Sonnets Round the Coast by H. D. Rawnsley |
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 | Sonnets Round the Coast |  |
93
XVII. THE IRISH LAND LEAGUE.
OCTOBER 17, 1881.
As one, new-come from a secluded vale,
Lies down to rest beside the wakeful deep,
But troubled with its trouble cannot sleep
For cries of sailors sounding in the gale,
And hears the cruel ocean's harrowing tale
Told to a land it threatens to o'ersweep,
Nor thinks the tide its boundary must keep,
That stars still shine and vessels still may sail;—
So when I hear the half-articulate cries
From Ireland's alien-hearted children, blown
Through the dark night of riot, to our shore,
I too forget that passion's tide goes down,
How cliffs of Justice stem all waves that rise,
And Truth steers safe, if stars of Love shine o'er.
| Sonnets Round the Coast | |