Bean Dubh an Ghleanna

Play recording: Bean Dubh an Ghleanna

This song is called ‘The Dark-Haired Woman of the Glen’ – Bean Dubh an Ghleanna. She was a beautiful woman, and she could very hardly be reached by somebody who was poor; all they could do was stare at her all the time. And she made him sick, so sick, that he was in love. And you know what love is – that my grandmother said that ‘Love is blind, and marriage is an eye-opener.’ [laughter] She also said when poverty came in the door, that love went out the window. But this man was really in love.

Tá bó agam ar shliabh, ‘s is fada mé ina diaidh
nó gur chaill mé mo chiall le nóchar
Dhá seoladh soir is siar ‘s gach áit a dtéann an ghrian
nó go bhfilleann sí ar ais tráthnóna
Nuair a bhreathnaím féin anonn san áit a mbíonn mo rún
sileann ó mo shúilí deora
A Rí Gheal na nDúl, déan fuascailt ar mo chúis
‘sí bean dubh an ghleanna a bhreoigh mé.

[Bean dubh an ghleanna, ‘s í an bhean dubh a b’fhearr liom
‘s í bean na gruaige [doiléir]
A grua mar an sneachta ‘s an snua mar an eala
‘s a béilín tanaí álainn
Níl ógánach cneasta ó Bhaile Átha Cliath go Gaillimh
ná as sin go Béal an Átha Rí (?)
Nach bhfuil á lúa is á rá is ag tíocht ina taitneamh
ag súil leis an ainnir álainn.]

Siúd é thall mo theach, níl dídean air ach an scraith¹
is tá sé ar chúl an bhóthair
Críonna bhíonns a bheach nuair a níonn sí a nead
le grian agus teas bhreá an fhómhair
Nuair a chríonanns an tslat ní fhanann uirthi meas
ach ag súil leis na brainsí óga²
A chailín álainn deas, a dtug mo chroí dhuit gean
mo chúig chéad slán go deo leat.

Translation

I have a cow on the hillside, and I’m a long while following her,
until I’ve lost my senses with a spouse;
Driving her east and west, wherever the sun goes,
until she returns in the evening.
When I look across to the place where my love lives,
my eyes fill with tears;
Bright King of the Elements, resolve my predicament:
the dark woman of the glen has destroyed me.

[The dark woman of the glen, it’s the dark woman I prefer,
she’s the woman of the [indistinct] hair;
her cheek like snow and her appearance like the swan,
and her slim, beautiful mouth.
There is no decent young man from Dublin to Galway,
or from there to Athenry,
who isn’t talking about her and coming into her shining presence –
and hoping for the lovely fair one.]

That’s my house over there, with only a scraw for a roof,
standing at the back of the road.
The bee is wise to make her nest
in the sunshine and lovely warmth of autumn.
When the willow grows old,
it is less valued than the young branches.
You beautiful young girl, to whom my heart gave love –
my five hundred farewells to you forever.