THEY fought ere sunrise at Tor Conainn; All day they fought on the wild sea-shore. The sun dropped downward, they fought amain; The tide rose upward, they fought the more. The sands were covered; the sea grew red; The warriors fought in the reddening wave: That night the sea was the sea-king's bed; The land-king drifted past cliff and cave. Great was the rage in those ancient days (We were pagans then) in the land of Eire; Like eagles men vanquished the noontide blaze; Their bones were iron, their nerves were wire. We are hinds to-day! The Nemedian kings Like elk and bison of old stalked forth; Their name -- the sea-kings' -- forever clings To the "Giant Stepping-Stones" round the North. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...VENICE by JOHN ADDINGTON SYMONDS CAFE TORTONI ('81) by WILLIAM ROSE BENET A SUMMER IN TUSCANY by WILFRID SCAWEN BLUNT SONG by JOHN GARDINER CALKINS BRAINARD EPISTLE TO DR. BLACKLOCK by ROBERT BURNS |