Ireland's Green Shore
Dreaming of Ireland's Enchanting Beauty
Lyrics
One evening for pleasure I rambled
Expresses the narrator's casual stroll or journey for enjoyment.
On the banks of some cold purling stream
Describes the location as being beside a chilly, flowing stream.
I set down on a bed of primroses
The narrator sits on a bed of primroses, setting the scene for a dream.
And I gently fell into a dream
The narrator peacefully falls into a dream state.
I dreamt that I saw a fair female
The dream introduces a beautiful woman, unmatched in the narrator's experience.
Her equal I never saw before
Highlights the exceptional beauty of the female character.
And I sighed for the laws of our country
The narrator yearns for the principles and values of their homeland.
As we stray there on Ireland?s green shore
Reflects on being in Ireland, specifically on its green shores, as the dream setting.
Her cheeks were like two bloomin? roses
Describes the woman's cheeks as resembling blooming roses.
Her teeth were like ivory so white
Compares the whiteness of her teeth to ivory.
Her eyes shone like two sparkling diamonds
Compares her eyes to sparkling diamonds or stars on a frosty night.
Or the stars on some cold frosty night
Details the richness of her attire and the green mantle adorned with hemlocks and roses.
She was dressed in the richist attire
Reiterates the dream setting on Ireland's green shore.
And green was the mantle she wore
Describes the narrator waking up from the dream, realizing it was just a fantasy.
All bound down with the hemlocks and the roses
Expresses the longing to return to the dream state and see the woman again.
As we stray there on Ireland?s green shore
Wishes protection upon the woman from the heavens.
Transgression of joy I awoken
Hopes for the warmth of the sun to shine on her as she sleeps on Ireland's green shore.
I found this was only a dream
Repeats the earlier stanzas, indicating a recurring dream or desire to return to the dream.
That pretty fair female had fled me
Empty line, no specific content.
I longed to be slumbering again
Reiterates the narrator's desire to return to the dream state.
May the heavens above be her guardian
Expresses a wish for divine protection for the woman.
Though I know I?ll never see her anymore
Acceptance of the impossibility of meeting the woman again.
May the goldliest sunbeam shine upon her
Wishing the woman well with the imagery of a golden sunbeam.
As she lies sleeping on Ireland?s green shore
Reiterates the woman sleeping on Ireland's green shore, emphasizing the dream setting.
One evening for pleasure I rambled
Repeats the theme of leisurely wandering by the narrator.
On the banks of some cold purling stream
Restates the setting by a cold, flowing stream.
I set down on a bed of primroses
Reiterates the narrator sitting on primroses and falling into a dream.
And I gently fell into a dream
Repeats the dream sequence.
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