Eleanor Rogers Cox: Irish Woman Poet

Eleanor Rogers Cox (1865-1931?) was born in Enniskillen and spent most of her life in the United States. Her poetry is mainly concerned with Irish themes. Biographical details are sketchy, but her work was widely anthologised and she published several collections, one of which, A Hosting of Heroes and Other Poems, was published in Dublin in 1911. ‘Cuchulain’s Wooing’ was included in A. P. Graves’ The Book of Irish Poetry (Dublin, no date given).

Cuchulain’s Wooing

Great-limbed and swift and beautiful
Past any dream, he came to her,

From Emain Macha through a land
For gladness of the Spring astir.

And on the flutes of Morning blown,
Strong Joy that took for breath no pause,

The song of Breeze and Stream and Bird,
The herald of his coming was.

Yea, and through all her April ways,
To Erin’s utmost sea-girt rim.

Through waking seed, and blade and leaf.
Green Nature laughed for joy of him.

And where he held his sun-bright course,
Straight-sped as arrow on its flight.

Men thronged as to a pageant wrought
By the high gods for their delight.

And seeing, with a fairer faith
The Deathless Mighty Ones adored,

Who thus unto their Ulster’s need
Had shaped at once a shield and sword,

So through the singing land he passed,
The peerless warden of her fame,

So, Lord himself of Love and War,
Unto his fair-faced love he came,