Greetings, Poetry Lovers! Happy St. Patrick's Day Weekend.
I remember a plaque on the wall of my grandparents' house with (some version of) the famous Irish Blessing:
May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
(There are variations, of course, and it should be noted this is an English interpretation! Similar blessings in Irish Gaelic might not be translated correctly.)
Also, wasn't it also at their house - or at my other grandmother's house? - where I was amused by the plaque that read,
May you be in Heaven
a half an hour before
the Devil knows you're dead.
Any other fun Irish sayings/blessings that come to mind? Not everything that circulates is accurate, I'd wager, but we do like to claim our Irish roots, don't we?
Back on this side of the ocean, I'll also celebrate the month with our Dear Emily D. (1830 - 1886).
Dear March—Come in—(1320)
by Emily Dickinson
Dear March—Come in—
How glad I am—
I hoped for you before—
Put down your Hat—
You must have walked—
How out of Breath you are—
Dear March, how are you, and the Rest—
Did you leave Nature well—
Oh March, Come right upstairs with me—
I have so much to tell—
I got your Letter, and the Birds—
The Maples never knew that you were coming—
I declare - how Red their Faces grew—
But March, forgive me—
And all those Hills you left for me to Hue—
There was no Purple suitable—
You took it all with you—
Who knocks? That April—
Lock the Door—
I will not be pursued—
He stayed away a Year to call
When I am occupied—
But trifles look so trivial
As soon as you have come
That blame is just as dear as Praise
And Praise as mere as Blame—
Wishing you and yours a lovely start to SPRING. Pear trees and forsythia are blooming in full force here, and a pair of bluebirds has returned to our back yard.
Please wish Tanita a Happy Birthday Month over at {fiction, instead of lies}, and enjoy all the wonderful poetry she's rounding up! Thanks, Tanita.