His face was glad as dawn to me,
His breath was sweet as dusk to me,
His eyes were burning flames to me,
Shule, Shule, Shule, agrah!
The broad noon-day was night to me,
The full-moon night was dark to me,
The stars whirled and the poles span
The hour God took him far from me.
Perhaps he dreams in heaven now,
Perhaps he doth in worship bow,
A white flame round his foam-white brow,
Shule, Shule, Shule, agrah!
I laugh to think of him like this,
Who once found all his joy and bliss
Against my heart, against my kiss,
Shule, Shule, Shule, agrah!
Star of my joy, art still the same
Now thou hast gotten a new name?
Pulse of my heart, my Blood, my Flame,
Shule, Shule, Shule, agrah!

About the headline (FAQ)

Author's note: I do not give the correct spelling of the Gaelic. The line signifies "Move, move, move to me, my Heart's Love."

Text Authorship:

• by William Sharp (1855 - 1905), as Fiona Macleod, "Shule, Shule, Shule, agrah!", appears in From the Hills of Dream, first published 1896 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

• by Rutland Boughton (1878 - 1960), "Shule agrah", 1910, published 1923 [ voice and piano or strings ], from Five Celtic Songs, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
• by Cedric Wilmot Lemont (1879 - 1954), "Shule, Shule, Shule, agrah!", published <<1940 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Bertha Rawlinson , "Shule agrah", published 1963 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by E. Roy Thompson , "Shule, Shule, agrah!", published <<1940 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-08-18
Line count: 20
Word count: 132