—Mr Chairman, ladies and gentlemen: Great was my admiration in listening to the remarks addressed to the youth of Ireland a moment since by my learned friend. It seemed to me that I had been transported into a country far away from this country, into an age remote from this age, that I stood in ancient Egypt and that I was listening to the speech of some highpriest of that land addressed to the youthful Moses.
—And it seemed to me that I heard the voice of that Egyptian highpriest raised in a tone of like haughtiness and like pride. I heard his words and their meaning was revealed to me.
—Why will you jews not accept our culture, our religion and our language? You are a tribe of nomad herdsmen: we are a mighty people. You have no cities nor no wealth: our cities are hives of humanity and our galleys, trireme and quadrireme, laden with all manner merchandise furrow the waters of the known globe. You have but emerged from primitive conditions: we have a literature, a priesthood, an agelong history and a polity.
—You pray to a local and obscure idol: our temples, majestic and mysterious, are the abodes of Isis and Osiris, of Horus and Ammon Ra. Yours serfdom, awe and humbleness: ours thunder and the seas. Israel is weak and few are her children: Egypt is an host and terrible are her arms. Vagrants and daylabourers are you called: the world trembles at our name.
—But, ladies and gentlemen, had the youthful Moses listened to and accepted that view of life, had he bowed his head and bowed his will and bowed his spirit before that arrogant admonition he would never have brought the chosen people out of their house of bondage, nor followed the pillar of the cloud by day. He would never have spoken with the Eternal amid lightnings on Sinai’s mountaintop nor ever have come down with the light of inspiration shining in his countenance and bearing in his arms the tables of the law, graven in the language of the outlaw.
The speech likens the Irish nation to the Israelites and Britain as Egypt. It is against Imperialism and advocates for a revival of Irish Nationalism.
The Oral Tradition
There is a recording of Joyce reads an excerpt from 7 Aeolus reading the speech. Why does he do this? Perhaps as a continuation of the oral tradition, a medium proceeding the printed page or the manuscript. Indeed, the text itself is of MacHugh reciting the spoken speech from memory. In doing so, the speech likely alters. The reader, should they attempt to recall it in the future, will themselves also mutate and change the contents, in an everlasting game of telephone.
On a personal note, when listening to the recording, the artifact and noise of the low quality recording caused the pages of my book to vibrate. A man’s voice from over a 100 years ago continues to have its effect to this day, not only mentally, but physically: vibrating, changing, and persisting.