Curse
by Rody Gorman
My curse upon Sweeney,
He has transgressed me greatly,
He thrust his smooth dart
That made my sanctus bell fall apart.
That holy bell you pierced
Will send you raging mad
In the heather and branches of the wood,
One among the birds of the air.
Just as the javelin-shaft went
Like that up into the firmament,
May you go insane in the wild, Sweeney,
Without respite, without human company.
You wounded my dear disciple and foster-child,
Your javelin has left him red,
May you have as your reward
Death by the point of a spear.
God bless Erin I say,
Dear Erin whose beauty will never decay
And curse Sweeney
Throughout all eternity.
| Extract from forthcoming Sweeney: an intertonguing by Rody Gorman | |
|---|---|
Rody Gorman’s Sweeney, An Intertonguing is published this spring by Francis Boutle Publishers. The work is multilingual version of Buile Shuibhne, in English, Irish, Scottish and Manx Gaelic with lingua gadelica, phonemic pieces and round-trip translations. Pre-publication reactions to the work have been full of praise, with words such as ‘extraordinary’, ‘masterpiece’ and ‘magnificent’ used by more than one eminent commentator. Ed. | |
| Bás Gan Sagart | Poem by Rody Gorman |
| Cuckoo! | Poem by Rody Gorman |
| Curse | Poem by Rody Gorman |
| Dear to me | Poem by Rody Gorman |
| Fatal Shot | Poem by Rody Gorman |
| Hag of the Mill | Poem by Rody Gorman |
| In Battle | Poem by Rody Gorman |
| Madman of the Glen | Poem by Rody Gorman |
| Moylinney | Poem by Rody Gorman |
| My Night In Kildervila | Poem by Rody Gorman |
| Myself and Yourself | Poem by Rody Gorman |
| There | Poem by Rody Gorman |
| Young Men | Poem by Rody Gorman |