Lá ‘le Bhríde
Dhúisigh an ghrian sinn
an mhaidin úd,
solas órga
ag stealladh
‘is ag scairdeach
isteach ar an urlár,
ag slaparnach
thuas na fallaí,
ag sruthlaíonn
an doras síor-oscailte isteach.
Níor thuigeamar
ar dtús
cad a bhí ag titim amach.
Níor aithníomar
torann buí na Gréine.
Ach chuimhníos
go tobann ar na bhfocail a dúraís,
mar draoi:
“Tiocfaidh an Ghrian thar nais ar Lá ‘le Bhríde.”
Agus d’árdaigh dóchas,
ársa, pagánaigh im’ chroí,
inár suí sa leaba,
Bríd nó Danú,
an lámh in uachtar ag an tEarrach,
bhí an Geimhreadh, gruama caite.
“Tiocfaidh an Ghrian thar nais ar Lá ‘le Bhríde.”
St.Brigid’s Day
The sun awoke us.
Like a fanfare
or a burst of wild laughter.
Playfully.
Unfamiliar.
Spilling in along the floor.
Splashing up the walls.
Streaming in through the always-open door.
We didn’t - at first- know what was happening,
Didn’t recognise the bright clamour of the sun.
Then we remembered the words
That you, druidlike, had spoken:
“The Sun will come back on St.Brigid’s Day.”
And a welling of Hope,
Pagan and Pure,
Came rising inside us,
Sitting in bed,
Brigid or Danú,
The Winter defeated:
“The Sun will come back on St.Brigid’s Day.”
Paul Ó Colmáin
Paul Ó Colmáin lives and works in West Cork,Ireland. He was a winner of the inaugural Poet’s Podium, 1995 run by Samhlaíocht Chiarraí and is a regular contributor of poems in both Irish and English to journals and anthologies both in Ireland and abroad. He was selected for the Poetry Ireland Introductions Series 2017.
He is a musician, songwriter and visual artist and runs Working Artist Studios in Skibbereen, which presents exhibitions, poetry evenings, an annual Poetry Marathon and other art events.
www.paulocolmain.com
Irish Writing :: Table of Contents, May 2017