The National Bard Of Ireland Poem by Francis Duggan

The poet who penned Dark Rosaleen is scarce spoken of today
He never left his home Country and and there his bones now lay
The National Bard of Ireland some have been known to say
And yet his flowering genius did seem quick to decay.

Without leaving descendants for to carry on his line
At forty six years of age he died of consumption in eighteen forty nine
Some sixteen years or thereabouts before the birth of Yeats
Their lifestyles were so different they could never have been mates.

He translated from poets of other languages as well as penning his own poems and rhymes
A poor bard of Ireland's famine years he lived through the hard times
In his lifetime his poems were not published out of Ireland too poor to be well known
Yet he was a marvellous wordsmith and truly Ireland's own.

One without airs and graces and his praises seldom sung
The pauper poet of Dublin he died relatively young
He struggled for recognition in his too brief life span
The National bard of Ireland a near forgotten man.

An impoverished poor fellow yet a poetic great
Poems of the finest beauty his genius did create
A poet of such rare talents James Clarence Mangan was his name
The National bard of Ireland he deserves far greater fame.