St Columba on Iona

Delightful would it be to me
From a rock pinnacle to trace:
Continually
The Ocean's face:
That I might watch the heaving waves
Of noble force
To God the Father chant their staves
Of the earth's course.
That I might mark its level strand,
To me no lone distress,
That I might mark the sea-birds' wondrous band-
Sweet source of happiness.

That I might hear the sounding billows thunder
On the rough beach.
That by my holy church side I might ponder
Their mighty speech;
Or watch surf-skimming gulls the dark shoal follow
With joyful scream,
Or giant ocean monsters spout and wallow,
Wonder supreme!
That I might well observe of ebb and flood
All cycles therein;
And that my mystic name might be for good
But Cul-ri Erin.*

* (Literally, "back turned to Ireland")

That gazing toward her on my heart might fall
A full contrition,
That I might then bewail my evils all,
Though hard the admission;
That I might bless the Lord who all things orders
For their great good.
The countless hierarchies through Heaven's bright borders -
Land, strand and flood.
That I might search all books and in their chart
Find my soul's calm;
Now kneel before the Heaven of my heart,
Now chant a psalm;

Now meditate upon the King of Heaven,
Chief of the Holy Three;
Now ply my work by no compulsion driven,
What greater joy could be?
Now picking dulse upon the rocky shore,
Now fishing eager on,
Now furnishing food unto the starving poor
In hermitage anon.
The guidance of the King of Kings
Has been vouchsafed unto me;
If I keep watch beneath His wings
No evil shall undo me.

From the Appletree Press title: A Little Book of Celtic Verse. To buy it from Amazon.com click here, or to get it via Amazon.co.uk click here.