 | The Poetical Works of Aubrey De Vere |  |
THE CAUSE.
I
The Kings are dead that raised their swordsIn Erin's right of old;
The Bards that dash'd from fearless chords
Her name and praise lie cold:
But fix'd as fate her altars stand;
Unchanged, like God, her Faith;
Her Church still holds in equal hand
The keys of life and death.
II
As well call up the sunken reefsAtlantic waves rush o'er
As that old time of native chiefs
And Gaelic Bards restore!
Things heavenly rise: things earthly sink:
God works through Nature's laws;
Sad Isle, 'tis He that bids thee link
Thine Action with thy Cause!
| The Poetical Works of Aubrey De Vere | |