The first post on this thread gives Samuel Barber's musical setting as he adapted it from the English translation by Sean O'Faolain, published in "The Silver Branch." In his opening remarks in this latter anthology, O'Faolain admits that, although he has the modern Gaelic, more antique forms of Irish are not his specialty, that he is no Old Irish or Middle Irish expert, and that his translations depend upon the English-translation work of the generation of scholars and academics before him for their authenticity.

Nor could O'Faolain leave well enough alone. He went on to modify his own translation and print it on page 33 of a later book, "Irish Journey." Like his earlier attempt, this translation reduces St Brigid's seven stanzas to four. Note how it differs from the first post in this thread.

I would like to have the men of Heaven in my own house;
with vats of good cheer laid out before them.
I would like to have the three Marys whose fame is so great.
I would like to have people from every corner of heaven.
And I would like them to be merry in their carousing,
I would like to have Jesus among them, too.
I would like to have a great lake of beer for Christ the King.
I'd like to be watching the heavenly family
drinking it down through all eternity.

In 1952, David Greene, from a new post-war generation of Irish-language academics and scholars, opened his article in "Celtica vol 2," one of the journals of that era, with the O'Faolain revision presented here in this post -- the better to take on O'Faolain and to set the record straight. Having done so, Greene goes on to quote further.

'There is a note on this translation, in which Mr. O'Faolain says:
" This is the only poem of its kind that I have found in connection with the Irish Church and it warms my heart to think that we once had so much cheerful humanity among our holy people." '

A future post will submit David Greene's own translation of St Brigid's seven stanzas of verse, with further remarks.