The Chain of Gold

Oh, Moina, I’ve a tale to tell
Will glad thy soul, my girl;
The King hath giv’n a chain of gold
To our noble-hearted Earl.
His foes they rail’d–the Earl ne’er quailed–
But, with a front so bold,
Before the King did backward fling
The slanderous lies they told,
And the King gave him no iron chain–
No–he gave him a chain of gold!

Oh, ’tis a noble sight to see
The cause of truth prevail:
An honest cause is always proof
Against a treacherous tale.
Let fawning false ones court the great,
The heart in virtue bold
Will hold the right, in power’s despite,
Until that heart be cold:
For falsehood’s the bond of slavery,
But truth is the chain of gold.

False Connal wed the rich one
With her gold and jewels rare,
But Dermid wed the maid he lov’d,
And she clear’d his brow from care:
And thus, in our own hearts, love,
We may read this lesson plain,
Let outward joys depart, love,
So peace within remain–
For falsehood is an iron bond,
But love is the golden chain!