I'm bidding you a long farewell, My Mary, kind and true, But I'll not forget you, darling, In the land I'm going to. They say there's bread and work for all, And the sun shines always there; But I'll not forget old Ireland, Were it fifty times as fair.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker bids farewell to Mary, promising not to forget her or Ireland, despite moving to a promised better land.
- In plain terms
- Leaving home, the speaker vows to remember loved ones and homeland.
- What can you take from it?
- Hold onto memories when starting anew.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What do you leave behind when you move?
- How do you keep ties alive?
Another view
Romanticizes the destination without acknowledging challenges.
More from Helen, Baroness Dufferin and Claneboye Blackwood
I'm very lonely now, Mary, For the poor make no new friends; But oh they love the better still The few our Father sends!
Permalink to quote #3 The corn was springing fresh and green, And the lark sang loud and high, And the red was on your lip, Mary, And the love-light in your eye.
Permalink to quote #2 I'm sitting on the stile, Mary, Where we sat side by side.
Permalink to quote #1
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