Dubliners: The Dead

I saw this song by Thomas Moore called "Oh, Ye Dead!" the poem is set to traditional Irish music and was published as part of Moore's "Irish Melodies" between 1808 and 1834. Apparently Joyce was often heard humming these tunes (according to the Internet, so this could be just a rumor) so it would make sense that this song was an influence of Joyce's story The Dead, it certainly seems to share many similarities.

Oh, ye Dead! oh, ye Dead! whom we know by the light you give
From your cold gleaming eyes, though you move like men who live.
Why leave you thus your graves,
In far off fields and waves,
Where the worm and the sea-bird only know your bed,
To haunt this spot where all
Those eyes that wept your fall,
And the hearts that wail'd you, like your own, lie dead?

It is true, it is true, we are shadows cold and wan;
And the fair and the brave whom we lov'd on earth are gone,
But still thus even in death
So sweet the living breath
Of the fields and the flow'rs in our youth we wander9d o9er
That ere, condemn'd, we go
To freeze mid Hecla's snow,
We would taste it awhile, and think we live once more!



I also figured I would add a photo of Dublin from about two years ago just to get us in the mood!