Ellan Vannin (the Manx-language name of the Isle of Man) is a poem and song, often referred to as "the alternative Manx national anthem", the words of which were written by Eliza Craven Green in 1854 and later set to music by someone called either J. Townsend or F. H. Townend (sources vary).
Contents
The Manx-language name Ellan Vannin is commonly mispronounced in renditions of the song, including in the Bee Gees version, since written Manx uses an orthography based on Welsh rather than Irish/Scots gaelic, which does not accurately transcribe the "ʲə" sound found in the word for "island" in spoken Manx Gaelic. The correct pronunciation is [ˈɛlʲən ˈvanɪn].
English language version
When the summer day is over And its busy cares have flown, I sit beneath the starlight With a weary heart, alone, Then rises like a vision, Sparkling bright in nature's glee, My own dear Ellan Vannin With its green hills by the sea. Then I hear the wavelets murmur As they kiss the fairy shore, Then beneath the em'rald waters Sings the mermaid as of yore, And the fair Isle shines with beauty As in youth it dawned on me, My own dear Ellan Vannin With its green hills by the sea. Then mem'ries sweet and tender Come like music's plaintive flow, Of the hearts in Ellan Vannin That lov'd me long ago, And I give with tears and blessings, My own fondest thoughts to thee, My own dear Ellan Vannin With its green hills by the sea.Manx Gaelic (Gaelg) version
Source:
The Bee Gees Version
The Bee Gees recorded a version for Isle of Man charities. They also included the song in their world-tour as a show of pride in the place of their birth.
When the summer day is over, Its busy cares have flown, I will sit beneath the starlight, With a weary heart alone. Then it rises like a vision Sparkling bright it shines for me My own dear Ellan Vannin With its green hills by the sea Let me hear the ocean murmur Let me watch your stormy sky Then above the emerald waters Sings the seagull as she flies Then arising like a vision Sparkling bright it shines for me My own dear Ellan Vannin With its green hills by the sea And in all my times of sorrow And on some lonely shore I'll go back to Ellan Vannin To my childhood days once more