Ushag Veg Ruy/ Uiseag Bheag Ruaidh ( Little Red Lark)

Ushag Veg Ruy is a traditional lullaby of the Isle of Man preserved in three versions, known in Scotland under the title of Uiseag Bheag Ruaidh.
[Ushag Veg Ruy è una ninnananna tradizionale dell’Isola di Man conservata in tre versioni, nota in Scozia con il titolo di Uiseag Bheag Ruaidh]

Manxs gaelic version: Ushag Veg Ruy

The first version is based on a Scots song, Craigieburn Wood; the second appears in the Moore collection ( in ‘Manx Ballads and Music’, Moore, 1896); and the third was recorded by P. W. Caine of Douglas and sung by his father. It has similarities with the Gaelic song, An Coineachan.
[La prima versione è basata su una canzone scozzese, Craigieburn Wood; la seconda appare nella raccolta Moore (in ‘Manx Ballads and Music’, Moore, 1896); e la terza è stata registrata da P. W. Caine di Douglas (Isola di Man) e cantata da suo padre. Richiama la canzone irlandese, An Coineachan]
Emma Christian in Celtic Voices – Women of Song 1995

Caera in Suantraighe 2006

Gráinne Holland in Teanga Na nGael (the “Language of the Gael”) 2015

Zoe Conway

Jean-Luc Lenoir in “Berceuses Celtiques – A la rencontre des Fées” 2016 – Old Celtic & Nordic Lullabies

Ushag veg ruy ny moanee doo
Moanee doo, moanee doo
Ushag veg ruy ny moanee doo
C’raad chaddil oo riyr ‘syn oie?
I
Nagh chaddil mish riyr er baare y crouw
Baare y crouw, baare y crouw
Lesh fliaghey tuittym er dagh cheu
As ogh! My chadley cha treih
II
Nagh chaddil mish riyr er baare y dress
Baare y dress, baare y dress
Tra va’n gheay sheidey v’ey gymmyrkey lhee
As ogh! My chadley cha treih
III
Nagh chaddil mish riyr er baare y tonn
Baare y tonn, baare y tonn
Myr shimmey mac dooinney cadley roym
As ogh! My chadley cha treih
(Chaddil mish riyr er baare ny thooane,
Er baare ny thooane, er baare ny thooane,
Chaddil mish riyr er baare ny thooane,
As ogh, my chadley cho treih! )
IV
Chaddil mish riyr eddyr daa ghuillag
Eddyr daa ghuillag, eddyr daa ghuillag
Myr cadley yn oikan er keeagh y vummig
As O! my chadley cha kiune
(Myr oikan eddyr daa Ihuishag. )

Chorus
Little red bird of the black peat ground
Black peat ground, black peat ground
Little red bird of the black peat ground
Where did you sleep last night?
I
Did I not sleep last night on the top of the bush
On the top of the bush, on the top of the bush
With rain falling on every side
And oh! wretched was my sleep
II
Did I not sleep last night on the top of the briar…
While the wind was blowing all around
And oh! wretched was my sleep
III
Did I not sleep last night on top of the wave…
Where many a man’s son slept before me
And oh! wretched was my sleep
(Last night I slept on the point of the riblas*..
And oh, how miserable my sleep was. )
IV
I slept last night between two leaves…
As the baby sleeps on the breast of the mother
(Like and infant between two blankets. )
And oh! my sleep was good

Traduzione in italiano Cattia Salto
Coro
Uccellino rosso della nera torbiera
nera torbiera, nera torbiera
Uccellino rosso della nera torbiera
Dove hai dormito la scorsa notte?
I
Ho dormito la scorsa notte in cima al cespuglio
in cima del cespuglio, in cima del cespuglio
con la pioggia a scroscio
E oh! Miserabile è stato il mio sonno
II
Ho dormito la scorsa notte in cima al rovo..
Mentre il vento soffiava dappertutto
E oh! Miserabile è stato il mio sonno
III
Ho dormito la scorsa notte sulla cresta dell”onda
Dove molti figlioli dormivano davanti a me
E oh! Miserabile è stato il mio sonno
(La scorsa notte ho dormito sulle travi del tetto*,
E oh! Miserabile è stato il mio sonno)
IV
Ho dormito la scorsa notte tra due foglie …
Come il bambino dorme sul seno della madre
(come bambino tra due coperte.)
E oh! Il mo è stato un buon sonno

NOTE
* a riblas or thooane was used in the construction of a thatched roof as one of the ribs supporting the sods of earth inserted under the thatch. The equivalent word in Scottish Gaelic taobhan.

Scottish Gaelic version: Uiseag Bheag Ruaidh

Mairi MacInness in Ticketty Boo 2002

Uiseag bheag dhearg na monadh duibh
Na monadh duibh, na monadh duibh
Uiseag bheag dhearg na monadh duibh
Cait do chaidil thu’n raoir ‘s an i?
I
Chaidil mi’n raoir air bharr an dris
Air bharr an dris, air bharr an dris
Chaidil mi’n raoir air bharr an dris
Ach o bha mo chadal cho sgith!
II
Chaidil mi’n raoir air bharr nan tonn
Air bharr nan tonn, air bharr nan tonn
Chaidil mi’n raoir air bharr nan tonn
Ach o bha mo chadal cho sgith!
III
Uiseag bheag dhearg nan sgiathan oir
Nan sgiathan oir, nan sgiathan oir
Uiseag bheag dhearg nan sgiathan oir
Cait an do chaidil thu’n raoir ‘s an i?
IV
Chaidil mi’n raoir eadar da dhuilleig
Eadar da dhuilleig, eadar da dhuilleag
Chaidil mi’n raoir eadar da dhuilleig
Is o bha mo chadal cho seimh

Chorus
Little red lark from the black moor
The black moor, the black moor
Little red lark from the black moor
Where did you nest last night?
I
I slept last night on the bramble bush
On the bramble bush, on the bramble bush
I slept last night on the bramble bush
Oh my sleep was restless!
II
I slept last night on the ocean waves
On the ocean waves, on the ocean waves
I slept last night on the ocean waves
Oh my sleep was restless!
Chorus
Little red lark with the golden wings
With the golden wings, with the golden wings
Little red lark with the golden wings
Where did you sleep last night?
III
I slept last night between two leaves
Between two leaves, between two leaves
I slept last night between two leaves
And oh my sleep was peaceful!

Traduzione in italiano Cattia Salto
Coro
Piccola allodola rossa della torbiera
della torbiera, della torbiera
Piccola allodola rossa della torbiera
Dove hai fatto il nido la scorsa notte?
I
Ho dormito la notte scorsa sul cespuglio di rovi
Sul cespuglio di rovi, sul cespuglio di rovi
Ho dormito la notte scorsa sul cespuglio di rovi
Oh, il mio sonno era inquieto!
II
Ho dormito la scorsa notte sulle onde dell’oceano
Sulle onde dell’oceano, sulle onde dell’oceano
Ho dormito la scorsa notte sulle onde dell’oceano
Oh, il mio sonno era inquieto!
Coro
Piccola allodola rossa con le ali dorate
Con le ali dorate, con le ali dorate
Piccola allodola rossa con le ali dorate
Dove hai dormito la scorsa notte?
III
Ho dormito la scorsa notte tra due foglie
Tra due foglie, tra due foglie
Ho dormito la scorsa notte tra due foglie
E il mio sonno fu beato!

Link

https://terreceltiche.altervista.org/lullaby-nursery-rhyme/
http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/fulltext/mb1896/p042.htm
http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/manxnb/v07p128.htm
http://www.celticlyricscorner.net/macinnes/uiseag.htm
https://www.omniglot.com/songs/manx/ushagvegruy.htm

Sylphs and sylphids butterflies in the wind

Leggi in italiano

We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.(The Tempest act IV sc I)

Winged spirit of Germanic and Celtic mythology, sometimes considered an angel, the Sylph (Sylphid) lives in the woods and dances in the wind. It is depicted as a long-legged girl with a diaphanous skin and long blonde hair (sometimes honey-colored, sometimes silver), a delicate and budding beauty that emanates the charm of grace. The most famous name is Ariel immortalized by Shakespeare in his comedy “The Tempest”.

ariel-fuseli — Henry Fuseli, Ariel c. 1800-10

Ariel is the sylph of the Air, its power is that of the wind and its character is the same, changeable and capricious: caressing and playful or threatening like a storm.
So Ariel sleeps in the corolla of a primrose, rides a bat and, sitting on a cloud, contemplates the human leisures.
The song of Ariel is melodious and fairy, seductive to the point of inducing madness.
Sylphs control winds and rain and give shape to clouds, lightning is their weapon and their power is stronger during sunrise or twilight.

The alchemist Paracelsus describes the sylphids in his book “De Nymphis, Sylphis, Pygmaeis et Salamandris et coeteris spiritibus” cataloging them among the elemental spirits.

John Anster Fitzgerald depicts a winged, ephebic, and feminine sylph as he sways on the branch of a blossoming hawthorn surrounded by multicolored birds: the sylphs are the creatures of Spring, and their songs and dances awaken Nature. Their language is similar to that of birds, so they communicate with music and their favorite instrument is the flute.

To the sylphs the ancients gave the labor of modeling the snowflakes and gathering clouds. This latter they accomplished with the cooperation of the undines who supplied the moisture. The winds were their particular vehicle and the ancients referred to them as the spirits of the air. They are the highest of all the elementals, their native element being the highest in vibratory rate. They live hundreds of years, often attaining to a thousand years and never seeming to grow old. The leader of the sylphs is called Paralda, who is said to dwell on the highest mountain of the earth. The female sylphs were called sylphids.
The sylphs sometimes assume human form, but apparently for only short periods of time. Their size varies, but in the majority of cases they are no larger than human beings and often considerably smaller. It is said that the sylphs have accepted human beings into their communities and have permitted them to live there for a considerable period; in fact, Paracelsus wrote of such an incident, but of course it could not have occurred while the human stranger was in his physical body. By some, the Muses of the Greeks are believed to have been sylphs, for these spirits are said to gather around the mind of the dreamer, the poet, and the artist, and inspire him with their intimate knowledge of the beauties and workings of Nature. To the sylphs were given the eastern corner of creation. Their temperament is mirthful, changeable, and eccentric. The peculiar qualities common to men of genius are supposedly the result of the cooperation of sylphs, whose aid also brings with it the sylphic inconsistency. The sylphs labor with the gases of the human body and indirectly with the nervous system, where their inconstancy is again apparent. They have no fixed domicile, but wander about from place to place–elemental nomads, invisible but ever-present powers in the intelligent activity of the universe..” Mainly P. Hall “The Secret Teachings Of All Ages (from here)”

AIR DU SYLPHE

Jean-Luc Lenoir in “Old Celtic & Nordic Ballads” 2013: Air Du Sylphe the melody in the central part takes the shape of a medieval estampie.

♪

DANZE EN POINTE

The classical ballet could have been born from the inspiration of a sylphid, such is the title of the first romantic ballet born from the choreography of Filippo Taglioni for his daughter Maria who excelled in dance en pointe (the first performance was held in Paris in March 1832) .
Celtic legends were fashionable (James Macpherson with the Ossian saga published in 1807 as a translation of ancient Gaelic songs in the Highlands, gave rise to Romanticism) and the story takes place in Scotland, in the Highlands to tell the impossible love between a human and a fairy creature: James about to marry with Effie falls in love with a beautiful sylphid that seduces him in a dream.

Eva Evdokimova “Sylphide”

Sources
http://www.gianfrancobertagni.it/materiali/alchimia/marra3.htm
http://www.centrostudilaruna.it/il-piccolo-popolo-degli-elementi.html
http://4umi.com/shakespeare/ariel/
http://www.danzadance.com/silfide_balletto/

Amhrán Na Farraige (Song of the Sea)

“Song of the Sea” (La canzone del Mare) è un film d’animazione del regista irlandese Tomm Moore uscito nel 2014 (per la Cartoon Saloon), seguito nell’anno successivo dalla versione in gaelico irlandese e distribuito nelle sale italiane solo nel 2016.
E’ la storia di Ben e della sorellina Saoirse che vivono su un isola nel Mare d’Irlanda. La loro madre era una selkie e toccherà alla sorellina nata muta a portare il fardello della sua eredità e in particolare la lotta contro Macha e i suoi gufi. (Nel film Macha è la stega-gufo madre di MacLir il dio del Mare trasformato in pietra.)
La musica del film è di Bruno Coulais e del gruppo irlandese Kila.

Moore ha scelto di narrare una storia di formazione molto più complessa di ciò che potrebbe sembrare in apparenza, numerosi sono infatti i richiami a letteratura, mitologia celtica, storia della
religione e del folklore, psicologia evolutiva, il tutto sapientemente dosato, in una narrazione delicata e per nulla banale.
La scelta più importante è quella di un’animazione 2D in stile vintage, sulla scia del grande Hayaho Miyazaki, forse il più famoso fumettista e regista di animazione giapponese, unita ad un occhio a Van Gogh e Pollock.
La poetica di Miyazaki è infatti basata sul rispetto per la natura, le memorie, il mondo onirico dei bambini e la loro purezza, “Anime eredi della memoria storica delle generazioni precedenti”, che vede con immenso affetto e che mette al centro di tutti i suoi lavori. Allo stesso modo, il pool di venti disegnatori europei, crea un mondo evocativo e fantastico, pregno di una luce umida che
avvolge il cielo e i colori di una magica Irlanda (Sarah Nussenblatt scheda del film qui)

[“Song of the Sea” is an animated film by the Irish director Tomm Moore released in 2014 (for the Cartoon Saloon), followed in the following year by the Irish Gaelic version and distributed in Italian theaters only in the 2016.
It’s the story of Ben and his mute little sister Saoirse living on an island in the Irish Sea. Their mother was a selkie and her daughter will carry the burden of her inheritance and in particular the fight against Macha and her owls. (In the film Macha is the Owl Witch, mother of MacLir, the god of the Sea turned into stone.)
The music of the film is by Bruno Coulais and the Irish group Kila]

Nella canzone si descrivono luoghi e tempi liminari, veri e propri ingressi dell’Altro Mondo e ai Miti d’Irlanda

[The song describes liminal places and times, real entrances of the Other World, recalling the myths of Ireland ]

I
Between the here,
between the now
between the North,
Between the South
between the West,
between the East
between the time,
between the place
Chorus
From the shell
the Song of the Sea
neither quiet nor calm
searching for love again
Mo ghrá
II
Between the winds,
between the waves
between the sands,
between the shores
III
Between the stones,
between the storms
between belief,
between the seas
Tá mé i dtiúin

Traduzione italiana Cattia Salto
I
Fra il qui
e l’ora
fra il nord
e il sud
fra l’ovest
e l’est
al tempo
e luogo (1)
Chorus
Dalla conchiglia (2),
la canzone del mare,
per niente calma e serena,
di nuovo alla ricerca d’amore
amore mio
II
Fra i venti
e le onde
fra le sabbie
e le coste
III
Fra gli scogli
e le burrasche
fra la fede
e il mare
Sono connessa (3)

NOTE
1) ho preferito tradurre con un espressione “at the proper time and place”
2) è la conchiglia che trova Seoirse nella notte di Halloween del suo sesto compleanno, la conchiglia che la madre aveva regalato a Ben custodita gelosamente nel suo armadio; nella conchiglia si sente cantare il mare e la bimba trova il mantello di foca della madre. E’ in questo momento che inizia la fiaba e la magia
3) nel senso mi sento bene, sono in sintonia

Amhrán Na Farraige

Idir ann is idir as
Idir thuaidh is idir theas
Idir thiar is idir thoir
Idir am is idir áitCasann sí dhom
Amhrán na farraige
Suaimhneach nó ciúin
Ag cuardú go damanta
Mo ghráIdir gaoth is idir tonn
Idir tuilleadh is idir gann
Casann sí dhom
Amhrán na Farraige
Suaimhneach nó ciúin
Ag cuardú go damantaIdir cósta, idir cléibh
Idir mé is idir mé féin
Tá mé i dtiúin

I
Between in,
between out
between the North,
Between the South
between the West,
between the East
between time,
between space
Chorus
She sings to me
the Song of the Sea
quiet and calm
Searching fiercely for
my love
II
Between the wind,
between the wave
Between More
Between Scarce
III
Between coast,
between chest (1)
between me,
between myself
I am in tune

Traduzione italiana Cattia Salto
I
Fra il dentro
e il fuori
fra il nord
e il sud
fra l’ovest
e l’est
tra il tempo
e lo spazio
Coro
(il mare) mi canta
la sua canzone,
calma e serena,
alla valorosa ricerca
dell’amore mio
II
Fra i venti
e le onde
fra il più
e il meno
III
Fra la costa
e il cuore
fra me
e me
Sono connessa

NOTE
1) cheast nel senso di gabbia toracica e quindi “heart”

Saoirse Song

LINK
http://dilloconunciak.altervista.org/la-canzone-del-mare/
http://www.bestmovie.it/news/song-of-the-sea-la-nostra-recensione-del-meraviglioso-cartoon-irlandese/481389/

435. Learn Irish – Amhrán na Farraige

A phiùthrag ‘s a phiuthar (Sister’s lament)

Leggi in Italiano

“Sister’s lament” (Sister or sister) is a Scottish Gaelic song from the Hebrides, where a young girl kidnapped by the fairies calls her sister to come to her rescue: in the song the fairy hideout is described. The song is included in the collection “Songs of the Hebrides”, Vol 1 by Marjory Kennedy-Fraser with the title “A Fairy Plaint” (Ceol-brutha).

In folk tales, fairies are not benevolent creatures at all, attracted by the strength and vitality of mankind, they kidnap children and especially newborns, or seduce (for the purpose of kidnapping) a lot of beautiful youths.
The fairy abduction was once an attempt to rationalize the loss of loved ones, it was a great consolation thinking that the fairies had stolen that young life from a sad fate, or it was an explanation for abnormal behavior, such as autism or depression. Thus an “absent” behavior amounted to a rapture of the soul and the victim felt like a prisoner in the enchanted Kingdom; a great danger came from food, because it was enough a tasting to preserve a tormenting desire, very often fatal.

CELTIC TALE

Two sisters lived in a valley not far from a circle of fairies, where elves held a night market, offering a wide selection of juicy and tasty fruit. The market was invisible to human eyes, but one night the girls saw him: the older sister escaped frightened, but the younger intrigued, let himself be involved in the market and gave a lock of her golden hair for those fruits so inviting.
She returned home only after eating at will and the next night, driven by hunger that human food could no longer satisfy, she went to look for the elf market, no longer finding it. The older sister, realizing that her little sister was prey to an inexplicable malaise that consumed her, sought in turn the magical place, managing to find it; nevertheless the elves would have yielded their fruits only if the elder sister had also banquished with them; the girl fearing the end of her sister, she stubbornly refused, despite the elves, who did everything, even slamming the fruit in her face and pressing them against her mouth. So some juice remained on her lips ..

Goblin-Market-Arthur-Rackham — Goblin Market. Arthur Rackham.

At dawn the girl managed to return home to give a last farewell to her dying sister, a last sweet kiss .. that was how the little sister from her lips tasted elven food, her hunger was satisfied and she found healing.

A phiùthrag ‘s a phiuthar

The song shares the structure of the waulking songs and was originally perhaps a work song. The melody is very sad and some assume it is a funeral lament.

Flora MacNeil learned the song from a relative of the island of Mingulay
live in Tobar an Dualchais

Margaret Stewart in Togidh mi mo Sheolta (Along The Road Less Travelled)

The structure of the song repeats the last sentence as the first sentence in the next stanza. The choral part of the song is entrusted to “vocables”

English translation Flora MacNeil
I
Little sister, sister
My love, my sister
Do you not pity(1)
My grief tonight
II
Do you not pity
My grief tonight
In a little hut(2) I am
Low and narrow
III
In a little hut I am
Low and narrow
With no roof of turf
and no thatch entwined (3)
IV
With no roof of turf
and no thatch entwined
But the rain from the hills
streaming into it(4)
V
But the rain from the hills
Streaming into it
Mighty Heaval(5)
with the white-maned horses(6)

Irish gaelic, Flora MacNeil version
I
A phiùthrag ‘s a phiuthar, hu ru
Ghaoil a phiuthar, hu ru
Nach truagh leat fhèin, ho ho ill eo
Nochd mo chumha, hu ru
II
Nach truagh leat fhèin, hu ru
nochd mo chumha, hu ru
Mi’m bothan beag, ho ho ill eo
ìseal cumhag, hu ru
III
Mi’m bothan beag, hu ru
ìseal cumhag, hu ru
Gun sgrath dhìon, ho ho ill eo
Gun lùb tughaidh, hu ru
IV
Gun sgrath dhìon air, hu ru
Gun lùb tughaidh hu ru, hu ru
Ach uisge nam beann, ho ho ill eo
Sìos ‘na shruth leis, hu ru
V
Ach uisge nam beann, hu ru
Sìos ‘na shruth leis, hu ru
Hèabhal mhòr, ho ho ill eo
Nan each dhriumfhionn, hu ru

NOTE
1) “Can you not pity” or” Would you not pity me my mourning tonight”
2) “Small my dwelling”, or little bothy
3) “With no protection no thatching” or “Without a bent rope or a wisp of thatch”
4) “hillside wate like a running stream” or “Water from the peaks in a stream down through it”
5) Heaval is the highest hill of Barra Island located north-east of Castlebay, the main village.
6) Horses are those of fairies and therefore white. It could be the palomino or cremello breed. The origin of the Palomino is very old, in fact it is believed that golden horses with tail and silver mane were ridden by the first emperors of China.
Achilles, the mythical Greek hero, rode Balios and Xantos, which were “yellow and golden, faster than the storm winds”. The cremello instead has the particularity of the blue eye, the coat is white with silver reflections.

A Fairy Plaint (Ceol-brutha)

The version of Marjory Kennedy-Fraser (as collected by the song of Mrs. Macdonald, Skallary, Isle of Barra

Kenneth MacLeod lyrics
Would you not pity me, o sister?
O hi o hu o ho
Would you not pity me my mourning tonight?
O hi o hu o ho
My little hut
Without a bent rope or a wisp of thatch
Water from the peaks
in a stream down through it
But that’s not the cause of my sorrow

Nach truagh leat fhéin phiùthrag a phiuthar
O hi o hu o ho
Nach truagh leat fhéin nochd mo cumha
O hi o hu o ho
Nach truagh leat fhéin nochd mo cumha
‘S mise bhean bhochd chianail dhubhach
‘S mise bhean bhochd chianail dhubhach
Mi’m bothan beag iosal cumhann
Mi’m bothan beag iosal cumhann
Gun lùb siomain gun sop tughaibh
Gun lùb siomain gun sop tughaibh
Uisge nam beann sios ‘na shruth leis
Uisge nam beann sios ‘na shruth leis
Ged’s oil leam sin cha’n e chreach mi
Ged’s oil leam sin cha’n e chreach mi
Cha’n e chuir mi cha’n e fhras mi

Rory Dall’s Sister’s Lament

Cumh Peathar Ruari — Rory Dall’s Sister’s Lament was composed by Daniel Dow about 1778 (in A Collection of Ancient Scots Music for the violin, harpsichord or German flute) referring to the analysis of the melody here

Ossian in “Borders” 1984

Sources
http://www.omniglot.com/songs/gaelic/aphiuthrag.php
http://www.celticlyricscorner.net/maggiemacinnes/aphiuthrag.htmd http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/fullrecord/62594/9;jsessionid=89A212440240A80FF960AD2D4B425BD3
http://research.culturalequity.org/get-audio-detailed-recording.do?recordingId=11984
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/scotlandssongs/about/songs/supernatural/index.asp
http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=69117

http://www.earlygaelicharp.info/tunes/CumhPeatharRuari/
https://thesession.org/tunes/15575
http://www.cynthiacathcart.com/articles/rory_dall_lament.html

Liti Kjersti og Elvekjongen

La ballata proviene dalla tradizione scandinava (Norvegia) e narra del rapimento fatato, o meglio di una storia di seduzione tra una creatura fatata (re degli elfi o re della Montagna) e una fanciulla (kjersti)
[The ballad comes from the Scandinavian tradition (Norway) and tells of the fairy abduction, or rather a story of seduction between a fairy creature (king of elves or kings of the mountain) and a girl (kjersti)]

Il canto si inserisce in un genere compositivo balladistico del rapimento fatato a corollario delle numerose leggende nordiche in merito: l’elfo e la fanciulla sono diventati amanti pur continuando a vivere nei loro rispettivi mondi, solo dopo che la fanciulla ha partorito, viene accolta nel regno fatato.
Per alleviare il trauma della separazione (non è chiaro se anche il bambino sia con lei) beve il filtro magico dell’oblio, perdendo il ricordo della sua umanità.
[The song is part of some nordic balladry of the fairy abduction as a corollary of the many legends about: the elf and the girl have become lovers while continuing to live in their respective worlds, only after the girl had a baby, she is taken into the Fairy Kingdom .
To alleviate the trauma of separation (it is not clear whether the child is with her) she drinks the magic filter of oblivion, losing the memory of her humanity.]

Jean-Luc Lenoir in Old Celtic & Nordic Ballads 2012

I
Mo’eri tala til dotteri si
– ti, lill-lill (1), hugjen min –
kvi renne det mjølk ut or brøsto di
– dei leika så lett gjennom lunden (2)-
II
Det nyttar kje lenger å dylja fyr deg
elverkongen hev lokka meg
III
Elverkongen kom seg riande i gård
liti Kjersti ute fyr honom står
IV
Han klappa henne på kvite kinn
kunna du kje dylja fyr mo’eren din
V
Elverkongen ha seg ein gangare spak
han lyfte liti Kjersti oppå hans bak
VI
Elverkongen tala til dotteri si
du tappe i ei konne med vin
VII
Den fyste drykk ho konna drakk
då gløymde ho bort kven henne ha skapt
VIII
Korhen er du fødd og korhen er du boren
og korhen er dine jomfruklede skoren
IX
I berget er eg fødd, i berget vil eg døy
i berget vil eg vera elverkongens møy

English Version*
I
The mother spoke to her daughter
– ti, lill-lill (1), my thought –
why is milk trickling from your breasts?
– In the grove (2) they are a-playing –
II
It is useless to hide it from you anymore
the king of the elves seduced me
III
The king of the elves came riding to the farm
Little Kjersti stood outside before him
IV
He stroked her white cheek
were you unable to lie to your mother anymore?
V
The Mountain King had a silent horse
He lifted little Kjersti up on his back
VI
The king of the elves spoke to his daughter
pour us a flagon of wine
VII
The first time she drank from the flagon
she forgot who it was that had created her
VIII
“Where were you born,
and where were you raised?
where were your maiden dress cut?
IX
In the mountain I am born,
in the mountain I wish to die
in the mountain I wish to be
the elf King´s maiden

Traduzione italiana Cattia Salto
I
La madre disse alla figlia
“ ti, lill-lil, anima mia
perchè ti scende il latte dal seno?”
– nel boschetto si sollazzavano
II
“E’ inutile nascondertelo ancora
il re degli Elfi mi ha sedotto”
III
Il Re degli Elfi andò alla fattoria
la piccola Cristina stava fuori innanzi a lui
IV
Le accarezzò la bianca guancia
“Non riesci più a mentire a tua madre?”
V
Il re Della Montagna aveva un cavallo silenzioso
mise la piccola Cristina sulla sua groppa
VI
Il re degli Elfi disse alla sorella
“Versaci una caraffa di vino”
VII
La prima volta che lei bevve dalla caraffa
si dimenticò di chi l’aveva creata
VIII
“Dove sei nata
e dove sei cresciuta?
Dove hai confezionato il tuo abito da fanciulla?”
IX
“Sono nata nella montagna
e voglio morire nella montagna,
nella montagna voglio essere
la sposa del re degli Elfi”

NOTE
from here
1) una sorta di richiamo
2) luogo del bosco appartato e nascosto

ARCHIVIO
https://terreceltiche.altervista.org/la-musica-delle-fate/

Eirisionic carols or The Olive Branch

Leggi in italiano

In ancient Greece at the end of autumn and at spring it was practiced by children (boys) the ritual of “Eiresione” or Iresione, in which they carried from home to home, some olive branch (or laurel) decorated with red wool and white, various seasonal fruits and little jars of oil and honey, in hopes of receiving presents.
In this way they were thanking Gods (in particular Apollo, as God of the Sun) for the harvest.

The song, attributed to Homer (in Lifes of Homer pseudoerodotea), dates back to the 6th century BC and it is the forefather of the songs of begging perpetuated by the peasant tradition throughout Europe and in particular in the Piedmontese “canto delle uova” and “il canto della Strina” in Magna Graecia.
The beggars promise happiness to those who will give something and and promise of returning each year as the swallow.
“The turrets of a man of infinite might
of infinite acrion, substance infinite,
we make access to; whose whole being rebounds
from earth to heaven, and naught but bliss resounds..“

This garland is clearly the symbol of divinity, the arrival of God and the renewal of the year.
The ritual took place in two main festivals the Pyanepsie in the fall and the Tharghelie in the spring.

The Pyanepsie, in fact, celebrated at the beginning of autumn in honor of Apollo or Helios and the Hore, foresaw that a young man with both living parents would bring an olive branch adorned with woolen bandages, fruits and animal products, called eiresion, which was posted on the gate of the temple of Apollo and on the entrance to the common houses, where it would remain until the following year, when it would be replaced by the new one. Pausanias traces the tradition back to Theseus who, leaving for Crete, had dedicated the branch in the temple of Apollo to Delos, and another would have brought it home when he returned after killing the Minotaur: “on this day we bring the eighion , a branch of olive tree wrapped in wool, as Teseo had once brought the branch of supplicants, full of firstfruits of every kind, to indicate the end of infertility, and sang: “Eiresione for us brings figs and bread of the richest, brings us honey in pots and oil to rub off from the body, Strong wine too in a beaker, that one may go to bed mellow.”
The same branch adorned with first fruits, oil, milk and honey also appears in the Targhelias of April-May, and one might think that it could be tracing an ancient rural custom aimed at propitiating the beginning of the harvest and thanking to its conclusion.(translated from here)

Eirene (Irene) is also the goddess of peace of the group of Hours “… the Goddess who dispenses wealth and makes young people grow …” (Euripides, the Bacchae 419/420) depicted with an olive branch and the cornucopia with little Pluto, the god of wealth, in her arms .

HORAI

It is Dionysus who leads the procession of the Horai, (the Hours) the three young ladies who personify the renewal of the nature, the daughters of Zeus and Themis, the Universal Order.

They are also the personification of the three Seasons: Thallo, the goddess of Spring who presides over the blossoming of plants; Auso or Auxo, which represents the summer luxuriance; Carpo, the goddess of Autumn that represents the maturity and the fruit of the plants.
At first 3 then 4, 10, they became 12 as months and 24 as hours.
The Horai were the guardian virgins of Olympus, with their circular dance (like the solar wheel), which making the door of Olympus appear or disappear in the clouds. They are depicted as they dance around the solar chariot of Apollo.

An idea of how dance took place, it comes from the Romanian folk tradition, with Hora

Sources
http://agiorisnestanis.blogspot.com/2018/07/blog-post.html
http://www.hellenicgods.org/eiraesiohni—eiresione—eiresione
http://thule-italia.com/wordpress/2013/05/15/targelione/
http://www.odysseo.it/eirene-la-dea-della-pace/
https://tanogaboblog.it/portalino/ore-personificazioni-scorrere-tempo/
http://lyra.altervista.org/pdf/rivista/25-36/XXXIII.pdf

http://mythagora.com/bios/hou

Il canto dell’Eiresione

Read the post in English

“L’eiresione, la bella eiresione, il ramo più bello dell’anno!
miele e uva essa reca, fichi e olio pregiato,
mangiate, bevete e dormite bevendo buon vino,
però, se ci date qualcosa, la fortuna vi sarà più vicino.

Nell’antica Grecia a fine autunno e in primavera era praticato dai bambini (ragazzi) il rituale dell’ “Eiresione” o Iresione, un canto benaugurale per portare di casa in casa il ramoscello d’ulivo (o alloro) decorato con lana rossa e bianca, vari frutti di stagione fialette-vasetti di olio e miele. Così si ringraziavano gli Dei (in particolare Apollo, in qualità di Dio del Sole) per il raccolto e si propiziava la fertilità per l’anno a venire.

Il canto, attribuito a Omero (in Vita di Omero pseudoerodotea), risale al VI secolo a.C. ed è il capostipite dei canti di questua perpetuati dalla tradizione contadina in tutta Europa e in particolare nella questua delle uova piemontese e nel canto della strina nella Magna Grecia .
I questuanti promettono la felicità a coloro che doneranno qualcosa e concludono con la promessa di ritornare ogni anno come la rondine.
“Ecco ci siamo rivolti alla casa di un grande signore,
ch’ha gran potere e ha gran voce d’un uomo magnifico e ricco.
Su, da voi stesse ora apritevi, o porte, poi ch’entra ricchezza,
molta ricchezza, e con essa la gioia fiorente e la buona
pace; e quante anfore dentro vi sono, si colmino tutte;
e dalla madia una bella focaccia giú scivoli sempre,
fatta di fina farina, condita di sesamo e miele.
Ed a voi presto verrà sopra il carro la sposa del figlio,
a questa casa bei muli piè solidi la condurranno,
onde ella tessi la tela, movendo i suoi piedi sull’ambra.
Oh! tornerò, tornerò come torna la rondine ogni anno.
A piedi scalzi qui sto sulla soglia; or via, subito dona,
dona qualcosa, nel nome di Apollo, signor delle vie.
Se dai, o se non dai, non resteremo,
ché non venimmo qui per abitarci.” (tratto da qui)

Il simbolo del ramo inghirlandato è chiaramente il simbolo della divinità, l’arrivo del Dio e il rinnovamento dell’anno. Altre canzoni di questua nell’antica Grecia erano la Canzone della rondine cantata a Rodi e la Canzone della Cornacchia.
Il rituale si svolgeva in due feste principali le Pyanepsie (Pianepsie) in autunno e le Tharghelie (Targelie) in primavera.

Le Pyanepsie, infatti, celebrate all’inizio dell’autunno in onore di Apollo o di Helios e delle Hore, prevedevano che un giovane con entrambi i genitori vivi portasse un ramo d’ulivo adornato con bende di lana, frutti e prodotti animali, chiamato eiresione, che veniva affisso sulla porta del tempio di Apollo e sull’ingresso delle case comuni, dove sarebbe rimasto fino all’anno seguente, quando sarebbe stato sostituito da quello nuovo. Pausania fa risalire la tradizione a Teseo che partendo per Creta aveva dedicato il ramo nel tempio di Apollo a Delo, ed un’altro l’avrebbe riportato in patria al suo ritorno dopo aver ucciso il Minotauro: “in questo giorno si porta l’eiresione, un ramo di olivo avvolto da lana, come un tempo Teseo aveva portato il ramo dei supplici, ricolmo di primizie di ogni specie, per indicare la fine della sterilità, e si canta: “Eiresione porta fichi, pane saporoso, coppe di miele, olio per ungersi e calici di vino puro, da andare a dormire ubriachi.'”(6) Lo stesso ramo adornato con primizie, olio, latte e miele compare anche nelle Targhelie di aprile-maggio, e si potrebbe pensare che in esso si possa rintracciare un’antichissima usanza contadina volta a propiziare l’inizio del raccolto e a ringraziare al suo concludersi. (tratto da qui)

Guarda caso Eirene (Irene) è anche la dea della Pace del gruppo delle Ore “… la Dea che dispensa ricchezza e fa crescere i giovani…” (Euripide, le Baccanti 419/420) raffigurata con un ramoscello d’olivo e la cornucopia con in braccio il piccolo Plutone, il dio della ricchezza.

LE ORE (HORAI)

E’ Dioniso a guidare il corteo delle Horai, (le Ore) le tre giovinette che personificano il rinnovarsi della natura figlie di Zeus e di Temi (Themis, l’Ordine Universale)

“Eunomia, e la sorella sua, l’incrollabile Dike, base delle città, ed Eirene che cresce insieme a lei, figlie dorate di Themis dal sapiente consiglio, dispensatrici di ricchezza agli uomini e decise a respingere la hybris” (Pindaro)

Sono anche la personificazione delle tre Stagioni: Thallo, la dea della Primavera che presiede alla fioritura delle piante; Auso o Auxo, che rappresenta il rigoglio estivo; Carpo, la dea dell’Autunno che rappresenta la maturità e il frutto delle piante.
Dapprincipio 3 poi 4, 10, diventarono 12 come i mesi e 24 come le ore.
Le Horai erano le vergini guardiane dell’Olimpo, con la loro danza circolare (come la ruota solare) facevano apparire o scomparire tra le nuvole le porte dell’Olimpo. Sono raffigurare mentre danzano intorno al carro solare di Apollo.

Un’idea di come si svolgeva la danza ci viene dalla tradizione popolare rumena con la Hora (diventata danza ebraica importata a Israele dagli ebrei che abitavano in Romania)

FONTI
http://agiorisnestanis.blogspot.com/2018/07/blog-post.html
http://www.hellenicgods.org/eiraesiohni—eiresione—eiresione
http://thule-italia.com/wordpress/2013/05/15/targelione/
http://www.odysseo.it/eirene-la-dea-della-pace/
https://tanogaboblog.it/portalino/ore-personificazioni-scorrere-tempo/
http://lyra.altervista.org/pdf/rivista/25-36/XXXIII.pdf

http://mythagora.com/bios/hours.html

Donkey’s Mass: Orientis partibus

Leggi in Italiano

The Donkey Festival (or Festa dei Folli, known as the Festa dei Pazzi in Florence) was celebrated in the church in different regions of Europe, on the day of the Circumcision of the Child Jesus (on the first of January – see Holy Foreskin); but the date in question varied so could fall to Epiphany or January 14 (see Jean-Baptiste Thiers “Mémoires pour servir à l’histoire de la fête des foux“)

Calends Festival

The purpose of the festival was to pay homage to the donkey who had not only kept warm Jesus in the cave, had fled with the Holy Family in Egypt, but also had brought the adult Messiah on his back in the entrance to Jerusalem.
The veneration of the Donkey was still widespread among the eartly Christians and in the Middle Ages we see Jesus Christ crucified/donkey (Alexamenos graffito )

Pietro Lorenzetti: Gesù entra a Gerusalemme, Basilica in Assisi

“Immagine non necessariamente (o per nulla) blasfema, bensì profondo simbolo sacrificale.
Al raglio asinino, quest’invocazione che sembra così piena di dolore e vuota di speranza, è stato in questo senso associato il grido altissimo di Gesù sulla croce. E all’umile e paziente asinello, segnato dalla croce sulla schiena in ricordo e ringraziamento per il suo servizio nella Domenica delle Palme, si associa appunto il Cristo stesso di cinque giorni più tardi, il Cristo dileggiato e sofferente che, al pari dell’asino, porta sulle spalle la croce sulla quale sarà sacrificato. I corteggi medievali dei condannati montati su asini, e poi ancora le “feste dei folli”, i “carnevali degli asini” e tutti i riti “di rovesciamento” nei quali l’asino veniva abbigliato da re o da vescovo e onorato, rex unius diei prima di venire bastonato e scorticato (o anche semplicemente prima di tornare all’improba fatica di tutti i giorni), conservano tutti la memoria di questo ambiguo ma commovente rapporto fra asino e Cristo, entrambi figure regali ed entrambi obiettivo della crudeltà dell’uomo.” (from here)

Poorly tolerated but still practiced by the priests, the Festa dell’Asinello was a mixture of the sacred and the profane, a joke that could be pushed to the mockery of the liturgy, in a parody of the mass.
It must be said that in the Middle Ages the church is not only a building where mass is celebrated: it takes place political assemblies under the aegis of the Bishop, a lot of Corporations affaires with meetings and councils for the Corporation matters . It becomes a hospital refuge during epidemics or for pilgrims or sick in search of healing, inviolable asylum of the persecuted, grave for the illustrious dead. It could happen that men entered on horseback and at least once a year a donkey in a cassock.

THE DONKEY

Albrecht Dürer’s woodcut, “Wheel of Fortune”, c1494

An ambivalent animal in the Middle Ages the donkey is a symbol of both the Good, humble, patient, mount of the Prophets and sapiential creature (the donkey of Balaam), but also of Evil: it is the donkey opposed to the ox symbol of Christianity and the Elected People beeing a “pure animal that has a bifid and non-ruminant nail”, while the pagan donkey is “impure, rumen and has a compact nail”; it is the donkey of Dionysus and then ridden by Jesus to symbolize the Christian church that triumphs over previous cultures. It is the golden Ass of Apuleius slave of the pleasures of the flesh, ignorant but curious to learn the magic.

DONKEY’s MASS

A procession left the church and returned with a donkey led up to the altar. At Mass all the faithful answered with some bray.
Hez va, hez va, hez va, hez !
Biaux sire asnes, car alez,
Bele bouche, car chantez!
For the occasion it was also written a song: Orientis partibus! The song is attributed to the archbishop of Sens Pierre de Corbeil, whose text and music we know of as contained in the “Officium stultorum ad usum Metropoleos ac primatialis Ecclesiae Sennonensis” (XIII century) preserved in Paris in the King’s library.

The Jaye Consort & Gerald English

Musica Vagantium

New London Consort (Philip Pickett)

Clemencic

Compagnia dell’asino che porta la croce

Joglaresa & Belinda Sykes

I
Orientis partibus
adventavit asinus
pulcher et fortissimus
sarcinis aptissimus
Hey, Hez, sir asne, hey!
II
Hic in collibus Sichan
iam nutritus sub Ruben (1)
transiit per Iordanem
saliit in Bethlehem
III
Saltu vincit hinnulos
dammas et capreolos
super dromedarios
velox madianeos
IV
Aurum de Arabia
thus et myrrham de Saba(2)
tulit in ecclesia
virtus Asinaria (3)
V
Dum trahit vehicula
multa cum sarcinula
illius mandibula
dura terit pabula
VI
Cum aristis, hordeum
comedit et carduum
triticum ex palea
segregat in area (4)
VII
Amen dicas, asine
iam satur de gramine
Amen, amen itera
aspernare vetera

English translation*
I
In eastern lands
the ass arrived
pretty and strong
fit for bunen
Hey, sir Ass, Hey!
II
Here on the hills of Sichan
already suckled by Ruben (1)
he crossed the Jordan
and enters Bethlehem.
III
He defeats in the jump the young mule
the fallow deer and roe deer
higher in speed
to the dromedaries of the Medes.
IV
The gold of Arabia
the incense and the myrrh of Saba
he took to the church
the virtue of the donkey
V
While he pulls his cart
many with heavy loads,
his jaw
grinds tough fodder.
VI
He eats wheat and barley
and the thistle
he separates the wheat from the chaff
on the threshing floor
VII
You say “amen”, ass,
all filled with grass,
“amen”, “amen” once again,
spurning the past.

NOTE
* partially from here
1) Ruben is the first-born son of Jacob
2) the donkey entering the church symbolically enters Jerusalem or peace. The land of Saba was the land of magicians-astrologists in the Middle Ages.
3) for the initiates, the Church had abandoned the path towards esoteric knowledge, so the glorified donkey indicates a new initiation path, the way of the mad.
4) once the animals was used to husk the wheat (simply by walking on the wheat)

second part

Sources
http://markhedsel.blogspot.it/2014/12/il-significato-arcano-della-festa-dell.html
http://www.ctonia.com/pagine/Scritti/patiboli/rituali_di_rovesciamento.htm
http://www.doctorlizmusic.com/mctcchoirs/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Orientis-Partibus-analysis-1.pdf
http://web.mclink.it/MH0077/IlGiardinoDeiMagi/Giardino%201/cardini_asino_6.htm
https://www.mondimedievali.net/Immaginario/asino.htm
http://web.csepasca.it/lasino-del-medioevo

Apples in Winter: New Years Eve in Great Brittany

Leggi in italiano

APPLES IN WINTER

The apple tree is a tree that was born in the mountains of Central Asia and it has spread along the commercial “silk road”, moving to the west. It is commonly believed that it was the ancient Romans who brought the apple tree to Britain, yet the most recent archaeological excavations in Armagh (Northern Ireland) found apple seeds dating back to the 10th century BC. In fact, the apple appears in many Druidic teachings and in Celtic poetry and mythology.
The apples are stored for a long time in a cool and dry place like attics, becoming one of the few fruits that can be eaten in winter.

AILLIN & BAILE

The apple tree is the embodiment of the female principle; a medieval narration tells us the love story of Aillin and Baile, two children in love to whom the Druids had prophesied that they would never meet in life, but only after death to never separate again: the macabre (or romantic) prophecy came true magically with the union of the wood of two trees, the apple and the yew grown on their graves!
The legend is set at the time of Celtic Ireland by King Cormac mac Airt (II-IV century), but it is somewhat inconsistent with respect to the archaeological sources in our possession; they tell the story of the “taball filidh” (the poet’s tablet) -probably a wooden tablet or a waxed tablet in use with the ancient Greeks and Romans – one made from the wood of the apple tree of Aillin and the other from the wood of the Baile rate, that they indissolubly linked to each other when they found themselves nearby for the first time (to Samain during the party presided over by Art, son of Conn of the Hundred Battles, king of Erinn). If the story were true, the bards of Ireland writed they poems on wooden tablets; these two tablets were one from Leinster (apple), the other from Ulster (rate) and for their magical adherence were preserved as rarities in the treasure of Tara.
The story seems to be a variant of the love knot between the rose and thorn, recalled in the medieval ballads (grown from the respective tombs of the unfortunate lovers, they come together and intertwine with each other).

But the main association of the apple tree with the Celtic world is the Island of the apples, Avalon, the land of the Fairies.
Geoffrey of Monmouth writes in the Historia Regum Britanniae (1136)
“Insula pomorum quæ fortunata vocatur,
Ex re nomen habet, quia se singula profert.
Non opus est illi sulcantibus arva colonis,
Omnis abest cultus, nisi quem natura ministrat,
Ultro fœcundas segetes producit, & herbas,
Nataque poma suis prætonso germine sylvis.

The isle of Apples, truly fortunate,
Where unforc’d goods and willing comforts meet.
Not there the fields require the rustick’s hand,
But nature only cultivates the land.
The fertile plains with corn and herbs are proud,
And golden apples smile in ev’ry wood.“.

Fairies’ food that can make immortal or restore health to the sick, the apple is the basis of the preparation of cider, a low-alcohol drink obtained from the fermentation of fruits such as apples, pears or loquats, typical of the United Kingdom, Basque Country and of Normandy. see

APPLE WASSAIL

The oldest form of the winter celebration of the Wassail provides the blessing of trees and bees, so important for pollination, in order to ensure a healthy harvest for the next year.
“Apple Wassail”, is the blessing of the orchards: during the ritual they sing and make a spell, with a great noise they beating pots and pans (or shooting in the air) to ward off evil spirits, pourring some cider around the roots of the oldest tree; finally all drink to the health of the apple trees and the future harvest, eating sweet buns, and leaving a slice to the spirit of tree (to feed the robins), placed on the branches of the plant as thanksgiving.
(see more)

HEL CALENNIG (GALLES)

The second rite comes from Wales called “Hel Calennig” (Literally “the hunt of the Calends”) based on the ancient tradition of exchanging a gift for the first of January. (some scholars believe that the ritual derives from the customs practiced in the Roman Empire for the New Year. see Strenia)

“Hel Calennig” is a Welsh tradition of the first day of the new year: an apple impaled on three sticks like a tripod, decorated with cloves and a sprig evergreen. This “trophy” is brought as a gift (or shown) in the neighbors’ house by the children singing a good-luck song.
In return they receive bread and cheese or some coins.

Blwyddyn newydd dda i chwi,
Gwyliau llawen i chwi,
Meistr a meistres bob un trwy’r ty,
Gwyliau llawen i chwi,
Codwch yn foreu, a rheswch y tan,
A cherddwch i’r ffynon i ymofyn dwr glan.

A happy new year to you,
May your holidays be merry,
Master and mistress – everyone in the house;
May your holidays be merry,
Arise in the morning; bestir the fire,
And go to the well to fetch fresh water

The New Year is also the Hoodening Day in Wales when Mari Lwyd, “Y Fari Lwyd” (in English “Gray Mare”) is brought home.

MARI LWYD

Mari Lwyd is the Welsh version of the hooden horse. Tradition still practiced in central and south Wales, in particular in Llantrisant and Pontyclun on New Year’s Eve. The mask consists of a horse’s head (a real skull) with movable jaw and disquieting eyes made from two pieces of green bottle, decorated with colored ribbons and carried on a pole by a person hidden under a wide white sheet.
The wassailers stop to sing in front of the doors of the houses and call the mistress and challenge her in a pwnco, a sort of debate between the two sides, often with insolent verses. The victory of the singing challenge allows the wassailers to enter the house to eat sweets and drink beer.
As we can see in the illustration, the landlady holds a broom in her hand and she does not want to let the wassailers enter, because they are bringers of chaos.
The revel as all the rituals of the peasant world requires a certain degree of drunkenness and harassing behavior. In fact, the mare will turn around the room trying to take the women, she is clearly a monstrous and otherworldly creature who must be appeased with some offers. Sometimes a small child stands with a sweet and manages to calm the beast. keep it going. see more

I
Here we come
Dear friends
To ask permissions to sing
II
If we don’t have permission,
Let us know in song
How we should go away tonight
III
I have no dinner
Or money to spend
To give you welcome tonight

Welsh gaelic
I
Wel dyma ni’n dwad
Gyfeillion diniwad
I ofyn am gennod i ganu
II
Os na chawn ni gennad
Rhowch wybod ar ganiad
Pa fodd mae’r ‘madawiad, nos heno
III
‘Does genni ddim cinio
Nac arian iw gwario
I wneud i chwi roeso, nos heno

NOTE
1) if the people of the house were defeated in the poetic contest, the Mari Lwyd claimed the right to stay at dinner with all his followers. Alternatively they offered a glennig, (a small tip), a glass of glaster, (water and milk) or beer

At Cwm Gwaun (Gwaun Valley), above Abergwaun (Fishguard), the community celebrates Yr Hen Galan (the old New Year) on January 13, according to the calendar prior to 1752.
Even in Wales as in Scotland is still rooted the practice of Firstfoot: here must be a man with a lucky name (Dafydd, Sion, Ifan or Siencyn), or alternatively a woman with a lucky name (Sian, Sioned, Mair or Marged ); in New Year’s Eve there was also a wren hunting.

APPLES IN WINTER JIG

The “Apples in winter” is an Irish jig also known by many other titles (see)

David Power uillean pipe & Willie Kelly violin in “Apples in winter” (n enjoyable cd of jigs and reels + some traditional Irish air)

Dervish

Anglo concertina, Cittern, & Guitar

Ardan

second part

LINK
http://bifrost.it/CELTI/4.Eriuiltempoelospazio/05-Soprannaturale.html
http://www.unamelaalgiorno.com/la-mela-nella-cultura-celtica.html
http://icoloridelvento-mirial.blogspot.it/2015/10/il-melo-e-il-frutto-della-conoscenza.html
http://www.laltrafacciadellamela.altervista.org/
https://isimbolinellacomunicazione.wordpress.com/2013/02/21/la-mela/
http://www.amando.it/ricette/alimenti/mela.html
http://ontanomagico.altervista.org/johnny-jump.htm
https://museum.wales/articles/2014-06-14/Christmas-customs-Hel-Calennig/
https://lilydewaruile.wordpress.com/tag/calennig/

SCORES
https://thesession.org/tunes/299
http://tunearch.org/wiki/Apples_in_Winter_(1)
http://spokanesessions.com/tune.php?tune=1
http://www.celticguitarmusic.com/tbj_apples_winter.htm

Lord of the Dance or Simple Gifts?

Simple gifts
Word & tune: Joseph Brackett 1848
Lord of the Dance
Word: Sydney Carter 1963
Tune: Simple gifts

In the Christmas compilations we occasionally find a song not specifically on the Nativity, but which is linked to the salvific mission of Jesus: so here is “Lord of the Dance”.
The melody of Lord of the Dance comes from America, from a religious community called Shakers or Shaking Quakers (or United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing), the original sect came from England and was founded in Manchester in 1747 by a woman: Shakers still live in monastic communities where men and women gather together to work and pray and dance is considered a spiritual activity.
[Nelle compilation natalizie ogni tanto troviamo un brano non propriamente sulla natività, ma che si ricollega alla missione salvifica di Gesù: così “Lord of the Dance”.
La melodia di Lord of the Dance arriva dall’America, da una comunità religiosa detta Shakers o Shaking Quakers (ossia United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing), la setta originaria proveniva dall’Inghilterra ed era stata fondata a Manchester nel 1747 da una donna: gli Shakers vivono ancora in comunità monastiche in cui uomini e donne si ritrovano insieme per lavorare e pregare e la danza è considerata un’attività spirituale.]

SIMPLE GIFTS

“Simple gifts” was written and composed in 1848 by Joseph Brackett the Elder for his community, unknown to most, until it was used by the American composer of contemporary music Aaron Copland for his “Appalachian Spring” a ballet with Martha Graham as before dancer (it was 1944). Many folk thought that the melody of “Simple Gifts” was a traditional Celtic origin (Brackett himself says he was inspired by popular music) and the song was popular with many American folk singers and groups.
[“Simple gifts” fu scritta e composta nel 1848 da Joseph Brackett il Vecchio per la sua comunità, sconosciuta ai più, finchè non fu utilizzata dal compositore statunitense di musica contemporanea Aaron Copland per l'”Appalachian Spring” un balletto con Martha Graham come prima ballerina (era il 1944). Molti pensarono che la melodia di “Simple Gifts” fosse un tradizionale di origine celtica (lo stesso Brackett dice di essersi ispirato alla musica popolare) e il brano fu diffuso da molti cantanti e gruppi folk americani.]

Aaron Copland in Appalachian Spring

Yo-Yo Ma & Alison Krauss

Judi Collins

I
‘Tis the gift to be simple,
‘tis the gift to be free
‘Tis the gift to come down
where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves
in the place just right,
‘Twill be in the valley
of love and delight.
II
When true simplicity
is gain’d,
To bow and to bend
we shan’t be asham’d,
To turn, turn
will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning
we come ‘round right.

Traduzione in italiano Cattia Salto
I
Questo il dono della semplicità,
il dono della libertà;
questo il dono per arrivare
dove dovremmo stare,
e quando ci ritroveremo
nel posto giusto,
saremo nella valle
dell’amore e della delizia.
II
Quando la vera semplicità
si ottiene,
inchinandosi e piegandosi,
non dobbiamo vergognarci
girare, girare
sarà il nostro diletto
finchè girando, girando
troveremo il bene (1).

NOTE
1) letteralmente “gireremo a destra” ma in senso lato trovare la giustizia, il bene

LORD OF THE DANCE

The English singer-songwriter Sydney Carter in 1963 arranged the melody of “Simple gifts” on a new text inspired by the figure of Jesus as “Pied Piper” and on the suggestion of the god Shiva – called by the Hindus “Lord of Dance”.
[Il cantautore inglese Sydney Carter nel 1963 ha arrangiato la melodia di “Simple gifts” su un nuovo testo ispirandosi alla figura di Gesù come “pifferaio magico” e sulla suggestione del dio Shiva – chiamato dagli indù “Signore della Danza”.]

Strangely, he also obtained the copyright on the melody (the copyright holders are currently Stainer & Bell).
The song immediately became popular in the 60s between religious congregations and folk musicians. Ignoring the copyright the song was in turn arranged by Ronan Haridman for the musical “Lord of the Dance” – (first edition 1996), brought by Michael Flatley to an international success.
[Stranamente ha ottenuto il copyright anche sulla melodia (i detentori dei diritti d’autore sono attualmente Stainer&Bell).
Il brano è diventato subito popolare negli anni 60 tra le congregazioni religiose e i musicisti folk. Ignorando il copyright il brano fu a sua volta arrangiato da Ronan Haridman per il musical “Lord of the Dance” – (prima edizione 1996), portato da Michael Flatley ad un successo internazionale.]

The Dubliners

I
I danced in the morning
when the world was begun (was young)
I danced in the Moon & the Stars & the Sun
I came down from Heaven
& I danced on Earth
At Bethlehem I had my birth
chorus
Dance then, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!
And I’ll lead you all,
wherever you may be
And I’ll lead you all
in the Dance, said He!
II
I danced for the scribe & the pharisee
But they would not dance
& they wouldn’t follow me
I danced for fishermen,
for James & John
They came with me
& the Dance went on
III
I danced on the Sabbath
& I cured the lame
The holy people said it was a shame!
They whipped & they stripped
& they hung me high
And they left me there
on a cross to die!
IV
I danced on a Friday
when the sky turned black
It’s hard to dance
with the devil on your back
They buried my body
& they thought I’d gone
But I am the Dance
& I still go on!
V
They cut me down
and I leapt up high
I am the Life that’ll never, never die!
I’ll live in you if you’ll live in Me –
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!

Traduzione in italiano Cattia Salto
I
Danzavo dall’alba,
all’inizio del mondo
Danzavo sulla luna, le stelle e il sole,
sono sceso dal cielo
per danzare sulla terra
e sono nato a Betlemme
Ritornello:
Danzate, quindi, dovunque voi siate
Io sono il Signore della Danza,- disse-
E vi condurrò,
dovunque voi siate
E vi condurrò
nella danza, – disse-.
II
Danzai per lo scriba ed il fariseo
ma loro non danzarono
e non mi vollero seguire
Così danzai per i pescatori,
per Giacomo e Giovanni
loro mi seguirono
e la danza continuò.
III
Danzai nel giorno di festa (1)
e curai lo storpio,
i fedeli dissero che era una vergogna,
mi frustarono, spogliarono
e mi appesero in alto
e mi lasciarono lì
sulla croce a morire.
IV
Danzai un Venerdì,
mentre il cielo si oscurava,
E’ difficile danzare
con il diavolo alle calcagna.
Seppellirono il mio corpo,
pensarono fossi morto,
ma Io sono la danza
e ancora danzo.
V
Mi hanno abbattuto,
ma sono salito al cielo,
sono la luce che non si spegnerà mai!
Vivrò in voi se voi vivrete in Me
Io sono il Signore della Danza, disse.

NOTE
1) Sabbath è il giorno di riposo ebraico che cade di sabato, l’equivalente della domenica per i cristiani

Blackmore’s Night in Winter Carols
Candice keeps the first verse and the refrain from Carter’s text and the other two strophes take them from the original text of “Simple Gifts”
[Candice mantiene la prima strofa e il ritornello dal testo di Carter e le altre due strofe le prende dal testo originario di “Simple Gifts”]

I
I danced in the morning
when the world had begun
And I danced in the moon
and the stars and the sun
I came down from heaven
and I danced on the Earth
At Bethlehem I had my birth
Chorus
Dance then where ever you may be
“I am the Lord of the Dance” said he
“And I’ll lead you all
whever you may be
And I’ll lead you all
in the dance said he
II
‘Tis the gift to be simple,
‘tis the gift to be free
‘Tis the gift to come down
where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves
in the place just right,
‘Twill be in the valley
of love and delight.
III
When true simplicity
is gain’d,
To bow and to bend
we shan’t be asham’d,
To turn, turn
will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning
we come ‘round right.

gennaio: 2019
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