| |
| O MY land! O my love! | |
| What a woe, and how deep, | |
| Is thy death to my long mourning soul! | |
| God alone, God above, | |
| Can awake thee from sleep, | 5 |
| Can release thee from bondage and dole! | |
| Alas, alas, and alas! | |
| For the once proud people of Banba! | |
| |
| As a tree in its prime, | |
| Which the axe layeth low, | 10 |
| Didst thou fall, O unfortunate land! | |
| Not by time, nor thy crime, | |
| Came the shock and the blow. | |
| They were given by a false felon hand! | |
| Alas, alas, and alas! | 15 |
| For the once proud people of Banba! | |
| |
| O, my grief of all griefs | |
| Is to see how thy throne | |
| Is usurped, whilst thyself art in thrall! | |
| Other lands have their chiefs, | 20 |
| Have their kings, thou alone | |
| Art a wife, yet a widow withal! | |
| Alas, alas, and alas! | |
| For the once proud people of Banba! | |
| |
| The high house of O’Neill | 25 |
| Is gone down to the dust, | |
| The O’Brien is clanless and banned; | |
| And the steel, the red steel | |
| May no more be the trust | |
| Of the Faithful and Brave in the land! | 30 |
| Alas, alas, and alas! | |
| For the once proud people of Banba! | |
| |
| True, alas! Wrong and Wrath | |
| Were of old all too rife. | |
| Deeds were done which no good man admires | 35 |
| And perchance Heaven hath | |
| Chastened us for the strife | |
| And the blood-shedding ways of our sires! | |
| Alas, alas, and alas! | |
| For the once proud people of Banba! | 40 |
| |
| But, no more! This our doom, | |
| While our hearts yet are warm, | |
| Let us not over weakly deplore! | |
| For the hour soon may loom | |
| When the Lord’s mighty hand | 45 |
| Shall be raised for our rescue once more! | |
| And all our grief shall be turned into joy | |
| For the still proud people of Banba! | |
