I wonder why I so enjoy St. Patrick's Day
I think, perhaps, it's in my DNA
There are some "Experts" who do say
That the Irish of the Emerald Isle
Are descended from
Those Lost Ten Tribes of Israel
(Be that as it may!)
This may explain the Irish affinity
For corned beef and cabbage
Living cheek to jowl in New York City
Adapted from their Jewish neighbors
But I do love drinking stout and Irish whiskey
While tapping toe to Irish dancing
Especially when the lassies are so pretty
Red-haired, green-eyed, pale-skinned, and willowy
Toeing and heeling in rhythmic prancing
Especially when those lassies are so pretty.
What a fine, fine day...
St. Patrick's Day
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Eugene, I thank you for the poem, Gene, and I can tell you as a former Irish step dancer when I was a teenager, your last verse captures the ambiance and rhythm of what was called the feis, the contest held once a year where young Irish dancers from the U.S. and different countries gathered to compete against one another. I remember riding a train from Chicago to New York in 1954 to dance at Fordham University and our eight-hand jig beat everybody EXCEPT a team of old men with their partners who had been drinking all night, then sobered up and at noon the next day danced us into the ground. We were dancing to win and they were dancing for fun. The music is still in my blood and when I hear it I sometimes am moved to tears. It's the only music that ever really moved me, although dancing to Glen Miller and In the Mood would come a close second. Zygazunt!
Thanks, Donal, You may be interested in my latest poem, Leprechaun. The story is true.