“Bride the Aid-Woman” from Carmina Gadelica

Prayer for aid in giving birth, to Bride as midwife:

                                                pg. 176 

BRIDE BAN-CHOBHAIR [71]       

THAINIG thugam cobhair,

Moire gheal is Bride;

Mar a rug Anna Moire,

Mar a rug Moire Criosda,

Mar a rug Eile Eoin Baistidh

Gun mhar-bhith dha dhi,

Cuidich thusa mise ’m asaid,

     Cuidich mi a Bhride!

Mar a gheineadh Criosd am Moire

Comhliont air gach laimh,

Cobhair thusa mise, mhoime,

An gein a thoir bho ’n chnaimh;

’S mar a chomhn thu Oigh an t-solais,

Gun or, gun odh, gun ni,

Comhn orm-sa, ’s mor m’ othrais,

     Comhn orm a Bhride!

pg. 177

BRIDE THE AID-WOMAN 

THERE came to me assistance,

Mary fair and Bride;

As Anna bore Mary,

As Mary bore Christ,

As Eile bore John the Baptist

Without flaw in him,

Aid thou me in mine unbearing,

     Aid me, O Bride!

As Christ was conceived of Mary

Full perfect on every hand,

Assist thou me, foster-mother,

The conception to bring from the bone;

And as thou didst aid the Virgin of joy,

Without gold, without corn, without kine,

Aid thou me, great is my sickness,

     Aid me, O Bride!

Carmina Gadelica, Volume 1, by Alexander Carmichael, [1900], at sacred-texts.com

Image:  'B&W nude pregnant woman,' by Laura Benvenuti. Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic