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| COLUMBKILLE! Saint Columbkille! | |
| You naughty man, Saint Columbkille! | |
| Why did you Finnian’s Psalter take | |
| And secretly a copy make? | |
| You know ’twas such a naughty thing | 5 |
| For one descended from a king | |
| To lock himself into a cell, | |
| ’Twas far from right,—you knew it well,— | |
| And copy Finnian’s Psalter through, | |
| Against his will as well you knew. | 10 |
| And then to think a common bird | |
| Should feel such shame, that when he heard | |
| The breathing spy outside your door, | |
| And felt your sainthood was no more, | |
| Should through the crack attack the spy, | 15 |
| And in a rage pluck out his eye, | |
| As if that saintly Irish crane | |
| Would hide from all your Saintship’s stain. | |
| I grieve to think that you did add | |
| Sin unto sin; it is too bad. | 20 |
| For Finnian could not you persuade | |
| To yield the copy that you made, | |
| Until the King in his behalf | |
| Ruled—“To each cow belongs her calf”: | |
| And then you grew so mad you swore | 25 |
| On Erin’s face you’d look no more. | |
| And crossed the sea the Picts to save, | |
| Because you so did misbehave | |
| To dear Saint Finnian: faith, ’twas ill | |
| For you to act so, Columbkille! | 30 |
| A saint you were no doubt, no doubt! | |
| What pity ’twas you were found out! | |
| We know an angel (snob or fool?) | |
| To Kiaran showed a common rule, | |
| An axe, an auger, and a saw, | 35 |
| And told that saint it was the law | |
| Of Heaven that Columbkille should be | |
| Far, far above such saints as he; | |
| For Columbkille contemned a crown, | |
| While he these homely tools laid down, | 40 |
| To serve the Lord, and that the Lord | |
| To each would give his due reward. | |
| I wonder if that angel knew | |
| That Christ these tools had laid down too. | |
| O Columbkille! O Columbkille! | 45 |
| A saint like you must have his will, | |
| But for myself I’d rather be | |
| The common sinner that you see | |
| Than make a crane ashamed of me, | |
| And angels talk such idiocy. | 50 |
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