Translation by Thomas William Rolleston (1857 - 1920)
The Dead at Clonmacnois
Language: English  after the Irish (Gaelic)
Stands Saint Kieran's city fair; And the warriors of Erin in their famous generations Slumber there. There beneath the dewy hillside sleep the noblest Of the clan of Conn, Each below his stone with name in branching Ogham And the sacred knot thereon. There they laid to rest the seven Kings of Tara, There the sons of Cairbrè sleep — Battle-banners of the Gael that in Kieran's plain of crosses Now their final hosting keep. And in Clonmacnois they laid the men of Teffia, And right many a lord of Breagh; Deep the sod above Clan Creidè and Clan Conaill, Kind in hall and fierce in fray. Many and many a son of Conn the Hundred-Fighter In the red earth lies at rest; Many a blue eye of Clan Colman the turf covers, Many a swan-white breast.
Confirmed with The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900, ed. by Arthur Quiller-Couch, 1919.
Authorship:
- by Thomas William Rolleston (1857 - 1920), "The Dead at Clonmacnois" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Irish (Gaelic) by Aongus Ó Giolláin [text unavailable]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Ivor (Bertie) Gurney (1890 - 1937), "The Dead at Clonmacnois", 1925 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Charles Wood (1866 - 1926), "The Dead at Clonmacnois", published 1927 [ low voice and piano ], from Ten Songs for Low Voice, no. 8 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2022-01-19
Line count: 19
Word count: 138