Nora Creina

DESCRIPTION: "Nora Creina, see the flowers, The lovely flowers that all seem'd perish'd" "Nora Creina, see the birds We thought forever flown away, love." "Nora Creina! Nora dear! Thus my love is thine forever... And still more fondly for the parting..."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1901 (Hylands-Mammoth-Hibernian-Songster) (the name was in use by 1833)
KEYWORDS: love separation flowers bird
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Hylands-Mammoth-Hibernian-Songster, p. 198, "Nora Creina, See the Flowers" (1 text)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
The New Policeman (File: GrD1750)
The Song of the Trap, Part IV (File: AnSt079)
Lansell's Case (by Charles R. Thatcher) (Anderson-ColonialMinstrel, p. 106)
Lesbia hath a beaming eye (Nora Creina) (by Thomas Moore) (Hylands-Mammoth-Hibernian-Songster, p. 37)
NOTES [111 words]: I am not sure that this is traditional in itself, but the tune has been used so many times, for so many things, that I thought it belonged in the Index. Certainly the name is well-known; there is a place in Australia called "Nora Creina," There were several ships by that name.
The tune, in addition to the SAME TUNE items mentioned, was reportedly used by Beethoven.
"Nora Creina" does not seem to be proper Irish, but it has been suggested that it is a corruption of "Nora of my heart" or perhaps "Wise Nora." There is a Mudcat thread discussing all of this. The description is from one of the texts quoted there -- the one that seemed the most "tradition-ish." - RBW
Last updated in version 6.1
File: RcNorCre

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