The Celt's paradise in four duans Author:John Banim Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE CELT'S PARADISE. FIRST DUAN. OS8IAN. Man of prayers, lead me forth From our silent cell of care, The morning-breeze to me is worth All thy h... more »ymns and all thy prayer— For dark and lonely have we prayed — Our psalms are sung, our penance said— Thou hast told me, I am forgiven, And I long to live in the smile of heaven. I cannot sec the holy light, But I feel it on my brow of white— I cannot see the young bird soaring, But I hear the song his pride is pouring— I cannot see the laughing water, Nor the fresh beauty the sun has brought her; I only hear the moan she is making, Over her bed of pebbles breaking. Man of prayers, lead me on— Lead the son of Comhal's sou, To the hill where his early deeds were done— Lead me to Slieve Gullian's breast, And give me there my mournful rest. Ossian longs to lie alone, And think of days and dangers gone— The darkened soul of Ossian longs . To float on the stream of other songs Than those thy altar bells are ringing, And thy white-robed Cuidees singing. This is the place—I know it now, I feel its freshness on my brow! Lead me where the sun is brightest, Where the storm-washed stone is whitest, And there in solitude let me sit As silent and as lorn as it! Yield me now my sad request, Leave me—leave me to my rest. Dark and dread King! Ruler alone! Deep stream that we think not is passing on, And yet it goes forward and is gone, Where, O Time! is thy hidden source, When wilt thou rest thee from thy course ?— A pilgrim art thou on thy path. And thou hast the solitude he hath ; Thy step is alone by the dork deep river, And forward thou walkest ever and ever! But art thou of thyself—Alone From thine own power?—Or has one More awful still the staff supplied, That props thee in thy walk of pride, And bade t...« less