'S óró londubh buí(O my blackbird gay)

Bhí mé lá breá 'gabháil an bóthar
'S óró londubh buí
Casadh 'n gruagach éadrom óg dom
'S óró grá mo chroí
The chorus (in italics as above) is repeated in each verse.


D'fhiafraigh sé dom-s' ar níon dom an óig-bhean
Dúirt mé féin gurbh í mo bhean phóst' í

D'iarr sé iasacht bliain nó dhó orm
Cha deánaim sin ach dheánfaidh mé 'n cóir leat

Gabh thusa 'n t-ísleacht 's rachaidh mise an t-ardán
Cé bith againn a leanfas sí bíodh sí go deo aige

Chuaigh seisean a' t-ísleacht 's chuaigh mise 'n t-ardán
Lean sí 'n gruagach, 's aige bhí an óige

D'imigh sí uaim ar feadh trí ráithe
Tháinig sí chugam, Maire gan náire

D'fhiafraigh sí dom-sa caidé mar bhí 'n tsláinte
Mar is olc le mo charaid 's mar is maith le mo namhaid

Caidé dheánfá thusa dá bhfuighinn-se bás uait?
O, chuirfinn síos i gconair faoi chlár thú

Nuair a chuala mise na briathra breátha
Luigh mé siar agus rinne mé an bás úd

Chuaigh beirt 'na coilleadh fá dhéin an adhmaid
Leath-mhaide cuilinn is leath-mhaide fearna

Chuir sí síos i gcónair chaol mé
In gcéad slata den tsacadh ba ghránna

Tógaigí suas ar mur nguailnibh go h-ard é
Is caithigí sa pholl deise don tsráid é

Nuair a mhoitigh mé féin na briathra gránna
D'éirigh mé suas go lúfar láidir

Fan! Fan! Ligigí síos mé
Go n-insidh mé scéal beag eil' ar na mná daoibh

Is minic a chuaigh bó mhaith thaire 'n teorainn
Is phill sí aríst sa dhóigh a ba chóir daoithe

Ach 'a b'é gur bean a bhí in mo mháithrín
D'inseoinn scéal beag eil' ar na mná daoibh

Scéal beag inniu is scéal beag amarach
Is scéal beag eil' 'ach aon lá go cionn ráithe

Translation(some assistance needed here)
1.One fine day as I went along the road (O my blackbird gay),I came across the handsome young enchanter (O my love and my joy)
2.He asked me if the young woman was my daughter, but I soon told him she was my wife.
3. He asked to borrow her for a year or two, I sai I couldn't do that but I'd give him a chance.
4. You go down the low road, I'll take the high one, and whichever one of us she follows can keep her.
5. He took the low road while I took the higher, and she followed him because he was younger.
6. She stayed away for three quarters of the year, and then she came back, Maire without any shame.
7. Then she asked me how my health was "I'm poorly to my friends, but I'm well enough for my enemies."
8. "What would you do if I were to die?" I said."I'd bury you in a sealed coffin." she said.
9. These were fine words to hear from her, so I lay back at my ease and pretended to have died.
10.Two men were sent to the forest for wood; a half load each of holly and alder.
11. She had me buried below in a narrow coffin with a hudred yards of shroud made of dirty sacks.
12. "Lift the old man high on your shoulders, and throw him down in the yard."
13. When I heard her saying such nasty words I rose from the dead looking strong and healthy.
14. "Wait! Wait! Put me down, and I'll tell you a story about the women."
15. Good cows will often cross into the neighbourng field and come back no better than they should be.
16. If it wasn't that my own mother was a woman I would tell you some stories about women.
17.One story for today. and another one for tomorrow, and a story for every day for the next three months.

I know that this translation is seriously defective, so I'd be grateful for any assistance.

The song comes from the singing of Mary Doohan of Tory Island , off Donegal. There are some other variants of the song from Connaught, but I don't know of any recent version. It has been suggested that underlying this song is some Irish version of the story of Persephone.