Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, ISLE OF MEMORY, by CARROLL RYAN


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

ISLE OF MEMORY, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: O, most dear to memory
Last Line: And my soul rejoices now that such has been.
Alternate Author Name(s): Ryan, William Thomas Carroll
Subject(s): Memory; Pilgrimages & Pilgrims


O, most dear to memory
Is that Island in the sea,
Where the wild purple passion-flower blooms;
There the breezes sink to sleep
On the bosom of the deep,
Made drowsy with the weight of sweet perfumes.

There the towers darkly frown
High above the subject town,
Where the banner of the Master floats no more;
And the sound of convent bells
From the valley upward swells,
And the Lotus-eaters dream upon the shore.

There a saint's uplifted hand
Pours a blessing on the land,
And pilgrims kneel before the lighted fane;
And the old heroic past
Throws a shadow dim and vast,
Like a giant's, from the mountain to the plain.

Now my heart beats faint and slow
In this land of storm and snow,
As I picture to myself that happy scene;
But the beautiful was mine,
In the land of song and wine,
And my soul rejoices now that such has been.





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