The River Maiden - The song
/
In The River Maiden, Sarah spends her time chasing down a particular song. That's where the book get its title. This song itself is fictional. I wrote the lyrics to match the legend of The River Maiden. The legend is also invented but is an amalgam of various motifs commonly found in Celtic folklore.
Just as the legend employs common Celtic themes, the song uses a common structure found in Scottish folk songs. I confess that the Gaelic version might not have exactly the right amount of syllables per line to make it properly poetic. I wrote the original in English and had it translated by the incredibly helpful Caroline Root at Daily Gaelic.
Like most folksongs, I borrowed the tune, or at least my mental imagining of the tune from another traditional Gaelic song, Blar Inbhir Lochaidh. It's a hauntingly beautiful song about the Battle of Inverlochy during the Scottish Civil War, and it makes me cry every time I hear it. Here is Mary Jane Lamond giving a
More importantly it follows a common structure in which each verse contains two lines that tell the story alternating with two punctuating lines creating a dirge-like rhythm. These punctuating lines can contain a repeated declaration or lament. They can also be simply a series of sounds that create the right rhythm.
The structure looks a bit like this.
“‘S gur e mise th’ air m’aineol
Na i ri ri si ri o ro
O gur mise th’ air mo leònadh
Na i ro ri o ho
O gur mise th’ air mo leònadh
Na i ri ri si ri o ro
Bho latha Blàr Inbhir Lòchaidh
Na i ro ri o ho ”
- First line of story
- Punctuating line 1
- Next line of story
- Punctuating line 2
Here are some lines from Blar Inbhir Lochaidh as an example.
The punctuating lines here don't translate. They either have no meaning or it has been lost in several hundred years of being passed down. You can see the full text and translation here.
There are many other songs that follow this structure. Most commonly they are laments or ballads. I used that structure when constructing the song for The River Maiden. As I said, I wrote it first in English, then had it translated by a pro, because my Gàidhlig is not good enough for that.
Here is the text of whole song with the Gaelic translation on the right. Note: The entire song never appears in one place in the book, only in parts.
“The king was wandering, miserable
The king was lost in the mist
He sat to brood beside the river
He will rise again
A maiden swam on the surface
The king was lost in the mist
What troubles you, king?
He will rise again
The tribes are at odds with each other
The king was lost in the mist
What I wanted was peace
He will rise again
Join me in the cool water
The king was lost in the mist
It is so very soothing
He will rise again
He swam in the river beside her
The king was lost in the mist
They drifted down the river to a hidden island
He will rise again
He said, “We are lost.”
The king was lost in the mist
She said, “No, this is my home.”
He will rise again
She led him to the high fort
The king was lost in the mist
This is my father, king of your people.
He will rise again
The old king had a sickly yellow pallor
The king was lost in the mist
And he was lame in one leg
He will rise again
There was a big pot on the hearth
The king was lost in the mist
There was food aplenty in the pot
He will rise again
He was given a bowl of delicious stew
The king was lost in the mist
Eat up, the pot will make more
He will rise again
She led him to a hidden cave
The king was lost in the mist
There was a great stone in the cave
He will rise again
This is the heart of my people
The king was lost in the mist
He kissed her on the stone
He will rise again
A raging storm attacked the island
The king was lost in the mist
The island sank under the water
He will rise again
The young king awoke on the shore
The king was lost in the mist
The maiden was beside him with the great pot
He will rise again
He had a son with that woman
The king was lost in the mist
The son became king of all people
He will rise again”
“Bha an rìgh a’ siùbhlach, gu tùrsach
Bha an rìgh air chall ‘s a cheò
Shuidh e ri taobh na h-aibhne lan smaointinn
Eirichidh e a-rithist
Shnàmh mhaidean air an uisge
Bha an rìgh air chall ‘s a cheò
Dè tha a’ cur drag ort a rìgh?
Eirichidh e a-rithist
Tha na cinnidhean an adhaidh a cheile
Bha an rìgh air chall ‘s a cheò
‘S e an sìth a bha mi ag iarraidh.
Eirichidh e a-rithist
Trobhad a-steach dhan uisge comhla ruim
Bha an rìgh air chall ‘s a cheò
Tha e cho ciuin
Eirichidh e a-rithist
Shnàmh e anns an abhainn ri a taobh
Bha an rìgh air chall ‘s a cheò
Dhrioft iad sìos an abhainn gu eilean falaichte
Eirichidh e a-rithist
Thuirt e “Tha sinn air chall”
Bha an rìgh air chall ‘s a cheò
Thuirt i “ Chan eil. ‘S e seo an dachaidh agam”
Eirichidh e a-rithist
Stiùir i e dhan dùn àrd
Bha an rìgh air chall ‘s a cheò
Seo m’athair rìgh an cinneadh agad.
Eirichidh e a-rithist
Bha coltas tinn agus buidhe air
Bha an rìgh air chall ‘s a cheò
Agus bha e crubach
Eirichidh e a-rithist
Bha poit mhòr air an gealban
Bha an rìgh air chall ‘s a cheò
Bha pailteas de bhiadh anns a’ phoit
Eirichidh e a-rithist
Bha bobhla stiubha blasta air a thoirt dha
Bha an rìgh air chall ‘s a cheò
‘Ith gu leòr, Ni am poit barachd
Eirichidh e a-rithist
Stiùir i e gu uamh falichte
Bha an rìgh air chall ‘s a cheò
Bha clach mhòr anns an uamh
Eirichidh e a-rithist
‘S e seo cridhe mo threubh
Bha an rìgh air chall ‘s a cheò
Thuig e pòg dhi ‘s iad air a’ chlach
Eirichidh e a-rithist
Bhuail stoirm gu cruidh air an eilean
Bha an rìgh air chall ‘s a cheò
Chaidh an t-eilean fodha
Eirichidh e a-rithist
Dhuisg an rìgh òg air a’ chladach
Bha an rìgh air chall ‘s a cheò
Bha a’ mhaidean ri a thaobh leis a phoit mhòr.
Eirichidh e a-rithist
Bha mac aig an rìgh agus a’ bhoireanach
Bha an rìgh air chall ‘s a cheò
Chaidh a chrùnadh mar rìgh nan cinndhean uile.
Eirichidh e a-rithist”
I did leave off the mysterious last verse that Sarah is unable to decipher to avoid spoilers. The story lines of that last verse are neither Gaelic nor Welsh, but a blend of the two. Just as the proto-Celtic language likely was before the Q-Celtic and P-Celtic languages split.. The meaning of those lines will be revealed in the next book.
