Centuries had rolled, and earth lay tombed in sleep, The nightmare-sleep of nations beneath kings; And far abroad o’er liberty’s great deep Death’s angel waved his black and stilling wings. Then struck Thine hour! Thou, in Thy power, But breathedst, and the free stood up, a tower; And tyranny’s thrones and strongholds fell, And men made jubilee for an abolished hell. And she, our mother-home, the famed, the fair, The golden house of light and intellect, Must she still groan in her intense despair? Shall she lie prone while Europe stands erect? Forfend this, Thou To whom we vow Souls even our giant wrongs shall never bow: Thou wilt not leave our green flag furled, Nor bear that we abide the byword of the world. Like the last lamp that burned in Tullia’s tomb Through ages, vainly, with unwaning ray; Our star of hope lights but a path of gloom Whose false track leads us round and round alway. But Thou canst open A gate from hope To victory! Thou canst nerve our arms to cope With looming storm and danger still, And lend a thunder-voice to the land’s lightning will. Descend, then, Spirit of the Eternal King! To Thee, to Him, to His avenging Son, The Triune of God, in boundless trust we cling; His help once ours, our nationhood is won. We watch the time Till that sublime Event shall thrill the free of every clime. Speed, mighty Spirit! speed its march, And thus complete for earth mankind’s triumphal arch. DARK ROSALEEN BY JAMES CLARENCE MANGAN O my dark Rosaleen, Do not sigh, do not weep! The priests are on the ocean green, They march along the deep. There’s wine from the royal Pope Upon the ocean green, And Spanish ale shall give you hope, My dark Rosaleen! My own Rosaleen! Shall glad your heart, shall give you hope, Shall give you health, and help, and hope, My dark Rosaleen! Over hills and through dales Have I roamed for your sake; All yesterday I sailed the sails On river and on lake. The Erne, at its highest flood, I dashed across unseen, For there was lightning in my blood, My dark Rosaleen! My own Rosaleen! Oh! there was lightning in my blood, Red lightning through my blood, My dark Rosaleen! All day long, in unrest, To and fro do I move, The very soul within my breast Is wasted for you, love! The heart in my bosom faints To think of you, my Queen, My life of life, my saint of saints, My dark Rosaleen! My own Rosaleen! To hear your sweet and sad complaints, My life, my love, my saint of saints, My dark Rosaleen!