Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Permissions
- Introduction: ‘Slow Tide on Tide of History’: Poetry by Women in Ireland, 1870–1970
- A Note on the Texts
- Elizabeth Varian (1821–1851–1896)
- Emily Hickey (1845–1881–1924)
- Katharine Tynan (1858–1885–1931)
- Autumnal
- August Weather
- Poppy
- Mater Dei
- To the Mother
- Joining the Colours
- The Long Vacation
- The Immortal
- Loneliness
- The Image
- Herbal
- The Vestal
- The First Thrush
- The Purblind Praises the Lord
- Any Woman
- For my Father
- To the Beloved
- For Lord Lucas
- Alice Meynell
- For Your Sake
- The Silent Time
- Dora Sigerson Shorter (1866–1893–1918)
- Eva Gore-Booth (1870–1898–1926)
- Emily Lawless (1845–1902–1913)
- Susan L. Mitchell (1866–1906–1926)
- Alice Milligan (1866–1908–1953)
- Winifred M. Letts (1881–1913–1972)
- Eileen Shanahan (1901–[1921]–1979)
- Mary Devenport O'Neill (1879–1929–1967)
- Blanaid Salkeld (1880–1933–1959)
- Sheila Wingfield (1906–1938–1992)
- Freda Laughton (1907–1945–?)
- Rhoda Coghill 1903–1948–2000
- Appendix 1: Irish Women Poets 1870–1970
- Appendix 2: Chronology
- Select Bibliography
- Index of Titles and First Lines
For Your Sake
from Katharine Tynan (1858–1885–1931)
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Permissions
- Introduction: ‘Slow Tide on Tide of History’: Poetry by Women in Ireland, 1870–1970
- A Note on the Texts
- Elizabeth Varian (1821–1851–1896)
- Emily Hickey (1845–1881–1924)
- Katharine Tynan (1858–1885–1931)
- Autumnal
- August Weather
- Poppy
- Mater Dei
- To the Mother
- Joining the Colours
- The Long Vacation
- The Immortal
- Loneliness
- The Image
- Herbal
- The Vestal
- The First Thrush
- The Purblind Praises the Lord
- Any Woman
- For my Father
- To the Beloved
- For Lord Lucas
- Alice Meynell
- For Your Sake
- The Silent Time
- Dora Sigerson Shorter (1866–1893–1918)
- Eva Gore-Booth (1870–1898–1926)
- Emily Lawless (1845–1902–1913)
- Susan L. Mitchell (1866–1906–1926)
- Alice Milligan (1866–1908–1953)
- Winifred M. Letts (1881–1913–1972)
- Eileen Shanahan (1901–[1921]–1979)
- Mary Devenport O'Neill (1879–1929–1967)
- Blanaid Salkeld (1880–1933–1959)
- Sheila Wingfield (1906–1938–1992)
- Freda Laughton (1907–1945–?)
- Rhoda Coghill 1903–1948–2000
- Appendix 1: Irish Women Poets 1870–1970
- Appendix 2: Chronology
- Select Bibliography
- Index of Titles and First Lines
Summary
For your sake who have left me grieving
I love the old who are tired of living,
Tired of travelling a road grown weary,
More than the young, more than the merry.
The old, patient and rosy faces
Stir my heart in its secret places.
The old eyes that ache for rest
Set my heart to bleed in my breast.
More than the children, golden and ruddy,
The bent knees and the feeble body
Stab my heart with the mother–pain,
For your sake in the night and rain.
For your sake I would fain enfold them,
The old heads to my breast and hold them,
Keep them safe from the lonely fear,
My kind love of many a year.
The old hands, I could kneel and kiss them,
Knotted and purple, could love them, caress them.
Ah, my dear, when the house is asleep,
I see your hands and I wake and weep.
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- Information
- Poetry by Women in IrelandA Critical Anthology 1870–1970, pp. 100Publisher: Liverpool University PressPrint publication year: 2012