Lig ort ná feiceann tú iad, a dhuine,
an éanlaith ón Afraic
a thug an samhradh go hÉirinn
deora gréine i mbarr a ngob
is teas an bhaile ag preabarnach
féna gclúmh dubh, bán agus riabhach.
Ná scanraigh iad is tú ag dul thar bráid.
Ní fada go gcrapfaidh crága
an gheimhridh na pubaill bheaga áthais
a bhláthaíonn i gcroí gach fir is mná
laethanta mar seo nuair ba dhóigh leat
ná fillfeadh an doircheacht go brách.
July 2024
Let on you don’t see them:
the birds from Africa
that brought summer to Ireland
sundrops dripping from their beaks
and the heat of home fluttering
under black, white and piebald feathers.
Don’t frighten them as you pass by.
Too soon the twisted claws of winter
will collapse those little tents of joy
that bloom in the heart of every woman
and man on days like these when it seems
as if the dark might never return.
Louis de Paor's latest collection is Cé a mharaigh Emma Mhic Mhathúna, which has just been published by Éabhlóid. His collaboration with composer Dana Lyn, One day/Lá dá raibh, was awarded a Gold Medal at the New York Festival Radio Awards in 2022.
an éanlaith ón Afraic
a thug an samhradh go hÉirinn
deora gréine i mbarr a ngob
is teas an bhaile ag preabarnach
féna gclúmh dubh, bán agus riabhach.
Ná scanraigh iad is tú ag dul thar bráid.
Ní fada go gcrapfaidh crága
an gheimhridh na pubaill bheaga áthais
a bhláthaíonn i gcroí gach fir is mná
laethanta mar seo nuair ba dhóigh leat
ná fillfeadh an doircheacht go brách.
July 2024
Let on you don’t see them:
the birds from Africa
that brought summer to Ireland
sundrops dripping from their beaks
and the heat of home fluttering
under black, white and piebald feathers.
Don’t frighten them as you pass by.
Too soon the twisted claws of winter
will collapse those little tents of joy
that bloom in the heart of every woman
and man on days like these when it seems
as if the dark might never return.
Louis de Paor's latest collection is Cé a mharaigh Emma Mhic Mhathúna, which has just been published by Éabhlóid. His collaboration with composer Dana Lyn, One day/Lá dá raibh, was awarded a Gold Medal at the New York Festival Radio Awards in 2022.
