What need you, being come to sense, But fumble in a greasy till And add the halfpence to the pence And prayer to shivering prayer, until You have dried the marrow from the bone; For men were born to pray and save: Romantic Ireland’s dead and gone, It’s with O’Leary in the grave.
Yet they were of a different kind, The names that stilled your childish play, They have gone about the world like wind, But little time had they to pray For whom the hangman’s rope was spun, And what, God help us, could they save? Romantic Ireland’s dead and gone, It’s with O’Leary in the grave.
Was it for this the wild geese spread The grey wing upon every tide; For this that all that blood was shed, For this Edward Fitzgerald died, And Robert Emmet and Wolfe Tone, All that delirium of the brave? Romantic Ireland’s dead and gone, It’s with O’Leary in the grave.
Yet could we turn the years again, And call those exiles as they were In all their loneliness and pain, You’d cry, ‘Some woman’s yellow hair Has maddened every mother’s son’: They weighed so lightly what they gave. But let them be, they’re dead and gone, They’re with O’Leary in the grave.
Over the edge of the purple down, Where the single lamplight gleams, Know ye the road to the Merciful Town That is hard by the Sea of Dreams – Where the poor may lay their wrongs away, And the sick may forget to weep? But we – pity us! Oh, pity us! We wakeful; ah, pity us! – We must go back with Policeman Day – Back from the City of Sleep!
Weary they turn from the scroll and crown, Fetter and prayer and plough – They that go up to the Merciful Town, For her gates are closing now. It is their right in the Baths of Night Body and soul to steep, But we – pity us! ah, pity us! We wakeful; oh, pity us! – We must go back with Policeman Day – Back from the City of Sleep!
Over the edge of the purple down, Ere the tender dreams begin, Look – we may look – at the Merciful Town, But we may not enter in! Outcasts all, from her guarded wall Back to our watch we creep: We – pity us! ah, pity us! We wakeful; ah, pity us! – We that go back with Policeman Day – Back from the City of Sleep!
Lyric night of the lingering Indian Summer, Shadowy fields that are scentless but full of singing, Never a bird, but the passionless chant of insects, Ceaseless, insistent.
The grasshopper’s horn, and far-off, high in the maples, The wheel of a locust leisurely grinding the silence Under a moon waning and worn, broken, Tired with summer.
Let me remember you, voices of little insects, Weeds in the moonlight, fields that are tangled with asters, Let me remember, soon will the winter be on us, Snow-hushed and heavy.
Over my soul murmur your mute benediction, While I gaze, O fields that rest after harvest, As those who part look long in the eyes they lean to, Lest they forget them.
Welcome to a brand new chapter Clovers! It’s a new day, new week and a new month. So let’s take this again
Happy new month!! The second half of the year seems to be closing in faster than most of us anticipated. I know it may feel a little weird but always start every new day with a positive mind.
Here’s the major thing I want you to decide on this month. As you focus on achieving your goals, take note of what you see along the way. Learn from it. The journey, the path, the road that leads to that long-awaited dream of yours. Take it all in.
You might be wondering, “what does all this mean?”
What do I mean by this ?
The point is that sometimes what we think we want is not what’s best for us. You probably just don’t know better at the moment. Your goals and visions often depend on your way of thinking and how you view life. The more things you see, the more enlightened you become.
Let me give you a little example. You want to become a neurosurgeon for instance. That is the major goal but the path to that goal involves many things and various skills set. You need to go to medical school first. To get to medical school, you need to pass your exams above certain grades, therefore you need to read more. You need to be focused. Once you get to medical school, you realise it’s not an easy journey but you set your mind to achieve your goal. You need to be efficient, you need to have a good eye to avoid mistakes especially those that can cost the life of a person. This makes you more observant. You try to learn how to work under pressure, you need to build your communication skills to ensure a good relationship with your colleagues, other healthcare professionals working with you and patients themselves. You need to learn to observe and diagnose efficiently and effectively.
I am rambling a little bit
It’s like an endless cycle. It may seem tough sometimes but don’t let it discourage you. Here’s what you may notice about each “endless cycle”. First you pick up new skills on your way to achieving your goals. Since these skills may be necessary in your ultimate goal, you take it serious and work on it.
Here is something you may not realise. Learning that new skill takes you a step closer to your ultimate goal, yes! But it also takes you closer to several other things that require that skill. You become more valuable in skills and open possibilities to several other prospects. At the end of the day, you may find yourself going to another path you just discovered was better for you. It may as well lead to you opening new doors you never knew existed . New experiences and perhaps new passion.
“The major reason for setting a goal is for what it makes of you to accomplish it. What it makes of you will always be the far greater value than what you get.”
– Jim Rohn
When you have one big goal in mind, there is usually a bunch of other things you need to do before you can accomplish it. You can think of it as a checklist. Ticking new skills on that list ultimately, reshapes you. Most likely into a better person and perhaps in a better position to work not just harder but smarter .
This is one of those time I would tell you to also enjoy the process dear Clovers. On this journey, you may find some precious gems on the way, but you have to look closely. In other words , you may even find other passions and perhaps a better and more successful goal in sight. But take one step at a time.
The whole point of all my ramblings for today is to tell to appreciate and enjoy each moment as it comes. Your mind is one of the greatest treasures so treat it with care and fill it with positive thoughts. It may be hard but ensure one of your goals is to be a better person.
I hope you move closer to accomplishing your goals today dear Clovers! Take one step at a time. Don’t be scared to attempt new things.
Till next time! Keep striving for the best and see you at the top.
Over the edge of the purple down, Where the single lamplight gleams, Know ye the road to the Merciful Town That is hard by the Sea of Dreams – Where the poor may lay their wrongs away, And the sick may forget to weep? But we – pity us! Oh, pity us! We wakeful; ah, pity us! – We must go back with Policeman Day – Back from the City of Sleep!
Weary they turn from the scroll and crown, Fetter and prayer and plough – They that go up to the Merciful Town, For her gates are closing now. It is their right in the Baths of Night Body and soul to steep, But we – pity us! ah, pity us! We wakeful; oh, pity us! – We must go back with Policeman Day – Back from the City of Sleep!
Over the edge of the purple down, Ere the tender dreams begin, Look – we may look – at the Merciful Town, But we may not enter in! Outcasts all, from her guarded wall Back to our watch we creep: We – pity us! ah, pity us! We wakeful; ah, pity us! – We that go back with Policeman Day – Back from the City of Sleep!
An Irish Airman foresees his Death BY WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS
I know that I shall meet my fate Somewhere among the clouds above; Those that I fight I do not hate, Those that I guard I do not love; My country is Kiltartan Cross, My countrymen Kiltartan’s poor, No likely end could bring them loss Or leave them happier than before. Nor law, nor duty bade me fight, Nor public men, nor cheering crowds, A lonely impulse of delight Drove to this tumult in the clouds; I balanced all, brought all to mind, The years to come seemed waste of breath, A waste of breath the years behind In balance with this life, this death.
Hi Clovers! I just wanted to let you all know that I read more books last month than I have done the entire year so I’m super excited.
Today I’ll be reviewing the book Bridges are for burning by Bina Idonije
I got a free book mark from the bookstore too
What’s it about ?
The book talks about 3 friends who have known each other since childhood, grown-up now and each in different career paths. One thing they all have in common is a big secret they can’t share. Not even with themselves.
The three friends; Gigi, Alana, and Fifi try to act as though everything is all good. Alana and Fifi are both married and try hard to preserve the “happily married image”. Gigi on the other hand is still single and won’t give herself a chance to fall in love because of her past mistakes. Soon her past seems to be catching up with her and threatens to ruin the friendship she had built all these years.
My thoughts
This has to be the best book I’ve read so far this year. It is a fast-paced read and I was quite surprised to find myself turning the pages to see what’s next.
I must say it is really not my usual kind of book as I prefer crime thrillers or mystery but I thoroughly enjoyed every part of the book; the plot, the setting, the characters. It was a comfort read outside my preferred genre.
I bought the book majorly because of it’s pretty cover (I’m a sucker for pretty bookcovers). Whoever still says “don’t judge a book by its cover “. And of course I also found the title quite intriguing.
Once you get past the first ten pages, it becomes quite difficult to put the book down.
My attempt to recreate the book cover😂 How’d I do?
The good part is that the writing style makes you feel like you’ve known the characters for a while. I found myself anticipating Gigi’s POV although she had a couple of “eye-rolling” moments.
The major theme explored would be friendship and its boundaries. I felt some characters were unnecessary and the story would go on great without them.
It was quite intriguing and relatable as the story is set in the city I come from and surprisingly this is the first book I’ll read with a character having my name (although it was not one of the main characters).
So now I have a thing for book photoshoots and the title kind of made me think of this.
I would definitely recommend you add this to your summer to-be-read list. I would rate the book 4.5 stars.
I should add that this is the author’s debut novel and after reading this, I would be looking forward to more of her books in the future.
Suddenly I saw the cold and rook-delighting heaven That seemed as though ice burned and was but the more ice, And thereupon imagination and heart were driven So wild that every casual thought of that and this Vanished, and left but memories, that should be out of season With the hot blood of youth, of love crossed long ago; And I took all the blame out of all sense and reason, Until I cried and trembled and rocked to and fro, Riddled with light. Ah! when the ghost begins to quicken, Confusion of the death-bed over, is it sent Out naked on the roads, as the books say, and stricken By the injustice of the skies for punishment?
The grey clover 