I Am of Ireland

Icham of Irlaunde

Ant of the holy londe of irlonde

Gode sir pray ich ye

for of saynte charite,

come ant daunce wyt me,

in irlaunde

(early english)

Poetic Edda (excerpted)

When Ymir lived,

Long ages ago,

Before there were seas,

Chill waves or shore,

Earth was not yet

Nor the high heavens

But a great emptiness

Nowhere green

.

Then all the gods

Met to give judgment,

The holy gods

Took counsel together:

They named night

And the waning moon,

They gave names

To morning and midday,

Afternoon and evening,

Ordered time by years.

There is an ash tree-

Its name is Yggdrasil-

Atall tree sparkling

With clear drops of dew

Which fall from its boughs

Down into the valleys;

Ever green it stands

Beside the Nornsā spring

.

And in Asgard

Gold-Comb crowed,

The cock who wakes

Odinās warriors;

Another is heard

Below the Earth,

A soot-red cock

In the halls of Hel.

Many spells I know,

And I can see

The doom that awaits

The almighty gods.

Brothers will die,

Slain by their brothers,

Incest will break

Kinshipās bonds;

Woe to the world then,

Wedded to whoredom,

Battle-axe and sword rule,

Split shields asunder,

Storm-cleft age of wolves

Until the world goes down,

Only hatred

In the hearts of men

.

I see rising

A second time

Out of the waters

The earth, green once more;

An eagle flies

Over rushing waterfalls,

Hunting for fish

From the craggy heights

.

I see a hall

Fairer than the sun,

Thatched with gold;

It stands at Gimli.

There shall deserving

People dwell

To the end of time

And enjoy their happiness.

Odinās heroes

Know his hall

As soon as they see it;

Spears are its rafters,

Shields thatch the roof

Byrnies cover the benches.

Odinās heroes

Know this hall

As soon as they see it;

A wolf hangs over

The western door,

Above it an eagle hovers.

Guarding Valhalla

A holy gate

Defends the inner doors;

Ancient it is,

And few men know

What kind of lock will close it.

Five hundred

And forty doors

You will find in Valhalla;

Eight hundred warriors

Will use just one

When they go to fight Fenrir.

The valiant warriors

Who wait in Valhalla

Fight to the death each day;

They bring the slain

Back from the battle,

Then they all sit in peace again.

The Viking Terror

Since tonight the wind is high,

The sea's white mane a fury

I need not fear the hordes of Hell

Coursing the Irish Channel

Ireland and the Irish

For the great Gaels of Ireland

Are the men tha God made mad,

For all their wars are merry

And all their songs are sad.

G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936), British author.

Ballad of the White Horse.

"My center is giving way, my right is in retreat, situation excellent. I shall attack."

Ferdinand Foch (1851-1929), French General

 

"Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."

Sun Tzu (5th-6th century B.C.), Chinese general, The Art of War

 

If we are marked to die, we are enough, To do our country loss; and if to live, The fewer men, the greater share of honour.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616), English dramatist, poet, King Henry, in King Henery V