ace and joyful love!
And may the countenance of Heaven's King
Beam on us when we leave behind
Our bodies blind and withering.

KING AND HERMIT

Marvan, brother of King Guare of Connaught, in the seventh century, had
renounced the life of a warrior prince for that of a hermit. The King
endeavoured to persuade his brother to return to his Court, when the
following colloquy took place between them:

GUARE

Now Marvan, hermit of the grot,
Why sleep'st thou not on quilted feathers?
Why on a pitch-pine floor instead
At night make head against all weathers?

MARVAN

I have a shieling in the wood,
None save my God has knowledge of it,
An ash-tree and a hazelnut
Its two sides shut, great oak-boughs roof it.

Two heath-clad posts beneath a buckle
Of honeysuckle its frame are propping,
The woods around its narrow bound
Swine-fattening mast are richly dropping.

From out my shieling not too small,
Familiar all, fair paths invite me;
Now, blackbird, from my gable end,
Sweet sable friend, thy notes delight me.

With joys the stags of Oakridge leap
Into their clear and deep-banked river,
Far off red Roiny glows with joy,
Muckraw, Moinmoy in sunshine quiver.

With mighty mane a green-barked yew
Upholds the blue; his fortress green
An oak uprears against the storms,
Tremendous forms, stupendous scene.

Mine apple-tree is full of fruit
From crown to root--a hostel's store--
My bonny nutful hazel-bush
Leans branching lush against my door.

A choice, pure spring of cooling draught
Is mine. What prince has quaffed a rarer?
Around it cresses keen, O King,
Invite the famishing wayfarer.

Tame swine and wild and goat and deer
Assemble here upon its brink,
Yea! even the badger's brood draw near
And without fear lie down to drink.

A peaceful troop of creatures strange,
They hither range from wood and height,
To meet them slender foxes steal
At vesper peal, O my delight!

These visitants as to a Court
Frequent resort to seek me out,
Pure water, Brother Guare, are they
The salmon grey, the speckled trout;

Red rowans, dusky sloes and mast--
O unsurpassed and God-sent dish--
Blackberries, whortleberries blue,
Red strawberries to my taste and wish;

Sweet apples, honey of wild bees
And after them of eggs a clutch,
Haws, berries of th