Unique Word Count: 51
Music: collected from Seán Óg Ó Tuama
Words: collected from Seán Óg Ó Tuama
Lyrics:
Rug Muire Mac do Dhia,
Íosa Críost, Triath na Reann,
Maireann dá éis ina hóigh,
An bhean is dóigh do gach dall.
Buime is Máthair Mhic Dé Bhí,
Bean mar í ní fhaca súil,
Bean ler oscladh flaitheas Dé,
Do mholfas mé os gach dúil.
Ní cosúil í le mnáibh,
Muire Mhór an bláth nach críon,
Ní cosúil balsam le moirt,
Le lionn goirt ní cosúil fíon.
Translation:
Mary bore a son to God,
Jesus Christ, Prince of the Stars,
She remains a virgin afterwards,
The woman who is hope for every blind man.
The Nurse and the Mother of the Son of the Living God,
A woman like her no eye has ever seen,
The woman by whom God’s heavens were opened,
Whom I will praise over every creature.
She is not like other women,
Great Mary, the flower that never withers,
Balsam is not like heavy clay,
Unlike bitter ale is wine.
Notes: As observed in the excellent work “Amhrán Is Fiche Don Nollaig” “This song is written according to the old rules of bardic poetry, or An Dán Díreach as it is called, more or less in the metre Rannaigheacht Mhór (seven syllables in each line; a single syllable word at the end of each line; a rhyme at the end of line 2 and the end of line 4; a rhyme at the end of line 1 with a word in the middle of line 2, and the same pattern with lines 3 and 4; and so forth).”
However, there are some discrepancies between this older metre and the form of the poem; there are three lines that only have 6 syllables, for example. The editors of “Amhrán Is Fiche Don Nollaig” could not find any reference to this song before Seán Óg Ó Tuama (1912-1980) published it, along with the music, in his collection An Chóisir Cheoil volume IV (1957, An Claisceadal Cois Life). As such, perhaps Seán Óg himself composed it, although if so, he did not credit himself in his book.