night


Against Widows


The Devils weds a widow
Death another's leftovers
Better to lie on a willows
Rest on alder boughs
Then upon a widow's bed
On a used woman's pillow
Sweeter the side of a fence
Then a widow's flank

Softer the side of a grove
Than a widow's beside is

The Devil weds a widow
The grave one twice wed
A widow's hand is rougher
Than a dry spruce bough
With which she strikes the playful
Grabs the one who laughs
A widow has had her games
And spent a merry evening


Tuonela


Sorrow is my bread
And tears I drink as wine
Oblivion my happiness
Ground under teeth of time

For cold be the stone
When frost ve devoured the land
Consolation is no gift
Of winter's icy hand

Upon a crust of snow
I'll lay my broken frame
What steel and iron won't take
I'll give in winter's name
No good a sullen sout no use a simple knave
No groom for brides of plaited hair
This man old and lame

If only I could breathe
To see the sun of may
but still longer are the nigths than days
As I wither away

Came the man of crown
With sound of war drums beat
Said no sword arm's strong enough
Without my two good feet

But not overlooked am I
In eyes of the maid I'll wed
I'll reap the crops of Tuonela
My bride's wealth in death


Grail's Mysteries


of our lord
I stood upon the sand of the sea
and the great wind told me to carry on
He shall once know the secret of Holy Grail

And so was the coronation made
And there was he,
sworn unto his lords and the commons
to be true king


The Castaway


A bird flew out of Lapland
An eagle from the North East

One wing ruffled the water
And the other swept the sky
It's tail skimmed the sea

It flutters, it glides
It looks, it turns round

"Why, man are you in the sea
Fellow, among the billows?"


My Kantele


Truly they lie, they talk utter nonsense
Who say that music reckon that the kantele
Was fashioned by a god
Out of a great pike's shoulders
From a water-dog's hooked bones:
It was made from the grief
Moulded from sorrow

Its belly out of hard days
Its soundboard from endless woes
Its strings gathered from torments
And its pegs from other ills

So it will not play, will not rejoice at all
Music will not play to please
Give off the right sort of joy
For it was fashioned from cares
Moulded from sorrow.


The Way


Forging the future from the timeless stone
Oh let me know how far I can go
Answering the questions thet no one ever asks
Float through the sea of madness
And face the everlasting task

So lonely to wander
So sad to be alone
In the mist of the unknown
Trying to fool myself with dreams that never come true
So hard to stand my ground
Never again will I fail

Will you tell me not to wait
Tell me to live for today

As the flowers wither
I will forget my pain
Since the stars have shone
The devil has shown me the way


Brother Slayer


Where have you been, where have you been
my son, my merry son?
On the seashore, on the seashore
mother, my darling one.

And what have you been doing there
my son, my merry son?
I have been watering my horse
mother, my darling one.

Why is there blood upon your feet
my son, my merry son?
My horse stamped with its iron shoe
mother, my darling one.

Why there is blood upon your sword
my son, my merry son?
I have stabbed my brother to death
mother, my darling one.

What now of you, where will you go
my son, my wretched son?
To other lands to foreign lands
my dame, my darling one.

When will you be returning home
my son, my wretched son?
When all the world to judgement comes
my dame, my darling one.


The Orphan


The calloo's spirits are low
Swimming on the chill water
But the orphan's are lower
Walking down the village street.

The sparrow's belly is chill
Sitting on the icy bough
But my belly is more chill
As I step from glade to glade.

The dove's heart is cold
As it pecks the village rick
But I'm colder still
As I drink the icy water.


Exile Of The Sons Uisliu


A wave the sound of Noisiu's voice
his singing was ever sweet...
Noisiu's grave has now been made
and the accompaniment was mournful

For him I poured out – hero of heroes,
the deadly drink that killed him

Dear his short shining hair
a handsome man, even very beautiful

Dear the grey eyes that women loved
fierce they were foes


Of Rich And Poor


Old folk remember
And those today learn
How before their time
Life was different here:

Without the sun people lived
Groped about without the moon
With candles sowing was done
Planting performed with torched.

At the time we lived
Without the sunshine
Who had covered up our sun
And who had hidden our moon?

Without the moonlight stumbled
With our fists fumbled the land
With our hands we sought out roads
With hands roads, with fingers swamps
We could seek out the sun
Who spy out the moon?
Who else if not God
The one son of God?


Divinity


Last day brings the grace
For bearers of forbidden name
Step into five fold mace
As son as father in a frame

Someday fire wipes the rain
Fears are frozen tears whisper
Things that no one heras
Cry now, cry now for me again
Tomorrows pride and pain
Why you kneel before my name

Crushing my belief
And make shape to my relief
For who you set your prayers
I can't hear them anyway


The Gathering


As I sense their steel,
As I see the mighty one,
As we all gather once again
the gods of war summon us...
summon us

North wind blows to our valley
men with ships, with swords, with honour

Their horses between flames,
their dogs eating enemy childs,
Our heavenly father, what is this mortality,
do you see my mortal agony

Look, I see the shield up high
this must be the sign from my lord
this can be my death – sentence
what a fine day to die

Taste of blood comes up high
Wind blows hard, our men fall...
one by one
This oath claims me
I must bleed for my generation

Strong is the enemy,
strong is my sword
the hammer is rising
I feel their cold steel

Now when I leave this world
I shall open the mighty oaken gate
and we all shall gather once again


Drowned Maid


I went to wash at the shore
I went to bathe in the sea
And there I, a hen, was lost

I, a bird
Untimely died
Let not my brother
Ever in this world
Water his war-horse
Upon the seashore!

Waters of the sea
So much blood of mine
Fishes of the sea
So much flesh of mine

Such the death of the young maid
End of the fair little hen


Summers End


In the morning mist by the waning moon
through the woods she set on foot
With a sacred blade cut the berries down
Dug up the dreaded mandrake root

Tread my path to summer's end
This bequest I leave you she says
You will see what could be evergreen
Turn to copper and fade to gray

By the standing stones
Atropine eyes smiled at me
Sitting in a sluggish vertigo
Sands of time form another dream
No love without sacrifice
No lige springs without decay
The final kiss is a wormy one
In soils cold caress to rest we'll lay


Caress (Live)


Many rocks the rapid has
A lot of billows the sea
More plentiful are my cares
Then cones on a spruce
Beard moss on a juniper
Gnarls upon a pine bark
Knobs upon a fir
Husks on a grass-top
Boughs on a bad tree.

Drag my cares away
Carry off my griefs
For no horse can draw
No iron-shod jerk
Without the shaft-bow shaking off
The cares of this skinny one
The sorrows of this black bird