Mellow the moonlight to shine is beginning Close by the window young
Eileen is spinning Bent o'er the fire her blind
Grandmother sitting Crooning and moaning and drowsily knitting.
Merrily cheerily noiselessly whirring Spins the wheel,
Rings the wheel while the foot's stirring Sprightly and lightly and
Merrily ringing Sounds the sweet voice of the young maiden singing.
Eileen, a chara, I hear someone tapping '
Tis the ivy dear mother against the glass
Flapping Eileen, I surely hear somebody sighing '
Tis the sound mother dear of the autumn winds dying.
What's the noise I hear at the window I wonder? '
Tis the little birds chirping,
The holly-bush under What makes you shoving and moving
Your stool on And singing all wrong the old song of the "
Coolin"?
There's a form at the casement,
The form of her true love And he whispers with face bent,
I'm waiting for you love Get up from the stool,
Through the lattice step lightly And we'll rove
In the grove while the moon's shining brightly.
The maid shakes her head,
On her lips lays her fingers Steps up from the stool,
Longs to go and yet lingers A frightened glance turns to her drowsy
Grandmother Puts her foot on the stool spins the wheel with the other
Lazily, easily, now swings the wheel round Slowly and lowly is heard
Now the reel's sound Noiseless and light to the lattice
Above her The maid steps, then leaps to the arms of her lover.
Slower...
And slower...
And slower the wheel swings Lower...
And lower...
And lower the reel rings Ere the reel and the wheel stop their
Ringing and moving Through the grove
The young lovers by moonlight are roving.