‘On those islands,
The fish come singing from the drunken sea,
The herring rush the gunwales and sort themselves
To cram expectant barrels of their own accord’
from The Hebrides by Louis MacNeice
‘The dark was talking to the dead;
The lamp was dark beside my bed.
Come back early or never come.
When I woke they did not care;
Nobody, nobody was there.
Come back early or never come.
When my silent terror cried,
Nobody, nobody replied.
Come back early or never come.
I got up; the chilly sun
Saw me walk away alone.
Come back early or never come.’
from Autobiography by Louis MacNeice
"Our freedom as free lances
Advances towards its end;
The earth compels, upon it
Sonnets and birds descend;
And soon, my friend,We shall have no time for dances.
The sky was good for flying
Defying the church bells
And every evil iron
Siren and what it tells:
The earth compels,
We are dying, Egypt, dying"
from Sunlight on The Garden by Louis MacNeice
