A young man sings of a beautiful girl that he has wooed
for a year and a day. He is willing to travel far just
to see her, but he would rather die than not have her.
He compares her to a white dove, points out that other,
richer girls will take him, and says that all he wants
is her.
"The Snowy-Breasted Pearl" is a traditional folksong
that was originally sung in the Irish language. It was
collected by folklorist George Petrie, who translated
it into English in 1855. It's a beautiful...(+)
A young man sings of a beautiful girl that he has wooed
for a year and a day. He is willing to travel far just
to see her, but he would rather die than not have her.
He compares her to a white dove, points out that other,
richer girls will take him, and says that all he wants
is her.
"The Snowy-Breasted Pearl" is a traditional folksong
that was originally sung in the Irish language. It was
collected by folklorist George Petrie, who translated
it into English in 1855. It's a beautiful love ballad
that has been recorded by numerous Irish music artists,
in both English and Irish. A bit of Irish vocabulary: a
"Colleen" simply means a young lady, not a specific
woman with that given name.
English Lyrics:
There's a Colleen fair as May, for a year and a
day
I have sought every way her heart for to gain
There's no art of tongue or eye fond youth with
maidens try
But I've tried with ceaseless sighs yet in vain.
Although this work was originally written for Folk
Instruments, I created this arrangement for Oboe &
Concert (Pedal) Harp.
SHEET MUSIC