THOUGH THE LAST GLIMPSE OF ERIN WITH

SORROW I SEE.

AIR.--Coulin.

I.

Though the last glimpse of Erin with sorrow I see,
Yet wherever thou art shall seem Erin to me ;
In exile thy bosom shall still be my home,
And thine

eyes
make

my

climate wherever we roam.

II.

To the gloom of some desert or cold rocky shore,
Where the

eye of the stranger can haunt us no more, I will fly with my Coulin, and think the rough wind Less rude than the foes we leave frowning behind.

III.

And I'll gaze on thy gold hair, as graceful it wreathes,
And hang o'er thy soft harp, as wildly it breathes;
Nor dread that the cold-hearted Saxon will tear
One chord from that harp, or one lock from that hair.*

* “In the twenty-eighth year of the reign of Henry VIII. an Act was made respecting the habits, and dress in general, of the Irish, whereby all persons were restrained from being

RICH AND RARE WERE THE GEMS SHE WORE.*

AIR.—The Summer is coming.

I.

Rich and rare were the

gems

she

wore,
And a bright gold ring on her wand she bore;
But oh! her beauty was far beyond
Her sparkling gems or snow-white wand.

shorn or shaven above the ears, or from wearing Glibbes, or Coulins (long locks), on their heads, or hair on their upper lip, called Crommeal. On this occasion a song was written by one of our bards, in which an Irish virgin is made to give the preference to her dear Coulin (or the youth with the flowing locks), to all strangers (by which the English were meant), or those who wore their habits. Of this song the air alone has reached us, and is universally admired.”—WALKER’s Historical Memoirs of Irish Bards, page 134. Mr. Walker informs us also, that, about the same period, there were some harsh measures taken against the Irish Minstrels.

* This ballad is founded upon the following anecdote: “ The people were inspired with such a spirit of honour, virtue, and religion, by the great example of Brien, and by his excellent administration, that, as a proof of it, we are informed that a young lady of great beauty, adorned with jewels and a costly dress, undertook a journey alone from one end of the kingdom to the other, with a wand only in her hand, at the top of which was a ring of exceeding great value; and such an impression had the laws and government of this Monarch made on the minds of all the people, that no attempt was made upon her honour, nor was she robbed of her clothes or jewels."—Warner's History of Irelan:), Vol. 1, Book 10.

II. “ Lady! dost thou not fear to stray, “ So lone and lovely, through this bleak way? “ Are Erin's sons so good or so cold, “ As not to be tempted by woman or gold ?”

III.

“Sir Knight! I feel not the least alarm, “ No son of Erin will offer me harm“For though they love woman and golden store, “ Sir Knight! they love honour and virtue more !”

IV.
On she went, and her maiden smile
In safety lighted her round the green isle.
And blest for ever is she who relied
Upon Eris’s honour and Erır’s pride!

AS A BEAM O'ER THE FACE OF THE WATERS

MAY GLOW.

Air.—The Young Man's Dream.

I.

As a beam o'er the face of the waters may glow
While the tide runs in darkness and coldness below,
So the cheek may be tinged with a warm sunny smile,
Though the cold heart to ruin runs darkly the while.

II.

One fatal remembrance, one sorrow that throws
Its bleak shade alike o'er our joys and our woes,
To which life nothing darker or brighter can bring,
For which joy has no balm and afliction no sting!-

III.

Oh! this thought in the midst of enjoyment will stay,
Like a dead, leafless branch in the summer's bright ray;
The beams of the warm sun play round it in vain,
It may smile in his light, but it blooms not again!

THERE is not in the wide world a valley so sweet
As that vale in whose bosom the bright waters meetit
Oh! the last rays of feeling and life must depart,
Ere the bloom of that valley shall fade from my heart.

II.

Yet, it was not that nature had shed o'er the scene
Her purest of crystal and brightest of green;
'Twas not the soft magic of streamlet or hill-
Oh! no-it was something more exquisite still.

III.

'Twas that friends, the beloved of my bosom, were near, Who made

dear scene of enchantment more dear, And who felt how the best charms of nature improve, When we see them reflected from looks that we love.