English poem
V K HILL 1846
by Margaret Moran Dixon McDougall (1828–1899)
Heart of mine, by thy quick beating, Thou knowest Isabel is near, And the gladness of the greeting Dims my eye with rapture's tear. Heart of mine, each beat will tell How I love young Isabel.
When I first beheld the maiden, So fair to see, so sweet to bless, I, a stranger, sorrow laden, Arrested by her loveliness, Then I thought some hand would set, On that brow a coronet.
She had grace all hearts beguiling, She had the wealth of silken hair, And sweet lips, half proud, half smiling, Neck of snow and bosom fair, And each eye a sapphire gem For a monarch's diadem
Oh, she was peerless in her beauty, Like the fair moon she walked alone, And loving her was but a duty, A spell her loveliness had thrown; And I thought that I could trace Erin's pencil on her face
With the fervour of my nation, I worshipped her as months went by, She was the one constellation, In my cheerless sky; Though on me there never fell One kind glance from Isabel.
Heart of mine we love, we love her, She is still our lady bright, Fairest of them all we prove her Queen of beauty as her right. And in simple verse we tell The praises of fair Isabel.