A Legacy of the Highland Clearances | |
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| Gaelic | English |
| Bha aisling agam raoir bha neonach Iogantach thar nan uile haisling Chunnaic mi mo shean'ar Coiseachd san talla leis fhein Tha cuisean ann nach aithne dhuit fhathast Seo tha mi faicean Cum solus do sgail-thigh a lasadh Gu bith-bhuan Mairidh e gu buan mairidh an comhnaidh Ged thuiteadh na reultan agus An adhar tionndadh glas Tha iad nar measg an drasd' coiseachd ri'r Faicean de tha sinn deanamh's cluintean de tha sinn ag rath taobh Thall an dara deug far na sheas an seam dachaidh Fo sgaile ni taobh nan craobh Shaoil leam gu'm fac' mi na stad e 'Sna dungarees salach le tahamh-ait Tha amanan saolean a chluineas mi a ghuth ann a ghaoidh Cumaidh mi mo sholas ‘san sgail thigh A dealrath fad na oidche Mairidh e gu buan mairidh an comhnaidh Ged thuiteadh na reultan agus adhar tionndadh glas Tha iad nar measg an drasd' coiseachd ri'r taobh Faicean de tha sinn deanamh's cluintean de tha sinn ag rath |
Last night I had the strangest dream The strangest dream of all I dreamt I saw my grandfather Walking in the hall There are things that you don't know yet This I can see So keep your porch light burning strong Through eternity It lasts for ever, it lasts for always Though the stars may fall and the sky turn grey They are among us now, they walk beside us They see what we do and they hear what we say Along the twelfth, where the old house stood In shadow near the trees I thought I saw him standing there in mud stained dungarees There are times I can hear his voice Carried by the breeze I'll keep my porch burning strong Through eternity It lasts for ever, it lasts for always Though the stars may fall and the sky turn grey They are among us now, they walk beside us They see what we do and they hear what we say |
| Background |
Much inspiration for this project has been derived from dreams. There is a magic in dream that to me is quite indescribable. As a child I could hardly wait to don my pajamas, crawl under the covers and enter that incredible other world. Quite often I receive nocturnal visits from long departed relatives. "It Lasts Forever" describes one such visit from my grandfather, Bill Macleod. At the time I was mourning the loss of Gaelic culture here in Huron Township, where the heart of the Gael once beat so proudly. Bill's words, "it lasts forever," comforted me and gave me courage to carry on. This one's for you, Billy Shamel! |
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