"An old house with trees and twisting river.
From here you watch Ireland grow older
And calmly note down each change and failure.
The poor, the church, the newly rich,
The subterfuges of the state, desecration
Of the beautiful, both made and nature’s:
Who would have thought the Muse could carry
Such burdens and retain her youthful beauty?"
- Richard Weber (b. 1932) From "A Visit to Bridge House"