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   XPost: talk.religion.misc, alt.culture.saudi, soc.culture.iraq   
   XPost: soc.culture.syria, alt.fan.countries.qatar   
   From: dalton@nfld.com   
      
   Ramadan Blessings to any Muslim readers.   
      
   Since it is now very early waxing crescent, the following   
   poem may be of interest:   
      
   The Silver Bough thumb   
      
   Once in 1997 I thumbed at random a book on Scottish folklore called The   
   Silver Bough Vol. 1 by F. Marian McNeill. It came out to a page with this   
   poem on it:   
      
   Ri faicinn domh na gealaich uir,   
   Is duth domh mo shuil a thogail.   
   Is duth domh ma ghlun a leagail,   
   Is duth domh mo cheann a bhogadh,   
      
   Toir cliu dhuit fein, a re nan iul,   
   Gum faca mi thu a rithist,   
   Gum faca mi a ghealach ur,   
   Ailleagan iuil na slighe.   
      
   Is iomadh neach a chaidh a null   
   Eadar uine an da ghealaich,   
   Ged tha mise a' mealtainn fuinn,   
   A re nan re 's nam beannachd!   
      
   which translates as:   
      
   When I see the new moon,   
   It becomes me to lift mine eye,   
   It becomes me to bend my knee,   
   It becomes me to bow my head.   
      
   Giving thee praise, thou moon of guidance,   
   That I have seen thee again,   
   That I have seen the new moon,   
   The lovely leader of the way.   
      
   Many a one has passed beyond   
   In the time between the two moons,   
   Though I am still enjoying earth,   
   Thou moon of moons and of blessings!   
      
   Now I have been told that that poem is of Christian origin   
   but have speculated that it might have earlier Scottish   
   pagan roots. In any case, I now hope for blessings   
   for everyone in the world.   
      
   --   
   David Dalton dalton@nfld.com https://www.nfld.com/~dalton (home page)   
   https://www.nfld.com/~dalton/dtales.html Salmon on the Thorns (mystic page)   
   “And the cart is on a wheel; And the wheel is on a hill;   
   And the hill is shifting sand; And inside these laws we stand" (Ferron)   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)