Subject: Lyr Add: WALKER OF THE SNOW (Shanley/Tyrell)
From:
Sorcha
Date: 02 Feb 02 - 01:39 PM
Posted here in the forum.
Thread #3113 Message #14974
Posted By: Barry
19-Oct-97 - 09:59 PM
Thread Name: halloween songs
Subject: Lyr Add: THE WALKER OF THE SNOW (C D Shanly)^^
Sean Tyrrell a few years back put a tune to one of Charles Dawson Shanly's poem "The Walker Of The Snow" great song/poem
THE WALKER OF THE SNOW^^^
(Poem by Charles Dawson Shanly)
Speed on, speed on, good master! The camp lies far away;—
We must cross the hunted valley before the close of day.
How the snow-blight came upon me, I will tell you as we go,—
The blight of the shadow hunter who walks the midnight snow.
To the cold December heaven came the pale moon and the stars,
As the yellow sun was sinking, behind the purple bars.
The snow was deeply drifted upon the ridges drear
That lay for miles around me and the camp for which we steer.
'Twas silent on the hill-side, and by the solemn wood
No sound of life or motion to break the solitude,
Save the wailing of the moose-bird with a plaintive note and low,
And the skating of the red leaf upon the frozen snow.
And said I,—"Though dark is falling, and far the camp must be,
Yet my heart it would be lightsome, if I had but company."
And then I sang and shouted, keeping measure, as I sped,
To the harp-twang of the snow-shoe as it sprang beneath my tread.
Not far into the valley had I dipped upon my way,
When a dusky figure joined me, in a capuchon of grey,
Bending upon the snow-shoes with a long and limber stride;
And I hailed the dusky stranger, as we travelled side by side.
But no token of communion gave he by word or look,
And the fear-chill fell upon me at the crossing of the brook;
For I saw by the sickly moonlight, as I followed, bending low,
That the walking of the stranger left no foot-marks on the snow.
Then the fear-chill gathered o'er me, like a shroud around me cast,
As I sank into the snow-drift where the shadow hunter passed.
And the otter-trappers found me before the break of day,
With my dark hair blanched and whitened as the snow in which I lay.
But they spoke not, as they raised me, for they knew that in the night
I had seen the shadow hunter, and had withered in his blight.
Sancta Maria speed us! The sun is falling low,—
Before us lies the Valley of the Walker of the Snow!
These are Shanly's words, Sean has changed them only slightly, a word here & there. I believe he's recorded this now but U don't know where. Some others you might like "Twa Corbies" (I've always thought of it as a Halloween type), "Werewolf" in a thread about a week back, some of the Souling songs, from the mummer's plays, have changed from Christmas to All Saints or Halloween. The children, going door to door representing souls of the returning dead, would be given Soul Cakes in turn for the good luck bestowed on them.
A soul, a soul, a soul cake, please good missus a soul cake
an apple a pear a plum, or a cherry any good thing to make us merry
Another would be the "Cheshire Souling Song" somewhat similar to Pace Egging
Here comes one, two, three jolly good hearty lads
And we're all in one mind
For this night we've come a-souling
Good nature to find
For this night we've come a-souling as it doth appear
And it's all that we are souling for is your ale & strong beer
That's from Peter Kennedy collection recorded on Topic's Folk Songs Of Britain, vol #9 Songs Of Ceremony 1961. The souling song may be from the Waterson's can't remember.
Barry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW2PdPeK07w
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