Poem by Thomas MacDonagh

John-John

I dreamt last night of you, John-John,
    And thought you called to me;
And when I woke this morning, John,
    Yourself I hoped to see;
But I was all alone, John-John,
    Though still I heard your call;
I put my boots and bonnet on,
    And took my Sunday shawl,
And went full sure to find you, John,
          At Nenagh fair.

The fair was just the same as then,
    Five years ago to-day,
When first you left the thimble-men
    And came with me away;
For there again were thimble-men
    And shooting galleries,
And card-trick men and maggie-men,
    Of all sorts and degrees,--
But not a sight of you, John-John,
          Was anywhere.

I turned my face to home again,
    And called myself a fool
To think you’d leave the thimble-men
    And live again by rule,
To go to mass and keep the fast
    And till the little patch;
My wish to have you home was past
    Before I raised the latch
And pushed the door and saw you, John,
          Sitting down there.

How cool you came in here, begad,
    As if you owned the place!
But rest yourself there now, my lad,
    'Tis good to see your face;
My dream is out, and now by it
    I think I know my mind:
At six o'clock this house you’ll quit,
    And leave no grief behind;--
But until six o'clock, John-John,
          My bit you’ll share.

The neighbours' shame of me began
    When first I brought you in;
To wed and keep a tinker man
    They thought a kind of sin;
But now this three years since you've gone
    'Tis pity me they do,
And that I'd rather have, John-John,
    Than that they'd pity you,
Pity for me and you, John-John,
          I could not bear.

Oh, you're my husband right enough,
    But what's the good of that?
You know you never were the stuff
    To be the cottage cat,
To watch the fire and hear me lock
    The door and put out Shep--
But there, now, it is six o'clock
    And time for you to step.
God bless and keep you far, John-John!
          And that's my prayer.

1. To a Wise Man
2. Of the Man of My First Play
3. Dublin Tramcars
4. Cormac Óg
5. The Philistine

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