At midnight clear I hear the bean sí cry
then echoed as the tocsin tolls its knell,
and know her weary spirit's set to fly.
At midnight clear I hear the bean sí cry,
already mourning one whose time is nigh
and bound for heaven, leaving me in hell.
At midnight clear I hear the bean sí cry
then echoed as the tocsin tolls its knell.
It took me a second or two, Trevor, to cotton on to what the bean si was. I’m more familiar with the anglicised spelling.
I like the repetition. It would go down well in performance. Perhaps you could attach an audio.
(Spellchecker certainly struggled with bean si!)
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Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh
Fri 29th Nov 2024 11:03
Thanks Trevor, for your piece in a seasonal spirit.
By way of explanation for John and others: my knowledge of the Irish language is sketchy, so I’ve taken the opportunity to learn from doing a bit of research. Please feel free to correct me.
The English word banshee is the approximate pronunciation of two Irish (Gaeilge) words: the word bean, meaning woman, and sí, meaning a fairy (of a fairy mound). Note the fada (accent) in sí.
I understand there’s another word for fairy, síog, as in doras na síog, pronounced dur-uss nah she-og.
The bean sí can be either benevolent or malevolent.