He Meditates On The Life Of A Rich Man

A golden cradle under you, and you young;
A right mother and a strong kiss.

A lively horse, and you a boy;
A school and learning and close companions.

A beautiful wife, and you a man;
A wide house and everything that is good.

A fine wife, children, substance;
Cattle, means, herds and flocks.

A place to sit, a place to lie down;
Plenty of food and plenty of drink.
After that, an old man among old men;
Respect on you and honour on you.

Head of the court, of the jury, of the meeting,
And the counsellors not the worse for having you.

At the end of your days death, and then
Hiding away; the boards and the church.

What are you better after to-night
Than Ned the beggar or Seaghan the fool?

Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory

Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory was an Irish dramatist, folklorist, and theatre manager. She co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre and the Abbey Theatre and wrote numerous short works for both companies. She was a central figure in the Irish Literary Revival and notably a mentor and friend to prominent Irish writers such as W. B. Yeats. Her collected writings include plays, folklore collections, and many translations of Irish language dramas. Her works remain significant in the context of early 20th-century Irish literature.

Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory

His Repentance

Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory, Simple Poetry

Emer's Lament For Cuchulain

Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory, Simple Poetry

An Craoibhin Complains Because He Is A Poet

Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory, Simple Poetry

An Aran Maid's Wedding

Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory, Simple Poetry

English

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Under The Round Tower

Although Id lie lapped up in linen
A deal Id sweat and little earn
If I should live as live the neighbours,
Cried the beggar, Billy Byrne;
Stretch bones till the daylight come
On great-grandfathers battered tomb.

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His Praise Of The Little Hill And The Plains Of Mayo

After the Christmas, with the help of Christ, I will never stop if I am alive; I will go to the sharp-edged little hill; for it is a fine place without fog falling; a blessed placethat    the sun shines on, and the wind doesn't rise there or anything of the sort.

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The Grief Of A Girl's Heart

O Donall og, if you go across the sea, bring myself with you and do not forget    it; and you will have a sweetheart for fair days and market days, and the daughter of the King of Greece beside you at night. It is late last night the dog was speaking of you; the snipe was speaking of you in her deep marsh. It is you are the lonely bird through the woods; and that you may be without a mate until you find me.

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Beggar To Beggar Cried

Time to put off the world and go somewhere
And find my health again in the sea air,
Beggar to beggar cried, being frenzy-struck,
And make my soul before my pate is bare.

And get a comfortable wife and house
To rid me of the devil in my shoes,
Beggar to beggar cried, being frenzy-struck,
And the worse devil that is between my thighs.

And though Id marry with a comely lass,
She need not be too comely, let it pass,
Beggar to beggar cried, being frenzy-struck,
But theres a devil in a looking-glass.

Nor should she be too rich, because the rich
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Beggar to beggar cried, being frenzy-struck,
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The Hour Before Dawn

A one-legged, one-armed, one-eyed man,
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When close to his right hand a heap
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Reminded him that he could make,
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He gave a gas...

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