Transcript

"A Chlíona, a Chlíona, a bhean bhinn bhéasaigh,
Go mbeannaí Dia dhuit agus go beannaím féin duit,
Mar is fada ó bhaile, ó, do thána ' t'éileamh.

"An tusa Mór óigh nó aonfhir
Nó an tú Clíona na Carraige Léithe?
Nó an tú an Chailleach riabhach ó iarthair Bhéarra?"

"Ó, ní mise éinne 'á ndúraís féinig
Ach is mé iníon chríonna Rí na Gréige,
Agus iníon na banríon' ó Bhóthéilean."

"Ó, dá bar[1] tú iníon chríonna Rí na Gréige
Nó iníon na banríon' ó Bhóthéilean,
Do bheadh banda an ríghruaig síos go féar ort
Agus fáinní óir ar nach aon mhéar leat."

Translation

"O Clíona, Clíona, sweet mannerly woman,
May God bless you and I greet you myself,
For I have come, oh, far from home to seek you.

"Are you Mór [who is] chaste or [who has but] one man
Or are you Clíona of the Grey Rock?
Or are you the grey hag from west Beara?"

"Oh, I am none of those you spoke of
But I am the eldest daughter of the King of Greece,
And the daughter of the queen from Bóthéilean."

"Oh, if you were the eldest daughter of the King of Greece
Or the daughter of the queen from Bóthéilean,
You would be wearing a band of beautiful hair down to the ground
And gold rings on all of your fingers."

Footnotes

Commentary

These lyrics form part of a longer song, 'Clíona agus Iníon Chaitlín Dubh' or 'Eachtra Charraig Chlíodhna'. It is based on a legend which was popular in west Munster. A longer version from the present informant, Conchúr Ó Síocháin, was published in An Lóchrann (August, 1931), 3. According to Ó Síocháin, Seán 'ac(h) Séamuis was abducted by a fairy woman (Clíona or 'Bean an Leasa') who entrapped him in a local fairy fort and made plans to marry him. The local people found out and a local woman (the daughter of Caitlín Dubh in most versions of the legend) was given the task of freeing Séamus. She approaches the fairy woman, who is lying out under the sun combing her hair, and uses her cunning wit to free Séamus. The song takes the form of a dialogue between the two women. For a study of this popular west Munster legend see Brian Ó Cuív, 'Deascán ó Chúige Mumhan', Béaloideas 22 (1953), 102-11.