Thursday, August 5, 2010

Inspired by the Celts

Thursday, August 5, 2010
There are two poems from Celtic Myth that inspire my daily life. One reminds me of the fact that we are connected to everything and everything is connected to us. The other speaks to me of what we may have been in past lives.

The Song of Amergin

I am the wind on the sea;
I am the wave of the sea;
I am the bull of seven battles;
I am the eagle on the rock;
I am the flash from the sun;
I am the most beautiful of plants;
I am a strong wild boar;
I am a salmon in the water;
I am a lake in the plain;
I am the word of knowledge;
I am the head of the spear in battle;
I am the god that puts fire in the head;
Who spreads light in the gathering on
the hills?
Who can tell the ages of the moon?
Who can tell the place where the sun rests?

(Translation by Lady Gregory)

from the Battle of Trees

I was lanterns of light for a year and a half;
I was a bridge that stretched over sixty estuaries;
I was a path, I was an eagle, I was a coracle in the seas;
I was a bubble in beer, I was a drop in a shower;
I was a sword in hand, I was a shield in battle;
I was a string in a harp enchanted nine years, in the water as foam;
I was a spark in fire; I was wood in bonfire;
I am not one who does not sing; I have sung since I was small.

(Translation by Patrick K. Ford)

The first poem is by the poet Amergin and the second is from Taliesin, son of the Great Goddess Ceridwen. There are many translations and meanings of the poems. These two are my favorites.

How do these poems speak to you?

SIS BJ aka Aleena Ravenwood

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