Fare-you-well, Enniskillen, fare-you-well for a while,
All round the borders of Erin's green isle
And when the war 's over return I shall soon,
And your arms will be o-o-open for your Enniskillen Dragoon.
In the intervals between verses a black-bearded man with blue spectacles
announced solemnly that he was Professor Handley direct from English and
German universities, empowered by the Rosicrucian order to distribute a
remarkable panacea at the nominal sum of sixpence a bottle ...
Forests of cows' horns and drovers' sticks, clamor of frightened cattle,
emphatic slapping of palms. Clouds of dust where the horse fair was
carried on. Stands of fruit and cakes. Stalls of religious ornaments,
prayer-books, and rosary beads ... A shooting gallery ... A three-card
trickster, white and pimpled of face ... A trick-of-the-loop man, with
soap-box and greasy string ... A man who sold a gold watch, a
sovereign, and some silver for the sum of fifteen shillings ... An old
man with the Irish bagpipes, bellows strapped to arm, playing "The Birds
Among the Trees," "The Swallow-tail Coat," "The Green Fields of America"
... small boys regarding him curiously ... later young farmers and girls
would be dancing sets to his piping ... At the end of the street a
ballad-monger declaiming, not singing--his head thrown back, his voice
issuing in a measured chant ... "The Lament for the Earl of Lucan":
Patrick Sarsfield, Ireland's wonder!
Fought in the field like bolts of thunder!
One of Ireland's best commanders!
Now is food for the crows of Flanders!
Och! Ochone!
A knot of older people had gathered around him, white-headed farmers,
bent turf-cutters of the glens, a girl-child with eyes like saucers. A
priest stopped to listen ... The crude English of the ballad faded out,
until there was nothing but disheveled agony ... rhythm ... a wail ...
Somewhere a leaping current of feeling ... There was a woman on the edge
of the crowd, a lady ... She came nearer, as though hypnotized ...
The country bard stopped suddenly, exalted, and swung dramatically into
Gaelic ... Dropping the alien tongue he seemed to have dropped
fetters.... His voice rose to a paean ... he took on stature ... he
looked straight in the eye of the sun ... And for Shane the clamor of
the drovers ceased ... And there was the plucked note of harpers ... And
fires of ancient oak ... and wolf-dogs sleeping on skins of elk ... And
there was a wasted place in the twilight, and grass through a split
hearthstone ... And a warrior-poet, beaten, thinking bitter under the
stars ...
_Do threasgar an saoghal agas do thainic an gaoth mar smal--
Alastrom, Caesar, 's an mead do bhi da bpairt;
Ta an Teamhair na fear agas feach an Traoi mar ta!
'S na Sasanaigh fein, do b' fheidir go bhfaigh dis bas!_
A voice spoke excitedly, imperiously to Shane:
"What is he saying? Do you know Gaelic?"
"I'm afraid I've forgotten my Gaelic, but I know this song."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account