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Home  »  The Oxford Book of English Verse  »  664. Dark Rosaleen

Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900.

James Clarence Mangan. 1803–1849

664. Dark Rosaleen

O MY Dark Rosaleen, 
  Do not sigh, do not weep! 
The priests are on the ocean green, 
  They march along the deep. 
There ‘s wine from the royal Pope,         5
  Upon the ocean green; 
And Spanish ale shall give you hope, 
  My Dark Rosaleen! 
  My own Rosaleen! 
Shall glad your heart, shall give you hope,  10
Shall give you health, and help, and hope, 
  My Dark Rosaleen! 
 
Over hills, and thro’ dales, 
  Have I roam’d for your sake; 
All yesterday I sail’d with sails  15
  On river and on lake. 
The Erne, at its highest flood, 
  I dash’d across unseen, 
For there was lightning in my blood, 
  My Dark Rosaleen!  20
  My own Rosaleen! 
O, there was lightning in my blood, 
Red lightning lighten’d thro’ my blood. 
  My Dark Rosaleen! 
 
All day long, in unrest,  25
  To and fro, do I move. 
The very soul within my breast 
  Is wasted for you, love! 
The heart in my bosom faints 
  To think of you, my Queen,  30
My life of life, my saint of saints, 
  My Dark Rosaleen! 
  My own Rosaleen! 
To hear your sweet and sad complaints, 
My life, my love, my saint of saints,  35
  My Dark Rosaleen! 
 
Woe and pain, pain and woe, 
  Are my lot, night and noon, 
To see your bright face clouded so, 
  Like to the mournful moon.  40
But yet will I rear your throne 
  Again in golden sheen; 
‘Tis you shall reign, shall reign alone, 
  My Dark Rosaleen! 
  My own Rosaleen!  45
‘Tis you shall have the golden throne, 
‘Tis you shall reign, and reign alone, 
  My Dark Rosaleen! 
 
Over dews, over sands, 
  Will I fly, for your weal:  50
Your holy delicate white hands 
  Shall girdle me with steel. 
At home, in your emerald bowers, 
  From morning’s dawn till e’en, 
You’ll pray for me, my flower of flowers,  55
  My Dark Rosaleen! 
  My fond Rosaleen! 
You’ll think of me through daylight hours, 
My virgin flower, my flower of flowers, 
  My Dark Rosaleen!  60
 
I could scale the blue air, 
  I could plough the high hills, 
O, I could kneel all night in prayer, 
  To heal your many ills! 
And one beamy smile from you  65
  Would float like light between 
My toils and me, my own, my true, 
  My Dark Rosaleen! 
  My fond Rosaleen! 
Would give me life and soul anew,  70
A second life, a soul anew, 
  My Dark Rosaleen! 
 
O, the Erne shall run red, 
  With redundance of blood, 
The earth shall rock beneath our tread,  75
  And flames wrap hill and wood, 
And gun-peal and slogan-cry 
  Wake many a glen serene, 
Ere you shall fade, ere you shall die, 
  My Dark Rosaleen!  80
  My own Rosaleen! 
The Judgement Hour must first be nigh, 
Ere you can fade, ere you can die, 
  My Dark Rosaleen!