| Padraic Colum (1881–1972). Anthology of Irish Verse. 1922. |
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| 67. The Warnings |
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| By Alice Furlong |
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| I WAS milking in the meadow when I heard the Banshee Keening: | |
| Little birds were in the nest, lambs were on the lea, | |
| Upon the brow o’ the Fairy-hill a round gold moon was leaning— | |
| She parted from the esker as the Banshee keened for me. | |
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| I was weaving by the door-post, when I heard the Death-watch beating: | 5 |
| And I signed the Cross upon me, and I spoke the Name of Three. | |
| High and fair, through cloud and air, a silver moon was fleeting— | |
| But the night began to darken as the Death-watch beat for me. | |
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| I was sleepless on my pillow when I heard the Dead man calling, | |
| The Dead man that lies drowned at the bottom of the sea. | 10 |
| Down in the West, in wind and mist, a dim white moon was falling— | |
| Now must I rise and go to him, the Dead who calls on me. | |
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