Lullaby

Lullaby

An Irish lullaby stirring the air in the distance; a dozen sweet voices singing in choir to the mournful tune. Whilst the wonderer entered, stepping on the wet grass and dark sand of the road. He stared at the scene with avid eyes, listening to the soft music in the distance.
It was so sweet, so touching… and yet so sad. The smell of rain mingled with something else in the air… It wasn’t a smell. It was sadness standing still in that dying day.
The wonderer followed the voices. They called him, lured him, incited him to keep on walking. The wet grass was damping the brim of his trousers, now and then making him shiver from head to toe.
“Lullaby, Lullaby… I rock my arms sweet child to rest in a cradle of love… To the shinning sun, the window in the west… Sleep with me dear, sleep with no fear; mother is here beside you now”
A crowd was gathered in a small square. It must have been the entire population; no more than fifty. And behind them was the choir. Twelve: six maidens and six men, stirring the air with delicious sadness. The sweetest heartache to feel.
“Lullaby, Lullaby… Sleep little baby, don’t you cry. I rock my arms sweet child to see in a silver bow your beautiful brow. A shocking whisper, the stars escape and the moon above the green fresh air. Sleep with me dear, sleep with no fear. Mother is here for you”
But they were crying. The dark crowd was moaning silently as the choir sang the tune. Silent tears were streaming down the faces of women and men alike. Then it occurred to the wondered that the grass was wet not because of the rain.
The wonderer approached. He beheld the scene in front of his eyes. The air stood still. Not a breath of wind, nor a sound other than the tunes which had now become part of the environment. A small shinning box lay on the wet grass. Its intense brown shocked against the grayish green. Kneeled against it was a woman. She wasn’t crying. Her face was still, expressionless; her eyes empty, hollow. Beside her stood a man, proudly stern, with tears running down his cheeks… All landing in the flowered brown box…
And then it dawned to the wonderer…
“Sleep baby, dear. Sleep with no fear. Mother is here with you for ever. Sleep little baby don’t you cry. Sleep little baby don’t you cry…”

2/26/2004 10:35:32 PM