Fairies!
You may be familiar with the song "Lord of the Dance." There's a Christian version, and then there's a pagan version. An acquaintance of mine Dame Lorina ni Fiona informs me that there is a third version, sung in the Seelie Courts. It is a love song, and I was pleased by it, so I thought I would share it with you, if only because I am something of antiquarian of fae lore. My notes follow the text of the lyrics.
Lord of the Dance (Fae Version)
I danced in the first spring that the flowers should rise,
And I danced for thy love with the stars in my eyes.
I leapt o’er the fire to take thee by the hand.
We danced all night in the Dreamland.
Dance, dance, beloved, dance with me!
I am the Lord of the Dance, lady.
And by night or by day, I will dance with thee.
And by twilight too, if thou wilt have me.
I danced for summer and the flaming sun,
When the world was bright and when thou and I were one.
I danced to bring thee pleasure, with joy and love,
And thou danced too, below and above.
Dance, dance, beloved, dance with me!
I am the Lord of the Dance, lady.
And by night or by day, I will dance with thee.
And by twilight too, if thou wilt have me.
I danced in the autumn when the light turned grey.
The frost stung our feet as we danced away.
Returning again, we danced to spite the cold
And the falling leaves, as the world grew old.
Dance, dance, beloved, dance with me!
I am the Lord of the Dance, lady.
And by night or by day, I will dance with thee.
And by twilight too, if thou wilt have me.
I danced in the winter under dull white snow.
I danced for hope, for dreams, and the things that grow.
And with thee in my arms, I believed in spring,
So I danced by day, and at night I’d sing.
Dance, dance, beloved, dance with me!
I am the Lord of the Dance, lady.
And by night or by day, I will dance with thee.
And by twilight too, if thou wilt have me.
Spring came again, so I danced anew.
I danced with thee on the fresh, shining dew;
We danced new fire into chill black ground.
All through the spring we danced round and round.
Dance, dance, beloved, dance with me!
I am the Lord of the Dance, lady.
And by night or by day, I will dance with thee.
And by twilight too, if thou will have me.
My Notes:
There is some question as to who is the author of these lyrics. I am inclined to think them the work of Dame Lorina, due to a few hints within the text. For one thing, the somewhat earthy line that ends the second verse could only have been written by a satyr or a member of House Fiona. Additionally, the constant references to spring also point the finger at Dame Lorina. (Dame Lorina is the founding member of a society called the Knights of the Crocuses, an organization devoted to ensuring that there will be a spring to follow the coming winter).
On the other hand, there are indications that Dame Lorina is not the author. To begin with the speaker of the song is obviously male. Secondly, there references in the autumn section obviously speak of the sidhe who fled to Arcadia, whereas Dame Lorina is an Autumn Sidhe, meaning that she stayed behind during the Shattering. Both of these elements can be attributed to her use of poetic voice.
It is, however, possible that the lyrics were written by another Fiona member of the Knights of the Crocuses, perhaps one who is Arcadian and male. In this case, the identity of the author is hard to ascertain. The song is certainly a piece of KoC propaganda.