A Blessing for Saint Patrick's Day

Uploaded on March 17, 2007by cobalt123 licensed under Creative Commons

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Enjoy this beautiful poem "Beannacht", Gaelic for "Blessing" from John O'Donohue:

On the day when
the weight deadens
on your shoulders
and you stumble,
may the clay dance
to balance you.

And when your eyes
freeze behind
the grey window
and the ghost of loss
gets in to you,
may a flock of colours,
indigo, red, green,
and azure blue
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays
in the currach of thought
and a stain of ocean
blackens beneath you,
may there come across the waters
a path of yellow moonlight
to bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours,
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you,
an invisible cloak
to mind your life.

-John O'Donohue

To hear John read this poem with photographs of inspiring Celtic landscapes look for the narrated slideshow on The Inner Landscape of Beauty. For a special treat, look for the Speaking of Faith playlist on the same link and listen to Irish music of all styles, including some songs in Gaelic. Enjoy a festive Saint Patrick's Day!