In Praise of Christmas
Yule
Winter Jig
Imbolc
Ostara
Aengus and Caer
Beltane
The Passage:
the Ascent of Persephone
Scarborough Fair
Elfin Knight
Litha
Lughnasadh
The Passage:
the descend of Persephone
Mabon Song
Samhain Song
Anna - Is Breà Liom Tu
In Praise of Christmas
Yule
Winter Jig
Imbolc
Ostara
Aengus and Caer
Beltane
The Passage:
the Ascent of Persephone
Scarborough Fair
Elfin Knight
Litha
Lughnasadh
The Passage:
the descend of Persephone
Mabon Song
Samhain Song
Anna - Is Breà Liom Tu
The Wheel of the Year starts turning
the banquets empurple the snow
The branch of desires is burning
my wish to the Spirits has flown:
The Sun’s born by the deepest night
Yule God, you know what I long for.
Deck my bare womb with your delight
for I want a child of my own.
The very first ray soon will pierce Newgrange,
the power of Solstice so dire
will saw into the cold soil its bright revenge
Yule, pierce me with your fire.
The Wheel of the Year starts turning
Deep Winter, fulfill my desires.
In womb
lamb and plume
In womb
milk and spume
Far is bloom,
what’s in womb will live
Sing loom,
much wool you will weave
many cloaks you’ll give
many tales you’ll tell. We’ve
learned about it,
from the wise women that make spells and knit:
She comes back to sweep the snow off the firs
She’s the elfin child who fills the sheep’s udders
She, the starlit
sky, she’s Mother Brigit
Imbolc
cheese and flock
Imbolc,
light and folk
Sleep, Sun
your work will be hard,
(your work will be hard, the bloom is far)
glisten
candles in the yards,
(candles in the yards, stories and poems)
paths of fire that guard
stories we learned by bards.
(that we learned by bards)
They talk about her:
She’s the old crone who scents of pines and myrrh
She’s the young maiden that holds the flames lit
Druidess and warrior that your spirit heats,
The triple Goddess, Brigantia, Brigit.
[....]
We’ve learned about her
from the wise maidens that hold the flames lit
(from the young elfins that your spirit heat)
From the bards when they burn pine cones and myrrh
(From the druids when they pray)
From druids and warriors that make spells and knit,
She’s crone, child, mother, she’s Triple Brigit.
Ostara
Mother Earth is awakening
Ostara
Hare its eyes is opening
It’s Ostara
Rabbit hole’s in excitement air itself is life’s incitement
Open wide your door, it’s Easter-Ostara
Yawns and straches on fenceposts the wisteria
the song of the sparrows’s almost hysteria
They yell: “Hurry, people!,
The Sun wails over the steeple
and says: ”Come on, per aspera ad astra!”
Man to whom I’m destined
he must wear a green vest and
he must have such a generous bag
brimful of dreams and desire
He must give me the most perfect egg
and help me to start the fire
which will burn for a whole night
as he’ll burn in me:
He will take me at twilight
and it will be
...
Rising Sun exults three times
...
And the dawn shakes the wind-chimes
...
For my groom I’m destined,
thus I’ll wear a white clean vest and
I will await among the wet rocks
caressing the upspringing light.
He will conceal a gem in his smock
and he will know me at first sight.
Goddess that break from the East
and my lushness fed,
as the most magical yeast
leaven in my bread.
Aengus slept among the gleams
of flaking snow
When she appeared, he found his love in dreams
under the snow
“My princess please lead me to your place”
“On the night’s plumes, my fairy fate lays.
Awake, my dear, you’d neither see my face.”
Ní féidir stop a chur leis an sneachta
Ní féidir stop a chur leis an sneachta
“No one, my sweet Aengus, will stop one single flake
My song will seduce your heart till you awake.”
“Father Dagda, who for your love
once stopped the Sun
Mother Bóann, who sired your river cove,
Please save your Son
For his passion sickness rages on.
Search all the realm, find my beloved unknown.”
“November first, reap what the fate has sown”
Ní féidir stop a chur leis an sneachta
Ní féidir stop a chur leis an sneachta
“No one, my sweet Aengus, will stop one single flake
My song will drag on your heart to Dragon’s Mouth lake”
On the Lake he found in silver chains
one fifty swans
“Lord Aengus, your journey was not vain,
observe the swans
One of them is the maiden which you adore:
On Samhain she becomes a bird and soars.
If you tell her then she will be yours.”
Ní féidir stop a chur leis an sneachta
Ní féidir stop a chur leis an sneachta
“No one, my sweet Aengus, will stop one falling flake
My song will show to your heart the right choice to make”
“Queen of Night, I know your eyes, don’t hide”
he said to a Swan
“God of Love, Caer will be your bride,
your heart has won”
He played his harp, she sang in the wind’s blow:
“Our song will sew men’s dreams,
for Night, when grows,
can’t stop their Love,
as you can’t stop the snow.”
Beltane
Chase me there in wood my love
it’s Beltane
and it’s almost time to harvest the grain
And the sweet breezes comb the horse’s mane,
Come my love, for it is the first of May.
Beltane
the song of the swans spreads on the green plains
sacred fire shows the way back to the cranes,
and the solar God sit on throne today,
do not let this enchantment be in vain
In my hideout I listen the whispering elves,
Come in wood and bring the offer which they do deserve
I am dressed in buds, my hair caresses my chest,
the fairy milk of desire sweetens my tender breast
Wake up, sleeping Earth
Here is time for your rebirth.
Chase me, my love, it’s Beltane
Our embrace will help the Goddess be mother again.
(Beltane)
And the flame is blessing cattle and men
keep the magic drew drops for the maidens
guard your well: the first water of day
will be healing to you the first of May.
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Remember me to one who lives there,
For she/he once was a true love of mine.
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Without any seam nor needlework,
And then she'll be a true love of mine.
Ask him to find me an acre of land,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Between the salt water and the sea-strand,
For then he'll be a true love of mine.
Tell her to wash it in yonder dry well,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Which never sprung water nor rain ever fell,
And then she'll be a true love of mine.
Ask him to plough it with a lamb's horn,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
And sow it all over with one peppercorn,
For then he'll be a true love of mine.
Tell her to dry it on yonder thorn,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Which never bore blossom since Adam was born,
And then she'll be a true love of mine.
Ask him to reap it with a sickle of leather,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
And gather it up with a rope made of heather,
For then he'll be a true love of mine.
Ask her to do me this courtesy,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
When he has done and finished his work,
ask him to come for his cambric shirt,
And ask for a like favour from me,
And then she'll be a true love of mine.
And then he'll be a true love of mine.
If you say that you can't, then I shall reply
Oh, Let me know that at least you will try,
Or you'll never be a true love of mine.
“Love imposes impossible tasks
-sevory, sage, rosemary and thyme-
Though not more than any heart asks.
I must know you are a true lover of mine”
St. John’s wort roses thyme,
rosemary and rue:
pick the herbs in nighttime
and gather the drew.
The Mother of Litha gave birth, she’s in bloom,
let’s harvest sage and vervain.
The God gives is life to be seed in her womb
and dies to be born again.
God sacrifice,
Sun dives into the Earth
Midsummer is rising so fragrant is crop,
the Dark has been smashed by Light
You climbed on the Wheel of the Year,
from its top,
you glimpse the first shores of the Night.
The Father of Litha spreads life all around, let’s harvest wisteria and vervain.
He will bury himself in the heart of the ground,
Will die to be born again.
God sacrifice,
Sun dives into the Earth.
Midsummer has flourished, so scented is fern,
Let’s welcome the Reign of Light.
We climbed the Wheel of the Year and its turns
unveil the first shores of the Night.
Sweep away from my bright soul every trace of gloom,
hold my hand and make me whole,
my beloved groom.
No rose is as sweet and pure as your perfect lips:
for that the day I first saw you, I gathered the cowslips.
Mother Earth throws her essence
at autumn presage
Now she leaves the adolescence,
enters the adult age
No stone is as forceful as your noble chest:
for that the second time I put a lavender on my breast
I will turn your water-spring
into seething mead
like the whelp of Lugh, the King.
and I will be your steed
No oak is as firm and sure
as your marble legs:
for that the third day I saw you
I stole a bunch of nutmegs.
Lughnasadh will rise once more,
Tailten Games resound.
Through the hole of wooden door
our hands are bound.
No gem is as beautiful
as your heart, my groom:
for that, at last, today I’ll put
a carnation on my womb.
With slow strides it walks,
the fall equinox;
close the windows,
sunset knocks
let’s clean up our home.
Let’s harvest last grain
before the first rain.
Between willows
and henbane
here is coming the Crone
Cailleach divine Hag
will soon shook her blanket off the crag
shelter in my chest
my sweetheart, hide.
The antlered God will sag
toward the Otherworld riding his stag.
All that shines
has been first born inside.
My spouse, don’t bemoan
if summer has flown;
close the haymow
winter’s scone
will be sweet to our tongue.
Our love is a swan
deathless, like Mabon,
with no sorrow
‘cause who has known
the Sky will remain young.
Cailleach guards the sheep
In her plaid the snow secret she keeps.
Our ear of grain
in silence we reap.
Like a fall leaves heap,
drop into my heart and get asleep.
All’s born
has been first grown in deep.
With slow strides it walks,
the fall equinox;
To the windows
sunset knocks
let’s clean up our soul.
Up there in the sky
There’s a shield that divides
the summer from fall
and the dusk from the light
When the moon river flows
and its yellow tide grows,
the sun yield to night’s love
Before the first winter snows
Samhain spell is here
embrace me tightly, dear,
no one can divide us for tonight, don’t fear.
Sun did pass beyond,
I came back to o’r bond
to stay until vanishes the skin I donned
Take my hand, don’t be frightened
my desire has been heightened
by your steps on the path
which the moon has enlightened
The New Year starts in morrow
and this night’s just a borrow
and the bonfire is burning
out the yesterday’s sorrow
Samhain spell is here
embrace me tightly, dear,
no one can divide us for tonight, don’t fear.
Sun did pass beyond,
I came back to o’r bond
to stay until vanishes
the skin I donned
to stay until vanish
these old tears I donned.
Sna cnoic leathan ritheann an ghaoth
de mo ghrá, mo ghrá
de mo ghrá
Sings an fèar
agus sings mo chroi
Cá bhfuil mo ghrá?
Cá bhfuil mo ghrá,
mo ghrá?
Anna,
Is breá liom tú.
Anna,
Is breá liom tú.
“In the wide hills flows the wind
of my love, of my love
of my love
The grass sings
and my heart sings too
Where is my love?
Where is my love,
Where is my love?”
Anna,
Is breá liom tú.
Anna
I do love you.
