Classic and Contemporary Poetry
ROISIN DUBH; OR, THE BLEEDING HEART, by AUBREY THOMAS DE VERE Poet's Biography First Line: O who art thou with that queenly brow Last Line: "through ghostly might." Subject(s): Ireland; Irish | ||||||||
ROISIN DUBH signifies the "Black little Rose," and was one of the mystical names under which the bards celebrated Ireland. O, WHO art thou with that queenly brow And uncrowned head? And why is the vest that binds thy breast, O'er the heart, blood-red? Like a rosebud in June was that spot at noon, A rosebud weak; But it deepens and grows like a July rose: Death-pale thy cheek! "The babes I fed at my foot lay dead; I saw them die: In Ramah a blast went wailing past; It was Rachel's cry. But I stand sublime on the shores of Time, And I pour mine ode, As Myriam sang to the cymbals' clang, On the wind to God. "Once more at my feasts my bards and priests Shall sit and eat: And the Shepherd whose sheep are on every steep Shall bless my meat! O, sweet, men say, is the song by day, And the feast by night; But on poisons I thrive, and in death survive Through ghostly might." | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE SIGHTSEERS by PAUL MULDOON THE DREAM SONGS: 290 by JOHN BERRYMAN AN IRISH HEADLAND by ROBINSON JEFFERS THE GIANT'S RING: BALLYLESSON, NEAR BELFAST by ROBINSON JEFFERS IRELAND; WRITTEN FOR THE ART AUTOGRAPH DURING IRISH FAMINE by SIDNEY LANIER THE EYES ARE ALWAYS BROWN by GERALD STERN A BALLAD OF ATHLONE; OR, HOW THEY BROKE DOWN THE BRIDGE by AUBREY THOMAS DE VERE A BALLAD OF SARSFIELD; OR, THE BURSTING OF THE GUNS by AUBREY THOMAS DE VERE |
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