Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree

Here it is, folks: the folktale/poem/comedy monologue I've been doing for twenty-plus years and have never recorded anywhere till now. Editing this video was my first time seeing it from the audience, and I hope you'll have as much fun as I did.

I wrote this poem in late 2002, based on the folktale of the same name in Celtic Fairy Tales, Joseph Jacobs' 1892 collection. (To read the original folktale, including the illustrations by John D. Batten that haunted my childhood, please go here: https://sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/cft...)

Also in late 2002, I had been having a great time with the funny poetry of Marriott Edgar (best known for "The Lion and Albert" and its sequels: https://yorkshiretimes.co.uk/article/....

Edgar's work is specifically British and of its era, so, after reading and listening to his poems, I found myself wanting something similarly playful and anarchic, but focused on something important in my own life, and worded in a way that wouldn't sound strange coming from an American. Then I started crossing it over with one of the more gruesome and intriguing folktales I'd ever read, and this was the result.

This poem is (c) me, April Grant, but which anyone may learn and perform with my blessing. If you do take me up on that, please come back and comment, because it would make my day.

The full text of the poem is here: https://aprilcatherinegrant.com/2023/...

Notes:

"Miss Ireland of 800 AD": actually, this folktale was collected in Scotland, but I didn't know that at the time I wrote the poem. My apologies for adding to the problem where Americans assume all Celtic countries are Ireland.

"as well as of Vitamin D": according to this journal article, which I should specify is talking about cattle products, "offal also provides considerable amounts of vitamin D." I haven't tried to read up on the nutritional value of human liver. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

"the King of Lochlann": these days, "Lochlann" means Norway. In earlier times, Irish myths used "Lochlann" as the name of a mystical place beyond the sea, home of strange primordial beings called the Fomorians. In fairy tales like this one, Lochlann seems to me to be a place-holder name for "another kingdom, somewhere over the sea," so that's how it's used here.

"Yes, he sang it": the tune is "The Bold Fisherman."

"You should both stay": Joseph Jacobs thought this story must date back to pre-Christian times because it's so matter-of-fact about polyamory. I don't know if that's the case, but I like that the characters just go with it.

"póg mo thóin": Irish for "kiss my ass."

"brewing venom, spleen, poison, and Doom": I was thinking of the line, "Ye monarchs and rulers whose stations ye demean/ Like scorpions ye spew forth your venom and spleen," from the song "Napoleon's Dream." https://mainlynorfolk.info/folk/songs...

"...they took some stale bread to feed seagulls": I have since been informed that bread is bad for birds. Don't give it to gulls (if you can help it).