WitH THE STORY TELLERS

The Cosbys and their ilk are brave
Against unarmed men,

But be their numbers what they may,
I’ll fight them in this glen.

The English horse have reached the glen
And pitched their tents close by;
So dark and dreary were its looks,
Its sides so steep and high,
That they threw up strong breastworks,
Lest clan O’Byrne should try
To ’scape Lord Wilton’s cavalry,
And through the valley fly.
The royal troops were ready,
Well cowardly Cosby knew,
Before he asked Lord Grey to come
His hirelingss to review.
Sir Peter Carew also came
To strengthen England’s might:
Unscrupulous and daring,
Lord Wilton’s fortune sharing,
He was ready for the fight.

The English view the rugged slopes
Above the tawny flood;

And stilJness brooded o’er the scene,
Where those tricd warriors stood;

Searce broken by the rapid flow

Of Avonbeg, that down below,

In divers channels strives to go,
Through rocks and brakes and wood.

Why halts the brave O’Byrne clan,
What does their chieftain mean?
Abandoning that narrow pass,
At crossing of the Polanass,
Where drooping willows lean

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