Love Letters Through Time

Context:

Grace (Gráinne) Gifford, was a participant in the Irish nationalist struggle against British rule, which led to ‘The Easter Rising’, Easter Monday, 1916 in Dublin, Ireland. She was betrothed to one of the leaders, who were due to be executed the morning after being taken prisoner. Joseph and Grace were married the night before in his prison cell. Joseph (Seosamh Pluinceid)) was one of the leaders of The Rising, a signatory of the Irish Proclamation and, in death, a revered Irish hero. These are my imaginings of ‘her’ final words to him. I include a few words in Irish Gaelic as the movement that led to the rebellion favored speaking Irish, instead of English. I would wager a guess, as they were both poets and writers in the Irish republican movement that she would have chosen to marry her love of country with her love of him in expressing her devotion.

My dearest,

A chuisle mo chroi,

Would I could be with you as you play out the part God has envisioned for you, my darling husband. Now that I am your wife in the eyes of God, even though for less than a day, I know I could die happily if I were in your arms. How I wish to be with you in this dark time that has come upon our land. For centuries we have struggled in the fight for which you now must die. They look upon you with reverence and awe, and thank you for your bravery, indeed your love. They call upon you and embrace you as your life is sacrificed in the cause for which we have fought and longed to realize for so many years. You will be called ‘blessed’ for the gift you have given your nation. In the words of our Commander, the President of the Provisional Government of Ireland, Padraic Pearse, “The generations shall remember them, And call them blessed.”

And I, with a heart as full as the breast a newborn suckles, longing in love for your touch, must take example from your courage and the bravery of our comrades – those willing to sacrifice even life itself in our centuries-long struggle against the oppressor, who has long held us in chains. They will remember and cherish the blood that has been spent in the centuries we have fought as a people for an Irish Nation. Our blood will forever flow through the field rows and quiet places where we have lived and truly loved. Your country will remember.

From our first meeting in O'Connell Street, from the flutters I had never before felt, I knew that I had met the man I hoped some day would be mine. Your written work cannot be contained on a mere page; the poetry you have dreamed is an homage to passion and clarity clarity, so soaring the words and sentiment. They convinced me beyond doubt that we had been destined to meet. It was the day my life finally became full, and I wanted to feel that to eternity. And, my gentle Love, I know that I shall feel such desire until the day we will again be together. It will surely come, as God must have willed. When next I see your face, know we will be forever bound not only in love, but in history.

The many times we’ve walked through Stephen’s Green or Phoenix Park, or along the banks of the Grand Canal, will forever be the most precious of my life. Our whispered words, the secret glances that we've shared, are deeply etched into my heart. The pride I felt that you were mine, and forever will be, has long moved my spirit to ineffable joy. That this man, my beloved, this glorious Seosamh Pluinceid loved me, filled my nights with longing and my days with passion is the treasure I will cherish; yet knowing I can no longer feel the warmth of your soft embrace is nearly more than I can bear. This sacrifice you now offer in the name of Ireland also makes my heart swell with that same burning pride. This pride, forever I offer as my gift to our sacred union, our fathomless love, and the burning trust we have that we shall be together in a forever of endless devotion.

Were God to grant me one wish, it would be to hold your hand against my breaking heart and breathe the spirit of my soul deep into yours. If I could be with you, a chuisle, my life would now be complete. My heart rests with you in these final hours, but I shall not rest until your name, their names, are spoken in shouts of sublime acclamation. This blessed moment will not disappear as long as the hearts and minds of Ireland’s children dream of freedom. Our struggle will continue until the day we meet our Savior, there amid the cliffs and the tiny villages, the sea and the valleys, and the strong winds that sweep down from the mountains.

For you who have stood on the pedestal of utmost danger, risking your all for her cause, Ireland will thank you in every generation. How I thank you for your patience and guidance, for your passion and your calm, for your gentle love. And yet, I am but one of the millions to whom such august destiny has been accorded.

A chuisle, as you face the fate that was yours to choose, know that I will never be whole until the moment we meet again. Dream on of the magical glens and the beauty of the peaceful sky after the rain has settled into mist. Dream on. For I will be there, always, silent and waiting until I can hear your voice and touch your beloved face once again, The enemy who now takes you and your comrades from me, and from those to whom Ireland rightfully belongs, will know only shame and eternal penalty for what they have wrought.

I have stood proudly by your side as we faced the might of an Empire, steadfast in the battle for the world we, as a country, have long sought and deserve. Perhaps In moments I have wavered in my devotion to our cause, but I had only to look to you for the strength that has delivered us to this.

My heart is nestled in your heart, my soul in your soul. None can steal that from us, nor from the people of Ireland who will one day wake to our blessed destiny. I will be with you again. Ireland will rise as a nation once again.

And know that we are Ireland, we who have long fought this fight. We are Ireland, who raise our eyes to God Almighty and know He will embolden us until we are a people united in sovereignty. Sinn Fein, Ourselves Alone.

My tears have fallen on this page as I have written these words. My tears are yours, my love, for they are wept in anticipation of our reunion in that other world.

Forever my eternal love, Mo ghrá síoraí go léir,

Slan abhaile,

(Safe Journey,)

Gráinne