Lament of the Irish Maiden

by Denny Lane

On Carrigdhoun the heath is brown,

The clouds are dark o'er Ardnalee,

And many a stream comes rushing down

To swell the angry Ownabwee;

The moaning blast is sweeping fast

Through many a leafless tree,

And I'm alone, for he is gone,

My hawk has flown, ochone, machree!

The heath was green on Carrigdhoun,

Bright shone the sun on Ardnalee,

The dark green trees bent trembling down

To kiss the slumbering Ownabwee;

That happy day, 'twas but last May,

'Tis like a dream to me,

When Donnell swore, ay, o'er and o'er,

We'd part no more, astor machree!

Soft April showers and bright May flowers

Will bring the summer back again,

But will they bring me back the hours

I spent with my brave Donnell then?

'Tis but a chance, for he's gone to France,

To wear the fleur-de-lys;

But I'll follow you my Donnell Dhu,

For still I'm true to you, machree.

BIO:  Denny Lane (1818-1895) was a member of the revolutionary Young Ireland Party which actively sought Ireland's freedom from British rule. He spent four months in prison after the 1848 uprising.

Dedication:  To honor my ancestors, John and Sarah McInally, who emigrated to Ile-du-Grand Calumet, Quebec, Canada from Northern Ireland in 1781. Some of their descendants later emigrated to the United States.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!