Celtic Wedding Poem

Celtic weddings were events to behold, whether you were of the lower class, the middle class, or the upper class. There were two essential kinds of weddings: The Kidnapping, and the more creative Parley. Here is a clip from my novel "And Righ," where Arthur and his groomsmen have come to parley for the hand of Arthur's betrothed, Gwenhwyfar aka Guinevere. Arthur is represented on one side of the door by Myrddin aka Merlin:

Myrddin:
“The timing of our visit here
“To win the heart of one so
“Is written gently on our hearts
“A perfect day to make a start—"

Gwenhwyfar:

"A noise I hear outside my door
“I wonder who the noise is for?
“And wondering, I pause to think of
“Why you stand upon my brink?”

Myrddin:
“We seek the one who’s tall and fair,
“With jade-green eyes and golden hair.

“From Camelaird our lady came,
“Open now and end this game—”

Gwenhwyfar:
“The one you seek is here for sure
“But cannot face the open door.
“Try again some other day;
“Leave us be and go away—”

Myrddin:
“The game is up, the bride-price paid,
“A groom awaits his loving maid’.
“Unlock your heart and let us pass,
“Before the sun too high does pass—“

Arthur (in mock-frustration at this point):
“I am Arthur, come to call
“Stout of heart behind this wall.

“Gwenhwyfar my bride to be,

"Open shuttered door for me!"

And at this point the door opened, or not, as the case went. In this particular instance, the door opened.

© Ray Cattie