The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Adventures of Seumas Beg; The Rocky Road to Dublin

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: The Adventures of Seumas Beg; The Rocky Road to Dublin

Author: James Stephens

Release date: August 25, 2011 [eBook #37214]

Most recently updated: January 8, 2021

Language: English

Credits: Produced by Al Haines

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ADVENTURES OF SEUMAS BEG; THE ROCKY ROAD TO DUBLIN ***

THE ADVENTURES OF SEUMAS BEG

THE ROCKY ROAD TO DUBLIN

BY

JAMES STEPHENS

AUTHOR OF

'THE CHARWOMAN'S DAUGHTER,' 'THE HILL OF VISION,'

'THE CROCK OF GOLD,' ETC.

MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED

ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON

1915

COPYRIGHT

CONTENTS

THE ADVENTURES OF SEUMAS BEG

The Cherry Tree

Breakfast Time

In the Orchard

Day and Night

The Devil's Bag

A Visit from Abroad

The Wood of Flowers

The White Window

Midnight

Behind the Hill

The Secret

April Showers

The Turn of the Road

The Coral Island

The Cow

The Old Man

What the Snake saw

The Horse

The Apple Tree

The Appointment

Check

When I was Young

THE ROCKY ROAD TO DUBLIN

The Patriot's Bed

Grafton Street

Portobello Bridge

York Street

The Fifteen Acres

College Green

Mount Street

Westland Row

The College of Science

The Canal Bank

By Ana Liffey

From Hawk and Kite

The Gombeen-man

Beresford Place

At the Fair

The Fur Coat

Dublin Men

O'Connell Bridge

Charlotte Street

George's Street

Holles Street

Katty Gollagher

Cork Hill

The Piper

The Shadow

Custom House Quay

Stephen's Green

The College of Surgeons

Merrion Square

The Bare Trees

Dunphy's Corner

The Dodder Bank

White Fields

The Paps of Dana

Donnelly's Orchard

Donnybrook

THE ADVENTURES OF SEUMAS BEG

THE CHERRY TREE

Come from your bed my drowsy gentleman!

And you, fair lady, rise and braid your hair,

And let the children wash, if wash they can;

If not, assist you them, and make them fair

As is the morning and the morning sky,

And every tree and bush and bird in air.

The sun climbed on the heights three hours ago,

He laughed above the hills and they were glad;

With bubbled pearl he made the rivers flow

And laced their mists in silver, and he clad

The meads in fragrant pomp of green and gold,

And bade the world forget it had been sad.

So lift yourself, good sir! and you, sweet dame,

Unlash your evening eyes of pious grey;

Call on the children by each loved name,

And set them on the grass and let them play;

And play with them a while, and sing with them

Beneath the cherry bush a roundelay.

BREAKFAST TIME

The sun is always in the sky

Whenever I get out of bed,

And I often wonder why

It's never late.—My sister said

She did not know who did the trick,

And that she did not care a bit,

And I should eat my porridge quick.

... I think it's mother wakens it.

IN THE ORCHARD

There was a giant by the Orchard Wall

Peeping about on this side and on that,

And feeling in the trees: he was as tall

As the big apple tree, and twice as fat:

His beard was long, and bristly-black, and there

Were leaves and bits of grass stuck in his hair.

He held a great big club in his right hand,

And with the other felt in every tree

For something that he wanted. You could stand

Beside him and not reach up to his knee

So mighty big he was—I feared he would

Turn round, and trample down to where I stood.

I tried to get away, but, as I slid

Under a bush, he saw me, and he bent

Far down and said, "Where is the Princess hid?"

I pointed to a place, and off he went—

But while he searched I turned and simply flew

Round by the lilac bushes back to you.

DAY AND NIGHT

When the bright eyes of the day

Open on the dusk, to see

Mist and shadow fade away

And the sun shine merrily,

Then I leave my bed and run

Out to frolic in the sun.

Through the sunny hours I play

Where the stream is wandering,

Plucking daisies by the way;

And I laugh and dance and sing,

While the birds fly here and there

Singing on the sunny air.

When the night comes, cold and slow,

And the sad moon walks the sky,

When the whispering wind says "Boh,

Little boy!" and makes me cry,

By my mother I am led

Home again and put to bed.

THE DEVIL'S BAG

I saw the Devil walking down the lane

Behind our house.—There was a heavy bag

Strapped tightly on his shoulders, and the rain

Sizzled when it hit him. He picked a rag

Up from the ground and put it in his sack,

And grinned and rubbed his hands.

There was a thing

Moving inside the bag upon his back—

It must have been a soul! I saw it fling

And twist about inside, and not a hole

Or cranny for escape! Oh, it was sad!

I cried, and shouted out, "Let out that soul!"

But he turned round, and, sure, his face went mad,

And twisted up and down, and he said "Hell!"

And ran away.... Oh, mammy! I'm not well.

A VISIT FROM ABROAD

A speck went blowing up against the sky

As little as a leaf: then it drew near

And broadened.—"It's a bird," said I,

And fetched my bow and arrows. It was queer!

It grew up from a speck into a blot,

And squattered past a cloud; then it flew down

All crumply, and waggled such a lot

I thought the thing would fall.—It was a brown

Old carpet where a man was sitting snug

Who, when he reached the ground, began to sew

A big hole in the middle of the rug,

And kept on peeping everywhere to know

Who might be coming—then he gave a twist

And flew away.... I fired at him but missed.

THE WOOD OF FLOWERS

I went to the Wood of Flowers

(No one was with me);

I was there alone for hours.

I was happy as could be

In the Wood of Flowers.

There was grass on the ground,

There were buds on the tree,

And the wind had a sound

Of such gaiety,

That I was as happy

As happy could be,

In the Wood of Flowers.

THE WHITE WINDOW

The moon comes every night to peep

Through the window where I lie,

And I pretend to be asleep;

But I watch the moon as it goes by,

And it never makes a sound.

It stands and stares, and then it goes

To the house that's next to me,

Stealing on its tippy-toes,

To peep at folk asleep maybe;

And it never makes a sound.

MIDNIGHT

And then I wakened up in such a fright;

I thought I heard a movement in the room

But did not dare to look; I snuggled right

Down underneath the bedclothes—then the boom

Of a tremendous voice said, "Sit up, lad,

And let me see your face." So up I sat,

Although I didn't want to. I was glad

I did though, for it was an angel that

Had called me, and he said, he'd come to know

Was I the boy who wouldn't say his prayers

Nor do his sums, and that I'd have to go

Straight down to hell because of such affairs.

... I said I'd be converted and do good

If he would let me off—he said he would.

BEHIND THE HILL

Behind the hill I met a man in green

Who asked me if my mother had gone out?

I said she had. He asked me had I seen

His castle where the people sing and shout

From dawn to dark, and told me that he had

A crock of gold inside a hollow tree,

And I could have it.—I wanted money bad

To buy a sword with, and I thought that he

Would keep his solemn word; so, off we went.

He said he had a pound hid in the crock,

And owned the castle too, and paid no rent

To any one, and that you had to knock

Five hundred times. I asked, "Who reckoned up?"

And he said, "You insulting little pup!"

THE SECRET

I was frightened, for a wind

Crept along the grass to say

Something that was in my mind

Yesterday—

Something that I did not know

Could be found out by the wind,

I had buried it so low

In my mind.

APRIL SHOWERS

The leaves are fresh after the rain,

The air is cool and clear,

The sun is shining warm again,

The sparrows hopping in the lane

Are brisk and full of cheer.

And that is why we dance and play,

And that is why we sing,

Calling out in voices gay,

We will not go to school to-day

Or learn anything:

It is a happy thing, I say,

To be alive on such a day.

THE TURN OF THE ROAD

I was playing with my hoop along the road

Just where the bushes are, when, suddenly,

There came a shout.—I ran away and stowed

Myself beneath a bush, and watched to see

What made the noise, and then, around the bend,

I saw a woman running. She was old

And wrinkle-faced, and had big teeth.—The end

Of her red shawl caught on a bush and rolled

Right off her, and her hair fell down.—Her face

Was awful white, and both her eyes looked sick,

And she was talking queer. "O God of Grace!"

Said she, "where is the child?" and flew back quick

The way she came, and screamed, and shook her hands;

... Maybe she was a witch from foreign lands.

THE CORAL ISLAND

His arms were round a chest of oaken wood,

It was clamped with brass and iron studs, and seemed

An awful weight. After a while he stood

And I stole near to him.—His white eyes gleamed

As he peeped secretly about; he laid

The oaken chest upon the ground, then drew

A great knife from his belt, and stuck the blade

Into the ground and dug. The clay soon flew

In all directions underneath a tree,

And when the hole was deep he put the box

Down there, and threw the clay back cunningly,

Stamping the ground quite flat; then like a fox

He crept among the trees.... I went next day

To dig the treasure up, but I lost my way.

THE COW

Cow, Cow!

I and thou

Are looking at each other's eyes

You are lying on the grass

Eating every time I pass,

And you do not seem to be

Ever in perplexity:

You are good I'm sure, and not

Fit for nothing but the pot:

For your bearing is so kind,

And your quietness so wise:

Cow, Cow!

I and thou

Are looking at each other's eyes.

THE OLD MAN

An old man sat beneath a tree

Alone;

So still was he

That, if he had been carved in stone,

He could not be

More quiet or more cold:

He was an ancient man

More than

A thousand ages old.

WHAT THE SNAKE SAW

A little girl and a big ugly man

Went down the road. The girl was crying

And asking to go home, but when she ran

He hit her on the head and sent her flying,

And called her a young imp, and said he'd break

Her neck unless she went with him, and then

He smacked her on the cheek.—I was a snake

At that time crawling through a robber's den,

And diamonds were sticking to my tongue—

(That's the best dodge), but when I saw the way

He beat the little girl I up and flung

A stone at him. My aim was bad that day

Because I hit the girl ... and she did sing!

But he jumped round and cursed like anything.

THE HORSE

A sparrow hopped about the street,

And he was not a bit afraid;

He flew between a horse's feet,

And ate his supper undismayed:

I think myself the horse knew well

The bird came for the grains that fell.

For his eye was looking down,

And he danced the corn about

In his nose-bag, till the brown

Grains of corn were tumbled out;

And I fancy that he said,

"Eat it up, young Speckle-Head!"

The driver then came back again,

He climbed into the heavy dray;

And he tightened up the rein,

Cracked his whip and drove away.

But when the horse's ribs were hit,

The sparrow did not care a bit.

THE APPLE TREE

I was hiding in the crooked apple tree,

Scouting for Indians, when a man came;

I thought it was an Indian, for he

Was running like the wind.—There was a flame

Of sunlight on his hand as he drew near,

And then I saw a knife gripped in his fist.

He panted like a horse; his eyes were queer,

Wide-open, staring frightfully, and, hist!

His mouth stared open like another eye,

And all his hair was matted down with sweat.

I crouched among the leaves for fear he'd spy

Where I was hiding, so he did not get

His awful eyes on me, but like the wind

He fled as if he heard something behind.

THE APPOINTMENT

Tree! you are years standing there,

Gripping tight to the side of the hill,

And your branches are spread on the air,

While you stand so sad and so still,

And you do not complain

When you're wet with the rain,

Though I think you have often been ill.

I would like (but it could not be done,

So you must not keep me to my word)

To take you away when the sun

Goes down, and the breezes are stirred,

And hug you in bed

With myself, till you said

That to sleep on a hill was absurd.

O beautiful tree! when the night

Is dark, and the winds come and scold,

I would love then to cuddle you tight,

For I fear you will die of the cold;

But you are so tall,

And my bed is so small,

That it could not be done, I am told.

My mother is calling for me,

And the baby is wanting to play,

I shall have to go home now, you see,

But I'll give you a kiss if I may:

I would stay if I could,

But a child must be good,

So I must, darling tree, go away.

I will leave you my pencil and slate,

And this little pin from my frock;

But now I must go, for it's late,

And my mother is rattling the lock:

So good-bye, darling dear,

I'll come back, never fear,

In the morning at seven o'clock.

CHECK

The night was creeping on the ground;

She crept and did not make a sound

Until she reached the tree, and then

She covered it, and stole again

Along the grass beside the wall.

I heard the rustle of her shawl

As she threw blackness everywhere

Upon the sky and ground and air,

And in the room where I was hid:

But no matter what she did

To everything that was without,

She could not put my candle out.

So I stared at the night, and she

Stared back solemnly at me.

WHEN I WAS YOUNG

I will not know when I am dead

If sun or moon is overhead;

I'll stretch out flat without a sound

Inside a box beneath the ground,

And never rise again to see

Branches lifting on a tree,

Nor hear the song the finches sing

In the spring.

I'll not, while sunny ages go,

Lift a hand or wag a toe;

But in a wooden box will be

Hidden for eternity

From sea and sun, from sight and sound,

From touch of people, voice of friend,

From all that makes my heart to bound,

Denying such an end:

It is so strange—I wonder why

People die!

THE ROCKY ROAD TO DUBLIN

THE PATRIOT'S BED

When a son you shall desire,

Pray to water and to fire;

But when you would have a daughter,

Pray to fire and then to water.

GRAFTON STREET

At four o'clock, in dainty talk,

Lords and lovely ladies walk,

With a gentle dignity,

From the Green to Trinity.

And at five o'clock they take,

In a Café, tea and cake,

Then they call a carriage, and

Drive back into fairyland.

PORTOBELLO BRIDGE

Silver stars shine peacefully,

The Canal is silver, the

Poplars bear with modest grace

Gossamers of silver lace,

And the turf bank wears with glee

Black and silver filigree.

YORK STREET

If in winter you shall drive

Birds from crumbs, you shall not thrive;

But if you feed them, they will fly

To sing it sweetly on the sky.

So throw up the window, and

Scatter with a lavish hand,

Taking care you do not spill

Flower-pots from the window-sill,

Singing, "Ireland shall be free

From the centre to the sea";

Singing bravely once again,

"We are Dan O'Connell's Men."

THE FIFTEEN ACRES

I cling and swing

On a branch, or sing

Through the cool, clear hush of Morning, O:

Or fling my wing

On the air, and bring

To sleepier birds a warning, O:

That the night's in flight,

And the sun's in sight,

And the dew is the grass adorning, O:

And the green leaves swing

As I sing, sing, sing,

Up by the river,

Down the dell,

To the little wee nest,

Where the big tree fell,

So early in the morning, O.

I flit and twit

In the sun for a bit

When his light so bright is shining, O:

Or sit and fit

My plumes, or knit

Straw plaits for the nest's nice lining, O:

And she with glee

Shows unto me

Underneath her wings reclining, O:

And I sing that Peg

Has an egg, egg, egg,

Up by the oat-field,

Round the mill,

Past the meadow,

Down the hill,

So early in the morning, O.

I stoop and swoop

On the air, or loop

Through the trees, and then go soaring, O

To group with a troop

On the gusty poop

While the wind behind is roaring, O:

I skim and swim

By a cloud's red rim

And up to the azure flooring, O:

And my wide wings drip

As I slip, slip, slip

Down through the rain-drops,

Back where Peg

Broods in the nest

On the little white egg,

So early in the morning, O.

COLLEGE GREEN

When you meet an ancient man,

Be as silent as you can;

So when old age comes to you,

Courtesies shall gather too.

And King Billy's horse will start

From our street and from our heart,

When each Irishman shall be

Perfected in courtesy.

MOUNT STREET

Here and there on the wings of night

A fleck of blue and purple light,

A scrap of cloud, a bird, a star,

A comet hurrying afar

On the abyss, and the moon

Standing in her silver shoon.

On the summit of the sky,

Delicate and proud and high,

The silver moon on a silver sea

Spins her silver broidery

While the stars send down a light

Here and there on the wings of night.

WESTLAND ROW

Every Sunday there's a throng

Of pretty girls, who trot along

In a pious, breathless state

(They are nearly always late)

To the Chapel, where they pray

For the sins of Saturday.

They have frocks of white and blue,

Yellow sashes they have too,

And red ribbons show each head

Tenderly is ringleted;

And the bell rings loud, and the

Railway whistles urgently.

After Chapel they will go,

Walking delicately slow,

Telling still how Father John

Is so good to look upon,

And such other grave affairs

As they thought of during prayers.

THE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

Who knows a thing and will not tell

Shall spend eternity in hell;

But he who learns and teaches free

In heaven spends eternity.

Around the Leinster Lawn we go

Into Molesworth Street, and so

To Saint Stephen's Green, where we

Hang a banner on a tree.

THE CANAL BANK

I know a girl,

And a girl knows me,

And the owl says, what?

And the owl says, who?

But what we know

We both agree

That nobody else

Shall hear or see,

It's all between

Herself and me:

To wit? said the owl,

To woo, said I,

To-what, to-wit, to-woo!

BY ANA LIFFEY

If you come to live with me,

I will sing so heartily

In your honour that you will

Stay to wonder at my skill.

In your honour I will fill

The world with songs of triumph, till

You and I and Time are old

Pipers of the Age of Gold.

Time and you and I will hold,

Everywhere by field and fold,

Concerts of content, and be

Known afar for jollity.

Everywhere by fold and field

We will wander well-agreed;

So I sing right heartily,

Come along and live with me.

FROM HAWK AND KITE

Poor, frightened, fluttered, silent one!

If we had seen your nest of clay

We would have passed it by, and gone,

Nor frightened you away.

For there are others guard a nest

From hawk and kite and lurking foe,

And more despair is in their breast

Than you can ever know.

Shield the nests where'er they be,

On the ground or on the tree;

Guard the poor from treachery.

THE GOMBEEN-MAN

I put the sky into my pocket,

And the sea into my locket,

And into my breeches-band

I put the land.

So I was trotting off to share,

Among my comrades in the lair,

Our profits, when a peeler came

And took my name.

And now I'm in the County Gaol!

Will anybody be my bail?

Will anybody be my bail

And take me from the County Gaol?

BERESFORD PLACE

The man who has and does not give

Shall break his neck, and cease to live;

But he who gives without a care

Shall gather rubies from the air.

AT THE FAIR

The lark shall never come to say

To a gombeen-man, "Good day,"

And the lark shall never cry

To a kindly man, "Good-bye."

See the greedy gombeen-man

Taking everything he can

From man and woman, dog and cat—

And the lark does not like that.

THE FUR COAT

I walked out in my Coat of Pride,

I looked about on every side,

And said the mountains should not be

Just where they were, and that the sea

Was badly placed, and that the beech

Should be an oak—and then from each

I turned in dignity as if

They were not there: I sniffed a sniff,

And climbed upon my sunny shelf,

And sneezed a while, and scratched myself.

DUBLIN MEN

A Dublin man will frown when he

Hears a tale of villainy;

But when a kindness you relate,

He swings and whistles on the gate.

O'CONNELL BRIDGE

In Dublin town the people see

Gorgeous clouds sail gorgeously,

They are finer, I declare,

Than the clouds of anywhere.

A swirl of blue and red and green,

A stream of blinding gold, a sheen

From silver hill and pearly ridge

Comes each evening on the bridge.

So when you walk in a field, look down,

Lest you tramp on a daisy's crown,

But in a city look always high

And watch the beautiful clouds go by.

CHARLOTTE STREET

Inside a soap shop, down a lane,

A big bee buzzed on a window-pane,

Climbing the cold glass up and down;

Bee, what brought you into town?

You are tired and hungry and scarce alive,

Poor old Shaggy-Tail! where's your hive?

GEORGE'S STREET

Listen! if but women were

Half as kind as they are fair,

There would be an end to all

Miseries that do befall.

Cloud and wind would run together

In a dance of sunny weather,

And the happy trees would throw

Gifts to travellers below.

Then the lion, meek and mild,

With the lamb would, side by side,

Couch him friendly, and would be

Innocent of enmity.

Then the Frozen Pole would go,

Tossing off his fields of snow,

And would shake delighted feet

With the girls of George's Street.

These, if women only were

Half as kind as they are fair.

HOLLES STREET

Through the air,

Everywhere, the rain is falling;

Brawling on house and tree:

On every place that you can see

The rain drops go;

The roofs are wet, the walls, the ground below.

Midnight has come;

Now all the people stretch them blind and dumb

Each in a bed

Save I, who sit and listen overhead

Unto the rain

Splashing upon the roof and window-pane.

Midnight! and I

Can get no sleep, nor can the sky.

KATTY GOLLAGHER

The hill is bare: I only find

The grass, the sky, and one small tree

Tossing wildly on the wind;

And that is all there is to see:

A tree, a hill, a wind, a sky

Where nothing ever passes by.

CORK HILL

Come all ye happy children, and

Gather round me hand in hand,

Dancing to the merry cry,

"See the Robbers Passing By."

Past the Castle we will dance

To the Mansion House, and prance

Back by George's Street and cry,

"See the Robbers Passing By."

Gather then ye children all

Into ranks processional,

Marching to the merry cry,

"See the Robbers Passing By."

THE PIPER

Shepherd! while the lambs do feed,

And you rest beneath a tree,

Pipe upon an oaten reed

Merrily and merrily.

Should it rain do not forbear—

Rain comes from the happy sky—

Tune us now a quiet air

Till the shower passes by.

Back the sun will come in gold!

Pipe away, my dear, until

Evening brings the lambs to fold—

You may weep then if you will.

THE SHADOW

Silence comes upon the night,

Gone is all the cheerful day,

The moon has disappeared from sight,

Every star has gone away.

Sinking through the void, and thence

Disappearing, star and sky,

In the stern and black immense

That has blinded every eye.

Silence crouches on the land,

In the street a shadow lies

Cloaked in velvet wrappings, and

With a mask upon her eyes.

Anonymous and terrible

Mother of the primal ray,

Only night because thou art

In thyself excess of day.

CUSTOM HOUSE QUAY

When a Dublin man shall say,

"Give me a little bread, I pray,"

If you do not give him bread

You will be hungry when he is fed.

And let no priest or magistrate

Scowl upon the poor man's plate,

Asking him the question sly

To which no one can reply.

STEPHEN'S GREEN

The wind stood up and gave a shout;

He whistled on his fingers, and

Kicked the withered leaves about

And thumped the branches with his hand,

And said he'd kill, and kill, and kill,

And so he will, and so he will.

THE COLLEGE OF SURGEONS

As I stood at the door

Sheltered out of the wind,

Something flew in

Which I hardly could find.

In the dim, gloomy doorway

I searched till I found

A dry withered leaf

Lying down on the ground.

With thin, pointed claws

And a dry dusty skin,—

Sure a hall is no place

For a leaf to be in!

Oh where is your tree,

And your summer and all,

Poor dusty leaf

Whistled into a hall?

MERRION SQUARE

Grey clouds on the tinted sky,

A drifting moon, a quiet breeze

Drooping mournfully to cry

In the branches of the trees.

The crying wind, the sighing trees,

The ruffled stars, the darkness falling

Down the sky, and on the breeze

A belated linnet calling.

THE BARE TREES

Unfortunates, on the bare tree!

I mourn for ye

That have no place to house,

But on those winter-white cold boughs

To sit,

(How far apart ye sit)

And brood

In this wide, wintry solitude

That has no song at all to hearten it.

Fly away, little birds!

Fly away to Spain,

Stay there all the winter

Then come back again;

Come back in the summer

When the leaves are thick;

Little weeny cold birds

Fly away quick.

DUNPHY'S CORNER

Pacing slowly down the road

Black horses go, with load on load

Of Dublin people dead, and they

Will be covered up in clay.

Ere their friends go home, each man

Will shake his head, and drain a can

To Dublin people we will meet

Not again in Grafton Street.

THE DODDER BANK

When no flower is nigh, you might

Spy a weed with deep delight;

So, when far from saints and bliss,

God might give a sin a kiss.

WHITE FIELDS

In the winter children go

Walking in the fields of snow

Where there is no grass at all,

And the top of every wall,

Every fence, and every tree

Is as white as white can be.

Pointing out the way they came,

(Every one of them the same)

All across the fields there be

Prints in silver filigree;

And their mothers find them so

By the footprints in the snow.

THE PAPS OF DANA

The mountains stand and stare around,

They are far too proud to speak;

Altho' they're rooted in the ground,

Up they go, peak after peak,

Beyond the tallest tree, and still

Soaring over house and hill

Until you'd think they'd never stop

Going up, top over top,

Into the clouds—

Still I mark

That a sparrow or a lark

Flying just as high, can sing

As if he'd not done anything.

I think the mountains ought to be

Taught a little modesty.

DONNELLY'S ORCHARD

He who locks a gate doth close

Pity's heart against his woes;

But who opens one shall find

God is standing just behind.

DONNYBROOK

I saw the moon so broad and bright

Sailing high on a frosty night:

And the air swung far and far between

The silver disc and the orb of green:

While here and there a wisp of white

Cloud-film swam on the misty light:

And crusted thickly on the sky,

High and higher and yet more high,

Were golden star-points dusted through

The great, wide, silent vault of blue:

Then I said to me—God is good

And the world is fair—and where I stood

I knelt me down and bent my head,

And said my prayers, and went to bed.

THE END

Printed by R. & R. CLARK, LIMITED, Edinburgh.

BY THE SAME AUTHOR.

THE CROCK OF GOLD. Crown 8vo. 5s. net.

THE PALL MALL GAZETTE.—"A wise, beautiful, and humorous book.... If you could have given Sterne a soul and made him a poet he might have produced The Crock of Gold."

THE DEMI-GODS. Crown 8vo. 5s. net.

STANDARD.—"The book is full of fine knowledge and fantasies in every shade of gaiety and gravity, and we would call its author a magician did we not feel that everything he writes is perfectly natural to him.... This book would prove, if proof were needed, that Mr. Stephens's Crock of Gold was not a mere tour de force, but a real ebullition of genius and a token of all the good work that was to come."

HERE ARE LADIES. Crown 8vo. 5s. net.

THE TIMES.—"A story may have many and diverse effects upon its reader. It may leave him smiling, laughing, frowning (perhaps weeping), angry, perplexed, exalted, afraid. The bits of stories in Here are Ladies, the sketches, essays, snapshots, call them what you will, will leave him for the most part happy and hungry—for more."

THE CHARWOMAN'S DAUGHTER. Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d. net.

PUNCH.—"A little gem.... It is a very long time indeed since we read such a human, satisfying book. Every page contains some happy phrase or illuminating piece of character drawing."

SONGS FROM THE CLAY. Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d. net.

EVENING STANDARD.—"They have the sense of elfin mischief and keen spiritual sympathy with inarticulate nature which is so recognisable a feature of all Mr. Stephens's writings, prose and verse. Many of the poems are models of that simplicity which is the supreme art of poesy, and in all may be found an underlying verity, masked may be with smiles or tears."

MACMILLAN AND CO., LTD., LONDON.

*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ADVENTURES OF SEUMAS BEG; THE ROCKY ROAD TO DUBLIN ***

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.

Table of Contents

THE CHERRY TREE

BREAKFAST TIME

IN THE ORCHARD

DAY AND NIGHT

THE DEVIL'S BAG

A VISIT FROM ABROAD

THE WOOD OF FLOWERS

THE WHITE WINDOW

MIDNIGHT

BEHIND THE HILL

THE SECRET

APRIL SHOWERS

THE TURN OF THE ROAD

THE CORAL ISLAND

THE COW

THE OLD MAN

WHAT THE SNAKE SAW

THE HORSE

THE APPLE TREE

THE APPOINTMENT

CHECK

WHEN I WAS YOUNG

THE PATRIOT'S BED

GRAFTON STREET

PORTOBELLO BRIDGE

YORK STREET

THE FIFTEEN ACRES

COLLEGE GREEN

MOUNT STREET

WESTLAND ROW

THE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

THE CANAL BANK

FROM HAWK AND KITE

THE GOMBEEN-MAN

BERESFORD PLACE

AT THE FAIR

THE FUR COAT

DUBLIN MEN

O'CONNELL BRIDGE

CHARLOTTE STREET

GEORGE'S STREET

HOLLES STREET

KATTY GOLLAGHER

CORK HILL

THE PIPER

THE SHADOW

CUSTOM HOUSE QUAY

STEPHEN'S GREEN

THE COLLEGE OF SURGEONS

MERRION SQUARE

THE BARE TREES

DUNPHY'S CORNER

THE DODDER BANK

WHITE FIELDS

THE PAPS OF DANA

DONNELLY'S ORCHARD

DONNYBROOK

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE