In this video, you will learn a short lullaby poem. You could recite this poem to a child or loved one at bedtime, or simply repeat it to yourself when you’re heading to bed.
This poem includes common words and phrases which you can reuse in everyday conversations. Also, Codail go sámh /kud-ell guh sawv/ Sleep soundly can be said to someone before going to bed, similar to sleep tight in English.
Codail go sámh
Codail go sámh
/kud-ell guh sawv/
Sleep soundly
A ghrá gheal mo chroí.
/Ah ghraw ghyal muh khree/
Bright love of my heart
Beidh an oíche chugainn láithreach
/Bye on ee-ha chugainn law-hrukh/
Night will be upon us immediately
Is an ghrian ina luí.
/Iss on ghreen in-ah lee/
And the sun will have set
Codail go lá,
/Kud-ell guh law/
Sleep ‘til day
Mo stóirín geal féin.
/Muh stoh-reen gyal fayn/
My own bright little jewel
Tá an londubh gan cheol
/Taw an lun-duv gon khyohl/
The blackbird does not sing
Is níl spideog sa spéir.
/Iss neel spidj-ohg sah spayr/
And the robin isn’t in the sky
Codail go ciúin,
/Kud-ell guh kyoon/
Sleep quietly
Mo mhuirnín beag féin.
/Muh woor-neen byug fayn/
My own little darling
Tá na réaltóga bána
/Taw nah rayl-toh-ga baw-na/
The white stars
Go hard, geal sa spéir.
/Guh hawrd gyal sah spayr/
Are high and bright in the sky
Codail go sámh
/kud-ell guh sawv/
Sleep soundly
A ghrá gheal mo chroí.
/Ah ghraw ghyal muh khree/
Bright love of my heart
Beidh an oíche chugainn láithreach
/Bye on ee-ha chugainn law-hrukh/
Night will be upon us immediately
Is an ghrian ina luí.
/Iss on ghreen in-ah lee/
And the sun will have set
3 thoughts on ““Codail go Sámh” Sleep Soundly | A Poem in Irish”
I love this poem and am determined to learn to speak Irish by the time my first grandchild is born in 7 months. Ill be saying this poem him/her every chance I have. With the maiden name Hickey and maternal family name Murrin being Irish defined me. I am a 3rd generation Irish American but luckily my cousin is 1st generation and has Irish citizenship so SHE can help me with the “throaty” part of Irish,but how can others learn to practice it easier? I adore this opportunity to learn my native language. I believe many of us Irish Ameicans have lostand are seeking our culture, which this provides us an opportunity to do. Wish me luck!
Hi Cyndi, that’s such a great idea!
Without an Irish speaker to practice with, usually we’d suggest listening to Youtube videos, radio and watching Irish TV helps a lot. And always repeating phrases again and again to yourself helps too!
What other materials and resources are you using to learn? We have a Youtube Channel with lots of useful phrases you might like: https://www.youtube.com/user/bitesizeirishgaelic
Slán go fóill,
Gabrielle
I love your posts, and listen to them all, especially those by Siobhan, and I concur with your admonition to use Irish every day. Unfortunately, for me that’s almost ludicrously difficult, as I live in New Mexico, USA, and the only non-English language I hear is Spanish. If I lived in Ireland, I’d be all over learning Irish. That is what has kept me from signing up for your course. Any thoughts, beyond visiting Ireland more often? As I said, I love your posts.
For what it’s worth, I always thought I had no Irish heritage, as the Celts in my background were from Cornwall and Wales, but then my daughter did 23andme DNA testing, and discovered she has a lot of Irish, probably through her mother, and I’ve since learned that Ireland and Cornwall have a long history of connectedness. so maybe there’s a bit of Irish in me after all, not that it would make a difference wanting to learn Irish.