 | The Irish Poems of Alfred Perceval Graves |  |
THE CUCKOO MADRIGAL
Cuckoo! cuckoo!
Our joyful rover,
At last you're over
The Ocean blue,
And once again
All ears shall listen,
All eyes shall glisten
At your glad strain,
O yellow-throated,
Mellow-noted
Minstrel!
Our joyful rover,
At last you're over
The Ocean blue,
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All ears shall listen,
All eyes shall glisten
At your glad strain,
O yellow-throated,
Mellow-noted
Minstrel!
Cuckoo! cuckoo!
'Twas only sorrow
Made dark each morrow
The winter through;
And till your voice
Awoke to cheer us,
None, none came near us
To cry “Rejoice!”
O yellow-throated,
Mellow-noted
Minstrel!
'Twas only sorrow
Made dark each morrow
The winter through;
And till your voice
Awoke to cheer us,
None, none came near us
To cry “Rejoice!”
O yellow-throated,
Mellow-noted
Minstrel!
Cuckoo! cuckoo!
How lad and maiden
Love ambuscading
In search of you!
But far and near
Ventriloquising,
With art surprising
You mock the ear;
Till, airy elf,
'Tis Echo's self
They call you.
How lad and maiden
Love ambuscading
In search of you!
But far and near
Ventriloquising,
With art surprising
You mock the ear;
Till, airy elf,
'Tis Echo's self
They call you.
137
Cuckoo! cuckoo!
At dawn upspringing,
We hear you ringing
Your joy-bell true.
The livelong day,
Its magic measure
Peals perfect pleasure,
Then dies away,
In far off whispers
Thro' our vespers
Stealing.
At dawn upspringing,
We hear you ringing
Your joy-bell true.
The livelong day,
Its magic measure
Peals perfect pleasure,
Then dies away,
In far off whispers
Thro' our vespers
Stealing.
| The Irish Poems of Alfred Perceval Graves | |