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The Lake Isle of Innisfree
by William Butler Yeats
I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honeybee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.
And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings.
I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.
An Old Woman of the Roads
(Padraic Colum. 1881)
O to have a little house
To own the hearth and stool and all
The heaped up sods upon the fire
The pile of turf against the wall!
To have a clock with weights and chains
And pendulum swinging up and down
A dresser filled with shining delph
Speckled and white and blue and brown!
I could be busy all the day
Clearing and sweeping hearth and floor
And fixing on their shelf again
My white and blue and speckled store!
I could be quiet there at night
Beside the fire and by myself
Sure of a bed and loth to leave
The ticking clock and the shining delph!
Och! but I'm weary of mist and dark
And roads where there's never a house nor bush
And tired I am of bog and road
And the crying wind and the lonesome hush!
And I am praying to God on high,
And I am praying Him night and da,
For a little house - a house of my own
Out of the wind's and the rain's way.
ONE FINAL GIFT
by D.H.Cramer
Scatter me not to the restless winds
Nor toss my ashes to the sea.
Remember now those years gone by
When loving gifts I gave to thee.
Remember now the happy times
The family ties are shared.
Don't leave my resting place unmarked
As though you never cared.
Deny me not one final gift
For all who came to see.
A simple lasting proof that says
I loved and you loved me.
Untitled
by Richard Rolle c 1300 - 1349, early English Mystic
The limbs that move, the eyes that see,
these are not entirely me;
Dead men and women helped to shape,
the mould that I do not escape;
The words I speak, the written line, these
are not uniquely mine.
For in my heart and in my will, old
ancestors are warring still,
Celt, Roman, Saxon and all the dead, from
whose rich blood my veins are fed,
In aspect, gesture, voices, tone, flesh of
my flesh, bone of my bone;
In fields they tilled, I plough the sod, I walk
the mountain paths they trod;
Around my daily steps arise - the good,
the bad - those I comprise.
I saw the Sun at Midnight, rising red
by Joseph Mary Plunkett (1887–1916)
I SAW the Sun at midnight, rising red,
Deep-hued yet glowing, heavy with the stain
Of blood-compassion, and I saw It gain
Swiftly in size and growing till It spread
Over the stars; the heavens bowed their head
As from Its heart slow dripped a crimson rain,
Then a great tremor shook It, as of pain—
The night fell, moaning, as It hung there dead.
O Sun, O Christ, O bleeding Heart of flame!
Thou giv'st Thine agony as our life’s worth,
And mak'st it infinite, lest we have dearth
Of rights wherewith to call upon thy Name;
Thou pawnest Heaven as a pledge for Earth,
And for our glory sufferest all shame
I see His Blood upon the Rose
by Joseph Mary Plunkett (1887–1916)
I see His blood upon the rose
And in the stars the glory of his eyes,
His body gleams amid eternal snows,
His tears fall from the skies.
I see his face in every flower;
The thunder and the singing of the birds
Are but his voice—and carven by his power
Rocks are his written words.
All pathways by his feet are worn,
His strong heart stirs the ever-beating sea,
His crown of thorns is twined with every thorn,
His cross is every tree.
The Mass Rock In The Glen
by Felix Kearney
In a lonely mountain valley
In the mountains of Tyrone
Lies one of Ireland's hallowed spots
Deserted and unknown
But few who write historic tales
Or wield the poet's pen
Can say with pride - they knelt beside
The Mass Rock in the glen
Our priests like wolves were hunted down
O God 'twas surely hard
That from the right to worship Thee
Thy children were debarred
But still they proudly bore
Thy cross Those simple mountain men
Were proud to share Thy Calvary
By the Mass Rock in the glen
No more on Corradinna Hill
The sentinel stands guard
Our ancient foes, the hated yoghs
Have gone to their reward
And he who worships God in peace
May bless the fearless men
Who held the faith for Ireland
By the Mass Rock in the glen
God Bless the glens of Ireland
Every rock and mountain pass
'twas those game glens that under God
Preserved to us, the Mass
And if the day should come again
When Ireland calls for men
She will not find them wanting
By the Mass Rock in the glen
To hear this beautiful song on Youtube, type in The Mass Rock In The Glen - Leo McCaffrey Irish Tenor
Irish Blessing
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
May God be with you and bless you:
May you see your children's children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.
May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home
And may the hand of a friend always be near.
May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.
St. Patrick
I arise today
Through a mighty strength,
the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness Of the Creator of creation.
I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth and His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.
I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In preachings of the apostles,
In faiths of confessors,
In innocence of virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.
I arise today through the strength of Heaven
the rays of the sun, the radiance of the moon,
the splendour of fire,
the speed of lightening,
the swiftness of the wind,
the depth of the sea,
the stability of the earth,
the firmness of rock.
I arise today through the power of God:
God's might to comfort me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to lead me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's Heavenly Host to save me
from the snares of the devil,
from temptations to sin,
from all who wish me ill,
from near and afar,
alone and with others.
May Christ shield me today
against poison and fire,
against drowning and wounding,
so that I may fulfil my mission
and bear fruit in abundance.
Christ behind and before me,
Christ behind and above me,
Christ with me and in me,
Christ around and about me,
Christ on my right and on my left,
Christ when I lie down at night,
Christ when I rise in the morning,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone that speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
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