| |
| O’DRISCOLL drove with a song | |
| The wild duck and the drake | |
| From the tall and the tufted weeds | |
| Of the drear Heart Lake. | |
| |
| And he saw how the weeds grew dark | 5 |
| At the coming of night tide, | |
| And he dreamed of the long dim hair | |
| Of Bridget his bride. | |
| |
| He heard while he sang and dreamed | |
| A piper piping away, | 10 |
| And never was piping so sad, | |
| And never was piping so gay. | |
| |
| And he saw young men and young girls | |
| Who danced on a level place, | |
| And Bridget his bride among them, | 15 |
| With a sad and a gay face. | |
| |
| The dancers crowded about him, | |
| And many a sweet thing said, | |
| And a young man brought him red wine, | |
| And a young girl white bread. | 20 |
| |
| But Bridget drew him by the sleeve, | |
| Away from the merry bands, | |
| To old men playing at cards | |
| With a twinkling of ancient hands. | |
| |
| The bread and the wine had a doom, | 25 |
| For these were the folk of the air; | |
| He sat and played in a dream | |
| Of her long dim hair. | |
| |
| He played with the merry old men, | |
| And thought not of evil chance, | 30 |
| Until one bore Bridget his bride | |
| Away from the merry dance. | |
| |
| He bore her away in his arms, | |
| The handsomest young man there, | |
| And his neck and his breast and his arms | 35 |
| Were drowned in her long dim hair. | |
| |
| O’Driscoll got up from the grass | |
| And scattered the cards with a cry; | |
| But the old men and dancers were gone | |
| As a cloud faded into the sky. | 40 |
| |
| He knew now the folk of the air, | |
| And his heart was blackened by dread, | |
| And he ran to the door of his house; | |
| Old women were keening the dead; | |
| |
| But he heard high up in the air | 45 |
| A piper piping away; | |
| And never was piping so sad | |
| And never was piping so gay. | |
| |
