Annotation:John O'Reilly the Active
Tune properties and standard notation
JOHN O'REILLY THE ACTIVE (Sean Ua Ragallaig Clisteac). AKA and see "Oh! Think Not My Spirits Are Always As Light." Irish, Air or Planxty (6/8 time). G Major ('A' part) & G Mixolydian ('B' part). Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB (O'Neill/Krassen): AABB (Levey, O'Neill/1850). Composed by blind Irish harper Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738), according to collector and Chicago flute player Francis O'Neill. Thomas Moore used the melody as the vehicle for his song "Oh! Think not my spirits are always as light," published in Irish Melodies, vol. 1 (1808).
Oh! think not my spirits are always as light,
And as free from a pang as they seem to you now,
Nor expect that the heart-beaming smile of to-night,
Will return with to-morrow to brighten my brow.
No; life is a waste of wearisome hours
Which seldom the rose of enjoyment adorns;
And the heart that is soonest awake to the flowers,
Is always the first to be touch'd by the thorns.
But send round the bowl, and be happy a while,
May we never meet worse, in our pilgrimage here,
Than the tear that enjoyment may gild with a smile,
And the smile that compassion can turn to a tear.
Source for notated version:
Printed sources: Levey (Dance Music of Ireland, 2nd Collection), 1873; No. 3, p. 2. O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; p. 232. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903; No. 645, p. 116.
Recorded sources: Poodle Records Cassette PRC 001, The Dougals Gunn Ensemble - "Irish & Italian Music: Carolan and Corelli."