Mountains of Pomeroy
from a poem by George Sigerson (1836 - 1925) from Strabane, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
The morn was breaking bright and fair,
The lark sang in the sky,
When the maid she bound her goIden hair,
With a blithe glance in her eye;
For, who beyond the gay green-wood,
Was a-waiting her with joy,
Oh, who but her gallant Renaldine,
On the mountains of Pomeroy.
Full often in the dawning hour,
Full oft in twilight brown
He met the maid in the woodland bow'r,
Where the stream comes foaming down
For they were faithful in a love
No wars could e'er destroy.
No tyrant's law touched Renaldine,
On the mountains of Pomeroy
"Oh love, oh love, I'm sore afraid
For the foeman's force and you
For they'll track you in the lowland plain
And all the valley through
My kinsman frowned when you were named
Oh, your life they would destroy
'Oh beware,' they said, 'Of Renaldine
On the mountains of Pomeroy.'"
"Fear not, fear not, my love," he cries
"For the foeman's force and me
No change shall fall whate'er betide
On the arm that should be free.
Come leave your cruel kith and kin
And with your soldier flee
It's with my gun I will guard you
On the mountains of Pomeroy"
The morn has come, she arose and fled
From her cruel kin and home
And searched the wood all rosy red
And the tumbling torrent's foam
But the rain came down and the tempest roared
And did all around destroy
And a pale drowned bride met Renaldine
On the mountains of Pomeroy
A maid meets "her gallant Reynardine, on the mountains of Pomeroy." He is an outlaw "but keeps the flag of freedom safe." She is afraid for him. Her kinsmen would kill him. She leaves "her cruel kin and home" to go to him but drowns in a storm. Trad. Ballad Index
Recording by Tim Eriksen
- "A song from Mrs. E.M. Sullivan, Springfield VT as recorded by Helen Hartness Flanders."
Video by Tim Eriksen
Video - sung to the fiddle tune, Mountains of Pomeroy