O, it was out by Donnycarney

One of James Joyce's earliest published works, this luminous poem appears in his 1907 collection Chamber Music. Set in the Dublin suburb of Donnycarney, the verse captures a fleeting moment of youthful awakening: a young man encounters a beautiful girl, and her presence moves him to create something of lasting beauty. The language is deceptively simple, almost songlike, but carries the weight of genuine inspiration. Joyce would later transform the sprawling novel form, but here we see his mature gifts in miniature: the precise Dublin setting, the music of everyday speech, and that characteristic Joycean blend of tenderness and yearning. For readers who know Joyce only through Ulysses or Dubliners, this poem reveals another dimension of his artistry: a lyric poet of considerable grace, writing verses that were, in fact, set to music during his own lifetime.