The Irish Emigrant

    • The Irish Emigrant

      As I do between now and then, I open my old notebooks
      to go through them, and maybe if I'm in the mood I will
      add something new of my own.

      The Irish Emigrant is one of my favorite poems. I copied
      long time back by hand in three pages, from a library book
      I borrowed .

      Nevertheless,I didn't know much about it more than
      I did like it very much at that time and I still do.
      For the fun of the game I looked it in the Internet ,
      thinking they will be no trace of it .........But

      To my surprise it was one of the most famous poems
      in Irish history "The Lament of the Irish Emigrant"

      The poem is a tragic story set in times of the famine in
      the 19th century. It tell of an emigrant returning to
      graveyard where his wife and child are buried.

      Tradition tells that the emigrant of the poem was a young
      man, Phelim Magennis, who came from the Killyleagh.

      Three years after they were wed, both Mary and her child
      died as a victims of cholera outbreak in 1848. They were
      laid to rest in the old graveyard in Killyleagh.

      Lay Helen Dufferin met young Phelim as he sat on the
      stile taking a long last, lingering look at the place where
      his loved ones buried before leaving Ireland shores.

      This meeting inspired Lady Helen to write this famous poem

      THe Irish Emigrant

      .....
      ......

      I'm very lonely now, Mary, for the poor make no new friends
      But oh! they love the better still the few our Father sends
      and you were all I had, Mary, my blessing and my pride
      There's nothing left to care for now, since my poor Mary died

      .......
      ......

      and often in those grand old woods I'll sit and shut my eyes
      and my heart will travel back again to the place where Mary lies
      and I'll think I see the little stile where we sat side by side
      and the springing corn and the bright May morn'
      when first you were my bride

      ....
      .....

      I thank you for the patient smile, when your heart was fit to break
      when the hunger pain waas gnawing there and you hid it for my sake
      I bless you for the pleasant word, when your heart was sad and sore
      Oh I'm thankful you are gone Mary
      where grief can't reach you more


      It is along poem I just wrote some part of it


      Thanks


      Nazlat

    • To be honest this is the first time i ever hear about this poem. However, i really liked it. The best thing about it, in my opinion, that it tell's a story. Regardless the status of the stroy, its a story that has an impression. Such stories really live to be told as tales. Many thanks dear nazlat for sharing the poem with us