Like many others who've posted here, I'm binding my heart to the heart of another, who is native Irish but speaks no Gaeilge as he was born in Belfast. We're looking to get the following verse translated into Irish:

"You are blood of my blood, and bone of my bone.
I give you my body, that we two might be one.
I give you my spirit, 'til our lives shall be done."

Problem is, we'd also need a phonetic translation. I've been trying to teach myself Gaeilge with Ó Siadhail's book and tapes, but I can only use that as a guide at best, in helping me pronounce this correctly.

A thousand thank yous for any help anyone might give.

Why bother translating doggerel English verse into what would inevitably be awkward, stilted Irish? There are lots of beautiful Irish love poems. Tóg mar shampla Suantraí Ghráinne le Máire Mhac a' tSaoi:

"Codail a laoich dár thugas grá,
codail go sámh i mo bhánbhaclainn,
Tusa mo togha thar thogha fear Fáil
thar rí na bhFiann is a chóir fearais -
Codail, codail, a chúl na lúb,
le faobhar na hoíche, codail, a rún"

or you could tailor the classic opening lines of the great love poem Caoineadh Art Uí Loagaire le Eibhlís Dubh Uí Chonaill to your own needs:

"Mo ghrá go daingean tú
Lá dá bhfaca thú
ag ceann tí an mhargaidh*
thug mo shúil aire duit
thug mo chroí taitneamh duit
........"

"ceann tí an mhargaidh" (the head of the market place) could be changed to wherever you met him first.

Leis sin tá filíocht iontach Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill (then there is the wonderful poetry of Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill):

"Oileán is ea do chorp
i lár na mara móire.
Tá do ghéige spréite ar bhraillín
gléigeal os farraige faoileán.

"Tá do dhá shúil
mar locha sléibhe
lá breá Lúnasa
nuair a bhíonn an spéir
ag glinniúint sna huiscí.
Giolcaigh scuabacha iad t'fhabhraí
ag fás faoina gciumhais.

"thógfainn suas
na seolta boga bána
bogóideacha; threabhfainn
trí farraigí arda
is thiocfainn chugat
mar a luíonn tú
uaigneach, iathghlas,
oileánach."

Tá na véarsaí seo ón bailiúchain Rogha Dánta foilsithe ag New Island Books, 1993. Rinne an file Michael Hartnett aistriúcháin ar na véarsaí thuas (the poet Michael Hartnett translated the above verses in the same book, as follows):-

"Your body an island
in the great ocean.
Your limbs spread
on a bright sheet
over a sea of gulls.

"Your eyes
are mountain lakes
a lovely August day
when the sky
sparkles in the waters.
Flowing reeds your eyelashes
growing at their margins.

"I'd put up
the soft white
billowing sails; I'd plough
through high seas
and I would come
where you lie
solitary, emerald,
insular."

Breathtaking poetry, Murt. Thank you for sharing it.

Actually the verse I found was translated into English from Gaeilge originally -- or so I read. Problem being, I can't find the original anywhere.

You've inspired me to hunt down Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill's poetry, however. I simply must read more. So beautiful. I'd love to hear it read by a fluent Gaeilge-speaker.

Wake Forest University Press has published two or more bilingual collections of Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill's poetry. (Their address is Box 7333, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, but you could probably find them on the Web). You'll love her poetry.

Hippocrene Books in New York publishes _Treasury of Irish Love Poems, Proverbs and Triads_ It was put together by Gabriel Rosenstock, an Irish-language poet himself. It's also bilingual so you'll have the Irish texts, a great help in learning the language. Hippocrene has an Internet site.

Ádh mór. (Great luck)

Seosamh

Thank you, Seosamh!

I hopped onto Amazon.com and found a few titles. Unfortunately, the descriptions don't specify whether or not they're bilingual, which is really important to me. One is _Selected Poems: Rogha Danta_, a collection of her poems. There's also a special order collection of Irish poems by contempory Irish poets entitled _Jumping Off Shadows_, of which she is co-editor. That one I'll definitely purchase. I'll follow your leads to find the books you recommended. What perfect Christmas presents they'll make!

Let us know how _Jumping Off Shadows_ is. The Irish language poems are probably bilingual if she is involved.

I'll be sure to do that, Seosamh. :)

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