The Verdant Braes of Screen - Irish Ballad

The Verdant Braes of Screen racconta una storia di un uomo che prova a conquistare l’affetto di una donna. Col termine Ballata si indica un racconto musicale di una storia e si può anche definire un canto d’amore.  Questo canto è anonimo.

Tempo - Slow
Metre - 4 (4 beats in each bar)
Form -   A, B, C, A1, D. This is quite unusual as it has 5 phrases in each verse. Strophic form is where each verse of a song has the same melody, i.e. there is no chorus.
Mood – Subdued

La prima versione che ho scelto è senza accompagnamento e la trovo molto suggestiva. È il tipico modo di cantare irlandese. La seconda è più moderna ma rispetta ancora la tradizione irlandese ed è accompagnata.

Mai Hernon

Cara Dillon

Lyrics:

As I roved out one evening fair
By the verdant braes of Screen
I set my back to a hawthorn tree
To view the sun in the west country
And the dew on the forest green

A lad I spied by Abhann's side
And a maiden by his knee
And he was as dark as the very brown wood
And she all whey and wan to see
All whey and wan was she

"Oh sit you down on the grass," he said
"On the dewy grass so green
For the wee birds all have come and gone
Since I my true love have seen," he said
"Since I my true love have seen"

"Then I'll not sit on the grass," she said
"Nor be a love of thine
For I hear you love a Connaught maid
And your heart's no longer mine," she said
"And your heart's no longer mine"

"And I will climb a high, high tree
And I'll rob a wild bird's nest
And back I'll bring whatever I do find
To the arms that I love best," she said
"To the arms that I love best"