Singing dirges in the dark. . .

I suppose that, to paraphrase the late Robert Heinlein, anyone who quotes Don MacLean (or who recites their own poetry in public) may have other nasty habits.

Nonetheless, for all of those lovers of the Feast of All Souls (a venerable feast of the old Celtic Church, supplanting the old Celtic New Year's day, Samhain), and against all of those ridiculous Hallo-weenies out there (ranging from the clayeaters of whatever supposedly Christian denomination to those neopagan witchy wannabees who apparently are ignorant of their own tradition) who apparently are united only in wishing to destroy that which they do not understand, I offer the following:

The Lyke-Wake Dirge

THIS ae nighte, this ae nighte,
—Every nighte and alle,
Fire and fleet and candle-lighte,
And Christe receive thy saule.

When thou from hence away art past,
—Every nighte and alle,
To Whinny-muir thou com’st at last:
And Christe receive thy saule.

If ever thou gavest hosen and shoon,
—Every nighte and alle,
Sit thee down and put them on:
And Christe receive thy saule.

If hosen and shoon thou ne’er gav’st nane
—Every nighte and alle,
The whinnes sall prick thee to the bare bane;
And Christe receive thy saule.

From whinny-muir when thou may’st pass,
—Every nighte and alle,
To Brig o’ Dread thou com’st at last;
And Christe receive thy saule.

From Brig o’ Dread when thou may’st pass,
—Every nighte and alle,
To Purgatory fire thou com’st at last;
And Christe receive thy saule.

If ever thou gavest meat or drink,
—Every nighte and alle,
The fire sall never make thee shrink;
And Christe receive thy saule.

If meat or drink thou ne’er gav’st nane,
—Every nighte and alle,
The fire will burn thee to the bare bane;
And Christe receive thy saule.

This ae nighte, this ae nighte,
—Every nighte and alle,
Fire and fleet and candle-lighte,
And Christe receive thy saule.

The original, one of the Oxford Book of Ballads may be found here. The late Baron Benjamin Britten made a most beautiful setting of it, and included it as the dirge movement of his Serenade for Tenor, Horns and Strings, Opus 31. A recording of that movement, sung by the late Sir Peter Pears, may be found here.

Happy Hallowe'en.