The Wind that Shakes the Barley

St. John’s Theatre and Arts Centre

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Barley

Photo: Maggie Stack in This is Kerry

The Wind that Shakes the Barley

I sat within a valley green,

I sat me with my true love,

My sad heart strove the two between,

The old love and the new love, –

The old for her, the new that made

Me think of Ireland dearly,

While soft the wind blew down the glade

And shook the golden barley.

Twas hard the woeful words to frame

To break the ties that bound us

Twas harder still to bear the shame

Of foreign chains around us

And so I said, “The mountain glen

I’ll seek next morning early

And join the brave United Men

While soft winds shook the barley.

While sad I kissed away her tears,

My fond arms ’round her flinging,

The foeman’s shot burst on our ears,

From out the wildwood ringing, –

A bullet pierced my true love’s side,

In life’s young spring so early,

And on my breast in blood she died

While soft winds shook the barley!

I bore her to the wildwood screen,

And many a summer blossom

I placed with branches thick and green

Above her gore-stain’d bosom:-

I wept and kissed her pale, pale cheek,

Then rushed o’er vale and far lea,

My vengeance on the foe to wreak,

While soft winds shook the barley!

But blood for blood without remorse,

I’ve ta’en at Oulart Hollow

And placed my true love’s clay-cold corpse

Where I full soon will follow:

And round her grave I wander drear,

Noon, night and morning early,

With breaking heart whene’er I hear

The wind that shakes the barley

This poem, first published in 1861, tells the story of an Irish rebel from County Wexford who leaves his lover behind to help fight against British colonial rule.

The “barley” in the title forms the symbolic center of the poem; it was carried by rebels as a source of food, and eventually comes to remind the speaker of his forsaken love.

The title was borrowed by Ken Loach for his 2006 film, starring Cillian Murphy.

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Wild Flowers

Listowel this summer is ablaze with wild flowers. Listowel is looking after the pollinators. Molly, my doggie visitor, loves to explore the flowery verges on our morning walk.

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A Definition

from The Devil’s Dictionary

by Ambrose Bierce

consult, v to seek another’s approval of a course already decided on.

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A Fact

Hitler’s home phone number was listed in Who’s Who until 1945. It was Berlin 11 6191.

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