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Subject: [Irish Genealogy] "Tinker's Moon" -- Dublin-born Ewart MILNE(1903-1987)
Date: Sun, 20 Mar 2011 21:00:51 +0000 (UTC)
In-Reply-To: <98522387.2816193.1300654842307.JavaMail.root@sz0160a.emeryville.ca.mail.comcast.net>

TINKER'S MOON

Four children on a rumbling cart,
A woman trudging beside that load,
A lank man leaving the horse to guide
A wet road: a dry road:
A gravelly road that a woman shall walk
And a lank man leave the horse to guide;
The tinker's children take their chance, and bide.
A lane leads on to one more lane,
An uphill to one more hill;
A potato patch to thin on the way, a hen to kill,
And hunger again: and sleep again:
And a moonlight flit while the salmon leaps
>From a smouldering spot by the riverside;
The tinker's children take their chance, and bide.
When Wicklow woods first seemed to wait,
As still they wait tonight;
I heard that creaking, rumbling cart,
And stars the same were out.
When you gave pennies to the youngest child,
A silent child: a tawny child:
The tinker's children meekly are, and mild.
And still I hear strange woods among
Whenever a creaking cart goes down;
The singsong twang of that bawneen man:
"Thank you my lady, thank you my lady."
As when you gave the child a penny.
I heard it in an Irish voice to-day,
And saw again though long gone by
Four children on a rumbling cart,
A woman trudging beside that load,
A lank man leaving the horse to guide
A wet road: a dry road:
A gravelly road for a moonlight flit
>From a smouldering spot by the riverside;
I saw the stony, rocky road where the tinker's children bide.

-- Ewart MILNE (1903- )

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