"O'er mountain, moor and march, by greenwood, lough and hollow,
I tracked her distant footsteps with a throbbing heart;
Through many an hour and day I follow on and follow,
Till I reach the magic palace reared of old by Druid art."
___ Aodhagan O Rathaille, "Gile na Gile"
[trans by J. C. Mangan]
This poem is an aisling (ASH'ling), a vision experienced by a person in a lonely place who becomes aware of an otherworldly or beautiful woman who comes for a purpose, usually to invite him to visit her, find her, or perform some service for her.
The ancient aisling poems show the Goddess of the Land appealing for a champion to right her wrongs. One of the last poets to write a genuine Irish aisling was W. B. Yeats, whose poetic and dramatic writings depict Ireland as Kathleen ni Houlihan, an old woman wandering the road in rags, prophetically uttering words of transformation.
These later poems are expressions of the poet's vision of the land; he is able to envision the appearance of its spirit and the condition of the group-soul of the land. Within our own lives, we can also become aware of the problems that beset our country by seeking out an aisling vision of our own.
"Envision your country laid out before you; in soul-flight visit whatever part of it seems to you to represent its sacred heart. Stand there and ask for an aisling vision of your land's condition. How does the spirit of your land appear, and what things does it show you? Remember that your land may be either a mother - or fatherland - that is, its indwelling spirit may be either female or male. Do not get hung up on gender, but attend with all your attention to the vision that you have. What needs to change? What attention can you help throw upon the problem you have been shown?"
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Cailin Matthews]
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