Sunday, March 31, 2013

my lagan love


on my ride home last night, this song returned to my head after twenty five years. it's a very beautiful old irish song . . . my favourite irish song actually . . . it's called "my lagan love" . . . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lagan_Love  i first heard it when van morrison sang it with the chieftains on a disc released in 1988 called irish heartbeat. . . .

this is sinead o'connor's live rendering in dublin . . .  

i think the words are beautiful . . . 

where lagan stream sings lullaby
there blows a lily fair
the twilight gleam is in her eyes
the night is on her hair
and like a love-sick lennan-shee
she has my heart in thrall
nor life i owe nor liberty
for Love is lord of all.

her father sails a running-barge
'twixt leamh-beag and the druim;
and on the lonely river-marge
she cleared his hearth for him.
when she was only fairy-high
her gentle mother died;
but true-love keeps her memory
green on the lagan side.

and often when the beedle's horn
hath lulled the eve to sleep
i steal unto her shieling lorn
and thru the dooring peep.
there on the cricket's singing stone,
she makes the bogwood fire,
and sings in sad sweet undertone
the songs of her heart's desire

her welcome, like her love for me,
is from her heart within:
her warm kiss is felicity
that knows no taint of sin.
and, when i stir my foot to go,
'tis leaving Love and light
to feel the wind of longing blow
from out the dark of night.

where lagan stream sings lullaby
there blows a lily fair
the twilight gleam is in her eye
the night is on her hair
and like a love-sick lennan-shee
she has my heart in thrall
nor life i owe nor liberty
for Love is lord of all.

2 comments:

Valerianna said...

Oh, this is one of my favorites, too....

steven said...

i'm happy to share this with you then valerianna!!! steven