A Spring Night Near Cullen

The moon shines on the Araglen clear waters And the trout for fly jump in the river pool And in the gentle breeze new leaves are stirring And the night air one might say a little cool. The hunting barn owl flies above the meadow In the dim light he almost appears white His hungry chicks back in the nest are waiting He must appease their hefty appetite. On whirring wings above the field of rushes The love smitten male snipe gives his mating call With his wings and tail he makes sounds like goat bleating A sound I've known since I was knee high tall. The vixen through the rank rushes is stealing Out stalking rabbit, pheasant, rat and hare Her hungry cubs back in the den are waiting And every kill she makes with them she share. I see the lights of nearby Cullen Village And shy night creatures hunt and run and fly And Spring is in full bloom in old Duhallow And stars are flickering in the moonlit sky.