- The rune of Lady Day, O bright Goddess,
- Truth above the strength of arms always.
- On Lady Day Lugh was conceived,
- Sun Child of golden yellow hair,
- On Lady Day Lugh was conceived
- As a blessing to the world.
- Lady Day, the fourth feast day,
- The Goddess ordained to make merry,
- To create life everlasting,
- Without making use of work or travail,
- Or of any chore but that which is desired,
- Without spinning thread of silk or of satin,
- Without sewing, without embroidery either,
- Without sowing, without harrowing, without reaping,
- Without rowing, without snaring, without fishing,
- Without going out to the hunting hill,
- Without trimming arrows on Lady Day,
- Without cleaning byre, without threshing corn,
- Without kiln, without mill on Lady Day.
- If you would keep Lady Day,
- Even would it be to you and lasting,
- From setting of sun on Lady Day Eve
- Till rising of sun on Lady Day's morrow.
- You would obtain blessings therefrom,
- Produce after the ploughs,
- Fish on the pure salt-water stream,
- Fish excelling in every river confluence.
- The water of Lady Day mild as honey,
- If you would partake of it as drink
- You would obtain health in consequence
- From every disease afflicting you.
- Weeping on Lady Day is out of place,
- Doing so is untimely;
- Let you weep betimes on Samhain,
- But not weep once on Lady Day.
- The wood of Lady Day is too soon.
- In the pool it is pitiful,
- Though its head should fall in char,
- It would till the morrow be dormant.
- About noon on the morrow,
- The wood will arise very quickly,
- And by the great flood without
- Hasten the story of my trouble.
- Without any searching for lamb, sheep, kid or goat
- That would not belong to the King in the cause.
- It is now it ought to be burnt,
- Without listening to the clamour of the stranger,
- Nor to the blind babbling of the public.
- To keep corn on a high hillock,
- To bring physician to a violent disease,
- To send a cow to the potent bull of the herd,
- To go with a beast to a cattle-fold,
- Far or near be the distance,
- Every creature needs attention.
- To allow a boat under her sail from land,
- From land to the country of her unacquaintance.
- If you would meditate my lay,
- And say it every Lady Day,
- The luck of faery will be on your head,
- And blessed each night you'll take your bed.
- ~~ ALTERNATIVE VERSIONS (Welsh) ~~
- Hill river is very palatable,
- Ever meandering to the Menai,
- Right well it retained its tribute
- On Lady Day though great its flood.
- No drop, though pure be its water,
- Shall run in the channel of the Sinking Lands.
- The wood of Lady Day now, alas!
- In the channel of the Cynvael,
- Though the red head should fall off
- It would be till the morrow asleep.
- Let me not leave aught behind,
- To talk of Nature's rebirth.
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