A Blessing on Ellan Vannin from a Scottish Gael
Ellan Vannin, bannaght ort –
Er dagh ooilley thie as cooyrt,
Er dagh ooilley fer as ben,
Er dagh ooilley bab as clean,
Er dagh ooilley beisht as eean,
Er dagh ooilley cronk as glion,
Er dagh ooilley keyll as coan,
Er dagh ooilley magher as moain,
Er dagh ooilley purt as baie,
Oor yei oor as laa lurg laa:
Moghrey mogh as oie anmagh,
Dy bannee Íosa shiu dy bragh.
by John Williamson
Translation by As Manx as the Hills
Ellan Vannin, a blessing on you –
On every house and yard,
On every man and woman,
On every babe and cradle,
On every beast and bird,
On every hill and glen,
On every forest and valley,
On every field and turf,
On every harbour and bay,
Hour after hour day after day,
Early morning and late night,
May Jesus bless you for ever.
Footnote: My translation may be incorrect in the odd place so appreciate anyone correcting it. Also, as the poem was written in Manx Gaelic I had difficulty with the word “Íosa” which was shown as IOSA. Through a search I found that Íosa is Scots Gaelic for Jesus whereas in Manx it is Yeesey.
(source: poem found on Flickr http://bit.ly/1b9odfy; photo courtesy of Peter Killey at Manxscenes Photography)
