Francis Ledwidge, Irish poet, served in an Irish battalion ("The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers") of the British Army during World War I. His first volume of poems was published while he served, in 1915; two more were published posthumously, and were followed by this collection of complete works in 1919. He and five comrades had been killed by an exploding shell during the third battle of Ypres (July 1917).
His poems reflect his love for his native rural countryside, tinged with loss arising from the war. From his frequent use of a blackbird motif, he was known as the "Poet of the Blackbird."
Of him, the poet John Drinkwater wrote: "His poetry exults me, while not so his death.... to those who know what poetry is, the untimely death of a man like Ledwidge is nothing but calamity." - Summary by Nemo
Chapters
1 Introduction to Songs of the Fields 9 min 2 Introduction to Songs of Peace 5 min 3 Introduction to Last Songs 3 min 4 Songs of the Fields: To My Best Friend 1 min 5 Behind the Closed Eye 2 min 6 Bound to the Mast 2 min 7 To A Linnet in a Cage 1 min 8 A Twilight in Middle March 1 min 9 Spring 1 min 10 Desire in Spring 1 min 11 A Rainy Day in April 2 min 12 A Song of April 1 min 13 The Broken Tryst 1 min 14 Thoughts at the Trysting Stile 2 min 15 Evening in May 1 min 16 An Attempt at a City Sunset 2 min 17 Waiting 1 min 18 The Singer's Muse 1 min 19 Inamorata 2 min 20 The Wife of Llew 1 min 21 The Hills 2 min 22 June 2 min 23 In Manchester 1 min 24 Music on Water 2 min 25 To M. McG 1 min 26 In the Dusk 1 min 27 The Death of Ailill 2 min 28 August 1 min 29 The Visitation of Peace 4 min 30 Before the Tears 1 min 31 God's Remembrance 2 min 32 An Old Pain 3 min 33 The Lost Ones 1 min 34 All-Hallows Eve 2 min 35 A Memory 3 min 36 A Song 1 min 37 A Fear 1 min 38 The Coming Poet 1 min 39 The Vision on the Brink 2 min 40 To Lord Dunsany 1 min 41 On an Oaten Straw 1 min 42 Evening in February 1 min 43 The Sister 1 min 44 Before the War of Cooley 2 min 45 Low-Moon Land 1 min 46 The Sorrow of Findebar 2 min 47 On Dream Water 1 min 48 The Death of Sualtem 3 min 49 The Maid in Low-Moon Land 1 min 50 The Death of Leag, Cuchulain's Charioteer 2 min 51 The Passing of Caoilte 2 min 52 Growing Old 1 min 53 After My Last Song 1 min 54 Songs of Peace: A Dream of Artemis 12 min 55 A Little Boy in the Morning 1 min 56 To A Distant One 2 min 57 The Place 1 min 58 May 1 min 59 To Eilish of the Fair Hair 1 min 60 Crewbrawn 1 min 61 Evening in England 1 min 62 Crocknaharna 1 min 63 In the Mediterranean- Going to the War 1 min 64 The Gardener 1 min 65 Autumn Evening in Serbia 1 min 66 Nocturne 1 min 67 Spring and Autumn 1 min 68 The Departure of Proserpine 2 min 69 The Home-Coming of the Sheep 1 min 70 When Love and Beauty Wander Away 1 min 71 My Mother 1 min 72 Song 1 min 73 To One Dead 1 min 74 The Resurrection 1 min 75 The Shadow People 1 min 76 An Old Desire 1 min 77 Thomas McDonagh 1 min 78 The Wedding Morning 1 min 79 The Blackbirds 1 min 80 The Lure 1 min 81 Thro' Bogac Ban 1 min 82 Fate 1 min 83 Evening Clouds 1 min 84 Song 1 min 85 The Herons 1 min 86 In the Shadows 1 min 87 The Ships of Arcady 1 min 88 After 1 min 89 To One Weeping 1 min 90 A Dream Dance 1 min 91 By Faughan 1 min 92 In September 1 min 93 Last Songs: To An Old Quill of Lord Dunsany's 2 min 94 To A Sparrow 1 min 95 Old Clo' 1 min 96 Youth 1 min 97 The Little Children 1 min 98 Autumn 1 min 99 Ireland 1 min 100 Lady Fair 1 min 101 At a Poet's Grave 1 min 102 After Court Martial 1 min 103 A Mother's Song 1 min 104 At Currabwee 1 min 105 Song-time is Over 1 min 106 Una Bawn 1 min 107 Spring Love 1 min 108 Soliloquy 2 min 109 Dawn 1 min 110 Ceol Sidhe 1 min 111 The Rushes 1 min 112 The Dead Kings 2 min 113 In France 1 min 114 Had I A Golden Pound 1 min 115 Fairies 1 min 116 In a Cafe 1 min 117 Spring 1 min 118 Pan 1 min 119 With Flowers 1 min 120 The Find 1 min 121 A Fairy Hunt 1 min 122 To One Who Comes Now and Then 2 min 123 The Sylph 1 min 124 Home 1 min 125 The Lanawn Shee 5 min
