When I Was Young

I will not know when I am dead

If sun or moon is overhead;

I'll stretch out flat without a sound

Inside a box beneath the ground,

And never rise again to see

Branches lifting on a tree,

Nor hear the song the finches sing

In the spring.

I'll not, while sunny ages go,

Lift a hand or wag a toe;

But in a wooden box will be

Hidden for eternity

From sea and sun, from sight and sound,

From touch of people, voice of friend,

From all that makes my heart to bound

Denying such an end:

It is so strange — I wonder why

People die!

The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Adventures of Seumas Beg [1915]

Check

The night was creeping on the ground;

She crept and did not make a sound

Until she reached the tree, and then

She covered it, and stole again

Along the grass beside the wall.

I heard the rustle of her shawl

As she threw blackness everywhere

Upon the sky and ground and air,

And in the room where I was hid:

But no matter what she did

To everything that was without

She could not put my candle out.

So I stared at the night, and she

Stared back solemnly at me.

The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Adventures of Seumas Beg [1915]

The Appointment

Tree! you are years standing there. 

Gripping tight to the side of the hill,

And your branches are spread on the air,

While you stand so sad and so still,

And you do not complain

When you're wet with the rain,

Though I think you have often been ill.

I would like (but it could not be done.

So you must not keep me to my word)

To take you away when the sun

Goes down, and the breezes are stirred,

And hug you in bed

With myself, till you said

That to sleep on a hill was absurd.

O beautiful tree! when the night

Is dark, and the winds come and scold,

I would love then to cuddle you tight,

For I fear you will die of the cold;

But you are so tall,

And my bed is so small,

That it could not be done, I am told.

My mother is calling for me,

And the baby is wanting to play,

I shall have to go home now, you see,

But I'll give you a kiss if I may:

I would stay if I could,

But a child must be good,

So I must, darling tree, go away.

I will leave you my pencil and slate,

And this little pin from my frock;

But now I must go for it's late,

And my mother is rattling the lock:

So good-bye, darling dear,

I'll come back, never fear,

In the morning at seven o'clock.

The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Adventures of Seumas Beg [1915]

The Apple Tree

I was hiding in the crooked apple tree.

Scouting for Indians, when a man came;

I thought it was an Indian, for he

Was running like the wind. — There was a flame

Of sunlight on his hand as he drew near,

And then I saw a knife gripped in his fist.

He panted like a horse; his eyes were queer,

Wide-open, staring frightfully, and, hist!

His mouth stared open like another eye,

And all his hair was matted down with sweat.

I crouched among the leaves for fear he'd spy

Where I was hiding, so he did not get

His awful eyes on me, but like the wind

He fled as if he heard something behind.

The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Adventures of Seumas Beg [1915]

The Horse

A sparrow hopped about the street,

And he was not a bit afraid;

He flew between a horse's feet,

And ate his supper undismayed:

I think myself the horse knew well

The bird came for the grains that fell.

For his eye was looking down,

And he danced the corn about

In his nose-bag, till the brown

Grains of corn were tumbled out;

And I fancy that he said,

"Eat it up, young Speckle-Head!"

The driver then came back again,

He climbed into the heavy dray;

And he tightened up the rein,

Cracked his whip and drove away.

But when the horse's ribs were hit,

The sparrow did not care a bit.

The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Adventures of Seumas Beg [1915]

What the Snake Saw

A little girl and a big, ugly man

Went down the road. The girl was crying

And asking to go home, but when she ran

He hit her on the head and sent her flying,

And called her a young imp, and said he'd break

Her neck unless she went with him, and then

He smacked her on the cheek. — I was a snake

At that time crawling through a robber's den,

And diamonds were sticking to my tongue —

(That's the best dodge), but when I saw the way

He beat the little girl I up and flung

A stone at him. My aim was bad that day

Because I hit the girl . . . and she did sing!

But he jumped round and cursed like anything.

The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Adventures of Seumas Beg [1915]

The Old Man

An old man sat beneath a tree

Alone;

So still was he

That, if he had been carved in stone,

He could not be

More quiet or more cold:

He was an ancient man

More than

A thousand ages old.

The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Adventures of Seumas Beg [1915]

The Cow

                    Cow, Cow!

                    I and thou

Are looking at each other's eyes:

You are lying on the grass

Eating every time I pass,

And you do not seem to be

Ever in perplexity:

You are good I'm sure, and not

Fit for nothing but the pot:

For your bearing is so kind,

And your quietness so wise:

                    Cow, Cow!

                    I and thou

Are looking at each other's eyes.

The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Adventures of Seumas Beg [1915]

The Coral Island

His arms were round a chest of oaken wood,

It was clamped with brass and iron studs, and seemed

An awful weight. After a while he stood

And I stole near to him. — His white eyes gleamed

As he peeped secretly about; he laid

The oaken chest upon the ground, then drew

A great knife from his belt, and stuck the blade

Into the ground and dug. The clay soon flew

In all directions underneath a tree,

And when the hole was deep he put the box

Down there, and threw the clay back cunningly,

Stamping the ground quite flat; then like a fox

He crept among the trees, ... I went next day

To dig the treasure up, but I lost my way.

The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Adventures of Seumas Beg [1915]

The Turn of the Road

I was playing with my hoop along the road

Just where the bushes are, when, suddenly,

There came a shout, — I ran away and stowed

Myself beneath a bush, and watched to see

What made the noise, and then, around the bend,

I saw a woman running. She was old

And wrinkle-faced, and had big teeth.

— The end

Of her red shawl caught on a bush and rolled

Right off her, and her hair fell down. —

Her face

Was awful white, and both her eyes looked sick,

And she was talking queer. "O God of Grace!"

Said she, "where is the child?" and flew back quick

The way she came, and screamed, and shook her hands;

. . . Maybe she was a witch from foreign lands.

The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Adventures of Seumas Beg [1915]

April Showers

The leaves are fresh after the rain,

The air is cool and clear,

The sun is shining warm again,

The sparrows hopping in the lane

Are brisk and full of cheer.

And that is why we dance and play,

And that is why we sing,

Calling out in voices gay,

We will not go to school today

Or learn anything:

It is a happy thing, I say,

To be alive on such a day.

The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Adventures of Seumas Beg [1915]

The Secret

I was frightened, for a wind

Crept along the grass to say

Something that was in my mind

Yesterday —

Something that I did not know

Could be found out by the wind,

I had buried it so low

In my mind.

The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Adventures of Seumas Beg [1915]

Behind the Hill

Behind the hill I met a man in green

Who asked me if my mother had gone out?

I said she had. He asked me had I seen

His castle where the people sing and shout

From dawn to dark, and told me that he had

A crock of gold inside a hollow tree,

And I could have it. — I wanted money bad

To buy a sword with, and I thought that he

Would keep his solemn word; so, off we went.

He said he had a pound hid in the crock,

And owned the castle too, and paid no rent

To any one, and that you had to knock

Five hundred times. I asked, "Who reckoned up?"

And he said, "You insulting little pup!"

The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Adventures of Seumas Beg [1915]

Midnight

And then I wakened up in such a fright; 

I thought I heard a movement in the room

But did not dare to look; I snuggled right

Down underneath the bedclothes — then the boom

Of a tremendous voice said, "Sit up, lad,

And let me see your face." So up I sat,

Although I didn't want to. I was glad

I did though, for it was an angel that

Had called me, and he said, he'd come to know

Was I the boy who wouldn't say his prayers

Nor do his sums, and that I'd have to go

Straight down to hell because of such affairs.

... I said I'd be converted and do good

If he would let me off — he said he would.

The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Adventures of Seumas Beg [1915]

The White Window

The moon comes every night to peep

Through the window where I lie,

And I pretend to be asleep;

But I watch the moon as it goes by,

And it never makes a sound.

It stands and stares, and then it goes

To the house that's next to me,

Stealing on its tippy-toes,

To peep at folk asleep maybe;

And it never makes a sound.

The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Adventures of Seumas Beg [1915]

The Wood of Flowers

I went to the Wood of Flowers 

(No one was with me);

I was there alone for hours.

I was happy as could be

In the Wood of Flowers. 

There was grass on the ground,

There were buds on the tree,

And the wind had a sound

Of such gaiety.

That I was as happy

As happy could be,

In the Wood of Flowers.

The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Adventures of Seumas Beg [1915]

A Visit From Abroad

A speck went blowing up against the sky

As little as a leaf : then it drew near

And broadened. — " It's a bird, " said I,

And fetched my bow and arrows.

It was queer!

It grew up from a speck into a blot,

And squattered past a cloud; then it flew down

All crumply, and waggled such a lot

I thought the thing would fall. — It was a brown

Old carpet where a man was sitting snug

Who, when he reached the ground, began to sew

A big hole in the middle of the rug,

And kept on peeping everywhere to know

Who might be coming — then he gave a twist

And flew away. ... I fired at him but missed.

The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Adventures of Seumas Beg [1915]

The Devil's Bag

I saw the Devil walking down the lane 

Behind our house. — There was a heavy bag

Strapped tightly on his shoulders, and the rain

Sizzled when it hit him. He picked a rag

Up from the ground and put it in his sack,

And grinned and rubbed his hands. 

There was a thing 

Moving inside the bag upon his back — 

It must have been a soul! I saw it fling 

And twist about inside, and not a hole

Or cranny for escape! Oh, it was sad !

I cried, and shouted out, "Let out that soul!"

But he turned round, and, sure, his face went mad,

And twisted up and down, and he said "Hell!"

And ran away. . . . Oh, mammy ! I'm not well. 

The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Adventures of Seumas Beg [1915]

Day and Night

When the bright eyes of the day

Open on the dusk, to see

Mist and shadow fade away

And the sun shine merrily,

Then I leave my bed and run

Out to frolic in the sun.

Through the sunny hours I play

Where the stream is wandering.

Plucking daisies by the way;

And I laugh and dance and sing,

While the birds fly here and there

Singing on the sunny air.

When the night comes, cold and slow,

And the sad moon walks the sky,

When the whispering wind says "Boh, Little boy!" and makes me cry, 

By my mother I am led

Home again and put to bed.

The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Adventures of Seumas Beg [1915]

In The Orchard

There was a giant by the Orchard Wall

Peeping about on this side and on that,

And feeling in the trees: he was as tall

As the big apple tree, and twice as fat:

His beard was long, and bristly-black, and there

Were leaves and bits of grass stuck in his hair.

He held a great big club in his right hand,

And with the other felt in every tree

For something that he wanted. You could stand

Beside him and not reach up to his knee

So mighty big he was — I feared he would

Turn round, and trample down to where I stood.

I tried to get away, but, as I slid

Under a bush, he saw me, and he bent

Far down and said, "Where is the Princess hid?"

I pointed to a place, and off he went —

But while he searched I turned and simply flew

Round by the lilac bushes back to you.

The Rocky Road to Dublin/The Adventures of Seumas Beg [1915]