Poem_Charles Villiers Stanford

“My Loves An Arbutus

My loves an arbutus
By the borders of Lene,
So slender and shapely
In her girdle of green.
And I measure the pleasure
Of her eyes sapphire sheen
By the blue skies that sparkle
Through the soft branching screen.

But though ruddy the berry
And snowy the flower
That brighten together
The arbutus bower,
Perfuming and blooming
Through sunshine and shower,
Give me her bright lips
And her laughs pearly dower.

Alas, fruit and blossom
Shall lie dead on the lea,
And Times jealous fingers
Dim your young charms, Machree.
But unranging, unchanging,
Youll still cling to me,
Like the evergreen leaf
To the arbutus tree.

By Charles Villiers Stanford”