Into the Unknown

Standing stones/Cerne’s lullaby

Let me cradle you
By the standing stones
Let me sing to you
While the ambers glow.

Let me lull your heart
By the standing stones
Let the dream take flight
On the wings of song.

Let me call you mine
By the standing stones
As the daylight dies
You shall be reborn.

Let me bring you down
By the standing stones
Let me take you where
You have longed to go.

Let me hold you fast
By the standing stones
Let the troubles pass
As the song goes on.

Let me kiss you there
By the standing stones
With your soul at rest
Let the music flow.

Let me take you there,
By the standing stones,
Let me be the one
To right all the wrongs.

Let the night descend
At the standing stones,
For the hours on end
I shall sing you home.

Let me wed you there,
By the standing stones,
Let me love you, lass
As the daylight dawns

Let me guard your sleep
By the standing stones,
Soft shall be thy bed
Of the woodland moss.

Let me be your breath
By the standing stones,
Let me help you rest
Till the hours of morn.

Let me lay you down
By the standing stones –
Let me call you mine
While the ambers glow.

Let me bid you stay
By the standing stones,
My sweet queen of may,
You’ve been gone so long….

Crom Cruach/ Rath Croghan song

Read my name in the wind, rising from the mounds.
See me in the cards, signs and omens.
Descend to me, following the spiral-
Go deeper.

Feel my presence in the air, breathe it in.
Sense me in your dreams, all pine and soil,
Rosemary and musk,
Dissolve in me.

Open the iron gates of Rath Croghan,
Step inside, look me in the eye.
Succumb to the fire of the wild,
Let yourself free.

Be mine, there under the aspen roof,
Let me take you, mo grá, mo chroí,
Be mine – on the bed of moss,
Thorns and ash.

Long was my wait, mo grá, mo chroí,
Before you came back,
And now when I have you,
I shall never let go.

By the twelve gods of Mag Slecht,
By the broken, by the shattered,
I swear to be yours.
Will you answer the call?

By the mounds of the Sidhe,
By the seas and winds,
I swear to never let go.
Will you answer the call?

Long have I waited, but the time has come.
Long have I slept,
But it is now done.
Will you have me?

Crom Cruach calls – once in a lifetime,
Crom Cruach stands
At you door, all shadow and mist-
Will you have him, mo eithne?…

Will you let him in?

For I am Fionn

Where the others might find
Peace in solitude,
Where the others might see
Perfection in comfort,
I’ll find solace in battle,
For I am Fionn.

Where the others might wish
For a quiet life,
Where the others might know
The bliss of love,
I’ll find solace in battle,
For I am Fionn.

Where the others might swear
Their loyalty to the king,
Where the others might give
Their heart to a woman,
I’ll give mine to Erin,
For I am Fionn.

Where the others might die
Peacefully in bed,
Where the others might cross
The land uninvited,
I’ll protect my boundaries,
For I am Fionn.

Where the others might find
Comfort in living,
Where the others might seek
Their peace at home,
I’ll find solace in battle,
For I am Fionn.

Where the others might prove
Useful in their gardens,
Where the others might be
Best off in the fields,
I’ll find glory in battle,
For I am Fionn.

Where the others might find
Wisdom in others,
Where the others might look
For truth in words,
I’ll find wisdom in battle,
For I am Fionn.

Where the others might think
Their joy everlasting,
Where the others might go
Where they are sent,
I’ll find healing in waters,
For I am Fionn.

Where the others might heal
Their woes in wine,
Where the others might reach
For gold and treasure,
I’ll find meaning in battle,
For I am Fionn.

Where the others might cherish
The earthly and good,
Where the others might cry
Over treasures and silks,
I’ll provide for the lost ones,
For I am Fionn.

Where the others might lose
Their way in the shadows,
Where the others might speak
With the lying tongues,
I’ll be true till the end comes,
For I am Fionn.

Fionn

Táim réidh, Fionn.

‘ Sure, are ya? ‘ he smiles, broadly, mischievously. ‘Ready?’

‘Take me there. Take me home’.

‘Erin’s home now?’ He exclaims, amused. ‘ I thought Wales was, leannán’.

His green eyes twinkling, he pulls me up into the saddle.

‘Only teasing, leannán. Only teasing. We, gardai, have no home except the one we call home. My heart belongs to this land, my blood sings its songs. Mannanan will tell you that – Is treise an dúchas ná an oillúint, – nature is stronger than nurture. You were born of the huntsman, you were not made to sit and watch. If the road calls, we follow. If the wind rises, we ride it.

An té a bhíónn siúlach, bíonn scéalach, keep that in mind. We are the stories we tell, leannan- and you shall see that when you become one. You dance among the sidhe, you ride the sea horses, you walk in the great green – how can you be of one place? I saw that from the start”.

‘How can you tell?’

‘Aithníonn ciaróg eile’ he answers, with a glint in his eyes,’ shouldn’t I know kin? I do. I have seen you dance in the hills, I’ve seen you fly and have seen you ride. Isn’t that enough? You have the tunes of my land in your soul, you know the bagpipes and fiddles, you know the speech. How can you not be, leannan? Buckle up now!’

The white steed speeds up, and soon enough seas below become hills, lakes and plains, emerald and sapphire turn to silver and gold.

‘That is Erin’ Fionn says, and I feel the pride in his voice ‘My only love. My home. My land. Your land. Feel its might. Drink it up. Oh, and Fáilte abhaile!’

He laughs and laughter feels the air, colouring it into million shades – till I lose the sense of reality.

‘Fáilte abhaile’ Fionn repeats ‘I’ve been waiting for so long ‘

Mannanan an t-ainm/ Mannanan is my name

Mannanan an t-ainm atá orm,
Ón doimhneacht a thagann mé.
First among the ancient,
Wisest among the immortal,
Crusher of ships.

Mannanan an t-ainm atá orm,
Ón doimhneacht a thagann mé.
Giver of treasures,
Keeper of Sacred gates,
Father of waves.

Mannanan an t-ainm atá orm,
Ón doimhneacht a thagann mé.
Master of sea foam,
Lord of white horses,
King of the depth.

Mannanan an t-ainm atá orm,
Ón doimhneacht a thagann mé.
Dark as the night,
Pitiless as the storm,
Giver of hope.

Mannanan an t-ainm atá orm,
Ón doimhneacht a thagann mé.
Ever-vigilant,
Skillfull as the ocean,
Mighty and strong.

Mannanan an t-ainm atá orm,
Ón doimhneacht a thagann mé.
Land trembler,
The eternal answerer,
Glorious and proud.

Mannanan an t-ainm atá orm,
Ón doimhneacht a thagann mé.
The apple bearer,
Soul searcher,
Strength unmatched.

Mannanan an t-ainm atá orm,
Ón doimhneacht a thagann mé.
Fear if you must,
Battle the waves if you dare,
Never flee.

Descent

When you descend, you’re down below.
Your paths keep winding and spiralling
Your way lies through the mist, moss and bones
To the Center of the Labyrinth.

When you descend, you’re going strong
Till the ground break open and crack
Like a ripe fruit, full of blood red,
A pomegranate of thousand seeds.

When you descend, the turf turns to moss ,
Only to change to stones,
That remind you of bones
Buried down below, too deep to see.

When you descend, there’s a sudden hush
And a million voices break free
From the ground, from the deep
From the ancient times.

When you descend, you’re no longer there
Up above, but down where the sun is dark,
And the bones, and the stones
Call out your name.

When you descend, you become the Voice
As the flesh succumbs to the call of Death
As the body falls to become the moss
That shall grow and cover the bones and stones.

When you descend, you belong to him,
Lord of Underground, king of midnight stars,
Lord of earth and ash,
Lord of bygone days.

When you descend, you are his alone,
His Persephone, his dark song, his own,
And you’re glad to be, as you feel him call
In the darkest night, in the brightest day.

The Voice

Among the dead I walk.
I know no paths among the living.
To the dead I give voice.
The living have my silence.
Among the dead I dwell.
I know no sanctuary among the living.
To the dead I listen.
No living soul has my ear.

Deep, deep into the ground I descend.
There, no light can trouble me.
To the deepest places I go –
The shallowness above never troubles me.
Into the darkness I venture,
To the ancestors I flee:
There, no evil can find me.
There, I am at peace.

Among the dead I walk.
Bones, stories and lies.
Among the dead I abide,
Memories and vows.
Among the dead I bloom,
Nettles and vines.
Among the dead I sing,
As I am long gone.

Gone as they once were,
Gone as they are,
Gone as they will be.
Alive for those above,
Alive for those who listen,
Alive for those who care.
Cold as the hottest flame,
Blazing as the coldest ice.

My fire laid out for the cold,
My candles burn for the blind ones,
My lanterns glow for the lost,
My lights gleam for the broken.
I am the Voice of the perished,
I am the Voice of the gone,
I am the Voice of the silence
I am the Voice of the dead.

καληνύχτα/good night

Night song

καληνυχτα.
Let the day die,
Let your mind flow,
καληνυχτα.

καληνύχτα
Let the night come,
Let your soul fly,
καληνύχτα.

καληνύχτα.
Hear my heart beat,
Hear the wind sigh
καληνύχτα.

Καληνύχτα.
See the moon rise,
See the worlds meet,
καληνύχτα.

καληνύχτα.
I am with you,
I will be there,
καληνύχτα.

καληνύχτα.
Let sleep heal you,
Let me guide you.
Καληνύχτα.

καληνύχτα.
Yours forever.
Yours for all time.
καληνύχτα…

Five kings/ Wedding song

From the depth I call,
αγάπη μου,
My love everlasting,
η φωνή μου.

With laurel wreath
I shall crown you,
αγάπη μου,
With veil of time.

From the timeless I call
αγάπη μου,
By the deepest waters
I wait.

From the heathered hills
I call you.
mo nighean donn,
My song.

With flowers of gold
I shall crown you,
Mo ghràdh,
My all.

From the evergreen
I call you,
By the woodlands
I wait.

From the mountain peeks
I call you,
Min kärlek,
My star.

With the mists of time
I crown you,
min älskade,
My own.

From the brightest halls
I call you,
By the rainbow bridge
I wait.

From the elven shores
I call you,
min mörkhåriga,
My heart.

With silver leaves
I shall crown you,
min ros,
My nightingale.

From the golden glades
I call you,
By the havens of gods
I wait.

From the silver mists
I call you,
Cariad,
Maiden fair.

With rubies and pearls
I shall crown you,
Annwyl,
My huntress.

From the lands of old
I call you,
By the hawthorn tree
I wait.

Hear my voice,
My midnight star,
My sky,
My queen.

Be my voice,
My hope,
My crown,
My all.

By the skies of night
I swear,
By the gates of spring
I wait.

Gradually

Joy would become sadness,
As the fall approached.
The world would slow down.

Gradually.

Demeter’s young daughter
Would sulk longer,
Changing.

Gradually.

She would no longer smile,
Her face becoming paler,
And her hair duller.

Gradually.

She would shudder
At the sound of her name
And refuse to wear white.

Gradually.

She would take to the woods
Looking for something,
Wandering farther and farther.

Gradually.

She would look for a path
Or a cleft in the stone,
Or descend lower into the caves.

Gradually.

She would never look back
But carry on going
And call him louder and louder.

Gradually.

And he would listen
In his underworld,
And call in love with her voice

Gradually

And he would open the gates
And let her in,
To fall in love more.

Gradually.

And she would stay longer
And eat some seeds
Of the ripe pomegranate –

All at once.

And she would no longer answer
To her old name
Or wear white frilly dresses

Suddenly.

And her mother would wonder
What on earth happened
To Kore.

Up until

Kore would walk in
Hand in hand
With Hades.

Suddenly.

And declare she was
Married.
And no.longer. a. child.

Too soon.

Her mother would think.
But she wouldn’t care
Or give a damn.

No longer.

She would be Kore.
But Persephone.
Which is far better.

After all

Who’d like to be called
‘Hey girl’
Her whole life?..