Motus Mentis

Making the rounds today (with a hat-tip to our old e-pal Dennis Mangan): a poem written for Donald Trump’s inauguration. It’s called “Pibroch of the Domnhall” and was written by Joseph Charles MacKenzie (originally published at ClassicalPoets.org).

I reproduce the first few stanzas, with prefatory notes:

§ The refrains at the end of each stanza are to be recited by the Inaugural crowd.
§ A Pibroch is a rallying bagpipe tune and is pronounced like “PEA-brohgh.’
§ Domhnall, the Scottish form of the name Donald, is pronounced like “TONE-all’
§ Torquil was the royal progenitor of the MacLeods of Lewis, the outer hebridean island and birthplace of President Trump’s immigrant mother, Mary Anne MacLeod.

Come out for the Domhnall, ye brave men and proud,
The scion of Torquil and best of MacLeod!
With purpose and strength he came down from his tower
To snatch from a tyrant his ill-gotten power.
Now the cry has gone up with a cheer from the crowd:
“Come out for the Domhnall, the best of MacLeod!’

When freedom is threatened by slavery’s chains
And voices are silenced as misery reigns,
We’ll come out for a leader whose courage is true
Whose virtues are solid and long overdue.
For, he’ll never forget us, we men of the crowd
Who elected the Domhnall, the best of MacLeod!

When crippling corruption polluted our nation
And plunged our economy into stagnation,
As self-righteous rogues took the opulent office
And plump politicians reneged on their promise,
The forgotten continued to form a great crowd
That defended the Domhnall, the best of MacLeod!

Read the rest here. It’s a rousing and celebratory offering, in fine Scottish style, and fit for a great and glorious day: the end, at long last, of the age of Obama.