Saighdiuir Treigthe, An (The Forsaken Soldier)

DESCRIPTION: Gaelic. Singer wakes and throws away his uniform. He hears gossip about his sweetheart and cuts off his finger. He will die before Easter but would return from the dead if she calls him. He curses his father for driving him to drink and the army.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1979 (Tunney-StoneFiddle)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage love nonballad injury soldier death ghost separation
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Tunney-StoneFiddle, pp. 168-169, "An Saighdiuir Treigthe" (1 text)
ADDITIONAL: Bell/O Conchubhair, Traditional Songs of the North of Ireland, pp. 115-116, "An Saighdiur Treigthe" ("The Deserted Soldier") [Gaelic and English]
NOTES [42 words]: Tunney-StoneFiddle includes both the Gaelic and Paddy Tunney's English translation. However, I used Bell/O Conchubhair for most of the description because it seemed a better match for what little Gaelic I could follow. Tunney has one additional verse. - BS
File: TSF168

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography