#The Bird and the Fly


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#### Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition


### Background details and bibliographic information


The Bird and the Fly
====================


Author: Patrick Augustine Sheehan
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### File Description

Electronic edition compiled by Benjamin Hazard

Funded by School of History, University College, Cork and  
 Private donation 1. First draftExtent of text: 760 words#### Publication


CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a project of University College, Cork  
College Road, Cork, Ireland — http://www.ucc.ie/celt

 (2014) Distributed by CELT online at University College, Cork, Ireland.  
Text ID Number: E900012-003Availability [RESTRICTED] 
Available with prior consent of the CELT programme for purposes of academic research and teaching only.


#### Sources


**Manuscript**2. [Details to follow].
**Canon Sheehan on the Internet**2. http://www.canonsheehanremembered.com.
**Edition**2. Canon P.A. Sheehan, 'The Bird and the Fly,' The Irish Monthly, 28/326 (August 1900) 482–483.
**Literature**2. Herman Joseph Heuser, Canon Sheehan of Doneraile: the story of an Irish parish priest as told chiefly by himself in books, personal memoirs, and letters (New York 1917).
3. Arthur Coussens. P. A. Sheehan, zijn leven en zijn werken (Brugge/Bruges 1923).
4. Michael P. Linehan, Canon Sheehan of Doneraile: Priest, Novelist, Man of Letters (Dublin 1952).
5. James O'Brien (ed.), The Collected Letters of Canon Sheehan of Doneraile, 1883–1913 (Wells 2013).
6. James O'Brien, Canon Sheehan of Doneraile 1852–1913: Outlines for a Literary Biography (Wells 2013). [Bibliographical references 205-11.]
**The edition used in the digital edition**2. , The Bird and the Fly in The Irish Monthly: A Magazine of General Literature, Ed. Matthew Russell SJ. , Dublin, Irish Jesuit Province (August 1900) volume 28number 326page 482–483

### Encoding


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CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts


#### Sampling Declaration


The electronic text represents the edited version.


#### Editorial Declaration


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Text has been checked and proof-read once.


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The electronic text represents the edited text.


##### Quotation


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##### Hyphenation


Soft hyphens are silently removed. When a hyphenated word (hard or soft) crosses a page-break or line-break, the page-break and line-break are marked after the completion of the hyphenated word.


##### Segmentation


div0 = the poem. Metrical lines, line-breaks and stanzas are marked and numbered.


##### Standard Values


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##### Interpretation


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### Profile Description


Created: By Patrick Augustine Sheehan (1852–1913)

 (1900) #### Use of language


##### Language: [EN] The text is in English.


### Revision History


* (2014-01-15) Beatrix Färber (ed.)

* File parsed.
* (2014-01-14) Benjamin Hazard (ed.)

* Header created; structural mark-up added; file proofed.
* (2014-01-10) Benjamin Hazard (data capture)

* Text captured.




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#### Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition: E900012-003


### The Bird and the Fly: Author: Patrick Augustine Sheehan




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p.482


1. I saw a speck on my window pane
  
Last night 'gainst the leaden sky;
  
My windows were swept by bullets of rain,
  
As the storm went sullenly by.
2. Was it a fly on the window-pane?
  
Was it a bird in the sky,
  
Straining wet wings 'gainst the pitiless rain,
  
As the storm rushed sweltering by?
3. It was a fly on my window-pane,
  
Happy, and warm, and dry;
  
Counting the silvery drops of rain,
  
As they hissed from the angry sky.
4. It was a bird on the stormy blast,
  
Plunged in despair to try
  
Could he reach a refuge, till death had passed
  
On the hurricane thundering by.
5. And I said; Alas! for my little bird!
  
And I said: O happy fly!
  
Sheltered and safe from perils unheard,
  
And the moods of a winter sky.
6. Then sudden, a spider leaped from his nest,
  
And wrapped the enchanted fly
  
In fold and fold to his pitiless breast,
  
Without struggle, or plaint, or cry.
7. And the storm went wailing around the world,
  
And here on a branch close by,
  
My bird sat chirping, with pinions furled,
  
And the clouds soared clear and high.


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p.483

10. And I said: O my soul! were it better for thee
  
Here in thy haven to lie,
  
Than out in the stress of the stormy lea,
  
Battling for victory?
11. There is peril at home; there is dread abroad;
  
And a bolt from the bluest sky:
  
Now, take thy chance, and trust in thy God;
  
He is wiser and stronger than I.
P.A. SHEEHAN