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'The West's Asleep' by Thomas Davis
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Author:  sau [ Wed Mar 23, 2011 8:32 pm ]
Post subject:  'The West's Asleep' by Thomas Davis

Comments to 'Let England Shake' video on youtube.

Thanks to owensound1000:

'The West's Asleep is a great Irish poem by Thomas Davis which also inspired the lines "the west shall shake the east awake walk while ye have the night for morn" in James Joyce's Finnegans Wake.'

I found out just now that it commemorates the Irish Rising of 1798 - Bliain na bhFrancach ( The Year of the French ).

The West's Asleep
(Thomas Davis)

When all beside a vigil keep,
The West's asleep, the West's asleep-
Alas! and well may Erin weep,
When Connaught lies in slumber deep.
There lake and plain smile fair and free,
'Mid rocks-their guardian chivalry-
Sing oh! let man learn liberty
From crashing wind and lashing sea.

That chainless wave and lovely, land
Freedom and Nationhood demand-
Be sure, the great God never plann'd,
For slumbering slaves, a home so grand.
And, long, a brave and haughty race
Honoured and sentinelled the place-
Sing oh! not even their sons' disgrace
Can quite destroy their glory's trace.

For often, in O'Connor's van,
To triumph dash'd each Connaught clan-
And fleet as deer the Normans ran
Through Coirrsliabh Pass and Ard Rathain.*
And later times saw deeds as brave;
And glory guards Clanricarde's grave-
Sing oh! they died their land to save,
At Aughrim's slopes and Shannon's wave.

* Vulgarly written Corlews and Ardrahan. [note in Spirit of the Nation]

And if, when all a vigil keep,
The West's; asleep, the West's asleep-
Alas! and well may Erin weep,
That Connaught lies in slumber deep.
But-hark! -some voice like thunder spake:
" The West's awake, the West's awake'-
Sing oh! hurra! let England quake,
We'll watch till death for Erins sake!"

http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/folk- ... Asleep.htm

Author:  Shadowboxer [ Thu Mar 24, 2011 2:21 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 'The West's Asleep' by Thomas Davis

That's nice that she was inspired by it, but I don't recall her mentioning it as an influence. But then again, she didn't mention the obvious ITD? and WC influences.

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