Noble Groves

ancestral poem

Oisín and Niamh travelling to Tír na nÓg, illustration by Stephen Reid in T. W. Rolleston's The High Deeds of Finn (1910)

This was inspired by “The Ballad of Oisín in Tir na nÓg” by Michéal Ó Coimín

Noble Groves
~~~
I see my honored forefathers in the groves of Tír na nÓg.
Sutured and bloodied Ireland, devoid of noble groves,
a crinkled shamrock leaf broken by false teachings,
my forefathers rest there no longer, they have fled.
My spirit yearns to join them.

I see them under the sea in the Emerald Palace of Glory.
The oceans swell over countless islands once more,
from Atland to Ireland, from America to the Faroes.
All islands sink to the bottom of the sea.
My spirit yearns to join them.

I see them waiting for me to ascend to the fabled hall.
Upon the peak of the World-Tree, they await me.
Beside the Pool of Memory, they beckon to me.
Astride the Wheel of Time, they call to me.
My spirit yearns to join them.

I see my honored forefathers in the groves of Tír na nÓg.
They gather there with the most honored forefather, Donn.
They gather in little number, for only nobles can ascend.
My spirit yearns to join them one day
in those noble groves.

Fàilte buaidhe!