Knocklayd by Moonlight

The silver moon is shining
    On far Knocklayd;
And the night dew glistens
    On leaf and blade.

A white mist is passing
    Across the moon's face;
Gleaming like silver
    In the blue space.

As I gaze upon it,
    I seem to see
Dim and misty figures.
    People of the sidhe.

Who are the phantoms?
    Can they, in truth,
Be the dead heroes
    From the land of youth?

Are they the fairies
    From the green raths.
Who tread by moonlight
    The sky's dim paths?

The mist sweeps onward,
    The phantoms fade,
And the moon shines silver
    On far Knocklayd.

H. K. Leathem

Poem: The Witness, 6 December 1918.
Image: Knocklayd Mountain, County Antrim by Samuel McLarnon