le John Joe de Búrca
The morning stars in the early summer
Were brightly gleaming all in the dell,
But all the stars in all their glory
Were none so sweet as my lovely Nell.
Well I remember the nights and dawning
That I longed to lie down by your side,
Your lips as red as the early sunrise
Filled up my heart with love and pride.
Your eyes as green as the summer’s glory,
Your hair stood out like a regal crown,
In my darkest anguish you came to me
To stand with me till the world goes down.
The blackbird piping when the sun was setting,
My brown thrush singing when the sun goes down,
And all the stars in the sky a-winking
Were none so sweet as my cailín donn.
Your love to me is a raging storm
That sends dark arrows to my soul,
Your hair as red as Odin’s lightning
On a road of thunder as you pass by.
Long we travelled in lonely valleys,
In lowland plain and highland glen,
And many a harsh word did deplore us
and you my love stood by me then.
My queen of light, my errant beacon,
My way to shore from an evil sea,
You cast the line to save my honour
This I owe you for eternity.
Múscraí 