Photos from the Black Swan Folk Day 2008
The Great Oak
The great oak gives shelter
From the sweet autumn rains
But when the gold leaves drop, I despair.
I face the bleak winter
The cold heart inside me
The need for proctection
Against icy storms.
Walk down to the lakeside
And look through the water
There's a sunken causeway
To walk upon.
I'm seeking and finding
Revealing and feeling
Reach out to the shoreline
I must walk on.
For I held out my right hand
And felt for the west wind
It carressed me,
And kissed my face.
The palm of your hand
Pulling me to you
Your chill breath freezes
I pull away.
It's only in leaving
That you will find me
Who I was
Who I I am
It is to late now
At the end of the evenign
For you to think
That you can return.
All So New
Gold light, rising from the water as the
Sun climbs the sky
Across the lake to the pine covered hillside
We watch the newly born light.
It's all so new my love
It's all so new to me
But if you hold me
Your arms secure me
When you walk by my side
Speaking so graciously
So close, so real.
Silver mist, drifts down the shoreline
Snow, frozen in the air
Walking in the shadows between stone and bracken
This land seems so fair.
Soft clouds, reach down gently
So, it threatens rain
Wind from the hilltops, breathes through the tree branches
Raindrops caress my face.
Lullay, lullay, sail away, sail away,
Lullay, lullay, my baby born today,
Lullay, Lullay, floating upon the sea,
Sweet child born to me.
Lullay, lullay, you made me so angry,
Lullay, lullay, in wisdom you fled from me,
Lullay, lullay, the grain I ate was thee,
You grew inside my body.
Lullay, lullay, nine moons I carried thee,
Lullay, lullay, while bitter hate rose in me,
Lullay, lullay, thought that I'd kill thee,
Such a fair baby.
Lullay, lullay, I cannot kill thee,
Lullay, lullay, neither can I live with thee,
Lullay, lullay float away quickly,
My beautiful baby,
April 2009
Cerridwen had three children, a handsome boy, a beautiful girl and a "donkey faced" youngest boy who was very stupid. She concoted a brew that had to be stirred for a year and a day, after which the person drinking the first three drops would be filled with wisdom. This was for her stupid ugly boy. However, Gwydion Bach, who had the job of stirring the pot was scalded by three drops and as he licked his hand, he received the gift of wisdom.
He fled from Cerridwen and shapeshifted into many animal, bird and fish guises to escape. Cerridwen followed him, also shapeshifiting, and in the form of a hen pecked and ate the grain of wheat that was Gwydion Bach's final form.
Nine months later she produced a baby boy. She expected to hat him, and had been preparing to kill him, but he was so beautiful she could not do this. So she threw him in the river and he floated out to sea. Here a fisherman caught him, and brought him up safetly. He was renamed Taliesin.
