But, when he came to his Abbey...

But, when he came to his Abbey, He found a wondrous change; He saw no friendly faces there, For every face was strange.

The strange men spoke unto him; And he heard from all and each The foreign tongue of the Sassenach, Not wholesome Irish speech.

Then the oldest monk came forward, In Irish tongue spake he: ‘ Thou wearest the holy Augustine's dress, And who hath given it to thee?’

‘ I wear the Augustine's dress, And Cormac is my name, The Abbot of this good Abbey By grace of God I am.

I went forth to pray, at the dawn of day; And when my prayers were said, I hearken'd awhile to a little bird, That sung above my head.’

The monks to him made answer, ‘ Two hundred years have gone o'er, Since our Abbot Cormac went through the gate, And never was heard of more.

Matthias now is our Abbot, And twenty have pass'd away. The stranger is lord of Ireland; We live in an evil day.’

‘ Days will come and go,’ he said, ‘ And the world will pass away, In Heaven a day is a thousand years, A thousand years are a day.’

‘ Now give me absolution; For my time is come,’ said he. And they gave him absolution, As speedily as might be.

Then, close outside the window, The sweetest song they heard That ever yet since the world began Was utter'd by any bird.

The monks look'd out and saw the bird, Its feathers all white and clean; And there in a moment, beside it, Another white bird was seen.

Those two they sang together, Waved their white wings, and fled; Flew aloft, and vanish'd; But the good old man was dead.

They buried his blessed body Where lake and green-sward meet; A carven cross above his head, A holly-bush at his feet;

Where spreads the beautiful water To gay or cloudy skies, And the purple peaks of Killarney From ancient woods arise.