This eminent saint died at the early age of thirty-three; and it is
said that his death was caused by the prayers of the other saints of
Ireland, who were jealous of his power and fame for sanctity. St.
Ciaron knowing that death was coming upon him, composed a verse which
has been preserved as an appeal against the cruel fate that ended his
life while he was yet in his prime. And the pathos of the quatrain is
very tender and natural—
“I ask is it right, O King of Stars,
To reap a cornfield before it is ripe?
It is eating fruit before the time,
It is plucking the blossom from a hazel when it is white.”