The Project Gutenberg eBook of Sprays of Shamrock

This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

Title: Sprays of Shamrock

Author: Clinton Scollard

Release date: February 9, 2009 [eBook #28032]
Most recently updated: March 15, 2023

Language: English

Credits: David Wilson, Curtis Weyant and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SPRAYS OF SHAMROCK ***

[p i]
SPRAYS OF SHAMROCK

[p iii]
SPRAYS OF SHAMROCK
BY CLINTON SCOLLARD

PORTLAND MAINE
THE MOSHER PRESS
MDCCCCXIV

[p iv]
COPYRIGHT
CLINTON SCOLLARD
1914

[p v]
CONTENTS

PAGE

MUCKROSS
3

THE HILL OF MAEVE
5

AT KILLYBEGS
7

THE CRIPPLE
8

AN EXILE
9

ABBEYDORNEY
10

A SONG FOR JOYCE’S COUNTRY
12

BALLAD OF PROTESTANT’S LEAP
14

ETCHING AT NIGHT
16

THE SPECTRAL ROWERS
17

TYRCONNELL
18

THE WAY OF THE CROSS
19

THE ISLE OF DOOM
20

DESMOND
21

THE LITTLE CREEK COONANA
22

O’DONNELL ABOO
23

NIGHTFALL IN SLIGO
24

CARROWMORE
26

ON CARAGH LAKE
27

[p vi]
RAHINANE
28

THE WIND OF MOURNE
29

MAN AND MAID
30

THE HUNTER
32

RAIN SONG
33

A ROVER
34

QUEENS
35

THE WONDERS
36

AT MONAREE
37

HEATHER SONG
38

OFF CONNEMARA
39

POPPIES AT MONASTERAVEN
40

THE GLEN OF CASTLEMAINE
41

SONG
42

KILMELCHEDOR
43

AT DINGLE
44

BACK TO KILLARNEY
45

GLENCAR WATER
46

FROM DERRY TO KERRY
47

A KING IN KERRY
48

A KERRY LAD
51

A KERRY DAY
52

[p vii]
A KERRY ROAD
53

A KERRY GARDEN
54

DOWN IN KERRY
55

HOLY WELLS
56

LOW TIDE
57

THE “BOHAREEN”
58

AN IRISH IDYL
60

AN IRISH LASS
61

THE BRIDGE OF LUCKEEN
62

DONEGAL
64

AN IRISH SONG
66

[p 1]
SPRAYS OF SHAMROCK

[p 2]
Just a few songs of her,

Not of the wrongs of her

    Many and bitter and long though they be,—

Songs of the hills of her,

Songs of the rills of her,

    Ireland, set like a gem in the sea!

Just a few songs of her,

Not of the thongs of her,

    She that is bound, and yet fain would be free,—

Songs of the gleams of her,

Glamours and dreams of her,

    Ireland, girt by the arms of the sea!

[p 3]

MUCKROSS

[decorative A]At night there came unto MacCarthy More

A hooded vision with a voice that said,

“Go thou straightway and raise a house to God

Upon the spot where stands the Rock of Song!”

So with the golden lifting of the dawn

Upsprang the chieftain and loud called his kerns,

And bade them seek the Rock. For many a day

They roved the sweeping meads and fens and fells

In fruitless search, and ever forth again

Relentlessly he drove them from his hold

Beside the dimpling waters of Lough Leane.

“The Rock!” he cried, “find ye the Rock of Song!”

And still they found it not. Then the gaunt chief,

His long locks hoary with the frost of years,

Girded himself, and turned his tottering steps

Abroad in the soft lengthening of the dusk

Athwart a woodland close, and saw and heard

A little maid, her pitcher held at poise,

Singing an old lament in minors clear

[p 4]
And plaintive as the twilight, words that voiced

The poignant, passionate yearning of the soul.

“A sign!” the spent man whispered low, “a sign!”

And on the spot he raised a house to God.

[p 5]
THE HILL OF MAEVE

I

This is the hill of Maeve, the queen,

A mighty bulwark of gray-green

Whereon was set, by hands unknown,

A rugged monument of stone.

The great winds mourn, and sobs the wave

Beneath the lichened cairn of Maeve.

II

From many a rocky Leitrim height

O’er Lough Gill’s waters, blue and bright,

From where Benbulbin fronts the foam,

And sees the Sligo ships put home,

Maeve’s hill is like a pharos flame,

As is eternally her name!

III

’Neath azure tides of morning air

Ripple the waves of Ballysadare

[p 6]
Under where frowning Knocknarea

Looks o’er the Rosses far to sea,—

Looks far to sea, remembering

Maeve’s loveliness, a vanished thing.

IV

The cromlechs, gray with eld, below,

Recall the dreams of long ago,—

The dreams of kern and king, both slave

To beauty, and the white Queen Maeve;

And though she slumbers, deep, so deep,

Her golden memory may not sleep!

[p 7]
AT KILLYBEGS

At Killybegs above the crags

    The gray gulls pipe with voices thinned,

And all the green trees are like flags

    That wave and waver in the wind.

At Killybegs about the dunes

    Rustle the crispy grass and whin,

And low the long tide croons and croons

    As it creeps out, as it creeps in.

At Killybegs the white sails race

    When the blue sea is like a floor;

Like doubt night falls with haggard face;

    Sometimes the ships return no more.

The brown bee drains the cottage flowers

    Of honey to their crimson dregs,

And love hath many happy hours

    ’Twixt birth and death at Killybegs!

[p 8]
THE CRIPPLE

I have dreams of the outer islands,

    Firths and forths of the Far-Away;

I have dreams of the heathery highlands

    Under the golden day.

I have dreams of a sliding river—

    Shannon—under the stars and sun;

I have dreams how the oar-blades quiver,

    And the silvery salmon run.

I have dreams of a blithe lad striding

    Out through the streets of Limerick-town;

I have dreams of a sweet maid biding

    Under a thatch of brown.

But here I lie all huddled and hidden,

    (Oh, the eternity it seems!)

Brooding desolate and bed-ridden,

    Living only in dreams!

[p 9]
AN EXILE

I can remember the plaint of the wind on the moor,

    Crying at dawning, and crying at shut of the day,

And the call of the gulls that is eerie and dreary and dour,

    And the sound of the surge as it breaks on the beach of the bay.

I can remember the thatch of the cot and the byre,

    And the green of the garth just under the dip of the fells,

And the low of the kine, and the settle that stood by the fire,

    And the reek of the peat, and the redolent heathery smells.

And I long for it all though the roses around me are red,

    And the arch of the sky overhead has bright blue for a lure,

And glad were the heart of me, glad, if my feet could but tread

    The path, as of old, that led upward and over the moor!

[p 10]
ABBEYDORNEY

Abbeydorney, Abbeydorney,

    Long ago thy race was run,

Prone thou art ’mid thickets thorny,

    Shrine of Kyrie Eleison!

Scarcely now a wild rose petal

    The neglected cloister owns,

And the flaunting dock and nettle

    Wave above the chancel stones.

Once through Kerry twilights tender

    Vesper bells their anthems tolled,

And ’mid chants, in churchly splendor,

    Princely abbots were enrolled.

Tall Fitz Maurice with his crozier,

    O’Clonarchy of Lismore,

They are less now than the osier

    Swaying by the Cashen’s shore!

Only when the moon is hidden,

    Only when the moor-winds rave,

Eerily arise unbidden

    Ghostly transept, ghostly nave.

[p 11]
Only when the night grows denser

    March the bent monks one by one,

Singing to the sway of censer,

    Kyrie—Kyrie Eleison!

So, amid thy thickets thorny,

    All thy state and glory seem,

Abbeydorney, Abbeydorney,

    Like a dim and fleeting dream!

[p 12]
A SONG FOR JOYCE’S COUNTRY

O a song for Joyce’s Country, where the grim wild mountains be,

And the wind wails over the moorland as the wind wails over the sea,

Where the new moon’s silver sickle sees little of grain to reap,

And the wraith of the mist goes creeping as soft as the feet of sleep!

O a song for Joyce’s Country, and the lonely loughs that lie,

Wrapt in the cloak of silence, under the great gray sky;

For the glens that have held in keeping for more than a thousand springs

The ancient Druid wonders and the secrets of the kings!

O a song for Joyce’s Country, and the graves of the mightiest men

That ever had birth in Erin! Will their like e’er come again?

Men of the thews of titans, of the strong, unwavering hand,

Who wrested a meagre guerdon from the breast of this lean land!

[p 13]
O a song for Joyce’s Country, since it haunts one like a dream

That comes in the dusk ere dawning, ere the first bright sunrise beam;

A dream of dolor and vastness, of clouds that are swept and swirled

O’er the desolate wastes and waters of a joy-forsaken world!

[p 14]
BALLAD OF PROTESTANT’S LEAP

It was Sir Frederick Hamilton’s men

    Were hungry for the fray,

And it was a son of the bog and fen

    Would guide them on their way.

By the good book an oath he took,

    This glib and open guide,

And so it was over bent and brook

    They needs must up and ride.

They rode them fast, they rode them far,

    By day’s last fitful flame,

Until, by the light of the evening star,

    To a heathery slope they came.

Then spake the guide, with a glint of pride,

    With a catch of his breath spake he,

“Ye may fall, if over the crest ye ride,

    On the Irish enemy!

“When I drop my cloak by yon stunted oak,

    Do ye ply the lash and spurs,

And there ’ll be no one see another sun

    Of the popish worshippers!”

[p 15]
He has gone to the crest by the dwarfèd tree,

    He has crept on foot and hand,

And now with a wave his cloak drops he

    As a sign to the waiting band.

Oh, it ’s ride, Sir Frederick Hamilton’s men,

    Ye men of ire and brawn,

And it ’s smile, ye son of the bog and fen,

    To see them urge swift on!

Did they purge with the sword the Irish camp?

    Nay, for the story saith

Through the evening dusk, through the evening damp,

    They rode to a tryst with death.

It was over a cliff that was black and sheer

    To the vale of fair Glencar

That they plunged with frenzied shrieks of fear

    ’Neath the eye of the mountain star.

Oh, it was Sir Frederick Hamilton’s men

    Set forth to smite and slay,

And it was a son of the bog and fen

    That guided them on their way!

[p 16]
ETCHING AT NIGHT

I wandered in the streets of Galway-town,

When night had let her dusky curtains down,

And in a doorway, tall and fair and slight,

Framed by an inner beam of golden light,

Beheld a maiden of madonna face,

Pensive and sad, yet with a nameless grace,

Presage, I thought, of the unfolding years,

That hide some things that are too deep for tears!

[p 17]
THE SPECTRAL ROWERS

What is that shimmering line of white

Gliding under the stark midnight—

    Gliding—gliding—gliding—gliding—

Where the river gleams when the moon is bright?

There is never a sound save the night bird’s cry,

And the languid water lapsing by—

    Lapsing—lapsing—lapsing—lapsing—

Under the arch of a leaden sky.

’T is the winding Garavogue’s spectral crew,

Bound for the port of dreams-come-true—

    Rowing—rowing—rowing—rowing—

With a swinging stroke that is firm and true.

Do they ever reach their bourn? may be;

Yet who can say?—not we!—not we!—

    Fading—fading—fading—fading—

Ere morn comes over the hills to the sea.

’T is so with all of the visions of man,

Howe’er he strive and howe’er he plan—

    Fleeting—fleeting—fleeting—fleeting—

For life, alas, is a narrow span!

[p 18]
TYRCONNELL

They crowned Tyrconnell

    On the rock of Doon;

“Hail! hail!” they said,

To that anointed head,

The henchman all;

They led him to the hall;

“Hail! hail! Tyrconnell!”

How the rafters rang!

Clang! clang!

How the blades out-sprang,

    Like shimmering lake-water underneath the moon!

They slew Tyrconnell

    On the rock of Doon;

“Traitor!” they said,

Of that anointed head,

The henchmen all

Who haled him from the hall;

“Base, base Tyrconnell!”

How the scabbards rang!—

Clang! clang!

As the blades out-sprang,

    Like shimmering lake-water underneath the moon!

[p 19]
THE WAY OF THE CROSS

Where the wild sea-mew flocks and flees,

    And neither winds nor skies beguile,

Foam-set amid the Irish seas

    Is rugged Skellig Michael isle.

Up its escarpments, rough and grim,

    To its bleak summit rimmed with moss,

The monks of old with prayer and hymn

    Hewed out the weary “Way of the Cross.”

Gone are these holy toilers—gone;

    They rest now in their long repose,

From the red dusk to the red dawn,

    ’Neath the sea-pinks and tangled rose.

But sorrow bides with us and ill,

    And stress and sacrifice and loss,

And we must strive to meet them still

    Climbing the weary “Way of the Cross.”

[p 20]
THE ISLE OF DOOM

Out of the mist off Galway shore,

    Out of the morning mist,

Rose the island of Hy Brasail

    With its crags of amethyst;

Crags of purple and amethyst,

    And meads of gleaming green,

Rose the island of Hy Brasail

    With a shimmer of sea between.

And what shall come to Galway shore,

    What shadow of doom prevail,

With this fading dream of the mists of morn,

    This island of Hy Brasail?

[p 21]
DESMOND

By the “Church of the Name” lies Desmond,

    The body of Desmond lies,

And the wind of the east cries “Desmond,”

    And “Desmond” the west wind cries.

And the wind of the south calls “Desmond,”

    And “Desmond” the north wind calls,

As it sweeps round the keep Ardnagreagh,

    The keep of the crumbling walls.

And the dawn wind grieves for Desmond,

    And “Desmond” the night wind sighs;

And where is the head of Desmond,

    He of the dusk-deep eyes?

They buried the body of Desmond

    Hard by the “Church of the Name,”

But they hung the head of Desmond

    High o’er the Gate of Shame.

Yet he was a brave man, Desmond,

    A man of a hundred score,

So all the winds of the upper air,

    They mourn for him evermore.

[p 22]
THE LITTLE CREEK COONANA

Oh, the little creek Coonana,

    How clear it runs and cold

Where “Conn of the hundred battles”

    Fought in the days of old!

Only the long wind dirges,

    Only the long wind cries,

Where the giant Knocknatubber

    Mounts to the vast gray skies.

Only the wind and the surges

    Moan and moan and moan,

But the little creek Coonana,

    It sings in a merry tone.

Only the wind and the surges

    Have aught to do with fears;

Only the wind and the surges

    Tell the tale of tears.

But the little creek Coonana,

    It lilteth cheerily

Where the giant Knocknatubber

    Glooms on the glooming sea.

[p 23]
O’DONNELL ABOO

Out of Ulster came O’Donnell,

    Black O’Donnell and his crew,—

Kelly, More, Mac Carthy, Connell,

    Joined the cry—“O’Donnell Aboo!”

Woe once more, red woe for Kerry,

    Blood-drops were as mountain dew

When that cry so mad, yet merry,

    Rang and rang—“O’Donnell Aboo!”

Gone those sanguine days of slaughter,

    Sword and matchlock, pike and brand;

Peace now o’er the ways of water,

    Peace o’er all the length of land.

Yet sometimes when night is sealing

    Cairn and ruined shrine from view,

Down the Kerry glens goes pealing

    That wild cry—“O’Donnell Aboo!”

[p 24]
NIGHTFALL IN SLIGO

I

I heard the bells of Sligo say

The tranquil requiem of day.

I saw the fires of sunset burn

Dim in the great west’s golden urn.

O’er Calvary’s sharp spire afar

Clear flowered one hyacinthine star.

Then mother Night her children hid

Under her purple coverlid.

[p 25]
II

Well can I recall that eve at Sligo,

And the vacant arches of the abbey

Framing the ethereal rose of sunset!

Round about me silence and gray shadow

Peopled with the wraiths of time departed,—

Monks with back-thrown cowls who pace the cloisters

Now deep-mounded, crumbled, clad with ivy.

No more from the tower their chimes of silver

Will the bells fling o’er the town and river,

O’er the Garavogue soft-gliding seaward!

Nevermore—save in deep dreams at midnight.

Death, the immemorial lord of mortals,

He is abbot in the aisles of Sligo

Till the spheres proclaim the resurrection!

[p 26]
CARROWMORE

The gray winds call o’er Carrowmore,

    Call in the white of the dawn,

And the grasses sigh o’er Carrowmore

    When the purple night draws on.

The cromlechs stand on Carrowmore

    As they ’ve stood since who can say;

And the thin wraiths flit o’er Carrowmore

    Between the dusk and the day.

There ’s never a hush on Carrowmore

    Come autumn or come spring,

For, oh, the tongues of Carrowmore,

    They are fain of whispering!

And over and over Carrowmore

    ’T will be ever thus, meseems,—

Like the winnow of wings o’er Carrowmore

    The surge of the tide of dreams!

[p 27]
ON CARAGH LAKE

I

On Caragh lake the evening light

    Is violet and amethyst,

And the dark shadows of the pines

    In silence keep their twilight tryst.

And high beyond the purple groves,

    The sweeping moors, the climbing fells,

The rugged Kerry mountains stand

    Like grim eternal sentinels.

In dying whispers on the shore

    The ripples lap, the ripples break,

And there is peace beyond all words

    As night descends on Caragh lake!

II

In unexpected grooves of flight

    A blundering bat swoops swiftly by;

From out a coppice drifts a bird’s

    Last plaintive melody.

The lake is like a mirror dim

    With no disturbing breath to mar,

While o’er a lonely fell there burns

    One white vespernal star.

[p 28]
RAHINANE

Wrapt in mist and washed with rain

Is the hill of Rahinane;

Compassed by the hosts of sleep

Is its keep.

Only shadows come and go;

Only wraiths flit to and fro;

And the bat, grotesque and blind,

And the wind.

Just a shard of shattered hope

On a barren Kerry slope;

Just a ruin in the rain,

Rahinane!

[p 29]
THE WIND OF MOURNE

The wind of Mourne comes over the hill,

    Over the hill with a trill of song,

And the word of the wind sets my heart athrill,—

    “Though life is brief, yet love is long!”

I seek my sweet where the roses stir,

    And the stars overhead are a marching throng,

And this is the tale that I tell to her,—

    “Though life is brief, yet love is long!”

[p 30]
MAN AND MAID

“I know a lad in Leitrim, I know a lad,” said she,

“I know a lad in Leitrim would give his heart for me!”

“I know a maid in Mayo, I know a maid,” said he,

“I know a maid in Mayo would give her heart to me!”

“Go to your maid in Mayo, go to your maid,” cried she;

“Go to your maid in Mayo, for all—for all of me!”

“Go to your lad in Leitrim, go to your lad,” cried he,

“Go to your lad in Leitrim, for all—for all of me!”

“And yet—and yet—” she faltered, “and yet—and yet,” blushed she,

“That lad may stay in Leitrim! It ’s here I ’d rather be!”

[p 31]
“And yet—and yet—” he echoed, “and yet—and yet—” smiled he,

“That maid may stay in Mayo. It ’s there I ’d have her be!”

’T is merry down in Kerry beside the laughing sea;

’T is merry down in Kerry when man and maid agree!

[p 32]
THE HUNTER

I crept up Benbulbin a-hunting the boar;

Mist swooped on the heather, mist swept down the shore,

And all of the tongues of the mountain, they murmured behind and before.

Then out of a cleft rose a terrible cry,

And a form like a demon went ravening by,

And I fell in a quake on the moss, and I thought I should die.

I ’m no hunting man now, and I sit by the fire,

And whenever the wind keens around by the byre,

I shiver and rock like a reed that has root in the mire.

And if you ’re a young man, and sound to the core,

And a sweet maid is waiting you home at the door,

Beware how you creep up Benbulbin a-hunting the boar!

[p 33]
RAIN SONG

Oh, it ’s gray rain in the valleys,

    White rain where the moorland lies,

And in from the bleak sea-borders

    A gust that keens and cries.

Sheep huddle in the hollows,

    And the cattle seek the byre,

But I must be up and faring

    Away from the warm peat fire;

I must be up and faring,

    For this is the hour of tryst,

And Sheilah will be waiting

    At the glen amid the mist.

Oh, what ’s gray rain to lovers,

    And what though white rains fall,

When blue skies shine in Sheilah’s eyes

    For a lad of Donegal!

[p 34]
A ROVER

Oh, I am just a rover

    Among the roving men

Who loves to watch the sunlight

    Upon the flowering fen;

Who fain would feel the heather

    Dew-soft beneath his tread

When morning parts the cloud-wrack

    Above Benbulbin’s head;

Who likes to lie and linger

    Until the rising moon

Shows all her midnight glories

    High o’er the Lough of Cloon;

Whose feet were shaped to follow

    The road’s eternal lure

From stormy Stockarudden

    To sunny Knockanure!

But since there ’s Sheilah calling,

    (’T is love that ’s in her call!)

Faith, I am just a rover

    Who ’ll rove no more at all!

[p 35]
QUEENS

Fair Maeve, that was queen of Beauty,

    Whither, whither has she gone?

Ask the cairn that over Sligo

    Lifts its stones to greet the dawn!

Deirdre, that was queen of Sorrow,

    Whither, whither has she fled?

Ask the woods of Finglas Water

    That once knew her lissome tread!

Queens!—they are no more than mortal;

    Even they must pale and pass

Like the prismy dews of dawning

    On the heather and the grass!

[p 36]
THE WONDERS

I dream of the ancient wonders, of the isle of Hy Brasail

That rides through the mists of Mayo, then fades like a fading sail;

I dream of the ancient wonders, but there ’s one that haunts me more,

’T is the faun-like grace of Moira upon Lough Corib’s shore.

I dream of the ancient wonders, of the wells of Death and Life,

Of the voices of the Forest that quell both hate and strife;

I dream of the ancient wonders, but greater than them all

Is the luring laugh of Moira when day ’s at evenfall.

I dream of the ancient wonders, of the Cross caught up in air,

Of the swan of sweet Feale Water that was a maiden fair;

I dream of the ancient wonders, but each fades in eclipse

At the lifted arms of Moira, and Moira’s lifted lips!

[p 37]
AT MONAREE

When springtime comes to Monaree I know

How the blue hyacinths blow,

And how the daffodil lights its golden glow.

These blossoms are remembrancers of those

Who lie in long repose,

Lost to our earthly scenes of joys and woes,—

The saints of other days. How fair to see

These living emblems be

Of their good deeds—with spring at Monaree!

[p 38]
HEATHER SONG

Blue weather, blue weather abroad on the moors,

And the cry of the wind that elates and allures;

    Sing “hey” and sing “ho” for the heather!

The brook in the bracken, it prattles and purls,

And the lips of the rose are as red as a girl’s;

    Sing “hey” and sing “ho” for the heather!

And the path that leads up from the stile at the start

Is the path of my longing, the path of my heart;

    Sing “hey” and sing “ho” for the heather!

For I know I shall find her, my fair heather-bell,

In the warm little dip at the crest of the fell,

And her smile, ah, the burden of love it will tell!

    Sing “hey” and sing “ho” for the heather!

[p 39]
OFF CONNEMARA

Off the coast of Connemara,

    Sailor, sailor, what ’s the hail?

“Dip the sail to Saint Macdara—

    Dip the sail!”

So we dipped it as we tripped it

    Southward with the fluting gale.

Long ago did Saint Macdara

    Pass beyond this mortal pale;

Yet to-day off Connemara

    Deeds of godliness avail;

Where the good old saint said masses

Every sailor, as he passes,

    Dips the sail.

[p 40]
POPPIES AT MONASTERAVEN

As clear on my mind are graven

    As the carving upon a shield

The poppies at Monasteraven,

    And the cottage in the field;

The glint of a thick thorn coppice

    Greenly girdling all,

And the glow of the scarlet poppies

    Under the cottage wall!

Just a fleeting vision

    Caught as I hurried by,

A little scene elysian

    Under the morning sky.

For some one a happy haven,

    It thus to my heart appealed,

The poppies at Monasteraven,

    And the cottage in the field.

[p 41]
THE GLEN OF CASTLEMAINE

Oh, the shadows they lie deep in the glen of Castlemaine,

Purple as the gulfs of sleep, gray as are the drifts of rain!

Here are eerie feet that creep when the moon is on the wane.

In the glen of Castlemaine there are eldritch tongues that call;

And the little leaves have words that will hold the heart in thrall.

In the glen of Castlemaine there ’s a glamour over all.

For the fays have cast their spell o’er the glen of Castlemaine;

There is brooding wonder there, but no dream of blight or bane;

Here, if you have loved and lost, you may find your love again!

[p 42]
SONG

Just the sun on a slope of heather,

    The long blue wind and the open sea;

All the cares of the world in tether,

    And nobody there but you and me!

That ’s my wish in the golden weather;

    Love, you echo the wish with me?

Come, then, ho, for the slope of heather,

    The long blue wind and the open sea!

[p 43]
KILMELCHEDOR

Far removed from strife and war

Is the shrine of Kilmelchedor;

O’er one crumbling archway see

Clearly graven—Domine!

Master then and master still,

How we lean upon His will

Who forevermore will be

Unto all men—Domine!

[p 44]
AT DINGLE

At Dingle, upon sand and shingle,

    Softly the ripples curve and creep;

Without the white-caps meet and mingle,

    Without the breakers range and leap.

Here there is calm, here there is quiet,

    And the sweet sense of long delay;

There time and tide by winds that riot

    Seem from their moorings swept away.

Which will you choose from life, my masters,—

    Where waves are lulled to dream at ease,

Or, in the face of grim disasters,

    To sail with daring down the seas?

[p 45]
BACK TO KILLARNEY

Oh, it ’s back to Killarney, the glow and the gleam of it,

    Back to Killarney for me;

Back to Killarney, the vision and dream of it,

    Back to Killarney, my own countrie!

Back to Killarney at sun or at shower-time,

    Back to Killarney for me;

Back to Killarney at frost or at flower-time,

    Back to Killarney, my own countrie!

Back to Killarney whose soil seems a part of me,

    Back to Killarney for me;

Back to Killarney to soothe the sad heart of me,

    Back to Killarney, my own countrie!

[p 46]
GLENCAR WATER

I stood by Glencar Water

    When spring filled all the air,

And, oh, by Glencar Water

    It ’s a lovely place to fare!

The song of Glencar Water

    It has such silvery frets;

And there, by Glencar Water,

    Are banks of violets.

But harsh seems Glencar Water

    To Norah’s soft replies,

And the flowers by Glencar Water

    Are naught to Norah’s eyes!

[p 47]
FROM DERRY TO KERRY

’Twixt Derry and Kerry there ’s many a mile;

    They ’ve right men in Derry, no doubt;

But give me the Kerry man’s blarneying smile,

And give me the Kerry girl’s conjuring wile,

    And lips, like a peach, in a pout!

And give me the sails tacking in to Tralee,

    And the dip of the bluff Dingle bows,

And under Beenaman the surge of the sea,

The heathery slopes that are haunts for the bee

    Where Carraghmore raises its brows!

From Derry to Kerry the leagues they are long

    For a foot-weary rover to wend,

But I take the far track with a snatch of a song,

And a ready forgetting of aught that is wrong,

    If Kerry ’s the goal at the end!

[p 48]
A KING IN KERRY

I dreamed a dream, mavourneen, I dreamed a dream yestreen,

That I was King in Kerry, and you were Galway’s Queen.

I roused and ranged about me three score of burnished spears,

And rode across the moorland, the north wind round my ears.

It bore me buoyant tidings,—your beauty and your grace,—

And, as I galloped forward, I yearned upon your face.

We fared by Abbeydorney, Listowel and Lixnaw,

Where all my word was wisdom, and all my look was law.

We never paused to bivouac; we never paused to sleep

Where murmurous Feale Water ran shallow or ran deep.

[p 49]
We swam the swirl of Shannon; we hurled back to his lair

The blustering O’Brien who ruled the kerns of Claire.

Then, mire and foam-bespattered, about the dusk of day

We came where Galway’s turrets loomed over Galway’s bay.

The silence throbbed with trumpets, tumultuous, elate,

And you, a flower of wonder, bloomed in the castle gate.

You made the flush of sunset seem but a pallid thing;

Your voice had all the rapture that trembles through the spring.

Within your eyes the love-light was glory after drouth;

All summer’s hoarded honey was one kiss from your mouth.

Deirdre, whose tragic beauty the great Cuchullin knew,

And Maeve, the long lamented, sooth, what were they to you!

[p 50]
In through the rush-strewn hallway you led us to the feast;

And when the wine was drunken there stood the stolèd priest.

He oped the holy bride-book; he read the marriage rite;

And then—and then—mavourneen, it was our wedding night!

Would I might dream it over, the dream I dreamed yestreen,

That I was King in Kerry, and you were Galway’s Queen!

[p 51]
A KERRY LAD

There ’s a Kerry lad a-wandering across the dipping sea,

    A Kerry lad a-wandering the foam,

And oh, the swelling joy of it, the joy that there will be

    When that wandering Kerry lad comes home!

There ’ll be glad voices calling him, glad voices in the street,

    And hands to clasp the hands of the gossoon;

There ’ll be soft winds a-whispering above the fields of peat,

    And little birds a-carolling in tune!

The Kerry sky ’ll be bluer then, for all the clouds will part,

    And greener ’ll be the grass above the loam,

And oh, the happy feeling in one lonely Irish heart

    When that wandering Kerry lad comes home!

[p 52]
A KERRY DAY

Under the sweep of a fell the smoke-reek curls and drifts

    Where a white-walled cottage stands nestling amid the green;

Kerry skies above arched with their azure rifts

    Where a glint of sun peeps through to brighten the peaceful scene.

Cattle stand at graze, and there are the piles of peat,

    And there is the swift Feale Water rimpling, dimpling away;

And there are the cocks of hay, and the smell of the hay is sweet,

    And this is the round and sum of a quiet Kerry day!

[p 53]
A KERRY ROAD

Snow of the blackberry bloom, purple of heather bells,

    The fir and the oak tree boughs with the ivy round them twining;

Sheen of a distant lake, brown of the dipping fells,

    Racing clouds overhead, and the fitful sun a-shining!

Bracken and thorn and whin, and somewhere a cheeping bird;

    Pits of peat, and, then, a cart with its cheery load;

In from Dingle Bay the wind with its ancient word;

    On and up and on—and this is a Kerry road!

[p 54]
A KERRY GARDEN

There ’s a garden that slopes to the south and the sun,

    A garden in Kerry I know,

Where the poppy ’s a-bloom, and the red roses run

O’er the wall, and the pampas-plume’s streamers seem spun

Of the floss of the moon in the dusk watches won,

    And the lake is a-shimmer below.

There ’s a garden that ’s fair, be it day, be it night,

    A garden in Kerry I know,

And never an orient dream of delight

Can match with this garden so sweet to my sight,

For here is heart’s home to a wandering wight,—

    It calls me wherever I go!

[p 55]
DOWN IN KERRY

Down in Kerry maids are merry,

    Down in Kerry maids are fair;

Laughin’ eyes an’ lips o’ cherry

    From Feale Water to Kenmare!

Sunny weather in the heather,

    Sunny weather everywhere,

Be but man an’ maid together

    From Feale Water to Kenmare!

Care a-sheddin’, naught a-dreadin’,

    With just one my steps to share,

That ’s the road that I ’d be treadin’

    From Feale Water to Kenmare!

[p 56]
HOLY WELLS

At Toberaribba,

    Sooth, what do you think,

’T is not holy water

    They go for to drink!

At Tobernanavin,

    As sure as you ’re born,

There ’s dancing and prancing

    And juice of the corn!

At Tobernacerta,

    They sport on the green;

There ’s laughing and chaffing,

    And lots of poteen!

At Tobernaglashy,

    With moss at the brink,

There ’s much holy water,

    But not for to drink!

[p 57]
LOW TIDE

The sun on the reeds an’ rushes,

    An’ the sand outstretched before,

An’ the sun on the kelp an’ shingle

    Away off Galway shore.

An’ the sun on the rocks behind me,

    Bright on the gorse an’ whin,

An’ the sun on the slantin’ dories

    With their white sails tackin’ in.

Oh, I ’ll be gay o’ the sunlight,

    Glad of its glint an’ grace,

If its beams will only show me

    The smile on one sailor’s face!

[p 58]
THE “BOHAREEN”¹

In the kingdom they call “Kerry” there ’s a “bohareen” goes climbin’

    Above the thatch o’ cots at Ballymore—

A little rovin’ footway—an’ the goat bells keep a-chimin’

    In the heather slopin’ upward from the shore

For the slopes are clad with heather, noddin’ heather, purple heather,

    Where the bees make honey-music in the noon;

An’ if you should chance to stray there in a scrap o’ sunny weather

    A warbler will be tossin’ you a tune.

An’ you can look to seaward through the gray-green gulf o’ wonder

    An’ watch the slantin’ sails a-dippin’ far,

An’ you can mark about you how the rocks are rent asunder,

    An’ the heights are mountin’ up to reach the star.

[p 59]
But it ’s not the sea below it, nor the craggy crests above it,

    Nor the bracken with the mosses soft between,

Nor the droopin’ bells o’ heather, nay, it ’s not for these I love it,

    That wanderin’, that windin’ “bohareen!”

But a thought that keeps a-chimin’ in my heart like tender rhymin’

    Of one who clambered upward from the shore—

Whose feet with mine kept timin’ as the pair o’ us went climbin’

    Long ago that “bohareen” at Ballymore!

1 “Bohareen,” bypath.

[p 60]
AN IRISH IDYL

As I stood amid the bracken, as I stood amid the fern,

I could hear the merry bicker, the blithe bicker of the burn.

    Bees were hummin’, softly hummin’;

    “She ’s a comin’! She ’s a comin’!”

With a little spurt of laughter called the brook at every turn.

“Watch her! watch her! watch her! watch her!” cried a curlew overhead;

An’ I knew that it was Norah by the trippin’ of her tread;

    An’ a gentle wind a croonin’

    In the silence of the noonin’—

“Dare you kiss her? dare you kiss her?” were the saucy words it said.

Sure, it stirred the heart within me, did that tauntin’ of the wind,

For the selfsame heart I mentioned was a sort of darin’ kind;

    When she came within my reachin’

    There was no pause for beseechin’,

For I kissed her, an’ I kissed her, an’, faith, Norah didn’t mind!

[p 61]
AN IRISH LASS

My love has kissed me on the lips an’ sailed beyond the sea,

An’, sooth, that was a sorry day for Terrence an’ for me,

An’ yet I whispered him “God speed” his fortune for to win,

For there ’s little gold in Ireland save that upon the whin!

Like weary feet the days drag by; the heart o’ me is sad;

The keenin’ o’ the wind at night, it nearly drives me mad;

The cries o’ children in the street, they quaver lorn an’ thin,

For there ’s little gold in Ireland save that upon the whin!

But when my own lad comes again, ah, colleen, ’t will be sweet;

There ’ll be the peal o’ weddin’ bells across the fields o’ peat;

Faith, I can hear him sayin’ it, with his shy sort o’ grin,

“There ’s more gold now in Ireland than that upon the whin!”

[p 62]
THE BRIDGE OF LUCKEEN

One day as I stood at the Bridge of Luckeen,

Above the bright water all glancin’ an’ green,

There strayed down the path from the top of the pass

Such a slim little, prim little, trim little lass.

“Oho!” then quoth I, and “aha!” murmured she,

With as pretty a curtsy as ever you ’d see;

“Won’t you pause?” I inquired; “I don’t mind,” said her mien,

So we looked, side by side, from the Bridge of Luckeen.

How the minutes flew by, an’ the stream how it flowed,

While never a soul came along by the road;

An’ I thought her eyes sweeter than Maeve ever knew,

An’ she deemed me far bolder than Brian Boru!

There ’s a priest that ties knots, so the knowin’ ones say,

In a neat little church in the town of Glenbeigh;

[p 63]
If he ’ll tie just one more, I ’ll be thinkin’, I ween,

If there ’s luck anywhere, there is luck at Luckeen!

[p 64]
DONEGAL

We made Donegal in the teeth of gray weather,

    We made Donegal with the wind blowing free,

And the spindrift at toss like a snowy gull’s feather

    Where the highlands lean down to the lips of the sea.

We left Donegal in the azure blue weather,

    We left Donegal with a soft breeze a-lee,

With bees in the broom and the sun on the heather,

    And scarcely a ripple astir on the sea.

But give me to come in the teeth of gray weather,

    Oh, give me to come with the wind blowing free,

And love’s arms to clasp in their welcoming tether

    A wanderer worn with the toils of the sea!

For ’t is sorrow to go in the azure blue weather,

    ’T is sorrow to go with a soft breeze a-lee,

[p 65]
Leaving love’s yearning arms where one fain would find tether,

    Watching dear Donegal sinking down in the sea!

[p 66]
AN IRISH SONG

Over me lifts the peat-reek

    That parts and drifts and veers,

And the wind’s uneasy moaning

    Is loud about mine ears.

The waves upon the shingle

    They murmur drearily,

And the streamers of the fog-wraith

    Drive in from the open sea.

The mist hangs over the passes,

    The mist hangs over the moors,

And the eerie cry of the curlew

    It quavers and endures.

And it all is lonely, lonely,

    And there ’s sorrow on every face,

But the heart of me needs must love it,

    For the land is mine own place!

[p 67]
TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY COPIES OF THIS BOOK PRINTED ON VAN GELDER HAND-MADE PAPER AND THE TYPE DISTRIBUTED IN THE MONTH OF MARCH MDCCCCXIV

Transcriber’s Note

The original book printed contractions (as opposed to elisions) with a spaced apostrophe: this has been retained.

*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SPRAYS OF SHAMROCK ***

Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will be renamed.

Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.

START: FULL LICENSE

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK

To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at www.gutenberg.org/license.

Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.

1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.

1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when you share it without charge with others.

1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country other than the United States.

1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:

1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or distributed:

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.

1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™.

1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project Gutenberg™ License.

1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website (www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.

1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works provided that:

• You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.”

• You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ works.

• You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work.

• You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.

1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.

1.F.

1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment.

1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem.

1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.

1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.

1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any Defect you cause.

Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™

Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life.

Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.

Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws.

The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact

Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS.

The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate.

While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate.

International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.

Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate.

Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.

Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.

Most people start at our website which has the main PG search facility: www.gutenberg.org.

This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.