A Celtic Psaltery

Alfred Perceval Graves's A Celtic Psaltery is a rich anthology of English verse renderings from Irish, Scotch Gaelic, and Welsh poetry, chosen chiefly for their religious, moral, and reflective power. In his preface, Graves explains his wish to preserve not only meaning but something of the original music, especially the intricate sound-patterns of early Irish verse. The result is a collection that sings with Celtic spirituality, national feeling, and lyrical craft. The Irish poems range from ancient wisdom literature and saints' blessings to laments, charms, battle hymns, and folk-inspired songs. They evoke the Isle of the Happy, King Cormac's practical counsel, the wit of the triads, St. Patrick's prayers for protection, Columba's exile from Ireland, and haunting keens of grief and maternal mourning. Across the volume, devotion, satire, sorrow, and hope are held in vivid balance. The Welsh section, arranged broadly in historical order, spans early poets to later religious and patriotic voices, with meditations on sin, repentance, the seasons, nature, aging, and death. Graves closes with poems of praise, charity, memory, and farewell, creating a deeply musical anthology of Celtic faith, imagination, and enduring song. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.