by Patrick Henry Pearse (1879 - 1916), as Pádraic Pearse
The Mother
Language: English
I do not grudge them: Lord I do not grudge My two strong sons that I have seen go out To break their strength and die, they and a few, In bloody protest for a glorious thing, They shall be spoken of among their people, The generations shall remember them, And call them blessed; But I will speak their names to my own heart In the long nights; The little names that were familiar once Round my dead hearth. Lord, thou art hard on mothers: We suffer in their coming and their going; And though I grudge them not, I weary, weary Of the long sorrow — And yet I have my joy: My sons were faithful, and they fought.
Text Authorship:
- by Patrick Henry Pearse (1879 - 1916), as Pádraic Pearse [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Frank Ferko (b. 1950), "The Mother" [ soprano and mixed chorus ], from Stabat Mater, no. 11 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2025-08-27
Line count: 16
Word count: 120