The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #16205   Message #150148
Posted By: Murray on Saltspring
15-Dec-99 - 10:39 PM
Thread Name: Origin: Morning Has Broken
Subject: RE: Origin? Morning has broken
"Morning has broken" words are by Farjeon as said above, fitted to an old Gaelic tune. In hymn books, it's called "Bunessan". The hymn sung to it [before EF's words] is a Christmas carol, "Child in the manger, / Infant of Mary,/ Outcast and stranger, / Lord of all; / Child who inherits / All our transgressions,/ All our demerits / On Him fall." In Lachlan MacBean's Songs & Hymns of the Scottish Highlands it's given with the original Gaelic words, "Leanabh an aigh", and the note says: "Gaelic words from the hymn by Mrs. M. MacDonald, Mull (Mairi Dhighallach, bean Neill Dhomhnullaich ann an Ard Tunna)." While there's no note about the translation, we can safely assume it's by MacBean, I think.