I Dreamt and In My Dreams

I dreamt, and in my dreams I heard
Sweet music faint and low,
It was a song of Ireland,
A song of long ago.
I saw once more my dear old home
With its gables and its towers,
The dear old fashioned garden
With all its brilliant flowers.
Once more I heard the church bells ring
Through the quiet evening air.
Once more I sang the vesper hymn,
Once more I knelt at prayer.
And then I saw the harvest moon
Shed forth its lustrous light
Upon the fields of yellow corn.
It was a glorious sight.
Then in the early dawn
I walked beside the silent stream,
I saw the blue forget-me-not
And picked it in my dream.
I saw the mountains and the hills
The woodland and the lea,
And memories of bygone days
Came rushing over me.
For Ireland and for freedom
I felt my pulses glow,
I saw the patriots of old
Go forth to meet the foe.
And when I saw the green flag
That fluttered in the air,
I prayed that God would bless it
And that God would hear my prayer.
Oh Ireland forever
Thou art graven on my heart,
No dream can make thee sweeter
Or fairer than thou art.