POEMS OF THE IRISH PEOPLE: Leatherbound Pocket Edition

50 classic poems about Ireland's people, history, character and myths and legends. Its contributors include William Butler Yeats, William Allingham and other well-known Irish poets. Ireland is the land of the Blarney Stone and Irish poets have the gift of words in torrents. This pocket anthology is divided into the three great subjects of Irish poetry: the Land, extolling the beauty of the lush countryside and the unique charm of particular places; the Lore, paying tribute to the rich legacy of Irish fairy and folk lore; and the People, from rogues and vagabonds to heroes and patriots. In a poem entitled simply "Eire" the 18th century nationalist William Drennan opened with the words, "When Eire first rose from the dark-swelling flood, God blessed the green island, and saw it was good", lines reminiscent of "Rule! Britannia", but the Irish song then moves on to the darker history of the land, urging the reader to "drive the demon of Bigotry home to his den" yet "yield them that mercy which they would not give". More sophisticated is Yeats's lovely "Lake Isle of Innisfree" where "midnight's all a-glimmer, and noon a purple glow". The section on Lore includes William Allingham's famous opening lines, "Up the airy mountain, Down the rushy glen, We daren't go a-hunting, For fear of little men," and also ballads like "The Fairy Thorn" and "The Love-Talker", which both end in a sinister way: "I thought him human lover, though his lips on mine were cold". Finally the section on People ranges from Mrs C. F. Alexander's "Mother's Lament" to the sweet-talking chancer in "Rory O'More". 116pp, leatherbound softback.