The Wild Geese

Item

The Wild Geese

Wild geese fly overhead

In the wild Autumn weather.

Souls of the newly-dead

Crying and flying together.

Home from the last great fight,

The souls of the Irish farin'

With a wild heart in the night,

A grey eye turned to Erin.

High and high in the sky,

From the red fields of slaughter

Ever they fly and cry

For the brown bog, the grey water.

Wild geese in the wild even,

Steady and strong their flight,

Their beds are made in Heaven,

All of the down white.

They have forgone that bliss

Till they have seen once more

The little land of peace,

Green and bright as of yore.

High o'er the sheep and cattle,

The bogs and the mountains lone,

The souls new-home from the battle

Cry their love and are flown.

Title
The Wild Geese
Identifier
greatwar_holywar036
Item sets
The Holy War
Media
<html xmlns:tei="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0"><body><h1 align="center" class="head">The Wild Geese</h1><div class="stanza"><p class="line"><span class="smallcaps">Wild</span> geese fly overhead</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">In the wild Autumn weather.</p><p class="line">Souls of the newly-dead</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Crying and flying together.</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">Home from the last great fight,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">The souls of the Irish farin'</p><p class="line">With a wild heart in the night,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">A grey eye turned to Erin.</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">High and high in the sky,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">From the red fields of slaughter</p><p class="line">Ever they fly and cry</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">For the brown bog, the grey water.</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">Wild geese in the wild even,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Steady and strong their flight,</p><p class="line">Their beds are made in Heaven,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">All of the down white.</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">They have forgone that bliss</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Till they have seen once more</p><p class="line">The little land of peace,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Green and bright as of yore.</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">High o'er the sheep and cattle,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">The bogs and the mountains lone,</p><p class="line">The souls new-home from the battle</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Cry their love and are flown.</p></div></body></html>