IDEAL

IDEAL

By P. H. Pearse

(Translated from the Irish by Thomas MacDonagh)

Naked I saw thee,O beauty of beauty!And I blinded my eyesFor fear I should flinch.I heard thy music,O sweetness of sweetness!And I shut my earsFor fear I should fail.I kissed thy lips,O sweetness of sweetness!And I hardened my heartFor fear of my ruin.I blinded my eyes,And my ears I shut,I hardened my heartAnd my love I quenched.I turned my backOn the dream I had shaped,And to this road before meMy face I turned.I set my faceTo the road here before me,To the work that I see,To the death that I shall meet.

Naked I saw thee,O beauty of beauty!And I blinded my eyesFor fear I should flinch.I heard thy music,O sweetness of sweetness!And I shut my earsFor fear I should fail.I kissed thy lips,O sweetness of sweetness!And I hardened my heartFor fear of my ruin.I blinded my eyes,And my ears I shut,I hardened my heartAnd my love I quenched.I turned my backOn the dream I had shaped,And to this road before meMy face I turned.I set my faceTo the road here before me,To the work that I see,To the death that I shall meet.

Naked I saw thee,O beauty of beauty!And I blinded my eyesFor fear I should flinch.

Naked I saw thee,

O beauty of beauty!

And I blinded my eyes

For fear I should flinch.

I heard thy music,O sweetness of sweetness!And I shut my earsFor fear I should fail.

I heard thy music,

O sweetness of sweetness!

And I shut my ears

For fear I should fail.

I kissed thy lips,O sweetness of sweetness!And I hardened my heartFor fear of my ruin.

I kissed thy lips,

O sweetness of sweetness!

And I hardened my heart

For fear of my ruin.

I blinded my eyes,And my ears I shut,I hardened my heartAnd my love I quenched.

I blinded my eyes,

And my ears I shut,

I hardened my heart

And my love I quenched.

I turned my backOn the dream I had shaped,And to this road before meMy face I turned.

I turned my back

On the dream I had shaped,

And to this road before me

My face I turned.

I set my faceTo the road here before me,To the work that I see,To the death that I shall meet.

I set my face

To the road here before me,

To the work that I see,

To the death that I shall meet.

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