Lyr Req: Nora Creina - background?

Subject: Lyr Add: NORA CREINA
From: Skipjack K8
Date: 15 Aug 02 - 12:14 PM

A question was asked about an Irish song called Nora Creina by someone on one of the yachtin' sites I inhabit. I suspect they have a boat of the same name, but were asking about the history behind the song. I believe there were a couple of steamers by this name, possibly immigrant ships of the Irish Diaspora, but where better to ask for some solid history?

I found the lyric, but don't know the tune. Anything anyone can dig up will be passed to an appreciative skipper!

NORA CREINA,
SEE THE FLOWERS.

Nora Creina, see the flowers,
The lovely flowers that all seem'd perish'd,
The tendrils we together train'd,
The blossoms we so fondly cherish'd.
Now beneath the Summer's sun,
Gladly waking, gayly springing,
O'er thy bower their trellis weave,
Sweetest perfumes round thee flinging,
Nora Creina! Nora dear!
Lovely darling, Nora Creina!

Nora Creina, see the birds
We thought forever flown away, love,
Whose nest was in the Linden tree,
Whose young would round thy footsteps play, love.
Now the weary winter's past,
O'er the wild wave gayly winging,
Come to seek thy smiles again,
'Neath thy lattice sweetly singing:
Nora Creina! Nora dear!
Spirits watch o'er Nora Creina!

Nora Creina! Nora dear!
Thus my love is thine forever;
Tho' stern fate's decree is past
Two fond hearts awhile to sever.
Nora, darling, wipe away
The tear that's in thy blue eye starting;
Soon, love, we shall meet again,
And still more fondly for the parting.
Nora Creina! Nora dear!
My sweet, my own, my Nora Creina!

I couldn't find it in the DT, so over to you!

Skipjack

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 18-Aug-02.

Subject: Lyr Add: LESBIA HATH A BEAMING EYE (Thomas Moore)
From: GUEST,Bill Kennedy
Date: 15 Aug 02 - 01:10 PM

Thomas Moore set a poem of his to the melody of Nora Creina, called
LESBIA HATH A BEAMING EYE
Lesbia hath a beaming eye,
But no one knows for whom it beameth;
Right and left its arrows fly,
But what they aim at no one dreameth.
Sweeter 'tis to gaze upon
My Nora's lid that seldom rises;
Few its looks, but every one,
Like unexpected light, surprises!
Oh, my Nora Creina, dear,
My gentle, bashful Nora Creina,
Beauty lies In many eyes,
But Love in yours, my Nora Creina.

2. Lesbia wears a robe of gold,
But all so close the nymph hath laced it,
Not a charm of beauty's mould
Presumes to stay where Nature placed it.
Oh! my Nora's gown for me,
That floats as wild as mountain breezes,
Leaving every beauty free
To sink or swell as Heaven pleases.
Yes, my Nora Creina, dear,
My simple, graceful Nora Creina,
Nature's dress Is loveliness
The dress you wear, my Nora Creina.

3. Lesbia hath a wit refined,
But, when its points are gleaning round us,
Who can tell if they're design'd
To dazzle merely, or to wound us?
Pillow'd on my Nora's heart,
In safer slumber Love reposes
Bed of peace! whose roughest part
Is but the crumpling of the roses.
Oh! my Nora Creina, dear,
My mild, my artless Nora Creina!
Wit, though bright,Hath no such light
As warms your eyes, my Nora Creina.

there are plenty of midi files on the web that will allow you to hear the melody, it's sung pretty briskly. recorded by James W. Flannery on his 'Dear Harp of My Country SOngs of Thomas Moore' cd

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nora Creina - background?
From: Skipjack K8
Date: 15 Aug 02 - 01:27 PM

Thanks, Bill. I'll check on midi files. Any info on Nora Creina the person?

Skipjack

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nora Creina - background?
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 15 Aug 02 - 01:42 PM

In The Fiddler's Companion as Nóra Críona (Wise Nora) -and other spellings.

Subject: Lyr Add: NORA CREINA
From: GUEST,Bill Kennedy
Date: 15 Aug 02 - 01:51 PM

this is I think the earliest lyric to the air, I would agree that it is Wise Nora probably, but may also resonate somewhat with 'Croi na' though not correct grammatically as Nora 'heart'.

NORA CREINA

Who are you that walk this way so like the Empress Dejanina?
Or is it true what people say, that you're the famous Shilna-grina?
Or are you the great Pompey, or Britain's queen, bold Tilburina?
Or are you Dido? Or Dr. Magee? "Oh, no," says she, "I'm Nora Creina."

Chorus:
I'm the girl that makes them stir from Cork along to Skibereena
All the day we drink strong tay and whiskey too, says Nora Creina.

Who are yhou that ask my name? Othello, Wat Tyler or Julius Caesar?
Or are you Venus of bright fame, or that old fogey Nebucadnesser,
Or maybe you are Pluto stout? Or jolly old Bacchus stout and hearty?
There, my lass, your eye is out, for I'm Napoleon Bonaparte!

[Chorus]

Won't you dine with me to-day? I'll send for you a horse and crupper,
And lest you should refuse to stay I'll tell you who we'll have for supper;
Magillicuddy of the Reeks, O'Donaghue Glen, the Duke of Glo'ster,
Oliver Cromwell and Brian O'Lynn, Cadwaller Waddy and Leslie Foster.

Chorus:
I'm the girl that makes them stir from Cork to Skibereena
All the day we drink strong tay, and whiskey too says Nora Creina.

Subject: Lyr Add: SAVE ME FROM THE GRAVE AND WISE / ERNST..
From: GUEST,Bill Kennedy
Date: 15 Aug 02 - 01:59 PM

I meant to add that the 'classical' allusion lyric puts it in the early 19th c., obviously near or about Bonaparte's time.

then there is this:
SAVE ME FROM THE GRAVE AND WISE
Ernst und Weisheit sei verscheucht

Melody - "Nora Creina", arr. Beethoven; no. 8, "12 Irische Lieder" W 154/G 225

Will. Smyth
1. Save me from the grave and wise,
For vainly would I tax my spirit,
Be the thing that I despise,
And rival all their stupid merit.
On! my careless laughing heart,
O dearest Fancy let me find thee,
Let me but from sorrow part,
And leave this moping world behind me.

Chorus:
Speak ye wiser than the wise,
Breathe aloud your welcome measure,
Youthful Fancy well can prize
The words that counsel love and pleasure.

2. Is it merry look, or speech,
Or bounding step that thus displeases?
Go and graver movements teach
To yon light goss'mer on the breezes:
Go where breathes the opening spring,
And chide the flowers for gaily blowing,
Tell the linnet not to sing
In jocund May, when noon is glowing.
Chorus:

3. Hence with wisdom, dull and drear,
And welcome folly at a venture:
Cease my song, --- a sound I hear, ---
The planxty comes --- the dancers enter.
In yon throng, if I should see
Some gallant, giddy, gay adviser,
Who through life might counsel me, ---
He indeed might make me wiser.
Chorus:
trans. by G. Pertz

1. Ernst und Weisheit sei verscheucht!
Denn wenig mag es mir behagen,
Das zu sein, was Tand mich deucht,
Und eit'len Lorbeern nachzujagen!
Auf! mein arglos lächelnd Herz,
Der Phantasie Gefild durchmessen!
Laß mich scheiden nur vom Schmerz,
Und dieser faden Welt vergessen!

Chorus:
Du, der mehr als Weisheit weißt,
Sing dein Lied aus voller Brust;
Dankbar lauscht der Jugend Geist
Dem Wort, das Liebe räth und Lust.

2. Kränkt mein froher Blick euch? Fliehen
Wort und Schritt mir zu geschwinde?
Geht und lehrt bedächt'ger zieh'n
Die Sommerfäden dort im Winde.
Geht zum jungen Frühlingshang,
Und schmält der Blumen lustig Blühen,
Schweigen laßt des Häuflings Sang
Im lust'gen Mai, beim Mittagsglühen.
Chorus:

3. Fort mit Weisheit, trüb' und alt,
Ha! Narrethei nur mag uns frommen;
Still mein Lied --- ein Laut erschallt, ---
Der Reigen naht --- die Tänzer kommen.
Wird dort Einer, der mich sieht,
Mir Lust und Narrheit taumelnd preisen,
Er nur, der mich so berieth,
Beim Himmel! mächte mich zum Weisen.
Chorus:

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nora Creina - background?
From: GUEST,Bill Kennedy
Date: 15 Aug 02 - 02:22 PM

a schooner was launched fromn Yarmouth in 18334 called the Nora Creina, a steam locomotive ran in Dublin called the Nora Creina in 1844, there is a Nora Creina Bay in Australia, and steam packets named Nora Creina ran there, it could be like Kathleen Mavourneen, a name for Ireland, but more likely the jig tune 'Nora Creina', named for some Wise Nora somewhere just became so popular, and many songs were put to this air, and they became popular. We may never know who this Nora Creina was. There are novels of late 19th c. called Nora Creina, and boats called Nora Creina appear in other books of later 19th c. Once you have the tune it sticks in your head, I must say, makes it easy to sing any of the lyrics above.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nora Creina - background?
From: Skipjack K8
Date: 16 Aug 02 - 05:33 AM

Bill and Malcolm, this is great stuff. Thank you both for the all th griff. I've checked out the midis of Wise Nora and Nora Creena at JC's site, but haven't researched all of the midis to see if there's one that includes chords. I like the tune, though.

I think you're probably right in that we are unlikely to find out the origins of the name.

Again, many thanks. I'll pass this material on to the interested party

Skipjack

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nora Creina - background?
From: masato sakurai
Date: 16 Aug 02 - 06:43 AM

Beethoven's "Save Me From The Grave And Wise" (sound clip) is HERE (disc 4, track 5).

~Masato

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nora Creina - background?
From: GUEST,Bill Kennedy
Date: 16 Aug 02 - 09:21 AM

Flannery, in the notes to the song on the cd mentioned above, says that the Young Ireland League often contrasted the pure Irish country girl with the London floozie, but usually in coarser terms than in Moore's version. But that is not the same sentiment of the 'girl that makes them stir fro Cork to Skibareena.' which is an earlier lyric I'm sure. I will try to find out what region(s) of Ireland it was popular in, though I think probably Dublin rather than the countyside. There is an old song in P. W. Joyce called 'Sean-bhean chrion an dreanntain' the 'Withered Growling Old Woman' where chrion is withered. Maybe 'Wise Nora' was at one time 'Withered Nora'?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nora Creina - background?
From: Skipjack K8
Date: 16 Aug 02 - 10:01 AM

Could the Anglicised name be a corruption of Wizened Nora?