The Children of Lir
Out upon the sand-dunes thrive the coarse long grasses;
Herons standing knee-deep in the brackish pool;
Overhead the sunset fire and flame
And the moon to eastward rises pale and cool
Out upon the sand-dunes thrive the coarse long grasses;
Herons standing knee-deep in the brackish pool;
Overhead the sunset fire and flame
And the moon to eastward rises pale and cool
And is it True
It is not True
And if it were it wouldn’t do,
For people such as me and
Away, sad thoughts, and teasing Perplexities, away
Let other blood go freezing,
We will be wise and gay
For here is all heart-easing,
Take heed of this small child of earth;
He is great; he hath in him God most high
Children before their fleshly birth Are lights alive in the blue sky
In our light bitter world of wrong They come;
Brought forth in sorrow, and bred up in care,
Two tender Children here entombed are:
One Place, one Sire, one Womb their being gave,
They had one mortal sickness, and one grave
You see, they have no judgment.
So it is natural that they should drown,
first the ice taking them in
and then, all winter, their wool scarves
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People who have no children can be hard:
Attain a mail of ice and insolence:
Need not pause in the fire, and in no sense
A picturesque day -
A day of unity
Which ends up in screams and tears,
Locking the community