Annotation:Sheen Sheesh igus Souse lum
X:1 % T:Sheen Sheesh igus Souse lum M:C L:1/8 B:Daniel Wright – Aria di Camera (London, 1727, No. 40) N:”being A Choice Collection of Scotch, Irish & Welsh Airs N:for the Violin and German Flute by the following masters N:Mr. Alex. Urquahart of Edinburgh, Mr. Dermot O'Connar of Limrick N:Mr. Hugh Edwards of Carmarthen” F: https://ia600808.us.archive.org/20/items/AriaDiCamera1727/Wright-AriaDiCamera-1727.pdf Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:G g3a ga b2|g4 d4|e3d efgf|Te4 d4| g3a (ga) b2|d2 (cB) c2d2|e2d2c2B2|TA4 G4|| d3c B2c2|d3e d2d2|Te3d (ef)(gf)|Te4 d3 e/f/| g4G4|(ed)(cB) A2 (Bc)|d3e d2 (cB)|TA4 G4||
SHEEN SHEESH IGUS SOUSE LUM. AKA and see "Down Beside Me." Irish, Air (whole time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. The title appears to be a phonetic attempt at the Irish "Sín síos agus suas liom", translated as "Strech out alongside me":
Sín síos agus suas liom
Druid anall is faise me;
Cuir leaba fúinn araon,
a Chumainn, a chroí na páirte;
Tá mo ghrasa súgach, Tá se lúfar láidir,
He ho, rirko,
saor anois ón mbás mé.
Stretch out alongside me,
move over and embrace me
make a bed for us both;
my darling, dear love of my heart;
my love is joyous,
he is swift and strong,
hey ho rirko,
save me now from death.
According to Brendan Breathnach ("The First Irish Song Published", Ceol, v, No. 1, July, 1981, pp. 2-3) it is the first song in the Irish language to be published, by Scottish counter-tenor John Abell in a volume entitled A Collection of Songs in Several Languages. To be perform'd at Mr. Abell's Consot of Music (London, 1715). Abell is first recorded as having sung the song at a concert at Stationers Hall in 1715 (although it may have been in his repertoire earlier). The next year the words were included in The Merry Musician, vol. 1 (1716, pp. 327-8) as "An Irish song. Sung by Mr. Abel at his Consort at Stationers Hall." See Belfast musician and collector Edward Bunting's version as "Down Beside Me," said by Bunting to have been transcribed from a performance by Dominic Ó Mongain (Dominic Mungan), an Irish harper and poet born around 1715 in County Tyrone. See also note for "Banks of Banna (The)."