The other day I was listening to one of my Pandora stations when they played the Brahms lullaby, you know the one that goes la la laa, la la laa, la la la la laa laa, laa laa like that. (ft nt 1)
Anyway, it got me to thinking of a beautiful Adirondack lullaby that you may not know, unless you hike in the Primitive Areas of the Adirondack Park
There is in the Adirondacks, but peculiar to the Primitive Areas like Wanakena, or Wakely Mountain, or Bald Edge, the shahanaha, a medium sized, pink, and blue bird with a gold crest that sings lullabies on moonless nights to calm your fears of the impenetrable, primitive darkness, and to lull you into a restful sleep.
The lyrics of the lullaby are in a lost language of an aboriginal people of the Adirondacks, and they are known today only to a shaman, who can mimic the bird during mystical rituals. A shaman who I once met in Wanakena, He Who Talks to Trees, told me that a rough translation would be:
Dust from the moon makes your bed.
Fleece from a cloud rests your head.
Float along on a gentle stream,
Cradled in a child’s dream.
Rest now. Sleep now.
Peaceful is your tomorrow.
Rest now. Sleep now.
Joyful is your tomorrow.
Rest now. Sleep now.
Blessed is your tomorrow.
Float along on a gentle stream
Cradled in a child’s dream.
Cradled in a child’s dream.
The shaman says that the lullaby sounds more rhythmic and melodic in the original, native language. But the melody is not unlike that of the Brahms lullaby: la la laa, la la laa…rest now, sleep now…la la la laa laa, laa laa.
You might try to hum the lullaby, but I can’t write the hums because they all come out: hum, hum, humm, hum, hum, humm…rest now, sleep now…hum, hum, humm etc. But you can try it and see.
Whether hummed, or sung, or played with two fingers on a piano, I can assure you that the Adirondack Lullaby will help your baby to gently fall to sleep on a restless night. You too, should you be camped in an Adirondack Primitive Area on a moonless night and be afraid of the dark.