32
IRISH MELODIES.
THE LEGACY.
I.
When in death I shall calm recline,
O bear my heart to my mistress dear;
Tell her, it liv'd upon smiles and wine
Of the brightest hue, while it lingered here;
Bid her not shed one tear of sorrow
To sully a heart so brilliant and light;
But balmy drops of the red grape borrow,
To bathe the relic from morn till night.
II.
When the light of my song is o'er,
Then take my harp to your ancient hall;
Hang it up at that friendly door,
Where weary travellers love to call*[1].
Then if some bard, who roams forsaken,
Revive its soft note in passing along,
Oh! let one thought of its master waken
Your warmest smile for the child of song.
- ↑ "In every house was one or two harps, free to all travellers, who were the more caressed, the more they excelled in music." O'Halloran.
