A wooden whistle lying across a small green glass teacup on a slate-blue surface, with a wisp of steam.

Original artwork, not a still

Samuel Pepys

The strangest in itself and the prettiest song sung by Harris that ever I heard: his Irish song.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The song is praised as both strange and beautiful. Those descriptions sit together without cancelling each other out: its unusual character is part of what makes it memorable. The final phrase singles out Harris's Irish song as the particular performance being admired.

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