A Writer’s Website

The Light in the Cove

“A man is but a candle-stick

A woman is the holder…”

The Light in the Cove is a ribald ballad in English about an old woman lusting after the ghost of a young man. Everyone on the island knows both the melody and the words, though few respectable women or wise children will admit to it.

It was originally a wistful native song called “Elaro.”

But that’s forgotten.