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Show rht day Is dear to an. This day our raco Renews Its youth the whole broad earth around; This dny our lovo o'orlcaps nil 'sundering space. And homewnril liles beyond all hindering hinder-ing bound; This day wliere'r nn Irishman Is found (And whither con you go nnd f nil to nnd him?) Ills faithful spirit haunts the holy ground, The consecrated sod, long left behind htm. And even thoso whoso eyes have never seen Tho shlno and shadow on their father's hills, Hnvo ne'er been gluddencd by tho living green, Reflected In a thousand rills, To-day their henrts n tender feeling nils, Upon their curd to-dny a volco Is falling, fall-ing, A volco that touches them, a volco that thrills Tho volco of Erin to her children calling. call-ing. Thr "sca-dlvlded Gael" Is ono to-day From north to south, from furthest cast to west, Tho spreading oceans cannot stop nor stay The spark that'spceds from Irish breast to breast; Wo'ro brothers all at motherland's behest, be-hest, Heart cleaves to heart with tondcrcst devotion, And dark dissension passes Ilka a jest In nil tho glow of this dear day's cmo-i cmo-i tlont The winds of fato havo blown us far and wldo. Of cruol laws we'vo known tho btttor ban, Dut mil In vain oppression's hand has tried To bend us to a proud Imperial plan. Wo nre no remnant of n conquered clan Klght hundred years of tyranny and terror Defiant Icovo us as when first began Their long, long relgn of Ignorance nnd error! We've known defeat, wo'vo known the anguish kiu n Of thoso who see their country's glory lied. The falnlno days tho living specters lean Tho little children hungering for bread. And yet tho Irish nation Is not deadl In splto of sword nnd suffering and sorrow, Whon all seems lost, again she lifts her head, And turns expectant toward soma bright to-morrow. On England's realm the day is never donp, Slio may well boast her far-flung battle-line, battle-line, Her morning drum-beat following tho sun, Slio rules alike tho palm-tree and tho pine. (lut, Erin dear, a wider nway Is thine! A truer stute of empire thou main-talnestl main-talnestl Thy right to homago Is a right divine, Because, dear land, by lovo alono thou rclgnestl The empire won by steel and held by force Must sometime fall, must somctlmo fall to naught, Tho onward moving years' resistless courso Full many a dynasty to -dust has brought. Delshazzar's "kingdom cunningly was wrought, And yet thoro camo a day of dire dls- nAtr-r. There camo a message that with meaning mean-ing fraught Foretold tho triumph of another master! Thus power has passed, and thus will pass again. God lives and reigns whate'er the fool may say. God Is not mockod. Ho keeps his tryst with men, Ho bides his time until tho appointed day. And then he moves. And then ho sweeps away The fubrlcs fondly made to last forever, for-ever, And then a ruin whero tho lizards play Is all that marks tho place of proud endeavor) This, this Is Erin's comfort In her grief And this her consolation In her care; 3ho holds unshaken BtlU her old belief That God's high Judgments aro not falso, but fair; When other peoples porlsh In despair, Or bow tho kneo before unholy altars, (Viiatovcr cross pool- Ireland's shoulders bear. Her Christian courngo never faints nor fnltcrsl v And so this day's a day of faith and liopol Wliat'cr misfortunes through tho year may fall, To-day In darknoss wo rofusa to grope, To-day our Angers lllng aside tho pall. To-day wo answer to tho clarion call, Of thoso at homo true hearted sons that lovo hor, To-day we pledge our fealty to all Who strlvo to placo her own free ling abovo her! |
