By se Seal da rabhas im' mhaighdean sh 's anois im' bhaintreach chaite thr Mo ch De bharr na gcnoc is i n-imigc 's 's Suan n B Ag caoi go cruaidh 's ag tuar na nde Mar scaoileadh uaim an buachaill be N Is n N Marcach uasal uaibhreach Gas gan gruaim is suairce sn Glac is luaimneach, luath i ngleo Ag teascadh an tslua 's ag tuargain treon. Seinntear stair ar chlairsigh cheoil 's l Le hinntinn ard gan chaim, gan che Ghile mear 'sa seal faoi chumha, 's eire go l Suan n -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A literal translation by j. mark sugars 1997 Once i was a gentle maiden, But now i am a spent, worn-out widow, My consort strongly plowing the waves Over the hills and far away. He is my hero, my gallant darling, He is my caesar, a gallant darling; I've found neither rest nor fortune Since my gallant darling went far away. Every day i am constantly enduring grief, Weeping nitterly and shedding tears, Because my lively lad has left me And no news is told of him - alas! The cuckoo does not sing cheerfully at noon And the sound of hounds is not heard in nut-tree woods Nor summer morning in misty glen Since my lively boy went away from me. Noble, proud young horseman, Youth without gloom, of pleasant countenance, A swift-moving fist, nimble in a fight, Slaying the enemy and smiting the strong. Let a strain be played on musical harps, And let many quarts be filled on the table, With high spirit, without fault, without gloom, That my lion may receive long life and health. Gallant darling for a while under sorrow, And ireland completely under black cloacks, I have found neither rest nor fortune Since my gallant darling went far away