Ironically, the English poems Graves wrote to fit these same melodies pale beside the genuine articles.
Lullabies abound in all the Celtic countries.
Take the lyrics. Translations into English are often mere shadows, missing the subtlety softness and sensuousness of the original language. Where a translation is suspect, we non-native speakers are at the mercy of the translator who would be a poet. The lulling nonsense words mesmerize the listener too. As in other traditions, several of these Celtic lullabies tell of maternal love, Mother Nature and angels.