Weep On, Weep On

by Thomas Moore

Weep on, weep on, your hour is past,
Your dreams of pride are o'er;
The fatal chain is round you cast,
And you are men no more!
In vain the Hero's heart hath bled;
The Sage's tongue hath warn'd in vain;
Oh, Freedom! once thy flame hath fled,
It never lights again!

Weep on -- Perhaps, in after-days,
They'll learn to love your name;
And many a deed may wake in praise,
That long hath slept in blame!
And when they tread the ruin'd isle,
Where rest, at length, the lord and slave,
They'll wondering ask how hands so vile
Could conquer hearts so brave?

'Twas fate, they'll say,a wayward fate
Your web of discord wove;
And while your tyrants join'd in hate,
You never join'd in love;
But hearts fell off, that ought to twine,
And man profan'd what God hath given,
Till some were heard to curse the shrine
Where others knelt to heaven!