An Irish Blessing

May the blessing of light be on you-light without and light within. May the blessing sunlight shine on you and warm your heart till it glows like a great peak fire, so that the stranger may come and warm himself at it, also also a friend. And may the light shine out of the two eyes of you like a candle set into windows of a house, bidding the wanderer to come in out of the storm.

And may the blessings of the rain be on you-the soft, sweet brain. May it fall upon your spirit so that all the little flowers may bring up, and shed their sweetness on the air. And may the blessings of the great reigns be on you, may they beat upon your spirit and wash it fair and clean, and leave there are many a shining pool, where the blue of heaven shines, and sometimes a star.

And may the blessings of the earth be on you-the great round earth; may you ever have a kindly greeting for them you pass as you’re going along the road. May the Earth be soft under you when you rest upon it, tired at the end of the day, and may it rest easy over you when, at last, you lay out under it; may it rest so lightly over you, that you are soul may be out from under it quickly, and up, and off, and on its way to God.

May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and the rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand. – Traditional