Poems by Francis Ledwidge

All Poems Original Poems Translations

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The Sylph

I saw you and I named a flower

That lights with blue a woodland space,

I named a bird of the red hour

And a hidden fairy place.

And then I saw you not, and knew

Dead leaves were whirling down the mist,

And something lost was crying through -

An evening of amethyst.

by Francis Ledwidge

The Little Children

Hunger points a bony finger

To the workhouse on the hill,

But the little children linger

While there's flowers to gather still

For my sunny window sill.

In my hands I take their faces,

Smiling to my smiles they run.

Would that I could take their places

by Francis Ledwidge

The Dead Kings

All the dead kings came to me

At Rosnaree, where I was dreaming.

A few stars glimmered through the morn,

And down the thorn the dews were streaming.

And every dead king had a story

Of ancient glory, sweetly told.

It was too early for the lark,

But the starry dark had tints of gold.

by Francis Ledwidge

Youth

She paved the way with perfume sweet

Of flowers that moved like winds alight,

And never weary grew my feet

Wandering through[the spring's delight.

She dropped her sweet fife to her lips

And lured me with her melodies,

To where the great big wandering ships

Put out into the peaceful seas.

by Francis Ledwidge

To An Old Quill Of Lord Dunsany's

Before you leave my hands' abuses

To lie where many odd things meet you,

Neglected darkling of the Muses,

I, the last of singers, greet you.

Snug in some white wing they found you,

On the Common bleak and muddy,

Noisy goslings gobbling round you .

In the pools of sunset, ruddy.

by Francis Ledwidge

To One Who Comes Now And Then

When you come in, it seems a brighter fire

Crackles upon the hearth invitingly,

The household routine which was wont to tire ,

Grows full of novelty.

You sit upon our home-upholstered chair

And talk of matters wonderful and strange,

Of books, and travel, customs old which dare

The gods of Time and Change.

by Francis Ledwidge

The Rushes

The rushes nod by the river

As the winds on the loud waves go,

And the things they nod of are many,

For it's many the secret they know.

And I think they are wise as the fairies

Who lived ere the hills were high,

They nod so grave by the river

To everyone passing by.

by Francis Ledwidge

The Find

I took a reed and blew a tune,

And sweet it was and very clear

To be about a little thing

That only few hold dear.

Three times the cuckoo named himself,

But nothing heard him on the hill,

Where I was piping like an elf

The air was very still.

by Francis Ledwidge

At Currabwee

Every night at Currabwee

Little men with leather hats

Mend the boots of Faery

From the tough wings of the bats.

So my mother told to me,

And she is wise you will agree. .

Louder than a cricket's wing

All night long their hammer's glee

by Francis Ledwidge

To A Sparrow

Because you have no fear to mingle

Wings with those of greater part,

So like me, with song I single

Your sweet impudence of heart.

And when prouder feathers go where

Summer holds her leafy show,

You still come to us from nowhere

Like grey leaves across the snow.

by Francis Ledwidge

Pan

He knows the safe ways and unsafe

And he will lead the lambs to fold,

Gathering them with his merry pipe,

The gentle and the overbold.

He counts them over one by one,

And leads them back by cliff and steep,

To grassy hills where dawn is wide,

And they may run and skip and leap.

by Francis Ledwidge

In A Cafe

Kiss the maid and pass her round,

Lips like hers were made for many.

Our loves are far from us to-night,

But these red lips are sweet as any.

Let no empty glass be seen

Aloof from our good table's sparkle,

At the acme of our cheer

Here are francs to keep the circle.

by Francis Ledwidge