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IRISH SONGS AND LYRICS 343 |
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ROISIN DUBHx
O
H! my sweet little rose, cease to pine for the past, For the friends that came eastward shall see thee at last; They bring blessings and favors the past never knew To pour forth in gladness on my Roisin Dubh.
Long, long, with my dearest, through strange scenes
I've gone, O'er mountains and broad valleys I still have toiled
on; O'er the Erne I have sailed as the rough gales blew, While the harp poured its music for my Roisin Dubh.
• Though wearied, oh ! my fair one ! do not slight my
song, For my heart dearly loves thee, and hath loved thee
long; In sadness and in sorrow I still shall be true, And cling with wild fondness round my Roisin Dubh. |
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1 This song is a translation. Mr. Hardiman in his " Irish Minstrelsy," says of it : " Roisin Dubh (Little Black Rose) is an allegorical ballad in which strong political feelings are conveyed as a personal address from a lover to his fair one. The allegorical meaning has been long since forgotten, and the verses are now remembered and sung as a plaintive love ditty. It was composed in the reign of Elizabeth of England, to celebrate our Irish hero, Hugh Ruadh O'Donnell of Tirconnell. By Roisin Dubh, supposed to be a beloved female, is meant Ireland." |
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