The Battle Hymn of Amergin by Amergin Glúingel
translated from the Old Irish by Paul Muldoon
I am a sea squall coming out of nowhere
I am a rogue wave wrecking the joint
I am the surf that breaks with surf-bellows and -blares
I am a stag of seven sticking points
I am a dewdrop clasping the sun in its orb
I am a falcon hang-gliding over the cliff
I am the heartiest of healing herbs
I am a boar that is still battle-stiff
I am a salmon in a plunge pool
I am a lake bringing things to a new level
I am unparalleled not only in poetry school
but the crafts in which others are thought to revel
I am a spear that booty-blazes
I am the god who starts a fire in the head
I am the one who sheds
light on those who rally round a stone-capped tomb
The one who shows the moon’s phases
Who knows why the sun no longer works the room
Happy Sunday.
Leave a Reply