Poem celebrating Donald Trump's inauguration describes Barack Obama as a 'tyrant'
'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!'
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Your support makes all the difference.A poem has been written for Donald Trump's inauguration that pays tribute to his Scottish ancestry and attacks Barack Obama.
The President-elect's mother, Mary Anne Macleod, is a Scot and grew up on the Hebridean island of Lewis.
The poem, which was not commissioned by Mr Trump or his transition team, refers to snatching power from “a tyrant” who has “ill-gotten power”.
It was written by celebrated American poet Joseph Charles McKenzie of the Society of Classical Poets.
The group said the inspiration behind the poem is “to touch on the classical poetry existing throughout American history, and the inauguration poem marks important moments in US political history".
Mr Trump told reporters in 2008, “I feel Scottish,” when he visited the pebble-dashed cottage where his mother lived until she was 18.
He added: “I think this land is special, I think Scotland is special.”
The poem, published in full in The Scotsman this weekend, reads as follows:
"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!
The Domhnall’s a giver whilst others just take,
Ne’er gaining from that which his hands did not make.
A builder of buildings, employing good men,
He’s enriched many cities by factors of ten.
The honest and true gladly march with the crowd
Standing up for the Domhnall, the best of MacLeod!
True friend of the migrant from both far and near,
He welcomes the worthy, but guards our frontier,
Lest a murderous horde, for whom hell is the norm,
Should threaten our lives and our nation deform.
We immigrants hasten to swell the great crowd.”
Coming out for the Domhnall, the best of MacLeod!
Academe now lies dead, the old order rots,
No longer policing our words and our thoughts;
Its ignorant hirelings pretending to teach
Are backward in vision, sophomoric in speech.
Now we learnèd of mind add ourselves to the crowd
That cheers on the Domhnall, the best of MacLeod!
The black man, forgotten, in poverty dying,
The poor man, the sick man, with young children crying,
The soldier abroad and the mother who waits,
The young without work or behind prison gates,
The veterans, wounded, all welcome the crowd
That fights for the Domhnall, the best of MacLeod!
Whilst hapless old harridans flapping their traps
Teach women to look and behave like us chaps,
The Domhnall defends the defenseless forlorn;
For, a woman’s first right is the right to be born.
Now the bonnie young lassies that fly to the crowd
Have a champion in Domhnall, the best of MacLeod!
Mr Trump’s mother was born to a Gaelic-speaking fisherman and his wife in a tiny village on the Isle of Lewis in 1912.
Lewis is the northern part of the largest island of the Outer Hebrides and is known for having a vast peat bog and a proud, close-knit community.
The island is dominated by Calvinist 'free churches' and is described by the Lonely Planet travel guide as “the last bastion of Sabbath observance in the UK”.
The BBC showed a programme at the weekend exploring the New Yorker’s Scottish roots.
As a young woman, his mother Mary visited New York where she met builder Frank Trump, who was the son of German immigrants.
The couple married in 1936, moving to a wealthy area of New York. Donald Trump is the second of their five children.
Frank Trump became one of New York’s biggest property developers, leaving his vast fortune to his son, while Mary became known for her charity work.
Trump’s team has played down reports that many artists have refused invitations to perform at the ceremony, where the billionaire tycoon will be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States.
Among the few artists currently on the bill are 3 Doors Down, country music star Toby Keith and America's Got Talent finalist Jackie Evancho.
Singers said to have turned down the opportunity to perform include Elton John, Charlotte Church and The X Factor UK contestant Rebecca Ferguson, who wrote an open letter stating she would only attend if she were allowed to perform the historic Billie Holiday song 'Strange Fruit'.
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