747
AN GAOḊAL.
PHAIDRIG CROHOORE.
[The Gaelic translation of Phaidrig Crohoore, by
Prof. Lovern, appears on page 683 of the GAEL.]
OH! Phaidrig Crohoore was a broth of a boy;
And he stood six feet eight —
And his arm was as round as another man's thigh.
'Tis Phaidrig was great:
And his hair was as dark as the shadows of night —
And it hung o'er the scars left by many a fight;
And his voice, like the thunder, was deep, strong
and loud,
And his eye like the lightning, from under a cloud :
And all the girls liked him, for he could spake civil
And sweet, when he chose it, for he was the devil.
And there was not a girl, from thirty-five under
her —
Divil a matter how cross — but he would come
[round her.
But of all the sweet girls that smiled on him, but
one
Was the girl of his heart, and he loved her alone :
As warm as the sun, as the rock, firm and sure
Was the love of the heart of Phaidrig Crohoore,
And he'd die for one smile from his Kathleen O'¬
Brien,
For his love, like his hatred, was strong as the lion.
But Michael O'Hanlin loved Kathleen as well
And he hated Crohoore, and that same was, like
Hell!
And O'Brien liked him, for they were the same
parties
The O'Briens, O'Hanlins, and Murphys and Car¬
[tys —
And they all went together and hated Crohoore,
For its many's the batin' he gave them before,
And O'Hanlin made up to O'Brien, and says he,
"I'll marry your daughter if you'll give her to me."
And the match was made up, and when shrovetide
came on,
The company assembled — three hundred, if one;
There were all the O'Hanlins, and Murphys, and
Cartys —
All young boys and girls — and all of their parties;
And the O'Briens, of course, gathered strong on
that day,
And the pipers and fiddlers were tearing away;
There was roaring and jumping, and jiggin' and
singin', —
And they were all laughin' :— why not, to be sure?
How O’Hanlin came inside of Phaidrig Crohoore.
And they all talked and laughed the length of the
table,
Atin' and drinkin', all while they were able.
And with pipin' and fiddlin' and roarin' like thun¬
[der,
Your head, you'd think, fairly splittin' asunder,
And the priest called out "silence ye blackguards"
ag'en,
And he took up his prayer-book, just goin' to begin,
And they all held funnin' and bawlin',
So silent, you'd notice the smallest pin fallin';
And the priest was just beginnin' to read, when the
door
Sprung back to the wall, and in walked Crohoore.
Oh! Phaidrig Crohoore was a broth of a boy:
And he stood six feet eight,
And his arm was as round as another man's thigh,
'Tis Phaidraig, was great!
And he walked slowly up, watched by many a
bright eye,
As a black cloud moves on through the stars of the
[sky.
And none strove to stop him — for Phaidrig was
great,
'Till he stood all alone, just opposite the safe
Where O'Hanlin and Kathleen, his beautiful bride,
Were sittin' so illigant, out side by side,
And he gave her one look, that her heart almost
[broke,
And he turned to her father, O'Brien, and spoke:
And his voice, like the thunder was deep, strong
and loud,
And his eye shone like lightning from under a
cloud.
"I didn't come here, like a time, crawlin' mouse,
But I stand like a man, in my enemy's house.
In the field, on the road, Phaidrig never knew fear
Of his foeman, God knows, he scorns it here,
So lave me at aise, for three minutes of four,
To spake to the girl I'll never see more."
And to Kathleen he turned; his voice changed its
[tone,
For he thought on the days when he called her
his own.
And his eye blazed like lightning from under a
[cloud
On his false-hearted girl, reproachful and proud —
And says he "Kathleen, girl, is it true what I hear,
You marry of your free choice, without threat or
fear ?
If so, say the word, and I'll turn and depart,
Chated once, and once only by a woman's false
heart."
Oh! sorrow and love made the poor girl dumb,
She tried hard to spake but the words wouldn't come,
For the sound of his voice, as he stood there forn¬
inst her,
Went cowld on her heart, as the night wind in
Winter.
And the tears in her blue eyes, stood tremblin' to
[flow,
And pale was her cheek, as the moonshine on snow;
Then the heart of bould Phaidrig swelled high in
its place;
For he knew, by one look in that beautiful face.
That though strangers and foeman their pledged
hand might sever,
Her true heart was his, and his only, forever,
And he lifted his voice like the aigles' hoarse call,
And says Phaidrig: "She's mine still, in spite of
ye all."
Then up jumped O'Hanlin, and a tall boy was he-
And looked on bould Phaidrig as fierce as could be.
And says he: "By the hookey, before you go out
Bould Phaidrig Crohoore, you must stand for a
bout."
Then Phaidrig made answer "I'll do my endeavor,"
And with one blow he stretched bould O'Hanlin
forever.
In his arms he took Kathleen, and stept to the door,
And he leaped on his horse, and flung her before !
And they all were so bothered that not a man stirred
'Till the galloping hoofs on the pavement were
heard.
Then up they all started, like bees, in a swarm,
And they riz a great shout, like burst of a storm.
And they roared and they run, and they shouted
galore ;
But Kathleen and Phaidrig they never saw more, —
But thim days are gone, and he is no more,
And the green grass is growin' over Phaidrig Cro¬
hoore,
For he couldn't be aisy, or quiet, at all;
As he lived a brave boy, he resolved so to fall,
And he took a good pike — for Phaidrig was great —
And he fought and he died, in the year Ninety-
Eight.
And the day that Crohoore, on the green field was
[killed,
A strong boy was stretched, and a stout heart was
stilled.
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