Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Just A Little House


An Old Woman Of The Roads.

O, TO have a little house!
To own the hearth and stool and all!
The heaped up sods upon the fire,
The pile of turf against the wall!

To have a clock with weights and chains
And pendulum swinging up and down!
A dresser filled with shining delph,
Speckled and white and blue and brown!

I could be busy all the day
Clearing and sweeping hearth and floor,
And fixing on their shelf again
My white and blue and speckled store!

I could be quiet there at night
Beside the fire and by myself,
Sure of a bed and loth to leave
The ticking clock and the shining delph!

Och! but I'm weary of mist and dark,
And roads where there's never a house nor bush,
And tired I am of bog and road,
And the crying wind and the lonesome hush!

And I am praying to God on high,
And I am praying Him night and day,
For a little house—a house of my own—
Out of the wind's and the rain's way.

~Padraic Colum 1881 - 1972

14 comments:

Betsy Brock said...

Your little houses are adorable...like a little village!

Deanna said...

Precious poem and sweetly put.
May you have a nice week,
d

Carol said...

Love the poem :)
The houses would look cute turned into cross-stitch. Oh nooooooo not another project :)

DeniseinVA said...

A beautiful poem Jo, and I too love your collection of houses.

Andora said...

very nice Jo!!!!.have a good rest of the week..

Wendy said...

My mother who has since passed on, had this poem in a beautiful painting she found in England. She was a complete Anglophile and used to dream of having a cottage in the Cotswalds (sp?) I feel she now has her cottage. Thank you for bringing back her memory.

karen said...

Love your poem. My little house would have to have ticking clocks too...even if I never pay any attention to time, I do so love the ticking. and the quiet of the house in which to hear the ticking.
Your house collection looks just right with the little British flag! I've always wanted to live in England...countryside of course. Is it as I imagine from the many books I've read. One of my favorite authors is Rosamunde Pilcher.

Stella Jones said...

Gorgeous little houses and a nice little flag! I loved the poem. Couldn't make up my mind if it was Irish or Scots? Sounds Irish but then I see 'och' and sounds Scots. Oh well, it was lovely. Could have been written for my eldest son!
Blessings, Star

Barbara said...

A lovely poem and I have some of those houses in my house.

DJan said...

You must be a collector of many things, including little houses. I am amazed by many of the things you show...

donna baker said...

Jo, I love little cottage and house groupings too.

George said...

The poem is wonderful and goes very well the houses in the photo.
Thanks for the birthday wishes.

Mary Lou said...

I love Lady Grey tea? Do you?
Love the little houses too.

~Kim at Golden Pines~ said...

What a lovely poem that has made me think of a couple of oast family members--Thanks for that memory today. I hope your week is going well!