{"id":2816,"date":"2016-06-19T18:50:51","date_gmt":"2016-06-19T18:50:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/?p=2816"},"modified":"2016-07-05T21:01:45","modified_gmt":"2016-07-05T21:01:45","slug":"the-bright-star-of-ireland-the-jealous-queen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/the-bright-star-of-ireland-the-jealous-queen\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bright Star of Ireland – The Jealous Queen"},"content":{"rendered":"

From a folktale recorded by a Longford schoolboy<\/a><\/strong> who was told it by a Louthman who was travelling the area looking for work… (alas as was the practice of the time, the N word is used, the modern day substitute in the area being “darkies)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The queen lay dead, alas the queen, the king his heart was broken
\nTheir little girl, head full of curls, of her beauty wide was spoken
\nOn her deathbed the queen, she requested that no girl take her place
\nA promise made, broken by the king, “needing a housekeeper around the place!”
\n(Us men, us men, unfaithful men
\nAll too soon we see his likes again!)<\/p>\n

The daughter to her grandfather to live she was sent
\nThe king married a second time, for a while all were content
\nThe new queen, she loved to swim, took to dip in a local lake
\nShe would sing about anything, about all round a song would make
\nShe such was blessed, emerging undressed, she looked down at her reflection
\nSuch a sin of price to admire figure and form and the beauty of complexion!
\nHer heard of pride beat strong inside and alas it wasnt long
\nUntil a ditty of how she was so pretty became the vain girls song
\n“Im of all of Ireland that ever was, or ever will be seen,
\nThe prettiest, most beautiful, girl, woman, or queen”<\/p>\n

Now in the waters deep there was asleep in the rushes there about
\nWhere for centuries had lived by magic and grace of God an ancient and wise trout
\nHe heard her song, knew she was wrong, strove to correct her of her mistake
\nHe stuck up his head from the water and said “You are wrong in the song you make,
\nThe most beautiful girl that ever was as the Bright Star of Ireland is known,
\nHer mother is the wife now dead of your husband upon your throne”<\/p>\n

He queen was shocks on her hunkers rocked no so much by a talking fish
\n(It never crossed her mind that she would find he would make a tasty dish)
\nBut that he said to her eternal dread – what if correct was he? –
\nThat there living was another, her unknowing to a stepmother, more beautiful than she?<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

To her palace raced at a frantic pace, admonished by the king
\n“Why in fury rage with a fish as a sage do you such stories to me bring?”
\nI have a daughter all right who lives as is her right with her grandfather there
\nIn his castle on his lands, and yes, she, like her mother is most fair,
\nWhy your jealous I see, but you have me, so why you howl so wild?
\nShe is no threat, you want no other man, and she is but a child?
\nThe queen she calmed, he anger disarmed, by the kings words soothing
\nBut she plotted and planned in silent hate as her hair he embracing smoothed.<\/p>\n

She sulked all day for a week or more, her husband tried to talk her from her trouble
\nShe said that the child it was possessed, that her jealousy from a spell did double
\nThe dead queen lived in the living child, was the source of its beauty surreal
\nThat she would never give peace to the happy couple, it was a curse very real
\nShe used on her weak wiled husband, as only women can do her wiles
\nIn time he agreed to her wicked plan to seize and slaughter the child!<\/p>\n

She sent to the girl, to invite the girl home, to her castle the kings servants two,
\nMessage from her new mother, so they could meet each other, as step relations do.
\nBut on the way a trick here to play, like a lamb the girl they were to slaughter
\nTo hide away, and never a word say, of the death of the kings daughter.
\nHer servants from Africa had come, in the land they were from, such assassination
\nIt was routine where they had been, was the story of their nation
\nA price was set that the girl be met, to her fathers home escorted
\nWaylaid and killed, innocent blood spilled, a plan not to be thwarthed.<\/p>\n

The men to the girls gate came, and spoke the same, that the girl was invited
\nTo meet the new queen, who sad had been, and thought herself slighted
\nThat it was never said the queen now dead, had a, and so beautiful a daughter
\nTo make amends, the men she did send, and such greeting they had brought her.
\nThey would escort safe the royal waif they earnestly did state
\nAs if their own, their word of honour known, to her fathers castle gate.
\nThe grandfather agreed over glasses of mead that it was a good plan
\nFood was packed, and clothes on horses three, with blessings for each man.<\/p>\n

The journey was long, and they were not wrong, the words of her beauty the people has spoken
\n“The Bright Star of Ireland was the title grand, given by folk, it was clear they were not joking
\nBut she had a lovely manner too, such a thing to do, her for nothing to kill
\nBar a jealous queen who once young had been, had with hatred her hearts fill
\nSo they hatched a plan, each being a kind man, though assassination their trade
\nTo let the girls lapdog free, allow it to flee, and a show of a search they made
\nIt was not found though somewhere around, one did find and the dog they slew
\nShe was distraught, as any kind heart ought, but what were the men to do?
\nThey took liver and heart, on their journey did depart, returning the child to her grandfather
\nTelling him, on her dogs loss the took a whim, not visit her mother she’d rather…<\/p>\n

The wicked queen was delighted when returning she sighted the assassins she had sent!
\nThe heart she was given, with a knife through driven, mission accomplished where they had went,
\nShe went to her room, and on dusks descending gloom, she made a gory sight
\nWhere she a ritual made, and as a writhing shade, she ate the childs heart that night!
\nHer competition destroyed and a spell employed, that her beauty would be enhanced
\nSo that no more more beautiful than she would ever be, was, or will be romanced!
\nThe king her passion saw and was in awe of her amorousness and fire
\nThey took to bed – let no more be said – as died the flames in the fire…<\/p>\n

She had not bathed in the lake since the fish to her had spoke
\nShe resolved to bathe again first thing when she awoke
\nThe morning sun it saw her, when its warming rays the day found
\nOn her way to bathe, walk naked on the dew wet ground
\nShe immersed herself in the dawn lit water, birds singing in the trees
\nShe sang like she had never sung before, a new found blissful ease
\nThe wise old trout was swimming still, and heard her sing again
\nSwam over to listen to her enchanting music from this Queen of men
\nBut on the shore after bathing again admiring her reflection in the water
\nShe sang of her beauty and he rebuked, stating alive still was the kings daughter!
\n“But I ate her liver and heart” the queen wailed with a start, at her the old trout stared
\n“It was the heart of the dog, lost in the bog, the servants the girls life spared!”<\/p>\n

In fury she again to her castle did flee, of the mens treachery said
\nHer husband not pleased had the men seized and personally made sure each were dead
\nThe Wicked Queen heretofor had been happy to trust her husbands choice of men
\nResolved her fathers were a more brutal sort, that they would not fail again,
\nThey were briefed under pain of death, on their way set, the child to attain
\nOn the roadside their time to bide, and any tool to use
\nTo kill her there, the child to fair, by all and any ruse.<\/p>\n

At the grandfathers castle they reached and so beseeched the girl with them to go
\nAs first was planned, though the queen did understand, and said to say to her so
\nAbout her grief that nature as a thief took her fleeing dog
\nWhen let out for a runabout in the watery and treacherous bog.
\nSo the horses were packed again, and with the men, she to her fate did go
\nNot knowing the plan held in the hearts of each man that in their false smiles did not show.<\/p>\n

That she was fair showed to both there, but also of speech and manner was she
\nIn their native tongue, from their lands far flung, they spoke why should it be
\nThat a queens cruel word and jealousy absurd should cause an innocent to die
\nFor the child was pure of heart they were sure as they argued why
\nTill a fight broke out one did shout that the child either way he would kill
\nThe other not to do, spoke, and he the other slew on the side of a hill
\nThe girl, a mere child, with fear was wild, wanted to her grandfather to return
\nSo home was brought as she screaming did shout, as the torches on the walls did burn
\nThe lone servant to the queen he went. with the heart he had extracted
\nFrom the other man, not from the child as the queen had exacted.<\/p>\n

That night a grimore was read, and it is said, as the Queen the heart she ate
\nShe was seen where passing had been a friar by the castle gate
\nHe troubled was by the spectre there, dancing naked, fair, eating a human heart
\nSinging a song undressed as a woman possessed, from this world apart…
\nHe said a prayer for the people there, he hurriedly went to his cell
\nPale with fright at the evil sight, he wisely no one of it did tell.<\/p>\n

Dawn saw here once more as she often before, her on her way she went to bathe
\nThe soldiers who – not looking in that looking they could not be seen! – thought a fine figure she made
\nThe waters she splashed as into them she dashed as before it wasnt long
\nUntil the trout who does sleep in the waters deep was awoken by her song.
\nShe sang a song of love with the birds above, then she on the shore dressed
\nAt her reflection did look, a while it took, as her hair she caressed
\nTo sing the serenade that she had made to music she had set
\nThe trout drew near, the song to hear, he jumped up and shouted “Not yet!”
\nBut said the Queen, I in the castle have been, and I asked the cook
\nThe heart I ate was human hid state, when he had a look!
\nYes, said the fish, but your raw dish, was the heart of a man not a child
\nDid you not think it odd that alone returned one servant with a story of an attack wild?<\/p>\n

The fish was wise beyond his years, said on seeing her tears, she will not be killed this way
\nAnd not now, to the questions when and how he made no reply but swam away…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From a folktale recorded by a Longford schoolboy who was told it by a Louthman who was travelling the area looking for work… (alas as was the practice of the time, the N word is used, the modern day substitute in the area being “darkies) The queen lay dead, alas …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[168],"tags":[2942,2939,2946,2941,2936,1866,2944,173,2945,2935,2943,2938,2937,2940],"class_list":["post-2816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-irish-legend","tag-beautiful-princess","tag-childs-story","tag-collected-stories-of-pauric-macgreine","tag-dead-queen","tag-evil-stepmother","tag-irish-folklore","tag-irish-folklore-commission","tag-irish-legend-2","tag-patrick-greene","tag-stepmother","tag-stories-from-county-louth","tag-the-bright-star-of-ireland","tag-who-is-the-fairest-of-them-all","tag-wicked-stepmother","column","twocol"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7EI4f-Jq","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3060,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/listen-not-to-the-song-of-the-merrow\/","url_meta":{"origin":2816,"position":0},"title":"Listen Not to the Song of the Merrow","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"31st July 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Men of Erin, and all men, who in Erin you may be Listen not to the Merrow song that sounds with such beauty Swim not in the waters as she and her spell song does entice The wiliest of wiley ladies whose wiles are tantamount to vice For weak of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Irish Heritage"","block_context":{"text":"Irish Heritage","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/ireland\/irish-heritage\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Girl dressed as a Merrew in Shop Street in Galway: according to tradition they can herald a forthcoming death like a Banshee (normally a river or lake dwelling variety), or lure men to their deaths like the Siren of European mythology, and there are tales of mortals marrying merrew as well!","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Girl-dressed-as-a-Merrew-in-Shop-Street-in-Galway.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Girl-dressed-as-a-Merrew-in-Shop-Street-in-Galway.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Girl-dressed-as-a-Merrew-in-Shop-Street-in-Galway.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":717,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/where-the-sidhe-dance\/","url_meta":{"origin":2816,"position":1},"title":"Where the S\u00eddhe Dance","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"23rd September 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The grass grows green where the S\u00eddhe dance Unseen by men in the fog The mushroom circle is kissed by the dew Round the trees at the edge of the bog... 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