What a beautiful song, truly striking. As a side note I want to point out how it has now become so rare to hear such pure Irish, with all of the sounds respected, all trilled/flap r’s and not the English r, palatalisation etc... He is a truly generationally native speaker.
A Róisín ná bíodh brón ort fé'r éirigh dhuit: (Little Rose, be not sad for all that hath behapped thee:) Tá na bráithre 'teacht thar sáile 's iad ag triall ar muir, (The friars are coming across the sea, they march on the main.) Tiocfaidh do phárdún ón bPápa is ón Róimh anoir (From the Pope shall come thy pardon, and from Rome, from the East-) 'S ní spárálfar fíon Spáinneach ar mo Róisín Dubh. (And stint not Spanish wine to my Little Dark Rose.) Is fada an réim a léig mé léi ó inné 'dtí inniu, (Long the journey that I made with her from yesterday till today,) Trasna sléibhte go ndeachas léi, fé sheolta ar muir; (Over mountains did I go with her, under the sails upon the sea,) An éirne is chaith mé 'léim í, cé gur mór é an sruth; (The Erne I passed by leaping, though wide the flood,) 'S bhí ceol téad ar gach taobh díom is mo Róisín Dubh. (And there was string music on each side of me and my Little Dark Rose!) Mhairbh tú mé, a bhrídeach, is nárbh fhearrde dhuit, (Thou hast slain me, O my bride, and may it serve thee no whit,) Is go bhfuil m'anam istigh i ngean ort 's ní inné ná inniu; (For the soul within me loveth thee, not since yesterday nor today,) D'fhág tú lag anbhfann mé i ngné is i gcruth- (Thou has left me weak and broken in mien and in shape,) Ná feall orm is mé i ngean ort, a Róisín Dubh. (Betray me not who love thee, my Little Dark Rose!) Shiubhalfainn féin an drúcht leat is fásaigh ghuirt, (I would walk the dew with thee and the meadowy wastes,) Mar shúil go bhfaighinn rún uait nó páirt dem thoil. (In hope of getting love from thee, or part of my will,) A chraoibhín chumhra, gheallais domhsa go raibh grá agat dom- (Fragrant branch, thou didst promise me that thou hadst for me love-) 's gurab í fíor-scoth na Mumhan í, mo Róisín Dubh. (And sure the flower of all Munster is Little Dark Rose!) Dá mbeadh seisreach agam threabhfainn in aghaidh na gcnoc, (Had I a yoke of horses I would plough against the hills,) is dhéanfainn soiscéal i lár an aifrinn do mo Róisín Dubh, (In middle-Mass I'd make a gospel of my Little Dark Rose,) bhéarfainn póg don chailín óg a bhéarfadh a hóighe dhom, (I'd give a kiss to the young girl that would give her mouth to me,) is dhéanfainn cleas ar chúl an leasa le mo Róisín Dubh. (And behind the liss would lie embracing my Little Dark Rose!) Beidh an Éirne 'na tuiltibh tréana is réabfar cnoic, (The Erne shall rise in rude torrents, hills shall be rent,) Beidh an fharraige 'na tonntaibh dearga is doirtfear fuil, (The sea shall roll in red waves, and blood be poured out,) Beidh gach gleann sléibhe ar fud éireann is móinte ar crith, (Every mountain glen in Ireland, and the bogs shall quake) Lá éigin sul a n-éagfaidh mo Róisín Dubh. (Some day ere shall perish my Little Dark Rose!)
A voice from another age. So raw and visceral.
His voice still echoes through Ireland. What a truly wonderful singer.
His voice still echoes throughout Ireland. What a singer he was.
What a beautiful song, truly striking. As a side note I want to point out how it has now become so rare to hear such pure Irish, with all of the sounds respected, all trilled/flap r’s and not the English r, palatalisation etc... He is a truly generationally native speaker.
A Róisín ná bíodh brón ort fé'r éirigh dhuit: (Little Rose, be not sad for all that hath behapped thee:)
Tá na bráithre 'teacht thar sáile 's iad ag triall ar muir, (The friars are coming across the sea, they march on the main.)
Tiocfaidh do phárdún ón bPápa is ón Róimh anoir (From the Pope shall come thy pardon, and from Rome, from the East-)
'S ní spárálfar fíon Spáinneach ar mo Róisín Dubh. (And stint not Spanish wine to my Little Dark Rose.)
Is fada an réim a léig mé léi ó inné 'dtí inniu, (Long the journey that I made with her from yesterday till today,)
Trasna sléibhte go ndeachas léi, fé sheolta ar muir; (Over mountains did I go with her, under the sails upon the sea,)
An éirne is chaith mé 'léim í, cé gur mór é an sruth; (The Erne I passed by leaping, though wide the flood,)
'S bhí ceol téad ar gach taobh díom is mo Róisín Dubh. (And there was string music on each side of me and my Little Dark Rose!)
Mhairbh tú mé, a bhrídeach, is nárbh fhearrde dhuit, (Thou hast slain me, O my bride, and may it serve thee no whit,)
Is go bhfuil m'anam istigh i ngean ort 's ní inné ná inniu; (For the soul within me loveth thee, not since yesterday nor today,)
D'fhág tú lag anbhfann mé i ngné is i gcruth- (Thou has left me weak and broken in mien and in shape,)
Ná feall orm is mé i ngean ort, a Róisín Dubh. (Betray me not who love thee, my Little Dark Rose!)
Shiubhalfainn féin an drúcht leat is fásaigh ghuirt, (I would walk the dew with thee and the meadowy wastes,)
Mar shúil go bhfaighinn rún uait nó páirt dem thoil. (In hope of getting love from thee, or part of my will,)
A chraoibhín chumhra, gheallais domhsa go raibh grá agat dom- (Fragrant branch, thou didst promise me that thou hadst for me love-)
's gurab í fíor-scoth na Mumhan í, mo Róisín Dubh. (And sure the flower of all Munster is Little Dark Rose!)
Dá mbeadh seisreach agam threabhfainn in aghaidh na gcnoc, (Had I a yoke of horses I would plough against the hills,)
is dhéanfainn soiscéal i lár an aifrinn do mo Róisín Dubh, (In middle-Mass I'd make a gospel of my Little Dark Rose,)
bhéarfainn póg don chailín óg a bhéarfadh a hóighe dhom, (I'd give a kiss to the young girl that would give her mouth to me,)
is dhéanfainn cleas ar chúl an leasa le mo Róisín Dubh. (And behind the liss would lie embracing my Little Dark Rose!)
Beidh an Éirne 'na tuiltibh tréana is réabfar cnoic, (The Erne shall rise in rude torrents, hills shall be rent,)
Beidh an fharraige 'na tonntaibh dearga is doirtfear fuil, (The sea shall roll in red waves, and blood be poured out,)
Beidh gach gleann sléibhe ar fud éireann is móinte ar crith, (Every mountain glen in Ireland, and the bogs shall quake)
Lá éigin sul a n-éagfaidh mo Róisín Dubh. (Some day ere shall perish my Little Dark Rose!)
Go raibh maith agat.