 4:31 
 
 Thus is it, when the warrior's heart has ceased 
 
 To beat, as once it did to glory's tlnill ; 
 Memory recalls the thoughts, that swelled his breast, 
 
 Anil, though with ieebler throbbings, feels them stilL 
 But now, farewell ! each tower, each fairy rill, 
 
 That drew me, Erin ! to thy praise ; the while 
 May each enchanting valo, each shadowy hill, 
 
 With virtue, piety, and friendship smile ; 
 And peace and freedom bless through time thy lovely isle ! — - 
 
 END OF THE TWELFTH CANTO. 
 
NOTES. 
 
NOTES TO CANTO FIRST. 
 
 NOTE 1. 
 Tire musical instruments of the ancient Irish, which are 
 alluded to in this poem, were; 1st. The Clarsech, or Harp, 
 which was generally strung with brass-wire, and was the na- 
 tional instrument of the country. 2nd. The Stuic, or Trum.- 
 pet. And 3rd. The Adharcaidh Ciuil, or Music-Horn. 
 The two latter were wind-instruments, and used as well in 
 the chase as in the field of battle. — 4th. The Gall-trorapa, 
 or Brazen Trumpet of the Strangers ; which, though origi- 
 nally Danish, was naturalized about the same period that 
 those invaders learned the charms of the harp, which they 
 had wrung from their captives, 
 
 NOTE 2. 
 
 " Glanflesk anciently belonged to O'Donoghue. This 
 
 country is watered b}'^ the river Flesk for many miles from 
 
436 NOTES TO 
 
 east to west ; which river disembogues itself into Lough- 
 Lane, commonly called the Lake of Killarnej." — Smith's 
 Kerry ^ Page 120 — L 
 
 NOTE 3. 
 
 " On the hills to the east of the river Flesk, two fortifica- 
 tions of remote antiquity also claim attention. They are si- 
 tuated on that side of the river which lies nearest to Castle- 
 Lough. The first of them is in a circular form, in dia- 
 meter about 30 yards, surrounded with a fosse and rampart. 
 On the south side of the area there is an oblong pit faced 
 with stone ; at the bottom of each end of which a small 
 hole, scarcely sufficient to admit a man on his hands and 
 knees, is observable. I was informed by the proprietor of 
 the place, that these holes are the entrances of very exten- 
 sive subterraneous passages, into which people have pro- 
 ceeded a considerable way with lights, but at present the 
 way is choked with rubbish." — WchVs Illustrations of Kil- 
 larney. Quart. Page 60. 
 
 Of these materials have I made my fortresses. The first, 
 which I leave in ruins, I suppose to have been once the ha- 
 bitation of O'Donoghue, the celebrated King of Killarney, 
 The second I have repaired, and made comfortable for the 
 reception of his nephew Maoldun O'Donoghue. — 
 
 NOTE 4. 
 " At what age the great O'Donoghue flourished, the tra- 
 dition of whose virtues is fondly transmitted from generation 
 
CANTO FIRST. 437 
 
 to generation, is not easily determinable; but that a distin- 
 guished Prince of that name did once actually reign over 
 this favoured region (Killarney), is a point so established by 
 the testimony of concurrent tradition, as scarcely to require 
 confirmation from the page of liistory." — Weld's Illuntrations 
 of Killamei/, Quart. Page 81. 
 
 However, gentle Reader ! between you and me, I strongly 
 suspect, that this same Mr. O'Donoghue flourished about 
 100 years after the date I have assigned to him. But you, I 
 trust, will deem the anachronism venial, and I know you will 
 uot hint it to the Reviewers.. 
 
 NOTE .7. 
 
 The species of fortress used by the Irish chiefs at this 
 period, and which has been falsely ascribed to the Danes, 
 was the Ralli ; now denominated indiscriminately Rath, 
 Dun, or JMotc, us Rath-Croghan, Dun-ua-mase, Mote-Gre- 
 noguc, &c. It consisted of a large circular enclosure, situated 
 on an elevated ground, and usuall}^ in the bosom of woods ; 
 and was divided into the following parts : 1st, The Beallagh 
 was the outward circular enclosure, generally constructed of 
 a staked hedge, sometimes with, but generally without an 
 entrenchment ; within this resided the servants, and domes- 
 tic animals belonging to the chief. 2d, The Dun was situated 
 v.'ithin the area of the Beallagh, near the centre; and gene- 
 rally on an elevated part ; it was the habitation of the chiefs 
 corresponding to the Keep of Norman Castles. 3d, The 
 
438 NOTES TO 
 
 Mote was an entrenchment drawn round the Dun. 4th, The 
 Ban was the rampart whether of earth or stone, which en- 
 closed the Dun, and generally withhi the Mote. 5th, The 
 Rath was the court or open area within the Ban, wherein the 
 Pilait or Righ-lann, that is, the habitations of the chief and 
 his family, were erected. They wei'e in general small build- 
 ings, constructed of earth and hurdles ; the number of these 
 in each Dun or Rath was from four to eight. 6th, The 
 Uagh or Uaigh was the cave or cellar, where the provisions 
 wei'e kept ; and into which the women, children, &c. retired 
 in case of danger. Vide Camden's Britannia^ Vol, 3, Page 
 482, 483. 
 
 NOTE 6. 
 
 Noghaval is a rectory in the County Cork. Its church, 
 dedicated to Saint Finlan, is on the verge of the countv 
 near the Black-water and Alio ; and not far from Glanflesk. 
 Near it is the stump of a round tower. Vide Smitlis Corl\ 
 Vol. 1, Page 302. 
 
 NOTE 7. 
 
 The striking of shields was an i^nciGWt ^yrelude to hostilities; 
 and, though more particularly^ practised by the Danes, was 
 often of the " Irish Melodies."" And here, reader, I may 
 save myself some notes^ and you some shillings, by concisely 
 enumerating the arms, which were then used as well by the 
 Danes as the Irish. 
 
CANTO FIRSr. 439 
 
 Their defensive arms were, 1st, The Ilehiiet ; which was 
 usually of brass, and to which Kings, Princes, &c. had 
 plumes, 2d, The Shield ; which was sometimes brazen, 
 oftener wicker. When of brass, itiiad usually some animal 
 carved on it, emblematic of the bearer's disposition, &c. 
 
 Tiieir ofFensiv^e arms were, 1st, The Sword. 2d, The Bow 
 and Arrow. 3d, The Mace ; which at the extremity was set 
 round with brazen knobs. 4th, The broad Battle-axe; which 
 was originally Danish, but adopted by the Irish. 5th, The 
 Javelin, Spear, or short LancOi Cth, The Lagean ; a sort of 
 broad-edged Lance, which had been introduced from Gaul 
 by Labra Laingseach, and from it Leinster was called Lage- 
 nia, that province being more devoted to the use of it, hence 
 is derived the modern Lageans-ter or Leinster. 7th, The 
 Skene or Skeyn, a short dagger. The two last were used 
 seldom, if at all, by the Danes, all these offensive arms were 
 made of brass, the second of course excepted. Vide ]Vare's 
 Antiquities of Ireland, Vol. 2, Page 161. 
 
 The armies of that day seem to have been composed alike 
 of Cavalry and Infantry. The former were called Ilobillers. 
 The latter were subdivided into, 1st, The Galloglasscs or 
 lieavy armed, who used a coat of mail bound with iron rings, 
 and were girt with long swords, occasionally fighting with a 
 keen axe ; and, 2d, The Kerns or Light Inflintry, who fought 
 with bearded Javelins, and the afor'^said Skeyns. Vide Led- 
 wich's Antiquities of Ireland, 2d. Edition, Page 284, &c. 
 
440 NOTES TO 
 
 NOTE 8. 
 All those places mentioned in the two first Cantos, Cahir- 
 nane, Diinloe, Mangerton, Tomies, Dunkerron, Flesk river, 
 the Reeks, Turk, &c. &c. are situated about Killarney. 
 
 NOTE 9. 
 
 The unmarried women of Ireland, Ware informs us 
 [Antiquities of Ireland, Vol. 2, Chap. 23.) went bare-headed, 
 with their hair filleted up, which they sometimes also wore 
 h.anging down their backs. The mantle or robe they wore 
 over a long gown or kirtle. Their shoes were ancieijtly 
 3nade of dried skins of beasts, — afterwards of half tanned lea- 
 ther, and were called Brogs ; a name which, by some strange 
 application, has been since referred to their accent; but 
 that such hateful and false distinctions may be again tram- 
 pled under foot, is the sincere wish of my heart ! The 
 
 hooded mantle was also worn by the men, under which they 
 had the Fallin, or lesser mantle, at first of skin, afterwards 
 coarse woollen, under all were the Braccae, which were 
 Breeches and Stockings of one piece; and theBrog was used 
 by them as by the women. — Thus we find that, even in that 
 remote age, tlie Ladies dressed much lighter than the men. 
 " Then Ladies go cool !" &c. 
 
 The Jewellery of the day was necessarily rude and limited; 
 the most usual article was the Brooch. — Many curiously 
 worked have been found in various parts of Ireland. They 
 
CANTO FIRST. 441 
 
 are supposed to have been used by men and women to 
 confine the flowhig of the hooded mantle ; and we learn, it 
 was the distinguished prerogative of Kings, &c. to reward 
 valour with ornaments of this kind. — Amulets of gold were 
 also used by the Irish. — [Vide AnI/io/ogia Hibernka, Vol. 1, 
 Page 284.) As to Necklaces, they are well known to have 
 originated in a custom among nurses ; when that sagacious 
 race used, we arc told, to span tlieir pupils' necks with a 
 thread, thereby deciding whether Miss had been good since 
 the last trial. — If the same span still answered, she was 
 good ; but if the thread was too short, she had been naughty. 
 and, as an mlallible proof of the charm, on the marriage of their 
 wards, they were sure to exhibit the thread, having secretly 
 cut off a little bit.. 
 
 NOTE 10. 
 
 " Ardee, anciently called Athardriogh, or the ford of the 
 
 royal height, is celebrated lor a battle fought here, in 
 
 the 10th century, between the Irish and the Danes. It 
 seems to have been a Danish station, as a rath or fort still 
 remains, called Dunbrin, on the west side of the river, com- 
 manding the ford, and in which a number of Danish coins 
 have been found." — Antholugia Hibernica, \'ol. 1. Page 250. 
 
 This village is situated on the romantic river Barrow, 
 which was anciently called Berva.- — The issue of the battle 
 above-mentioned is not well ascertained, I have assumed 
 that it was won by the Irish, and whither do they go and 
 
 3 k 
 
442 NOTES TO 
 
 not conquer? — Is there a spot in the wide world that does 
 not bear monuments of their courage ? Have they not been 
 victorious under every chnie? — met danger in every attitude? 
 and smiled at the sternest features of adversity ? 
 
 NOTE 11. 
 
 Tlie battle, in which Ellen's lover is supposed to have pe- 
 i'ished, was fought in 1013, on Howth hill (anciently called 
 Benhadar) in the County Dublin. Malachy, who command- 
 ed the Irish, was defeated with considerable loss. — Vide VaJ- 
 lancei/s Collectanea Hibernica, Vol. i. Page 523. 
 
 NOTE 12. 
 The Irish, having been long ere this converted to Chris- 
 tianity, interred their dead. — But the Danes not being even 
 in the 11th century universally Christianised, such of them 
 as adhered to the old superstitions of Odin, &c. used to burn 
 iheir dead, and deposit the ashes in an urn. 
 
 NOTE 13. 
 ** ' Tis Mckoldun^ GlavJlesJc's j)rotid Lord .'" 
 
 Stanza 18. 
 Maoldun was an usual Christian name in the O'Donoghue 
 family, and was in particular the addition of the person 
 whom I here introduce, and who will be found hereafter no 
 *' fancy sketch ;" though I have not rigidly followed the ac- 
 count which history gives of him. 
 
CANTO FIRST. 443 
 
 NOTE 14. 
 " His (an Irishman's) mantle is his couch to sleep in^ 
 therein he wrappeth himself round ; yea, and often- 
 times their mantle scrveth them, when they are neere driven ; 
 being wrapt about their left arm instead of a target, for it is 
 hard to cut through it with a sword." — >Spencer's Viexv of the 
 State of Ireland, Repr. Dub. 1809, Page 87. 
 
 NOTE 15. 
 The echoes from hills, rocks, caves, &c. were attributed to 
 spirits, who made these respective places their residences. 
 
XOTES TO CANTO SECOND. 
 
 NOTE 1. 
 It was from Shells the ancient Irish and Danes drank. 
 " The feast of Shells" is a term not unknown to the readers 
 of Ossian. 
 
 NOTE 2. 
 " The Irish placed their chief glory in the brightness of 
 their arms; and those among th»>m, who were fond of orna- 
 ment, used to adorn the hilts of their swords with the teeth 
 
 of sea-animals, burnished as white as ivory." Solinus, 
 
 Chap. 25. 
 
 NOTE 3. 
 " Bards were in high esteem among the ancient Irish, and 
 -called Fileah. They had great immunities, toge- 
 
CANTO SECOND. 445 
 
 tlier with the revenues allotted for their support." — IFares 
 Antiquities of Ireland^ yo\. ii. Page 125. 
 
 NOTE 4. 
 
 This ballad being historical, its insertion may be excusa- 
 ble. 
 
 A. M. 3619, Cobthaigh gained the crown of Ireland by 
 liorrid assassinations ; and the only remaining heir to it, 
 young Maon was spared, as being supposed of too weak a 
 frame to raise any future disturbance; and he was conveyed 
 away by his friends. 
 
 " The king of South IMunster (to continue the tale in the 
 words of ]Mr. O'Halloran) received him with great humanity, 
 and here the soft passion of love found a way to his tender 
 heart, the object being the lovely JMoriat, daughter to his 
 protector. His friends, anxious for his safety, did not trust 
 him long here ; but had him conveyed privately to France. 
 
 The French king received him with all honours. He 
 
 soon I'ose in the army ; his valour, before twenty-five, 
 
 acquired him the supreme command of the Gallic troops. — 
 The greatness of his exploits soon revived, in the breast of 
 the fair Moriat, sentiments of a much warmer nature than 
 
 what she had supposed. Love is full of expedients ; 
 
 Craftine, a musician of her father's court, was her confidant ; 
 she sent him privately to France, with a letter and a rich 
 present of jewels to Maon. After delivering his credentials, 
 
446 NOTES TO 
 
 he plaved on his harp, and sung to it an ode, in which Maoii 
 was praised with great delicacy, and his principal actions 
 boldly recorded ; concluding with a wish, that he would for 
 the future exert his power to recover his country, &c. He 
 inquired who the author of this ode was ; — To be praised by 
 the fair is the highest gratification to a generous mind. — 
 Craftine told him, it was the lovely Moa-iat herself. All his 
 former tenderness revived. He sends back the harper, with 
 private instructions to his friends, and solicits aid of the 
 
 monarch of France. Ills request is granted : he landed 
 
 in the harbour of WIcklovv, — attacked Cobthaigh, slew him, 
 and regained the crown," &c. O'Hallorcms General History 
 Qf Ireland, Vol. 1» Page 163. 
 
 Maon is, by other historians, called Labra Laingseach. 
 
 NOTE 5. 
 
 The Corragh was the name of that light kind of boatj. 
 which was used in those days in all voyages that required 
 expedition. Its use Avas not confined to the Irish, but 
 adopted by most of the Northern nations, even in their 
 navigations on the open sea. The writer of a manuscript 
 life of Saint Brendan, describes the structure and form of 
 this kind of vessel most particularly. 
 
 " They made (says he) a very light Barque, ribbed and 
 fenced with timbers, as the manner is in those parts ; and 
 covered it with raw cow-hides, and on the outside they 
 daiibed all the jointings of the skins witli butter j and put 
 
CANTO SECOND. 447 
 
 into the vessel materials for making two other Boats of other 
 skins, and provisions of forty days, and butter to dress or 
 prepai'e the skins for the covering of the boat, and other 
 utensils necessary for human life. — They also fixed a tree in 
 the midst of the barque, and a sail and other things belong- 
 ins to the steering of a boat." 
 
 The heavy ships were reserved for naval engagements, 
 transporting colonies, &c. 
 
 In some excursions in South ^Vales in the summer of 
 18l!2, I have myself witnessed a dwarf species of the Cor- 
 ragh without sails ; — and in particular, I shall never forget 
 the emotion with which I first beheld one amid the enchant- 
 ments of the Wye. — I had paused between two bends of the 
 river, — looked round, and perceived I was hemmed in by 
 mountains — so close to each other, and so high, that tlie ex- 
 treme screens seemed blended into unity; and yet enclosing 
 such varied loveliness in the narrowed space, that I almost 
 fancied myself a more contented Rasselas, in the happy val- 
 ley of Amhara; and the mountains' backs the boundaries of 
 my little world. It was a solitary thought, but not unplcas- 
 ing there. ^Vhen sudden, from a wooded projection close to 
 me, a little Corragh shot across the river, dipping as it went, 
 yet scarce breaking the spell that smoothed the waters. I 
 could for a moment have quarrelled with the intruder, but 
 presently the sullen speed, with which he glided from my 
 view, contributed to restore, nay, strengthen the delusion. 
 
NOTES TO CANTO THIRD. 
 
 NOTE 1. 
 Menevia seems to have been the name most generally ap- 
 plied to the Isle of Man in the 11th century. Sceafellis 
 the highest of its mountains, whence may be seen, on a clear 
 day, Scotland, England, and Ireland. 
 
 NOTE 2. 
 
 " Both the Druids and St. Patrick pretended supernatural 
 calls, and as usual called in the Deity as evidence. Disputes 
 of this kind should ever be determined as they then were_ 
 The books, containing the rites and mysteries of both doc- 
 trines, were by mutual consent put under water, and which- 
 ever remained longest unaltered by this element, were to be 
 looked upon as the purest."- — O'Halloran's Introduefion, tje. 
 Vol. i. Page 10. 
 
 It was St. Patrick, we shall presently find, who introduced 
 Christianity into the Isle of Man. 
 
CANTO THIRD. 449 
 
 NOTE 3. 
 
 " The Prioress of Douglas was a Baroness of the island, 
 and enjoyed the same privileges. The Priory was said to be 
 built by St. Brigid, when she came to receive the veil 
 from St. IMaughold. The situation of the nunnery is much 
 
 the pleasantest in the island." Sachcverell's Isle of Man, 
 
 Page 122. 
 
 NOTE 4. 
 
 " Nearly a mile and an half on the Peel road, in a very 
 pleasant valley, and surrounded by trees, is Kirk-Braddon, 
 
 the parish church of Douglas." Wood's Isle of MaUy 
 
 Page 111. 
 
 From a Runic elegy, which has been found at this place, 
 I think myself justified in making it an ancient burial 
 ground. 
 
 NOTE 5. 
 " Maughold Head is a bold promontory, with tiers of 
 moss-crowned rocks on its summit. Under these rocks is 
 a fine spring, called St. Maughold's well, which formerly 
 was, and is to this day resorted to, on account of its sup- 
 posed medicinal virtues. An old legend relates, that it had 
 once a character of high reputation in cases of barrenness ; 
 but how long it has lost that virtue is not ascertained. 
 I should think it not unlikely to have been about the time 
 
 3 L 
 
450 NOTES TO 
 
 of the Irish Priests leaving the island, in whose custody the 
 
 well used to be." Tour through the Me of Man, in 1808> 
 
 Page 158. 
 
 NOTE a 
 
 The castle of Russen, or Rushen, or Castletown, as it rs 
 now generally called, is built on a rock, and proudly over- 
 looks the subject country. It was built in 960 by Guttred, 
 grandson to a King of Denmark, and the second of a suc- 
 cession of twelve kings or rather viceroys, who were set 
 over the island by the Kings of Norway. This building is 
 supposed to have a striking resemblance to the Castle of 
 Elsinore in Denmark.^— Vide Grose's Antiquities of Eng- 
 land and Wales, Vol. 4. 
 
 Here, reader ! I must trouble you and myself, with a long 
 note. Waldron, in his description of the Isle of Man, 
 records a strange tradition, which prevails among the 
 islanders, relative to the above castle; and, as in the next 
 Canto, the story not merely 
 
 Serpit humi tutus nimium, timiduscjue procella?, 
 but absolutely skulks under ground, from the dreaded im- 
 petus o{ Northern storms, it may, perhaps, be advisable to pre- 
 pare the reader for so great a change of temperature, by a 
 course of narrow caves, dark passages, &c. mixed with a 
 few supernatural beings, and an enchanted castle or two* 
 if the constitution shall bear it. — Thus am I for once a 
 Doctor ! Besides, as I ara determined that he, who, wi*h 
 
CANTO THIRD. 451 
 
 the patience of Job, will accompany Dermid through liis 
 wanderings, must be liurried into this identical cavern, 
 though through another avenue, it will be advisable for him 
 to learn, how the adventurer, ot" the following tale of Wal- 
 dron, escaped by a clew of strong pack-thread, when the 
 next visitor shall have but the iVail thread of my story. 
 
 " Just at the entrance of the castle, is a great stone chair 
 for the governor, and two lesser for the Deemsters ; licrc they 
 try all causes, except ecclesiastical, which are entirely under 
 the decision of the Bishop : when you are past this court, 
 you enter into a long winding passage between two hi<i'ji 
 walls, not much unlike what is described of Rosamond's 
 labyrinth, at Woodstock ; in case of an attack, ten thousand 
 men might be destroyed by a very few, in attempting to 
 enter ; the extremity of w^hich brings you to a room where 
 the Keys sit. A little further is an apartment, which has 
 never been opened in the memory of man. The persons 
 belonging to the castle are very cautious in giving any 
 reason for it ; but the natives, who are excessively super- 
 stitious, assign this, that there is something of enchant- 
 ment in it. They tell you, that the Castle was at first in- 
 habited by fairies, and afterwards by giants, who, by force 
 of magic, dislodged the greatest part of them, and bound 
 the rest in spells, which they believe will be indissoluble 
 to the end of the world : for proof of this, they tell you a 
 very odd story. They say, there are a great number of 
 very fine apartments under ground, exceeding in magni- 
 
452 NOTES TO 
 
 ficence any of the upper rooms. Several men, of more 
 than ordinary courage, have in former times ventured down 
 to explore the secrets of this subterranean dwelling place ; 
 but none of them ever returned to give an account of what 
 they saw. It was therefore judged convenient, that all the 
 passages to it should be kept continually shut, that no 
 more should suffer by their temerity ; but about some fifty 
 or fifty-five years since, a person, who had an uncommon 
 boldness and resolution, never left soliciting permission of 
 those, who had power to grant it, to visit these dark abodes ; 
 in fine, he obtained his request, went down, and returned 
 by the help of a clew of pack-thread, which he took with 
 him, which no man before himself had ever done ; and 
 brought this amazing discovery, viz. That after having 
 passed through a great number of vaults, he came into a 
 long narrow place, which, the further he penetrated, 
 he perceived he went more and more on a descent, 
 till having travelled, as near as he could guess, for 
 the space of a mile, he began to see a little gleam of 
 light ; which, though it seemed to come from a vast dis- 
 tance, yet was the most delightful sight he had ever beheld 
 in his life. Having at length come to the end of that lane 
 of darkness, he perceived a very large and magnificent 
 house, illuminated with a great many candles, whence pro- 
 ceeded the light just now mentioned. Having, before he 
 began this expedition, well fortified himself with brandy, he 
 had courage enough to knock at the door, which a servant 
 
CANTO THIRD. 453 
 
 at tlie third knock having opened, asked him Avhal he 
 wanted — " I would go as far as I can," replied our adven- 
 turer, " be so kind therefore as to direct me how to accom- 
 plish my design ; for I see no passage, but that dark cavern 
 through which I came." The servant told him, he must 
 go through the house ; and accordingly led him through a 
 long entry, and out of the back-door. He then walked a 
 considerable way, and at last beheld another house more 
 mao-nificent than the first; and the windows being all open 
 discovered innumerable lamps burning in every room. 
 Here he designed also to knock, but had the curiosity to 
 step on a little bank, which commanded a low parlour ; and 
 looking in, he beheld avast table, in the middle of the room, 
 of black marble ; and on it, extended at full length, a man, 
 or rather monster; for, by his account, he could not be 
 less than fourteen feet long, and ten or eleven round the 
 body. This prodigious fabric lay, as if sleeping, with his 
 head on a book, and a sword by him, of a size answerable 
 to the hand, which it is supposed made use of it. This 
 sight was more terrifying to our traveller, than all the dark 
 and dreary mansions he had passed through in his arrival 
 to it. He resolved therefore not to attempt entrance into 
 a place inhabited by persons of that unequal stature ; and 
 made the best of his way back through the house, where the 
 same servant re-conducted and informed him, that if he had 
 knocked at the second door, he would have seen company 
 enough, but never could have returned. On which he 
 
454 NOTES TO 
 
 desired to know, what place it was, and by whom possessed ; 
 but the other repHed, that these things were not to be re- 
 vealed. He then took his leave, and by the same dark pas- 
 sage got into the vaults, and soon after once more ascended 
 to the light of the sun." — Waldron's Isle of Man. 
 
 Credat Judreiis Apella ! a probable story concisely told ! ! 
 It might have been necessary, — and believe me it shall be 
 the last note of the length. — If vou. Madam ! are tired reading 
 it, I beg you not to execrate me. — You are revenged ! — I am 
 now, after copying it out, pacing my closet v.ith a sad creek in 
 jx\y neck, and a violent pulse in my temples. 
 
 NOTE 7. 
 
 Ecce iterum Crispinus ! Two old Ballads! monstrous! ay! 
 two old Ballads. But as you do not seem worthy of them, 
 vou shall have no more. These I shall take leave of, with 
 the apostrophe of the Mantuan Bard. 
 
 Fortunati ambo ! si quid mea carmina possunt. 
 Fortunate pair ! if my book sells well. 
 
 This legend, " Realmond of Ullin," is also historical ; — 
 but I have presumed to advance the incident, from A. D. 
 310 to 685, when the Welsh invaded Ulster ; thus giving 
 Realmond a mode of signalizing himself, more easily re- 
 duced to the compass of a Ballad, as shall appear by a rela- 
 tion of the fact. 
 
 " In the antiquities of Ireland I finde, that about the 
 dayes of Constantine the great, who beganne his raigne A. IX 
 
CANTO THirxD. 455 
 
 310, one Rcalmond king of Ulster fell in loue with a lady of 
 Leinster, who had been wife to the king of Connaiight ; a 
 woman (they say) of meane stature, but of singular beautic; 
 when many princes and lords of Ireland laboured to winne 
 her fauor, her answer was, that none should enjoy her loue, 
 but a champion that by marshall prowess, had prevailed in 
 forraigne countries, quitted himselfe like a man, wonne the 
 Garland, and brought tribute with him to his native soilc. 
 Bealmond, being ouercome with the loue of this lady, hoised 
 up saile, and went for France ; w here he encountered with a 
 champion, and wonne a Garland called Civica. Afterward^ 
 comino- to Groat Britain, hee challenged the Duke of Corne- 
 wall, and got of him a tribute ; thence he went into Scot- 
 land, and encountered with Gyant Castreus, and prevailed j 
 (such was the manner of winning honours and dignity, by 
 marshal feates, in those dayes, saith Saxo Grammaticus) last 
 of all he came back to Ireland, and acquainted his loue, the 
 lady he formerly sought for, with his travaile, his dangerous 
 adventures, and his good success; and how, having prevailed 
 abroad, hee doubted not at home, in regard of his kingdomc, 
 his kindred and valour, but to obtain her fauor. Shoe, being 
 made thoroughly acquainted with his afFaires, abroad and at 
 home, gave many a sigh in his absence; fearing som.e mis- 
 chance might come to him, and wishing she had not so 
 peremptorily answered him ; but he no sooner came in place, 
 but she relented from her former hardnesse, and with all 
 speed the solemnity of marriage was performed." — Hanmcrs 
 Chronicle of Ireland, Dub. 1633, Fol. Page 23, 24. 
 
456 NOTES TO 
 
 NOTE 8. 
 
 Moy-Nay was the ancient name of the County Roscom- 
 mon. I could not resist the temptation of placing this fair 
 lady on the top of that mountain, in whose shadow I have 
 past my happiest days ; besides that, Slieve-Bon, or Ban, 
 which is situated near Strokestown, commands a most exten- 
 sive prospect of the surrounding country, interspersed with 
 many lakes, and of the bold windings of the Shannon. 
 
 NOTE 9. 
 The vale of Ovoca, better known by the name of " The 
 Meeting of tlie Waters," is one of the many enchanting 
 scenes, which place the County Wicklow so high in the esti- 
 mation of the tourist. It is thus beautifully apostrophised 
 by our native Anacreon. 
 
 Sweet vale of Ovoca ! how calm could I rest, 
 
 In thy bosom of shade, with the friends I love best ; 
 
 When the storms which we feel in this cold world 
 
 should cease, 
 And our hearts like thy waters be mingled in peace. 
 
 But it is ridiculous for me to quote verses, that have 
 already wrung applause from those, who perhaps shall never 
 i-ead mine. 
 
CANTO THIRa 457 
 
 NOTE 10. 
 
 Alluding to the ancient niodeof distinguishing the bound- 
 aries and limits of lands, by artificial hillocks called 
 Bottentines ; and hence Butting, in old surveys, was used to 
 signify the dividing the lands by boundaries. 
 
 NOTE 11. 
 " Under the government of Laingseach, A. D. 685, the 
 
 Welsh invaded Ireland. The subjects of Ulster soon 
 
 after engaged them in the battle of Moigh-Cuillinn, and 
 obtained a victory over those foreigners, of whom a terrible 
 slaughter was made, and almost their whole army slain." — 
 Keatinges Ireland^ Transl. Fol. Part 2, Page 45. 
 
 NOTE 12. 
 
 South Barrule is a lofty mountain to the West of Russen, 
 which the reader shall be presently obliged to scale ; and if 
 he be a critic, I hope he may be tired there. — Kemool was 
 the ancient palace of Mananan MacLeir, the first hereditary 
 possessor of the isle of Man. — Vide Note 5 of Catifo Fourtlu 
 
 NOTE 13. 
 
 " Spain, by a very singular fatality, was the Peru and 
 Mexico of the old world. The discovery of the rich western 
 continent by the Phoenicians, and the oppression of the sim- 
 
 3 M 
 
458 NOTES TO 
 
 pie natives, who were compelled to labour in their own 
 mines, for the benefit of strangers, form an exact type of the 
 more recent history of Spanish America."— -6ri66o?i's Decline 
 and Fall J SfC. Quart. Vol. i. Page 195. 
 
NOTES TO CANTO FOITRTII. 
 
 NOTE 1. 
 
 " We find, in the bottom of the valley, leading from St. 
 John's to Peel, many marine exuviae. Tradition says, that 
 the tide once flowed up this valley, nearly to the base 
 of Mount Kreevy ! a circumstance which the appearance 
 of the country, and the shells found in the alluvial soil, 
 render highly probable." Wood's Isle of Man, Page 13. 
 
 NOTE 2. 
 It would be, perhaps, a very bold licence, to mine and 
 countermine an whole island ; or at least such an extent as 
 we shall presently find my protegee exploring. But really, 
 greedy Critics! the island which I have chosen, with some 
 discernment you must allow, as the theatre of my grandest 
 souterrain adventure, has been traditionally excavated into 
 two grand cavern passages, which Waldron has completed 
 to my hand ; the one for the dormitory of a group of 
 
460 NOTES TO 
 
 unwieldy giants, f Vide Note 6 to Canto Third) and the 
 other, which we shall presently hear of, as a range for a 
 malicious " Spectre Hound." — I should thus find myself 
 quite at ease, but for one circumstance. — It will be remem- 
 bered, that the first, and premised that the second, of those 
 passages has been long closed up. In this state of affairs, 
 I should have implored the permission of those who preside 
 over these forbidden territories. 
 
 Sit mihi fas audita loqui : sit, numine vestro, 
 Pandere res alta terra et caligine mersas ! 
 By the omission of this etiquette^ I fear I have committed 
 a species of poetical burglary, in forcing open those pene- 
 tralia. But, I trust, it is sufficiently clear, that so far from 
 my having any felonious intent, this passage, entrance, or 
 shaft was hollowed, opened, or dug, for the sole purpose 
 and intent, of restoring an individual to his country and his 
 liberty ; an exploit, methinks, less meritorious would, in the 
 more enlightened age of Rome's grandeur, have procured 
 me a Civic Crown. 
 
 KOTE 3. 
 
 The Tynwald Mount is an erection of great antiquity. — 
 Vide Grose's Antiquities of England and Wales, Sup. Vol. 2. 
 
 It stands upon a lawn called St. John's Green, nearly in 
 the centre of the island, and has a very picturesque ap- 
 pearance from any of the four cross roads which meet here. 
 It is situated in a beautiful and richly cultivated valley, sur- 
 
CANTO FOURTH 461 
 
 rounded by high mountains; and the whole tbrms a most 
 dehghtful landscape^ of which the sea does not form any 
 
 part." Tour through the Isle of Man, in 1808, Page 
 
 114, 115. 
 I think the toui'ist has chosen a fine pasture for his Bull. 
 
 NOTE 4. 
 
 " The island, on which Peel Castle stands, is called Holme- 
 Peel and Sodor; the last from the Greek word Sotcr or 
 Saviour, in allusion to the Christian churches standing here. 
 
 It is highly probable, this island has been fortified in 
 
 some manner, ever since the churches were built." — Grose's 
 Antiquities of England and Wales, Vol. iv. 
 
 Now, though but the remains of two churches arc visible 
 in the island, yet, Waldron tells us, there were anciently four 
 situated at the base of the hill which rises almost perpendi- 
 cular over them ; on whose top Dermid must stand, 'till you 
 Sir ! have finished this note. — Some of these churches sure 
 must have been built previous to the 11th century, as the 
 inhabitants of the isle of Man were converted to Christianity 
 in the 5th. I have supposed St. Patrick's church to have 
 stood in 1014. — And, though the year of its erection is not 
 ascertained, I could quote many authorites for its great anti- 
 quity. — Vide Grose's Antiquities of England and Wales, 
 
 Account of St. Pati'iclc's Church. 
 
 I did not think Peel Castle sufficiently ancient to intro- 
 duce here. 
 
IGS' NOTES TO 
 
 NOTE 5. 
 
 *' Tradition makes the first owner of tho isle of INIan, to 
 have been IMananan MacLeir ; a magician, wlio kept it en- 
 veloped in mists, 'till St, Patrick broke the charm." — Cam- 
 den's Britannia, YoX. m. Page 699. 
 
 Here I have an opportunity of giving one of those obsolete 
 legends to the public, without wliich modern metrical ro- 
 mances would scarce cost half their present prices. It is 
 
 an ancient Ciironicle of Man, printed in the Manks in 1778, 
 and gives a little history of this magician. As the book I 
 found it translated in is rather scarce, I thought right to 
 copy it. 
 
 Would you but listen to my song, 
 
 And hear my tuneful muse awhile, 
 As best I could, I would prolong 
 
 The history of this blessed isle. 
 
 Who first was ruler of this land. 
 
 And what at length to him befell. 
 How Patrick Christianised the realm, 
 
 And Stanly held it, 1 shall tell. 
 
 ]\Iananan beg, hight Mac-y-Lerr, 
 
 Was he the first that ruled the land ; 
 A Paynim, and a Sorcerer 
 
 He was, as best I understand. — 
 
CANTO FOURTH. i63 
 
 Not with his sword, or with his bow, . 
 
 That he his conquest could maintain, 
 But, when an hostile fleet he saw. 
 
 He caused a mist to intervene ; 
 
 Around the coast on every height 
 
 If he but placed a single man. 
 There, by his necromantic art. 
 
 Appeared a formidable clann. ' '' " 
 
 Thus, from all enemies secure, 
 
 And his dominions all in peace, 
 He long maintained a regal sway, 
 
 O'er subjects fearless and at ease ; 
 
 Their yearly tribute but a load 
 
 Of bent or rushes from the plain, 
 From every quarter of the land 
 
 Brought in at Midsummer amain ; 
 
 Some were obliged to carry it up, 
 
 And lay it down on famed Barrool ; 
 Some were indulged below to stop, 
 
 At Manan's court above Kemool. 
 
 Thus lived the inhabitants of Man, 
 So light their tribute, and so blest ; 
 
164 NOTES TO 
 
 Devoid of trouble, or of care, 
 Or toil, to mar their happy rest. 
 
 But now Saint Patrick soon arrives, 
 
 Superior in every art, 
 And o'er the waves Mananan drives, 
 With that vile crew, that took his part. 
 &c. &c. Sec. 
 Vide Vallanceys Collectanea Hlbernica, Vol. iv, Pages 510 
 and 549. 
 
 Quere ? Whether is this poem in praise of Saint Patrick, 
 or of the magician ? 
 
 NOTE 6. 
 
 As we have here caught three species of Beings together, 
 either of which would be sufficient to terrify any old maid 
 or nurse in the universe ; — I think we could not do better 
 than expose to our readers the particular marks, by which 
 those phasnomena have been distinguished by Connoisseurs 
 in Spectrology. 
 
 1st. " Fairies are a sort of intermediate beings be- 
 
 tween Men and Spirits ; having bodies with the power of 
 rendering them invisible, and of passing them through all 
 sorts of inclosures. They are remarkably small of stature, 
 with fair complexions, whence they obtained the name of 
 fairies. — Both male and female are generally clothed in green, 
 and frequent groves, mountains, the southern sides of hills, 
 
CANTO FOURTH. 465 
 
 and green meadows; where they amuse tlicmselves with 
 dancing, hand to Jiand, in a circle by moonliglit. The traces 
 of tlieir feet are visible next morning on the grass, and arc 
 commonly called Fairy-rings or circles." — Groses Popular 
 Superstitions, Quart. ]^ige 112. 
 
 2nd, As to Fetches the same work says, 
 
 " These are the exact figures and resemblances of persons 
 then living, often seen not only by their friends at a dis- 
 tance, but many times by themselves. They most 
 
 commonly appear to distant friends and relations, at the very 
 instant preceding the death of the jierson, whose figure they 
 put on. — Sometimes there is a greater interval between the 
 appearance and death." — Grose s Popular Supei^stitions, Quart. 
 Page 104. 
 
 I trust, the reader of Dermid will deem this definition of 
 Fetches sufficient illustration, to enable him, if ever he 
 meets himself, to recognise so intimate a friend ; and thus 
 the easier fulfil that advice, which was so strenuously urged 
 by the Sages of Antiquity, " r^uii Esxvro-.," " Know thyself." 
 
 3rd. As to Sprites, or Ghosts. 
 
 " A Ghost is supposed to be the spirit of a person de- 
 ceased, commissioned to return for some special errand. 
 
 The usual time at which Ghosts make their appearance is 
 
 midnight. They commonly appear in the same dress 
 
 they usually wore while living; though they are sometimes 
 clothed all in white, but that is chiefly the church-yard 
 Ghosts, who have no particular business; but seem to appear 
 " pro bono publico ;" or to scare drunken rustics from tumb- 
 ]in<T over their jjraves. Draijging chains is not the 
 
 3 M 
 
466 NOTES TO 
 
 fashion of English Ghosts, chains and black vestments being 
 chiefly the accoutrements of foreign Spectres, seen in arbi- 
 trary governments; dead or alive, English Spirits are free ! — 
 One instance, however, of an English Ghost dressed in 
 black, is found in the celebrated Ballad of William and 
 Margaret, in the following lines. 
 
 And clay-cold was her lily hand, 
 That held her sable shroud. 
 This, however, may be considered as a poetical licence, 
 used in all likelihood for the sake of the opposition of lily 
 to sable," — Grose s Popular' SuperslHions, Quart. Page 101 > &c. 
 
 NOTE 7. ^ 
 I have preferred for my astronomy Ossian to HerscheL 
 *' In his arms strode the chief of Atha, to where his shield 
 hung high in night, high on a mossy bough over Lubar's 
 
 streamy roar. Seven Bosses rose on the shield ; on 
 
 each boss is placed a star of night ; Can-mathon with beams 
 unshorn, Colderna rising from a cloud, Ul-oicho robed in 
 mist, and the soft beam of Cathlin glittering on a rock. 
 Fair gleaming on its own blue wave Bel-Durath half sinks 
 its western light. The red eye of Berthin looks through a 
 grove on the slow moving hunter, as he returns, through 
 showery night, with the spoils of the bounding roe. Wide 
 in the midst arose the cloudless beams of Ton-thena," S:c^ 
 Ossians Tcmora^ Book 7. 
 
 Ul-Erin, i. e. " the guide to Ireland," is another star men» 
 tioned in Ossians Temora, Book 4. 
 
NOTES TO CANTO FIFTH 
 
 NOTE 1. 
 
 The romantic valley of Glon-da-loch, i. e. " the valley of 
 the two Lakes," lies In the County Wicklow. Its ancient 
 possessors were the O'Tools. — It is, perhaps, better known 
 by the name of the " Seven Churches," — on account of the 
 ecclesiastical structures it contains. — Stupendous mountains 
 overshadow it on all sides but the east ; inspiring the en- 
 tranced beholder, with all the feelings of religious awe. 
 But for a full description, I refer the reader to Ledwich's 
 Antiquities of Ireland. 
 
 NOTE 2. 
 " The Rhee-feart, literally " tlie sepulchre of Kings,'' 
 (one of the seven churches) is famous for having seven 
 Princes interred within its limits. In this church is the 
 tomb of Mac jMthuil or O'Tool, the ancient chieftain of 
 the country, with the following inscription in Irish : — 
 
 " See liere the resting place of the body of King Mac 
 Mtluiil, who died in Christ, 1010," 
 
468 NOTES TO 
 
 Many others of this family are said to have been interred 
 here ; where a stone cross, elegantly carved, is still pre- 
 served." Archdall's Monasticon Hibeniicton, Page 774-5. 
 
 NOTE 3. 
 
 " In 1012, Glendaloch was burnt by the Danes." 
 ArchcL Mon. Hih. Page 768. 
 
 On this datum, and on the death of O'Tool, mentioned 
 in the preceding note, have I formed my idea of the state 
 of Glendaloch in 1014 ; and have supposed it garrisoned by 
 the Danes, a surmise sufficiently well grounded, I believe, 
 for every purpose of the Poem. 
 
 NOTE 4. 
 
 St. Kevin is the Patron Saint of Glendaloch. He was 
 foorn in 498, and is reported to have accomplished many 
 
 miracles; more than I shall enumerate. Vide LedxdcTi s 
 
 Antiquities of Ireland. 
 
 NOTE 5. 
 
 In penance from his dizzy bed. 
 
 Stanza 5. 
 
 Ledwich, speaking of Glendaloch, thus describes this 
 ** alto toro." 
 
 " There are two rocky projections from the South Moun- 
 tains. In one is St. Kevin's bed, excavated from the living 
 rock. The path to it is extremely dangerous and difficult, 
 
CANTO FIFTH. 469 
 
 and returning back more so, from tlic narrowness of the 
 path; the least slip precipitating the adventurer into the 
 hike below. Nothino; in short can be more I'rio'htfui than a 
 pilgrimage to the Bed." — Lcdaich's Antujaities of Ireland, 
 2nd Edit. Page 178. 
 
 NOTE G. 
 
 " Plere (near the Cathedral) is also a round tower 110 feet 
 
 high. There was formerly the stump of another not far 
 
 off, and at the end of Trinity Church is part of a Round 
 
 Tower." 
 
 So says Ledwich, when speaking of Glendaloch ; (Anti- 
 quities of Ireland, 2nd Edit. Page 178. J I could not be astray 
 for an old tower here, and though I have, throughout the 
 Poem, adopted the more received opinion as to these edi- 
 fices, that they were Danish, and for military purposes ; I 
 yet could not resist the temptation of tenanting one of the 
 more decayed in this valley with a recluse ; which will be 
 the more excusable, as this is one of the conjectural pur- 
 poses, for which these towers were built. Those, who main- 
 tain this opinion, tell us, that the penitent was at first sent 
 up to the top of the tower, and according as penance was 
 supposed to have cleared and absolved him, was let down 
 tier by tier, till he came to the door, and walked forth " a 
 new man." 
 
470 NOTES TO 
 
 NOTE 7. 
 
 This was a common finale to the Irish Elegy, ( Vide Weld's 
 Killanie^, Quart. Page 30.) With a generous hospitable 
 people, it was the climax, of horror to think, tliat the halls, 
 where they had spread the feast for the wanderer and pil- 
 grim, should be one day ruined and untrodden. 
 
 " JMighty was he that is now so low, and much is he 
 mourned in Sora. The stranger will come towards his liall, 
 and wonder why it is silent. The King is fallen, oh, stran- 
 ger ! and the joy of his house is ceased." — Osslans Battle of 
 Lora. 
 
 NOTE 8. 
 *' To tell one's nam.e to an enemy was reckoned in those 
 days of heroism a manifest evasion of fighting ; for, if it was 
 once known that friendship subsisted of old between the an- 
 cestors of the combatants, the battle immediately ceased ; 
 and the ancient amity of their forefathers was renewed. A 
 man, who tells his name to an enemv, was of old an io;no- 
 minious term for a coward." — Xoles to Ossiaiis Carthon. 
 
 NOTE 9. 
 The battle of Beala-Leata, in which the Danes sustained 
 a signal defeat, was one of the first actions with which Bryen 
 Boru began his reign as King of Munstei". It seems to 
 
CANTO FIFTH. 471 
 
 have been fought in or about 984, though Vallancey places 
 it in 978. 
 
 Non nostrum tantas componere lites. 
 
 I have nothing to do in such lawsuits ! 
 In this fight it is not unnatural to suppose, that O'Donoghue 
 was engaged ; as being King of so much land, or rather 
 " terrre co-opertae aqua" in JMunster. For the gazette ac- 
 count of this battle, Vide Vallancci/ s Cullectanca HibernicOy 
 Vol. i. Page 515. 
 
 NOTE 10. 
 
 " Several small islands appear'at the mouth of Ross-Bay ; 
 the most remarkable of which is a large rock of limestone, 
 about 20 feet in height, on one side nearly perpendicular, 
 and not unlike a wall. It is called O'Donoghue's prison, 
 and, according to the legendary tales of the country, was em- 
 ployed by the good old prince of that name in former times, 
 as a place of confinement for his disobedient son and rebel- 
 lious associates." — WchVs Killarnci/, Quart. Page 81. 
 
 I shall make no apology for having supposed INIaoldun 
 the nephew, rather than the son of O'Donoghue. It was 
 necessary for my plot, and that is generally acknowledged 
 to be sufficient in these cases. 
 
 NOTE II. 
 I think I have read, though I cannot at present recollect 
 iTiy authority, that this disobedient relative escaped from 
 
472 NOTES TO 
 
 prison, in the manner I have mentioned ; and that the Lake 
 is often subject to such falls, is testified by observation. — 
 Vide Weld's Killarney^ Quart. Pages 69 and 70. 
 
 NOTE 12. 
 
 The Danes had " thi'ee great religious festivals m the 
 
 vear. The third, which seems to have been the most con- 
 
 siderable in ancient times, was instituted in honour of Odin. 
 It was celebrated at the beginning of Spring, in order to 
 welcome in that happy season." — 3Iallefs Northern Anti' 
 quitieSy Vol. i. Page ]3L 
 
 I trust I shall not be accused of retarding the progress of 
 Christianity, by introducing in this poem, the superstitions 
 of Odin ; but I believe it will be found, that although Ireland 
 was deservedly termed " tlie Island of Saints," at a much 
 earlier age than this; yet that the Danes and other Northern 
 Nations, were too much attached to their old mode of wor- 
 ship, to be entirely brought over to the Christian faith.— 
 Their prejudices were not oveixome till the 12tli century. 
 [Vide William of Mcdmesbiiri/, Page 69,) Spanheim when 
 speaking of the progress of Christianity at the commence- 
 ment of the sacred war, says, 
 
 " Conversiones ad Christianam fidem rariores sane hoc 
 seculo fuerunt, in ilhl, utriusque Ecclesico et Occidentalis 
 maxime, corruptionc. — Jamque Dania, Succia, Polonia, Re- 
 giones Aquilonarcs, Christo nomen dederant," &c. — Suinma 
 Hist, Ecdes, Page 444., 
 
CANTO FIFTH. 473 
 
 They only " nomcn dederant," but were not virtual Chris- 
 tians. — A law also of Ingo the third, King of Sweden, to 
 abolish idolatrous sacrifices, sufficiently shews that such were 
 too prevalent in the North in 1061. — {Vide Vertoi's History 
 of Sxceden, Page 300.) IMosheim, when speaking of the ex- 
 ternal history of the church in the 11th century, says, 
 
 " In the preceding century, some faint notions of the 
 Christian religion, some scattered rays of that Divine light, 
 which it administers to mortals, had been received among 
 the Hungarians, Danes, Poles, and Russians ; but the rude 
 and savage spirit of these nations, together with their deplo- 
 rable ignorance, and their -violent attachment to the super- 
 stition of their ancestors, rendered their total conversion to 
 Christianity a work of great difficulty, and which could not 
 be accomplished all of a sudden." — Ecclesiastical History, 
 Vol. ii. Page 204. 
 
 NOTE 13. 
 "Loke, though ranked amonfj the Gods of the ancient Scan- 
 dinavians, yet seems to have been regarded as their evil 
 
 principle. We find here and there in the Edda several 
 
 strokes concerning Loke ; his wars with the Gods, and 
 especially with Thor, his frauds, their resentment against him, 
 and the vengeance they took of him when he was seized, 
 and shut up in a cavern formed of three keen-edged stones, 
 where he rages with such violence that he causes all the 
 earthq[uakes that happen. He will remain there captive, 
 
 3o 
 
474 NOTES TO 
 
 adds the same mythology, 'till the end of the ages ; but then 
 he shall be slain by He'imdal, the door-keeper of the Gods." 
 Mallet's Northern Antiquities^ Vol. ii. Page 100, &c. 
 
 NOTE 14. 
 
 The Scandinavian belief .is to the Creation of the World, 
 or as the Voluspa terms it, ' the day-spring of the ages," is 
 well worth reading ; but I have not time to copy it out here* 
 as fully as I could wish. The following concise sketch is 
 however necessary. A Giant named Ymer was supposed to 
 have been created by a certain fortuitous combination of the 
 elements ; he then got a family of course In a hurry. — 
 Another race then sprung up, called the family of Bor, from 
 whom Odin was supposed to be descended ; they slew the 
 giant Ymer, and the blood that ran from his wounds caused 
 a general Deluge. — It is curious to remark, in what various 
 ways all the religions of the globe confirm that great histo- 
 rical event. The sons of Bor then became Gods, and set 
 themselves to work- on the corse of Ymer. Of his body 
 they made the earth, the sea and rivers of his blood, the 
 mountains of his bones, the rocks of his teeth and of splin- 
 ters of his bones, of his scull the vault of heaven, in which 
 they fixed brilliant tapers. — Then they made a man and 
 woman, named them Aska and Embla, and gave them the 
 
 dominion of the earth. &c. &c. For a full description of 
 
 these events. Vide Mallet's Northern Antiquities, Vol. i. Page 
 105, &c. &c. 
 
CANTO FIFTH. 475 
 
 NOTE 15. 
 
 " Such is the effect attributed to the breath of the great 
 snake of the Edda, the serpent of iNIidgard ; who is sup- 
 posed to completely encircle the world. This serpent, by 
 some of the characteristics of it in this same mythology, 
 seems to have been intended as an emblem of Corruption or 
 Sin." — Mallet's Northern Antiquities^ Vol. ii. Page 87. 
 
 NOTE 16. 
 " The longest night in winter was considered in the North, 
 as that which had produced all the rest, as well as the days > 
 hence they termed it the iNiother-Night, and were persuaded 
 that on such a night the world was created." — Mallet's Nor- 
 thern Antiquities, Vol. i. Page 358. 
 
 NOTE 17. 
 Heimdal is described as the Warder of the Gods. He 
 keeps eternal guard at the end of the bridge Bifrost or the 
 Rainbow, lest the Giants should there force their way into 
 Heaven ; — he carries a trumpet, which is heard through all 
 the worlds, &c. Vide Mallet's Northern Antiquities, Vol. ii. 
 Page 82. 
 
 NOTE 18. 
 " Iduna had the care of certain apples, which the Gods 
 tasted when they found themselves grow old ; and which 
 
475 NOTES TO 
 
 had the power of instantly restoring them to youth." ' 
 Mallet's Northern Antiquities^ Vol. i. Page 99. 
 
 NOTE 19. 
 " The heroes, says tlie Edda, who are received into tlie 
 palace of Odin, have every day the pleasure of arming them- 
 selves, of passing in review, of ranging themselves in order 
 of battle, and of cutting one another in pieces ; but as soon 
 as the hour of repast approaches, they return on horse-back 
 all safe and sound, back to the hall of Odin, and fall to eat- 
 ing and drinking. Though the number of them cannot be 
 counted, yet the flesh of the Boar Serimner is suflicient for 
 them all ; every day it is served up at table, and every day 
 it is renewed again entire. Their beverage is Beer and JMead ; 
 one single goat, whose milk is excellent Mead, furnishes 
 enough of that liquor to intoxicate all the heroes. Their 
 cups are the skulls of the enemies they have slain. Odin 
 alone, "who sits at a table by himself, drinks wine for his 
 entire liquor. A crowd of Virgins wait upon the heroes at 
 
 table, and fill their cups as fast as they empty them." 
 
 Mallet'' s Northern Antiquities^ Vol. i. Page 120. 
 
 NOTE 20. 
 The Danes, after their solemn festivals, used to drink to 
 their Gods in the order mentioned in this stanza. 
 
CANTO FIFTH. iTT 
 
 NOTE 21. 
 
 " Freja is also favourable to lovers ; but, more faithful 
 tlian the Grecian Venus, she weeps incessantly for the ab- 
 sence of her husband, and her tears are drops of gold." — 
 Mallet's Northern Antiquities^ Vol. i. Page 101. 
 
 If some worldlings had such wives, Heavens ! how they 
 M'ould keep them crying ! 
 
 NOTE 22. 
 The Icelandic chronicles represent Odin, as the most elo- 
 quent of men ; as a poet, nay, even the inventor of poetry, 
 and of the Runic characters ; as a magician, and also one of 
 the most melodious songsters. — He could, it was thought, 
 rule the tempests, raise the dead, &c. But above all his fury 
 and valour in battle contributed to raise him in their estima- 
 tion. — Vide Mallei's Northeim Aniiquilies^ Vol. i. Page 70, &c. 
 
 NOTE 23. 
 " The warriors, who went to battle, made a vow to send 
 him (Odin) a certain number of souls, which they consecra- 
 ted to him. These souls were Odin's right. He received 
 them in Valhalla, his ordinary place oi' residence." — Mallet's 
 Northern Antiquities, Vol. i. Page 87. 
 
 NOTE 24. 
 " What also contributes to render their (the Scandinavian) 
 poetry very obscure at present, is, that the language of it is 
 borrowed from a mythology, not so familiar to us. 
 
478 NOTES TO 
 
 The rainbow was called " the bridge of the Gods ;" — the 
 earth " the daughter of the night," — " the vessel which 
 
 floats on the ages," or " the foundation of the air." A 
 
 combat was termed " the bath of blood," "the hail of Odin," 
 " the shock of shields." — The sea was "the field of pirates," 
 and " the girdle of the earth." A ship " the horse of the 
 waves ;" the tongue " the sword of words," &c. &c.— 
 Mallefs Northern Antiquities , Vol. i. Page 395. 
 
 Many of these phrases were adopted by the Irish. 
 
 NOTE 25. 
 I am not immediately prepared (nor do I think I shall be 
 required) to prove, that the image of the Blessed Virgin, 
 here alluded to, was actually enshrined at Aghadoe ; but 
 we have been informed by most respectable authorities? 
 {Grose's Antiquities of Ireland, Vol. ii. Page 57, and Weld's 
 Killarncij, Quart. Page 21.) that there was a miraculous image 
 of the Blessed Virgin, preserved formerly in the abbey of 
 Mucruss, or Irrelagh, which was founded in 1440, and whose 
 ruins still remain on an eminence over the Lower Lake. — 
 I therefore may suppose this image to have been originally 
 enshrined in Aghadoe ; and, on the decay of that Cathedral 
 to have been removed to Irrelagh. In the annals of this 
 latter abbey, it is presented in many important attitudes, 
 performing miracles, &c. It does not, I think, require any 
 note to shew, that images and paintings were usual in the 
 Christian churches many centuries before 1014. — Vide Mas- 
 heims Ecclesiastical History^ Vol. ii. Page 119. 
 
NOTES TO CANTO SIXTH. 
 
 NOTE 1. 
 
 It would be an endless source of trouble, to give notes 
 to each of the places mentioned in this Canto. Killarney's 
 enchanting Lakes must be sufficiently impressed on the re- 
 collection of the tourist, who has visited them, to make any 
 commentary of mine intrusive. Such as have not seen them* 
 I refer to Weld's Killarney, Smith's Kerry, &c. but above 
 all to Killarney itself, for scenery which, had it been in 
 Greece or Scotland, would have found a minstrel worthy of 
 
 such a theme. As to Mangerton, Vide Weld's Killarney^ 
 
 Quart Pages 155, 156. — It commands the best bird's eye 
 view of the Lakes. 
 
 NOTE 2, 
 " Occasionally an effect is produced by the setting sun, 
 on the range of mountains bounding the Lake, not less 
 
480 NOTES TO 
 
 beautiful than rare ; and totally differing from what I 
 
 remember to have seen in other mountainous countries, 
 
 I can only attempt to give an idea of it, by describing it as 
 displaying the mountains in a transparent state, and suffused 
 with a lively purple hue. Varying however from the aerial 
 aspect of distant mountains ; all the objects upon them, 
 rocks, woods, and even houses, are distinctly visible ; more 
 so indeed than at noon-day, whilst at the same time their 
 forms appear so unsubstantial, so etherial, that one might 
 almost fancy it possible, to pass through them without re- 
 sistance. This appearance is very transient, continuing 
 
 only for about ten minutes, whilst the sun approaches the 
 earth, and is sinking below the horizon. The mountains, 
 on which it is observable, are Tomies, and those which lie 
 next to it in the chain towards the west." — Weld's Killarnetf^ 
 Quart. Page 43 — 4. 
 
NOTES TO CANTO SEVENTH. 
 
 NOTE 1. 
 
 KNOCK-Lcvane is a mountain that adjoins Noghavalo 
 As so many places are mentioned in this and the next Canto, 
 it would be inconvenient and unnecessary to give Notes on 
 all. I shall therefore compromise with you, Reader! — 
 Where places retain their ancient names to this day, I shall 
 say nothing about them. If the history and geography of 
 them be desired, let Seward's Topographia Hibernica, which 
 is a very convenient gazetteer of Ireland, be consulted. But, 
 wherever the modern names differ from the ancient, I shall, 
 at the end of the respective pages, note the change. 
 
 Well now, as you do bear this privation with such Chris- 
 tian fortitude, I shall throw into the bargain a few historical 
 notes, where events of importance are alluded to. But, to 
 
 3p 
 
482 NOTES TO 
 
 be candid, conciseness is my motto. Let other Bards, like 
 the thrush and woodlark of Thomson, 
 
 " Superior heard, run through the sweetest length 
 
 " Of Notes." Spring. 
 
 NOTE 2. 
 The barony of* Fermoj, in the County Cork, was an- 
 (Ciently called Glen-na-Mhain, which signifies, I believe, 
 *' the holy valley." In 254, this tract was given by the then 
 King of Munster to the Druid Mogruth, who converted it 
 into a kind of sanctuary ; and on the high lands erected a 
 number of altars, and places of worship, whose ruins remain 
 
 to this day. Vide Vallanceys Collectanea Hibernica, 
 
 Vol. 3, Page 346-7. 
 
 NOTE 3. 
 
 At Knock-any in the County Limerick, Dioma, King of 
 Munster, defeated the Conatian Princes in a bloody battle. 
 — Vallanceys Collectanea Hibernica, Vol. i. Page 444. 
 
 NOTE 4, 
 This curious cave is situated in the County Kilkenny. 
 It presents many fantastic petrifactions. — After proceeding 
 about a quarter of a mile into it, we meet a subterraneous 
 river, but its course, or the extent of the cave, none have 
 ever explored. — Many of the rocks are black marble. For 
 
CANTO SEVENTH. 183 
 
 iurther particulars as to this cave, Vide Philosophical 
 Transactions, 63. Part I. Page 1 6. 
 
 NOTE 5. 
 
 The celebrated victory of Loncarty was obtained by 
 Keneth the Third, King of Scotland, over the Danes, who 
 had besieged Perth. — After a doubtful lenoth of fight, the 
 Scottish ranks were broken by a brisk charge of the Danes, 
 and fled confusedly before the invaders. AVhen, wonderful 
 to tell, they were arrested in their flight by the intrepidity of 
 a ploughman and his tvv^o sons ; who, standing in a narrow 
 pass, by reproaches, menaces, and blows, turned the Scots ; 
 and the rally of that day proved fatal to Denmark. This 
 ploughman was one Hay. 
 
 " But by a tradition among the country people, he is 
 called John de Luz, from a village in the neighbourhood of 
 Scone ; wherein he is said to have dwelt ; as the name of 
 
 Hay he received from Keneth after the battle." Mait- 
 
 land's Hist. 4'- Anl. of Scotland, Vol. i. Page 310. 
 
 I have in vain searched for the precise year in which this 
 battle was fought ; although the circumstances of the fight 
 are set forth at length by Maitland, Buchanan, Boethius, &c. 
 3'et none gave me the information that I sought. But it is 
 agreed, that Keneth the Third reigned for twenty-five 
 years, to about the year 1000. It is not therefore any bold 
 assumption for me to suppose, this battle to have been 
 fought in or about the year 993. — Will that do, Critics? — 
 No ! — ril warrant you will quarrel with it. 
 
NOTES TO CANTO EIGHTH. 
 
 TO ALL PERSONS 
 
 Afflicted with Love, Tooth-ache, Gout, Rheumatism, Avarice, 
 or other Chronic Disorder, jjroducing over-vigilance or sleep- 
 lessness, 
 
 Cl)i0 Canto ijs vcspcctfullp DetiicatcD, 
 
 and recommended by the Author, xcho, from his own experience, 
 during frequent returns of one of the above complaints, can 
 vouch that three pages nightly administered before quenching 
 the candle, will produce sound slumbers and heroic dreams. As 
 yet the Aidhor can only give his own testimony, bid in the next 
 editioJi, he trusts, he will be able to bring forward the names of 
 much Nobility and Gentry who must positively extol a CantOy 
 which gives them nearly a viontli's sleep). 
 
 NOTE L 
 Here commences the gathering ; and here I advise such 
 of my readers, as are not very fond of Irisli genealogies, to 
 pass over the intermediate stanzas, and take up the story in 
 or about the 39th stanza of this Canto. To such as are 
 good-humoured enough to read all, I beg to mention, that 
 
CANTO EIGHTH. 185 
 
 I must pursue the system of annotation struck out in 
 Note 1 of the preceding Canto. The designations of O 
 and Mac were, very fortunately for me, assumed in tin* 
 rei<ni of Bryen Born : and I fancy the residences of the 
 ancient famihes will be found to be topographically accurate. 
 As it is very strongly surmised by antiquaries, that the round 
 towers were built by the Danes, wherever these edifices still 
 remain, I have supposed a Danish garrison in those days 
 settled thereabouts. Now let the Critics come ! I have spread 
 them a noble feast 1 
 
 NOTE 2. 
 Louoh-e-Colcth was the ancient name of Lou^'h Gulo : 
 liere the Britons of Cumberland, having invaded Dalrieda, 
 in 710, sustained a signal defeat from Duncha, the chief of 
 that district. 
 
 NOTE 3. 
 
 At Lemna, near Carrickfergus, a great battle was fought 
 between the Dalriedians and Bicts. 
 
 NOTE 4. 
 
 In 985, the Ostmen of Dublin plundered Derry, and 
 
 murdered the Abbot Vide Harria's History ^- Antiquilie^ 
 
 of Dublin, Page 191. 
 
486 NOTES TO 
 
 NOTE 5. 
 In 865 King Hugh O'Neill, commonly called Finliatli, 
 
 defeated the Danes at Lough Foyle. Vide Harris's Ant. 
 
 of Dublin, Page 170. 
 
 NOTE 6. 
 
 Cromla is a mountain between Lougli Fojle and Lougli 
 Swilly ; from it proceeded the rivers Lubar and Lavath. 
 Near the source of the latter, was the cave of Cluna, where 
 dwelt Ferad-Arth, and the Bard Condan, after the murder 
 of Cormac MacArt his nephew. Cromla mountain seems 
 to have been dedicated to the worship of Crom ; near it 
 stood the fortress of Tura. All this scenery, &c. is familiar 
 (o the readers of Ossian, " Cuthullin sat bv Tura's wall," 
 &c. &c. 
 
 NOTE 7. 
 The shields of the ancient Irish, being mostly wicker, were 
 used in all these capacities. 
 
 NOTE 8. 
 The MacGrancs were heretofore Princes of Bannash in 
 Lower Donegal. — They have a monument in the ruined 
 Abbey of Sliga 
 
CANTO EIGHTH. 487 
 
 NOTE 9. 
 
 Hy NcUia, the district of the O'Ncils, in the County 
 Tyrone. Seu-ard's Top. Hlb. Title " Hy-Nellia." 
 
 NOTE 10. 
 EUmania was an ancient royal residence near Armagh. 
 It is said to have been founded by a Scottisli chief 200 
 years before the Christian asra ; and was destroyed in the 
 
 4th century. — The royal palace was called Croave Ilee. 
 
 Vide BcauforcVs Ancient Topograj^hy of Ireland. 
 
 NOTE 11. 
 Clogher, i. e. " the place of the stone," in the County 
 Tyrone, was a Druidic sanctuary, in which was kept a stone 
 called the golden stone, which used to give oracular re- 
 sponses. Vide BeaufonVs Ancient Topography^ S^-c. 
 
 NOTE 12. 
 
 A family of this name was settled in an island of a large 
 lake near Baron's Court. 
 
 NOTE 13. 
 
 Esroa is a cataract on the river Erne near Belleek. In 
 A. M. 3497, Aodh Ruadh, i. c. " Hugh the Red," was un- 
 fortunately drowned here. - — ' Vide Kcafinge's Ireland, Fo). 
 152. 
 
488 NOTES TO 
 
 NOTE 14. 
 
 At a small distance from Killough in the County Down, 
 
 near the sea, there is a rock in which is an oblong hole ; 
 
 whence, at ebb and flow of tide, a strange noise is heard, 
 
 like the sound of an huntsman's horn, which has given birth 
 
 to the thought in the Poem. Vide Sezcai^d's Topographia 
 
 Hihernka. Title " Killough" 
 
 NOTE 15. 
 
 At Tlachgo, in the County Meath, the Druids used to 
 sacrifice to the earth, on the eve of the first of November. 
 The sanctuary still remains, being the tumulus of New 
 Grano-e, near Drogheda. Here the celebrated fire of Tlachoo 
 
 © 7 O 
 
 was kindled on the same eve ; and it was ordained, that no 
 other fire should be kindled in the kingdom on that night, 
 so that every fire should be derived from that. 
 
 NOTE 16. 
 
 Eath-Connal, near Alullingar; where an old tradition 
 said, a battle should be fought, the victors in which were to 
 rule Ireland ; accordingly, we are told, the Irish and Eng- 
 lish foKght there, and the latter were successful. 
 
 NOTE 17. 
 At Loch Uar, near Mullingar, Turges was defeated, and 
 
 seized by King Malachy, who put him to death. Se- 
 
 icard's Topograpliia Nib. Title " Loc/i Cor." 
 
CANTO EIGHTH. 489 
 
 NOTE 18. 
 Gesliil, i. e. GUel-Siol, the habitation of the race of the 
 wood, was the ancient district of the O'Molloys ; here was 
 fought that renowned battle, which left Heremon sole mo- 
 narch of Ireland. 
 
 NOTE 19. 
 
 In the second century, tiie long wars between Con the 
 Monarch, and Eugene King of Munster, ended in a peace ; 
 by which Ireland was divided from Dublin to Gal way with a 
 strong ditch, called Eugene's trench. In 192 this peace 
 was broken ; both parties met in the plains of Lena in Con- 
 naught, and Eugene was killed. 
 
 NOTE 20. 
 
 Carmen, near Athy, was the ancient meeting place for 
 the States of South Leinster. — It resembles the hill of Tara. 
 From its summit the Counties of South Leinster may be 
 seen. It is now distinguished as the Moate of Mullamast. 
 There yet remain on it the Rath, and sixteen conical 
 mounds, on which the chiefs sat in council. Near this was 
 fought, in the third century, the desperate battle of Carmen. 
 — Vide Beauford's Ancient Topogi^aphy. 
 
 NOTE 21. 
 la the 7th century St. Evin settled at JSIonasterevan. 
 -. *' The consecrated bell, which did belong to this saint, 
 
 3 Q 
 
490 NOTES TO 
 
 was on solemn trials sworn upon by the whole tribe of the 
 Eoganachts ; and was always committed to the care of the 
 MacEgans, hereditary Chief Justices of Munster." — Arch- 
 dalVs Mon. Hib. Page 333, 334. 
 
 NOTE 22. 
 
 Marke king of Cornewall, (Hanmer tells us,) had espoused 
 La Bel Isod, the daughter of Anguish king of Ireland; but 
 her affections were engaged to a knight called Tristram, 
 which Marke discovering slew him, as he played upon the 
 harp to La Bel. 
 
 " It is recorded, that Isod came to his grave, and swound- 
 ed. She was so fair a woman, that hardly who so beheld 
 her, could not chuse but be enamoured with her. In Dublin 
 upon the wall of the Citre, is a casde called Isod's towre ; and 
 not farre from Dublin, a chappell with a village, named 
 Chapell-Isod. The original cause of the name I doe not 
 finde, but it is conjectured that her father King Anguish, 
 that doted on her, builded them in remembrance of her ; the 
 one for her recreation, and the other for the good of her 
 soul." — Dr. Hanmer' s Clironicle, Duh. 1809. Page 104. 
 
 NOTE 23. 
 
 This Rath is about a mile from Garryhill in the County 
 
 Carlow. At present a vaulted room alone remains, with 
 
 stairs on the outside. The local tradition is, that it was 
 
 erected in the rude ages of Christianity, to enclose a beauti- 
 
CANTO EIGHTH. 491 
 
 All young princess, who had been carried off from her royal 
 parents of the OVBryen dynasty. 
 
 NOTE 24. 
 
 *' The monastery of Monaincha, situated about three 
 
 miles from Roscrea. Superstition established an idea, 
 
 that no person could die in this isle; hence it acquired 
 
 the appellation of Insula viventium." — ArchdalVs Man. Hib. 
 Page 667. 
 
 This miracle is certainly true ! and perhaps the mode, by 
 which it was accomplished, was more wonderful than the 
 effect, as it completely prevented the possibility of a death 
 in the island. 1 know my reader is now poised on the tip- 
 toe of expectation. He almost ceases to repent his having 
 read the whole catalogue, expecting an effectual repulsive to 
 that grim monster yclept Death. Well now, I must keep 
 you in suspence no longer. If ever you wish not to die ia 
 any place, where you find yourself attacked by an heavy ill- 
 ness, have yourself removed thence before death. This 
 
 was what made Monaincha immortal. 
 
 NOTE 25. 
 " Dunmore Head, the most western point of all Europe, 
 and called by the Irish Ty-Vorncy-Geerane, or ^lary Gee- 
 rane's house, is a point as much celebrated by them, as John- 
 a-Groat's house in North Britain," — Camden's Bniannia^ 
 Vol. iii. Page 494. 
 
492 ■ NOTES TO 
 
 NOTE 26. 
 Magh Adliair is a place in Thomond, whither in former 
 days Flan Siona King of Leath Cuinn, after plundering 
 Meath, &c. came so elated with victory, that he diverted him- 
 self with playing Chess, as he returned through the enemy's 
 country, which was the highest mark of contempt in those 
 days ; but at Magh Adiiair he was met by the Dalcassians> 
 
 who literally overturned his Chess boards, &c. &c. Vide 
 
 Vallanceyh Collectanea Hibernica\ Vol. i. Page 450, &c. 
 
 NOTE 27. 
 In the third century, IMacCon, nephew to the King of 
 Munster, was banished for mal-administration. He applied 
 to Beine Briot Prince of Wales, by whose assistance he won 
 
 the battle of Moicroove, and recovered his rank. Vide 
 
 O'Halloran's Introduction, S^c. Vol. i. Page 50. 
 
 NOTE 28. 
 The Galloglasses inhabited the County Mayo ; they were 
 a kind of mercenary troops, who fought with two-edged 
 
 axes, and were defended by coats of mail of rings. Vide 
 
 Carnden^s Britannia, Vol. iii. Page 585. 
 
 NOTE 29. 
 Mayo, now so decayed, was once an ancient city, and had 
 an university, founded about the 6th century, for the educa- 
 
CANTO EIGHTH. 493 
 
 tion of such Saxon youths, as were converted to Christianity. 
 It is to this day frequently called " Mayo of the Saxons," being 
 celebrated for giving education to Alfred the Great, King of 
 England. — Jldc BcaitforcTs Ancient Topograplii/. 
 
 NOTE 30. 
 
 " Recheat In limiting, a lesson which the huntsman plays 
 on the horn, when the hounds have lost their game, to call 
 them back from pursuing a counter-scent." — Encyclop. Britt. 
 article " Recheat." 
 
 NOTE 31. 
 
 Croghan, or Rath-Croghan, formerly the seat of the Kings 
 of Connaught, lies near Elphin ; near the Rath is an ancient 
 cemetery called Religna Ree, i. e. The resting place of Kings; 
 it is circular, and about 200 feet in diameter. — There is a sa- 
 cred Druidic cave in the adjacent mountain. Dathy, the 
 last of the Heathen Kings, having died abroad, his corse 
 was brought from the foot of the Alps thither in 429. — This 
 •place, which is now known to the sportsmen of Connaught 
 under the name of Rath-Croghan, is also familiar to the 
 readers of Ossian under that of Atha. 
 
 " The lisht of Heaven was in the bosom of Cathmor. 
 His towers rose on the banks of Atha. Seven paths led to 
 his halls. Seven chiefs stood on the path, and called the 
 strancer to the feast. But Cathmor dwelt in the wood, to 
 avoid the voice of praise." — Ossian s Temora, Book 1. 
 
494 NOTES TO 
 
 NOTE 32. 
 The celebrated hill of Tara is in the County Meath. It 
 was there the Kings of Ireland had a magnificent royal Pa- 
 lace, where triennial parliaments were held, laws enacted or 
 repealed, and the general interests of the Nation canvassed. 
 There also tournaments were celebrated, and prizes distri- 
 buted in all the various arts and sciences. — I am not unaware 
 that Bryen Boru destroyed the fortress of Tara in 995 ; yet 
 we find it so often mentioned in history, subsequent to that 
 period, with all its ancient magnificence, that I think I am 
 justified in making it the meeting place of the Irish chiefs, 
 and preserving all the ceremonies, &.c. — The Critic may 
 however remark, that I have thrown a shade of ruin over the 
 picture, and he cannot but admire my candour. 
 
 NOTE 33. 
 *' Go, thou first of my Bards! says Oscar, and take the 
 spear of Fingal. Fix a flame on its point, and shake it to 
 the winds of heaven. Bid him in songs to advance, and 
 leave the rolling of Iub wave. — Tell to Caros, that I long for 
 battle." — Ossians " War of Caros.^^ 
 
 NOTE 34. 
 " And the famous Moran son of Maoin, who was one of 
 the principal judges of the Kingdom, when he sat upon the 
 bench to administer justice, put the miraculous chain, called 
 
CANTO EIGHTH. 495 
 
 ill tlie Irisli language, Jodha INlorain, about his neck; which 
 was attended with that wonderful virtue, that if the Judge 
 pronounced an unjust decree, the chain would instantly con- 
 tract itself, and encompass the neck so close, that it would 
 be almost impossible to breathe. But if he delivered a just 
 sentence, it would open itself, and hang loose upon the 
 shoulders." — Kcatingcs Ireland^ Tol. 339. 
 
 NOTE 35. 
 INIahon, Kin<^ of North Munster, defeated Feargall 0' 
 Rourke, King of Connaught in 9o5, on the banks of the ri- 
 ver Targlin. The unfortunate King and his officers were 
 obliged to swim for their safety ; in which attempt many pe- 
 rished. But Feargall, though he saved his life, incurred the 
 disgrace of having left his shield behind him, in the posses, 
 sion of Mahon. — Vide Vallancei/s CoU. Hib. Vol. i. Page 478. 
 
 NOTE SQ. 
 The occasion of JMaolmurdha's defection was briefl}' this* 
 Boru, who was his brother-in-law, had requested of him 
 three masts for shipping. — Maolmurdha complied, attended 
 their removal, and on one occasion applied his shoulder as a 
 common bearer to one of the masts ; in which strujjsle the 
 clasp of his mantle was lost. — His sister, hearing of the ac- 
 cident, upbraided him with meanness which she could not 
 bear, although for the service of her husband. This, sinking 
 
496 NOTES TO 
 
 in Maolmurdha's mind, induced him at last to renounce the 
 tie of country, and join the Danes against Boru. 
 
 NOTE 37. 
 Callen mountain, near Ennis, was once consecrated to the 
 worship of the sun. Here is a large stone, with this inscrip- 
 tion in Ogham characters, " Beneath this stone is interred 
 Conan the turbulent and swift-footed." A curious con- 
 
 nexion 
 
 t. 
 
 NOTE 3S. 
 " To pledge in drinking denotes to warrant or be surety to 
 one, that he shall receive no harm while he is taking his 
 draught. The phrase is referred by our antiquaries, to the 
 practice of the Danes heretofore in England, who fiequently 
 used to stab or cut the throats of the natives while they were 
 drinking." — Encycl. Britt. title " To pledge." 
 
 I have thus, Reader, explained the Catalogue, I hope to 
 your satisfaction ; and I believe neither you nor I regret, that 
 there is not a similar inventory of the Danish forces ! 
 
NOTES TO CANTO NINTH. 
 
 NOTE 1. 
 " The inauguration of the Prince, consisted - - in a splendid 
 least ; to wliich all the principal persons of the kingdom 
 were invited- - As soon as the entertainment was over, a larce 
 vessel called Braga-Gebar was filled with wine, whicli the 
 Prince was obliged to drink up before he mounted the 
 throne. Then he swore, &c." — Vertot's Sxacden, Page 296. 
 
 NOTE 2. 
 The signal victory, which Ilaquin King of Sweden obtained 
 over Harald king of Denmark and his allies in 387, was 
 chiefly attributed to tlie valour of the Darcarlians, who in- 
 habit one of the Northern provinces of Sweden. Vide 
 
 Vertot's Sweden^ Page 291. 
 
 « 
 NOTE 3. 
 
 " The Reafen was a banner, with the image of a raven 
 magically wrought by the three sisters of Hinguar and Hub- 
 
 ba. It is pretended that being carried in battle, towards 
 
 good success it would always seem to clap its wings, - - - 
 but towards the approach of mishap, it would hang down and 
 not move." Spelman's Life of Alfred, Page 61. 
 
 The Drottes were the Priests of the Pagan Gods. 
 
 3 R 
 
498 NOTES TO 
 
 NOTE 4. 
 Cabragh, a village near Dublin, seems to have been a se- 
 minary of the Corybantes, who were the priests of the Irish 
 as well as of the Greeks. — Vide Sewa7^d's Top. Hib. title 
 " Cabragh." 
 
 NOTE 5. 
 " It is a popular article of faith, that those who are born 
 on Christmas or Good-Friday, have the power of seeing 
 spirits, and even of commanding them." — Notes to ScotCs 
 Marmion, 
 
 NOTE 6. 
 
 The altar, on which the victims were sacrificed, was usually 
 propped on three rocks ; many of these remain in Ireland. 
 The uses of the axe, vase, and brush, are pretty clear ; the 
 ring, which was of silver, was dipped in the blood of the vic- 
 tims, and whoever took an oath on any occasion, should hold 
 it in his hand. — Vide Mallet's Northern Antiquities^ Vol. i. 
 Page 128-9. 
 
 If the incredulous I^eader should still withdraw an assent 
 to human sacrifices in 1014, " Let us hear on this subject an 
 historian of the eleventh century, Dithmar Bishop of Merse- 
 
 burg. There is (says he) in Zealand a place where, 
 
 every nine years the Danes flock together and offer 
 
 to their gods 99 men, as many horses, dogs, and cocks," — 
 Mallet" s Nortlu Ant. Vol. i. Page 138. 
 
 Sure among all the reinforcements I can muster a congre- 
 gation, and that is enough for me. 
 
NOTES TO CANTO TENTH. 
 
 NOTE 1. 
 The Garvarye may be defined to be a demi-crozier. It is 
 one of these numerous and useful objects of popular venera- 
 tion in Ireland, that are frequently sent many miles to be 
 sworn by, as a false oath taken on it will be, it is thought, 
 punished immediately by heaven. 
 
 NOTE 2. 
 
 The Corsned was another species of purgation, being a 
 bit of bread consecrated, which was eaten with a curse of 
 Death, &c. in case of perjury. 
 
 NOTE 3. 
 
 " It is the custom in cold weather, to make great fires 
 
 before the palaces of Northern Kings The most valiant 
 
 men dance round these fires so violently, that 
 
 the last man must needs fall in the fire, and then 
 
 leaping forth again, he is sot in the highest seat; that 
 
 he may presently, for spoiling the king's fire, drink up one 
 or two great cups of the strongest ale." — Olaus Magnus s His- 
 tory of the Got/iSy Sxicdes^ and Vandals. Lond. 1658. p. 168. 
 
500 NOTES TO 
 
 NOTE 4. 
 
 Turges or Tiirgesius tha Danish tyrant was killed in 862, 
 by a masterly stratagem of Malachy, King of Meatlu 
 
 NOTE 5. 
 The following lines are intended to illustrate the idea 
 which the Northerns had of the destruction of the world, or, 
 as they termed it, " the twilight of the Gods." Jldc Mal- 
 lei's North. Anf. Vol I. Page 114-5-6. 
 
 NOTE 6. 
 The Ben-shee, or perhaps more properly the Banshee, is 
 one of those aerial beings, which popular credulity has as- 
 signed to particular ancient families. They, like the Stille- 
 Volke of the Germans, warn their protegees of impending 
 danger, by knocking, clapping of hands, or other invisible 
 agency. I have conversed with many persons who jointly 
 and severally affirmed, that they have seen a Banshee in 
 the shape of a young and interesting female. Their favourite 
 resting place seems to be in the window stools of the cham- 
 bers of the sick, as if guarding these porches from mortality. 
 
 NOTE 7. 
 In the education of the Danish youths, they were always 
 made early familiar with danger. They should take friglit- 
 ful leaps, climb dizzy precipices, fight naked, &c. At fifteen 
 they received a sword, a buckler, and a lance in public 
 meeting ; and thus became their own masters. — Young 
 Princes, at eighteen, received a sniall fleet, fitted out to 
 
 achieve some adventure, &c. &c. Vide Mullet's Xortli. 
 
 Anf. Vol. i. Pages 197 and 254. 
 
NOTES TO CANTO ELEVENTH. 
 
 NOTE 1. 
 
 Dublin was anciently so called. The very name Dhu- 
 Lin, signifies a black pool. The access to it was then by 
 hurdles, thrown across the river ; whence its Irish name 
 Bally-Ath-Cliath, or "the town on the ford of hurdles." 
 
 NOTE 2. 
 Though the two Princes of Norway were present at this 
 battle, andJvilled as we shall find hereafter; yet their royal 
 iather was not there I believe. Nor were they so young, as 
 I have taken the liberty to represent them. In most other 
 instances, the list of the killed and wounded will be found 
 almost as accurate as any modern Gazette. 
 
 NOTE 3. 
 
 The strange practice of bringing Bards to battle, was not 
 unusual with the Northern nations. 
 
 " Olave King of Norway, placing three of them one day 
 around him in battle, cried out with spirit, " you shall not 
 relate what you have only heard, but what you are eye- 
 witness of 3'ourselves." Mallet's Northern Ant. Vol. i. 
 
502 NOTES TO 
 
 NOTE 4. 
 
 " In some corners of the land they used a damnable su- 
 pei'stition, leaving the right arms of their infants males un- 
 christened, (as they termed it) to the intent it might give 
 a more ungracious and deadly blow." — — Campion s History 
 of Ireland, Dub. 1809, Page 21. 
 
 A similar custom is said to have prevailed in Scotland. 
 Though I rather suspect it was a slander on both kindred 
 nations. 
 
 NOTE 5. 
 
 The " alba parma" of the Romans, was a distinction 
 known among the Northern nations; by whom it was 
 termed " The shield of expectation." Vide Mallet's Nor- 
 thern Ant. Vol. i. Page 242. 
 
 NOTE 6. 
 
 The Lia-fail, or enchanted stone of Destiny, was brought 
 to Ireland by the Tuatha de Danans. Its great virtue was, 
 that it displayed visible emotion, if any of the royal race of 
 Scythia sat upon it to be crowned ; but was moveless and 
 quiet, if any unworthy person were elected. It was sent to 
 Scotland in 513, and kept in the Abbey of Scone, until 
 Edward the First carried it off. It is now placed under 
 the Coronation chair in Westminster Abbey. It was also 
 an article of belief, that where this stone was, there should 
 be the government of the three countries. 
 
NOTES TO CANTO TWELFTH. 
 
 NOTE 1. 
 
 Such was the comparison made by Malachy King of 
 Meath, as applied to this battle. 
 
 " I withdrew the troops under my command, and was no 
 otherwise concerned than a spectator. I stood at no greater 
 distance, than the breadth of a fallow field and a ditch, when 
 the powerful armies engaged, and grappled in close fight.— 
 It was dreadful to behold, how the swords glittered over 
 their heads, being struck with the sun's raysj and which gave 
 them the appearance of a numerous flock of white sea-gulls, 
 flying in the air." — Kcatinges History of Ireland^ Page 513. 
 
 NOTE 2. 
 
 The women and children of the Danes were usually left 
 in the camp, on the day of battle. 
 
 " The conquered in vain fled there for safety if they hap- 
 pened to be routed. Most commonly the women only waited 
 their coming back, to cut them in pieces ; and, if they could 
 not oblige them to return to battle, they chose to bury them- 
 selves and their children in one common carnage, with their 
 husbands ; rather than fall into the hands of a merciless 
 conqueror." — MalleVs Northern Antiquities^ Vol. i. Page 238. 
 
504 NOTES TO CANTO TWELFTH. 
 
 NOTE 3. 
 
 " He (Thor) likewise possesses three very precious things ; 
 the first is a mace or club called MIolner, which the giants 
 of the forest, and those of the mountains, know to their 
 
 cost, when they see it hurled against them in the air. 
 
 The second jewel he possesses is called the belt of prowess ; 
 Avhen he puts it on he becomes as strong again as he was be- 
 fore. The third, which is also very precious, are his gaunt- 
 lets, or gloves of iron, which he always wears, when he 
 
 ft 
 
 would lay hold of the handle of his mace." — Mallet's North. 
 Ant. Vol. ii. Page QQ. 
 
 NOTE 4. 
 " I bade my white sails to rise before the roar of Cona's 
 wind. Three hundred youths looked from their waves on 
 Fingal's bossy shield. High on the mast it hung, and 
 marked the dark -blue sea." — Ossians Temora, Book 4. 
 
 As the great length of this work deterred any single house from undertaking its 
 publication at their own risque, I liave been obliged to take the entire responsibility 
 on myself. — If the copyright should hereafter appear of any value, I shall gladly 
 
 dispose of it If not, I have at least done my part by this Edition If tlie child 
 
 dies in the cradle, his father has given him good shrouding. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
?80660 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA UBRARY