Dawning of the Day 1. One morning early I went out On the shore of Lough Leinn The leafy trees of summertime, And the warm rays of the sun, As I wandered through the townlands, And the luscious grassy plains, Who should I meet but a beautiful maid, At the dawning of the day. 2. No cap or cloak this maiden wore Her neck and feet were bare Down to the grass in ringlets fell Her glossy golden hair A milking pail was in her hand She was lovely, young and gay Her beauty excelled even Helen of Troy At the dawning of the day. 3. On a mossy bank I sat me down With the maiden by my side With gentle words I courted her And asked her to be my bride She turned and said, "Please go away," Then went on down the way And the morning light was shining bright At the dawning of the day. The Dawning of the Day (Irish: Fáinne Gael an Lae) is an old Irish air composed by the blind harpist Thomas Connellan in the 17th Century. The Irish-language song was published by Edward Walsh (1805-1850) in 1847 in “Irish Popular Songs” and later translated into English as “The Dawning of the Day”. The melody of this song was used by Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh to his poem, "Raglan Road". This is an Aisling where the poet encounters a mysterious beautiful woman who symbolises Ireland - Cait Ní Duibhir, Caitlín Ní Uallacháin, Róisín Dubh etc. In this case, she upbraids him as a frivolous rake and points to the approaching dawn (of freedom from English rule). At the end of the Desmond Rebellions and Nine Years' War, Irish poets were facing their own elimination as a matter of deliberate English policy.