 |
[FN#63] Pronounced Dun-lay.
[FN#64] Pronounced Kell-ny.
As men from the shelter of roof who go, and must rest in the open field, So thy sons shall stand, if they come to a land where a foe might be found concealed! We have dwelt till now in our father's halls, too tenderly cared for far: Nor hath any yet thought, that to us should be taught the arts that belong to war!"
Queen Maev and Ailill their sons have sped, away on the quest they went, With seven score men for the fight, whom the queen for help of her sons had sent: To the south of the Connaught realm they reached, the burg that they sought was plain For to Ninnus land they had come, and were nigh to the Corcomroe domain. "From our band," said Mani Morgor, "some must go, of that burg to learn How entrance we may attain to win, and back with the news return We must test the strength of the maidens' love!" On Mingar the task was set, And with two beside him, he searched the land, till three of the maids they met: By springs of water they found the maids, drew swords, and against them leapt! "O grant our lives!" was the maiden's cry, "and your lives shall be safely kept!" "For your lives," he said, "will ye grant a boon, set forth in three words of speech?" "At our hands," said she, "shall granted be, whatever thy tongue shall teach; Yet ask not cattle; those kine have we no power to bestow, I fear": "Why, 'tis for the sake of the kine," he said, "that all of us now are here!"
"Who art thou then?" from her faltering broke: "Mani Mingar am I," he replied; I am son to King Ailill and Maev: And to me thou art welcome," the maiden cried; "But why have ye come to this land?" said she: For kine and for brides," he said, Have we come to seek: And 'tis right," said she, such demands in a speech to wed: Yet the boon that you ask will our folk refuse, and hard will your task be found; For a valiant breed shall you meet, I fear, in the men who guard this ground!" "Give your aid," he said, "then as friends: But time," said she, "we must have for thought; For a plan must be made, e'er thy word be obeyed, and the kine to thy hands be brought: Have ye journeyed here with a force of men? how great is the strength of your band?" "Seven score are there here for the fight," he said, "the warriors are near at hand!" "Wait here," said she; "to my sisters four I go of the news to tell: "And with thee we side!" all the maidens cried, "and we trust we shall aid thee well,"
Away from the princes the maidens sped, they came to their sisters four, And thus they spoke: "From the Connaught land come men, who are here at your door; The sons of Ailill and Maev have come; your own true loves are they!" "And why have they come to this land?" they said; "For kine and for brides, they say, Have they come to seek:" "And with zeal their wish would we joyfully now fulfil If but powers to aid were but ours," they said, "which would match with our right good will:
But I fear the youths in this burg who dwell, the plans that we make may foil; or far from the land may chase that band, and drive them away from their spoil!" "Will ye follow us now, with the prince to speak?" They willingly gave consent, And together away to the water-springs the seven maidens went. They greeted Mani; "Now come!" said he, "and bring with you out your herds: And a goodly meed shall reward your deed, if you but obey my words; For our honour with sheltering arms is nigh, and shall all of you safely keep, Ye seven daughters of Regamon!" The cattle, the swine, and sheep Together the maidens drove; none saw them fly, nor to stay them sought, Till safe to the place where the Mani stood, the herd by the maids was brought.
The maidens greeted the sons of Maev, and each by her lover stood; And then Morgor spoke: "Into twain this herd of kine to divide were good, At the Briuin[FN#65] Ford should the hosts unite; too strait hath the path been made For so vast a herd": and to Morgor's word they gave heed, and his speech obeyed. Now it chanced that Regamon, the king, was far from his home that day, For he to the Corco Baiscinn land had gone, for a while to stay;
[FN#65] Pronounced Brewin.
With the Firbolg[FN#66] clans, in debate, he sat; and a cry as the raiders rode, Was behind him raised: to the king came men, who the news of that plunder showed: Then the king arose, and behind his foes he rode, and o'ertook their flight, And on Mani Morgor his host pressed hard, and they conquered his men in the fight. "To unite our band," thus Morgor cried, "fly hence, and our comrades find! Call the warriors back from the cattle here, and leave the maids behind; Bid the maidens drive to our home the herd as far as the Croghan Fort, And to Ailill and Maev of our perilous plight let the maidens bear report." The maidens went to the Croghan Fort, to Maev with their news they pressed: "Thy sons, O Maev, at the Briuin Ford are pent, and are sore distressed, And they pray thee to aid them with speed": and Maev her host for the war prepared, With Ailill the warriors of Connaught came; and Fergus beside them fared, And the exiles came, who the Ulster name still bore, and towards that Ford All that host made speed, that their friends in need might escape from the vengeful sword.
[FN#66] Pronounced Feer-bol.
Now Ailill's sons, in the pass of that Ford, had hurdles strongly set: And Regamon failed through the ford to win, ere Ailill's troops were met: Of white-thorn and of black-thorn boughs were the hurdles roughly framed, And thence the name of the ford first came, that the Hurdle Ford is named;
For, where the O'Feara[FN#67] Aidne folk now dwell, can ye plainly see In the land of Beara[FN#68] the Less, that Ford, yet called Ath[FN#69] Clee Maaree, In the north doth it stand; and the Connaught land divideth from Corcomroe; And thither, with Regamon's troops to fight, did Ailill's army go.
[FN#67] Pronounced O'Fayra Ain-ye.
[FN#68] Pronounced Bayra.
[FN#69] Spelt Ath Cliath Medraidi. Ath is pronounced like Ah.
Then a truce they made; to the youths, that Raid who designed, they gave back their lives; And the maidens fair all pardoned were, who had fled with the youths, as wives, Who had gone with the herd, by the maids conferred on the men who the kine had gained: But the kine, restored to their rightful lord, in Regamon's hands remained; The maiden band in the Connaught land remained with the sons of Maev; And a score of cows to each maiden's spouse the maidens' father gave: As his daughters' dower, did their father's power his right in the cows resign, That the men might be fed of Ireland, led on the Raid for the Cualgne[FN#70] Kine. This tale, as the Tain bo Regamon, is known in the Irish tongue; And this lay they make, when the harp they wake, ere the Cualgne Raid be sung.
[FN#70] Pronounced Kell-ny.
THE RAID FOR THE CATTLE OF REGAMON
LITERAL TRANSLATION
In the time of Ailill and Medb, a glorious warrior and holder of land dwelt in the land of Connaught, and his name was Regamon. He had many herds of cattle, all of them fair and well-shaped: he had also seven daughters with him. Now the seven sons of Ailill and Medb loved these (daughters): namely the seven Maine, these were Maine Morgor (Maine with great filial love), Maine Mingar (Maine with less filial love), Maine Aithremail (Maine like his father), Maine Mathremail (Maine like his mother), Maine Milbel (Maine with the mouth of honey),[FN#71] Maine Moepert (Maine too great to be described), Maine Condageb-uile (Maine who combined all qualities): now this one had the form both of father and mother, and had all the glory that belonged to both parents.
[FN#71] The name of Maine Annai, making an eighth son, is given in Y.B.L., but not in the Egerton MS.
The seven daughters of Regamon were the three Dunann, and the four Dunlaith;[FN#72] from the names of these is the estuary of Dunann in western Connaught, and the Ford of Dunlaith in Breffny.
[FN#72] So Egerton, which Windisch follows here; the reading of Y.B.L. is Dunmed for the daughters, and Dumed for the corresponding ford.
Now at a certain time, Ailill and Medb and Fergus held counsel together. "Some one from us," said Ailill, "should go to Regamon, that a present of cattle may be brought to us from him; to meet the need that there is on us for feeding the men of Ireland, when the kine are raided from Cualgne." "I know," said Medb, "who would be good to go thither, if we ask it of them; even the Maine; on account of their love for the daughters."
His sons were called to Ailill, and he spoke with them. "Grateful is he, and a better journey does he go," said Maev, "who goes for the sake of his filial love." "Truly it shall be that it is owing to filial love that we go," said Mani Morgor. "But the reward should (also) for this be the better," said Mani Mingar; "it stands ill with our heroism, ill with our strength.
It is like going from a house into the fields, (going) into the domains or the land of foes. Too tenderly have we been brought up; none hath let us learn of wars; moreover the warriors are valiant towards whom we go!"
They took leave of Ailill and Medb, and betook themselves to the quest. They set out, seven times twenty heroes was the number, till they were in the south of Connaught, in the neighbourhood of the domain of Corcomroe[FN#73] in the land of Ninnus, near to the burg. "Some of you," said Mani Morgor, "should go to find out how to enter into the burg; and to test the love of maidens." Mani Mingar, with two others, went until he came upon three of the maidens at the water-springs, and at once he and his comrades drew their swords against them. "Give life for life!" said the maiden. "Grant to me then my three full words!" said Mani Mingar. "Whatever thy tongue sets forth shall be done," said the maiden, "only let it not be cows,[FN#74] for these have we no power to give thee." "For these indeed," said Mani, "is all that now we do."[FN#75]
[FN#73] Properly "Coremodruad," the descendants of Modh Ruadh, third son of Fergus by Maev; now Corcomroe in County Clare.
[FN#74]"Only let it not be cows" is in the Egerton MS. alone.
[FN#75] "That we do" is Egerton MS. (cich indingnem), Y.B.L. has "cechi m-bem."
"Who art thou?" said she: "Mani Mingar, son of Ailill and Medb," said he: "Welcome then," she said, "but what hath brought with you here?" "To take with us cattle and maidens," he said: "'Tis right," she said, "to take these together; (but) I fear that what has been demanded will not be granted, the men are valiant to whom you have come." "Let your entreaties be our aid!" he said. "We would desire," she said, "that it should be after that counsel hath been taken that we obey you."
"What is your number?" said she: "Seven times twenty heroes," he said, "are with us." "Remain here," she said, "that we may speak with the other maidens": "We shall assist you," said the maidens, "as well as we can."
They went from them, and came to the other maidens, and they said to them: "Young heroes from the lands of Connaught are come to you, your own true loves, the seven sons of Ailill and Medb." "Wherefore are they come?" "To take back with them cattle and wives." "That would we gladly have, if only we could; (but) I fear that the warriors will hinder them or drive them away," said she. "Go ye out, that ye may speak with the man." "We will speak with him," they said. The seven maidens went to the well, and they greeted Mani. "Come ye away," he said, "and bring your cattle with you. That will be a good deed. We shall assist you with our honour and our protection, O ye daughters of Regamon," said he.[FN#76] The maidens drove together their cows and their swine, and their sheep, so that none observed them; and they secretly passed on till they came to the camp of their comrades. The maidens greeted the sons of Ailill and Medb, and they remained there standing together. "The herd must be divided in two parts," said Mani Merger, "also the host must divide, for it is too great to travel by the one way; and we shall meet again at Ath Briuin (the Ford of Briuin)." So it was done.
[FN#76] Windisch conjectures this instead of "said the warriors," which is in the text of Y.B.L.
King Regamon was not there on that day. He was in the domain of Corco Baiscinn,[FN#77] to hold a conference with the Firbolgs. His people raised a cry behind him, message was brought to Regamon, and he went in pursuit with his army. The whole of the pursuing host overtook Mani Morgor, and brought defeat upon him.
[FN#77] In the south-west of Clare.
"We all," said Mani, "must go to one place, and some of you shall be sent to the cattle to summon the young men hither, and the maidens shall drive the cattle over the ford to Cruachan, and shall give Ailill and Medb tidings of the plight in which we are here." The maidens went to Cruachan, and told all the tale. "Thy sons are at Ath Briuin in distress, and have said that help should be brought to them." The men of Connaught with Ailill, and Medb, and Fergus, and the banished men of Ulster went to Ath Briuin to help their people.
The sons of Ailill had for the moment made hurdles of white-thorn and black-thorn in the gut[FN#78] of the ford, as defence against Regamon and his people, so that they were unable to pass through the ford ere Ailill and his army came; so thence cometh the name Ath Cliath Medraidi[FN#79] (the Hurdle Ford of Medraide), in the country of Little Bethra in the northern part of the O'Fiachrach Aidne between Connaught and Corcomroe. There they met together with all their hosts.
[FN#78] Literally "mouth."
[FN#79] Ath Cliath oc Medraige, now Maaree, in Ballycourty parish, Co. Galway (Stokes, Bodleian Dinnshenchus, 26). It may be mentioned that in the Dinnshenchus, the cattle are said to have been taken "from Dartaid, the daughter of Regamon in Munster," thus confusing the Raids of Regamon and Dartaid, which may account for O'Curry's incorrect statement in the preface to Leabhar na h-Uidhri, p. xv.
A treaty was then made between them on account of the fair young men who had carried off the cattle, and on account of the fair maidens who had gone with them, by whose means the herd escaped. Restitution of the herd was awarded to Regamon, and the maidens abode with the sons of Ailill and Medb; and seven times twenty milch-cows were given up, as a dowry for the maidens, and for the maintenance of the men of Ireland on the occasion of the assembly for the Tain bo Cualnge; so that this tale is called the Tain bo Regamon, and it is a prelude to the tale of the Tain bo Cualnge. Finit, amen.
THE DRIVING OF THE CATTLE OF FLIDAIS
INTRODUCTION
The Tain bo Flidais, the Driving of the Cows of Flidais, does not, like the other three Preludes to the Tain bo Cualnge, occur in the Yellow Book of Lecan; but its manuscript age is far the oldest of the four, as it occurs in both the two oldest collections of Old Irish romance, the Leabbar na h-Uidhri (abbreviated to L.U.), and the Book of Leinster (abbreviated to L.L.), besides the fifteenth century Egerton MS., that contains the other three preludes. The text of all three, together with a translation of the L.U. text, is given by Windisch in Irische Texte, II. pp. 206-223; the first part of the story is missing in L.U. and is supplied from the Book of Leinster (L.L.) version. The prose translation given here follows Windisch's translation pretty closely, with insertions occasionally from L.L. The Egerton version agrees closely with L.L., and adds little to it beyond variations in spelling, which have occasionally been taken in the case of proper names. The Leabhar na h-Uidhri version is not only the oldest, but has the most details of the three; a few passages have, however, been supplied from the other manuscripts which agree with L.U. in the main.
The whole tale is much more like an old Border riding ballad than are the other three Preludes; it resembles the tone of Regamon, but differs from it in having a good deal of slaughter to relate, though it can hardly be called tragic, like Deirdre and Ferb, the killing being taken as a matter of course. There is nothing at all supernatural about the story as contained in the old manuscripts, but a quite different' version of the story given in the Glenn Masain Manuscript, a fifteenth century manuscript now in the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh, gives another complexion to the tale.
The translation of this manuscript is at present being made in the Celtic Review by Professor Mackinnon; the version it gives of the story is much longer and fuller than that in the Leabhar na h-Uidhri, and its accompanying manuscripts. The translation as printed in the Celtic Review is not as yet (July 1905) completed, but, through Professor Mackinnon's kindness, an abstract of the general features of the end of the story may be given here.
The Glenn Masain version makes Bricriu, who is a subordinate character in the older version, one of the principal actors, and explains many of the allusions which are difficult to understand in the shorter version; but it is not possible to regard the older version as an abridgment of that preserved in the Glenn Masain MS., for the end of the story in this manuscript is absolutely different from that in the older ones, and the romance appears to be unique in Irish in that it has versions which give two quite different endings, like the two versions of Kipling's The Light that Failed.
The Glenn Masain version commences with a feast held at Cruachan, when Fergus and his exiles had joined their forces with Connaught as a result of the murder of the Sons of Usnach, as told in the earlier part of the manuscript. At this feast Bricriu. engages in conversation with Fergus, reproaching him for his broken promises to the Ulstermen who had joined him, and for his dalliance with Queen Maev. Bricriu, who in other romances is a mere buffoon, here appears as a distinguished poet, and a chief ollave; his satire remains bitter, but by no means scurrilous, and the verses put into his mouth, although far beneath the standard of the verses given to Deirdre in the earlier part of the manuscript, show a certain amount of dignity and poetic power. As an example, the following satire on Fergus's inability to keep his promises may be cited:—
Fergus, hear thy friend lamenting! Blunted is thy lofty mind; Thou, for hire, to Maev consenting, Hast thy valour's pride resigned.
Ere another year's arriving, Should thy comrades, thou didst vow, Three-score chariots fair be driving, Shields and weapons have enow!
When thy ladies, bent on pleasure, Crowd towards the banquet-hall, Thou of gold a goodly measure Promised hast to grant to all!
Ill to-night thy friends are faring, Naught hath Fergus to bestow; He a poor man's look is wearing, Never yet was greater woe!
After the dialogue with Fergus, Bricriu, with the poets that attend him, undertakes a journey to Ailill the Fair, to obtain from him the bounty that Fergus had promised but was unable to grant. He makes a fairly heavy demand upon Ailill's bounty, but is received hospitably, and gets all he had asked for, as well as honour for his poetic talents. He then asks about Ailill's wife Flidais, and is told about her marvellous cow, which was able to supply milk to more than three hundred men at one night's milking. Flidais returns from a journey, is welcomed by Bricriu, who produces a poem in honour of her and her cow, and is suitably recompensed.
A long conversation is then recorded between Flidais and Bricriu in which Bricriu extols the great deeds of Fergus, supplying thereby a commentary on the short statement at the beginning of the older version, that Flidais' love to Fergus was on account of the great deeds which had been told her that he had done. Flidais declares to Bricriu her love for Fergus, and Bricriu, after a vain attempt to dissuade the queen from her purpose, consents to bring a message to Fergus that Flidais and her cow will come to him if he comes to her husband's castle to seek her. He then returns to Connaught laden with gifts.
The story now proceeds somewhat upon the lines of the older version. Bricriu approaches Fergus on his return, and induces him to go in the guise of an ambassador to Ailill the Fair, with the secret intention of carrying off Flidais. Fergus receives the sanction of Maev and her husband for his errand, and departs, but not as in the older version with a few followers; all the Ulster exiles are with him. Dubhtach, by killing a servant of Maev, embroils Fergus with the queen of Connaught; and the expedition reaches Ailill the Fair's castle. Fergus sends Bricriu, who has most unwillingly accompanied him, to ask for hospitality; he is hospitably received by Ailill, and when under the influence of wine reveals to Ailill the plot. Ailill does not, as in the older version, refuse to receive Fergus, but seats him beside himself at a feast, and after reproaching him with his purpose challenges him to a duel in the morning. The result of the duel, and of the subsequent attack on the castle by Fergus' friends, is much as stated in the older version, but the two stories end quite differently. The L.U. version makes Flidais assist in the War of Cualgne by feeding the army of Ailill each seventh day with the produce of her cows; she dies after the war as wife of Fergus; the Glenn Masain version, in the "Pursuit of the Cattle of Flidais," makes the Gamanrad clan, the hero-clan of the West of Ireland, pursue Maev and Fergus, and rescue Flidais and her cow; Flidais then returns to the west with Muiretach Menn, the son of her murdered husband, Ailill the Fair.
The comparison of these two versions, from the literary point of view, is most interesting. The stress laid on the supernatural cow is peculiar to the version in the later manuscript, the only analogy in the eleventh century version is the semi-supernatural feeding of the army of Ireland, but in this it is a herd (buar), not a single animal, that is credited with the feat, and there is really nothing supernatural about the matter; it is only the other version that enables us to see the true bearing of the incident. The version in the Glenn Masain Manuscript looks much more ancient in idea than that in the older texts, and is plainly capable of a mythic interpretation. It is not of course suggested that the Glenn Masain version is ancient as it stands: there are indeed enough obvious allusions in the text to comparatively late works to negative such a supposition, independently of linguistic evidence, but it does look as if the author of the eleventh century text had a super natural tale to work upon, some of whose incidents are preserved in the Glenn Masain version, and that he succeeded in making out of the traditional account a story that practically contains no supernatural element at all, so that it requires a knowledge of the other version to discover the slight trace of the supernatural that he did keep, viz. the feeding of the army of Ireland by the herd (not the cow) of Flidais.
It is possible that the common origin of the two versions is preserved for us in another place, the Coir Annam, which, though it as it stands is a Middle Irish work, probably keeps ancient tradition better than the more finished romances. In this we find, following Stokes' translation, given in Irische Texte, III. P. 295, the following entries:—
"Adammair Flidaise Foltchain, that is Flidais the Queen, one of the tribe of the god-folk (the Tuatha de Danaan), she was wife of Adammair, the son of Fer Cuirp, and from her cometh the name Buar Flidaise, the Cattle of Flidais.
"Nia Segamain, that is seg (deer) are a main (his treasure), for in his time cows and does were milked in the same way every day, so that he had great wealth in these things beyond that of all other kings. The Flidais spoken of above was the mother of Nia Segamain, Adammair's son, for two kinds of cattle, cows and does, were milked in the days of Nia Segamain, and by his mother was that fairy power given to him."
It seems, then, not impossible that the original legend was much as stated in the Coir Annam, viz. that Flidais was a supernatural being, milking wild deer like cows, and that she was taken into the Ulster Cycle and made part of the tale of Fergus.
This adoption was done by an author who made a text which may be regarded as the common original of the two versions; in his tale the supernatural character of Flidais was retained. The author of the L.U. version cut out the supernatural part, and perhaps the original embassy of Bricriu; it may, however, be noted that the opening of the older version comes from the L.L. text, which is throughout shorter than that in L.U., and the lost opening of L.U. may have been fuller. The author of the Glenn Masain version kept nearer to the old story, adding, however, more modern touches. Where the new character of Bricriu comes from is a moot point; I incline to the belief that the idea of Bricriu as a mere buffoon is a later development. But in neither version is the story, as we have it, a pre-Christian one. The original pre-Christian idea of Flidais was, as in the Coir Annam, that of a being outside the Ulster Cycle altogether.
THE DRIVING OF THE CATTLE OF FLIDAIS
FROM THE LEABHAR NA H-UIDHRI (ELEVENTH-CENTURY MS.), THE BEGINNING AND A FEW ADDITIONS FROM THE BOOK OF LEINSTER (TWELFTH CENTURY)
A land in West Roscommon, as Kerry known of old, Was ruled by Ailill Fair-haired; of him a tale is told: How Flidais,[FN#80] Ailill's[FN#81] consort, each week, and near its end, To Ro's great son, to Fergus, her herald still would send; 'Twas Fergus' love she sought for; the deeds by Fergus done, In glorious tales recited, had Flidais' fancy won.
[FN#80] Pronounced Flid-das.
[FN#81] Pronounced Al-ill.
When Fergus fled from Ulster, and Connaught's land he sought, To Ailill, king of Connaught, this tale of love he brought: "Now give me rede," said Fergus, "how best we here should act, That Connaught's fame and honour by none may stand attacked; Say, how can I approach them, and strip thy kingdom bare, And yet the fame of Ailill, that country's monarch, spare?" "'Tis hard indeed to teach thee," cried Ailill, sore perplexed; "Let Maev come nigh with counsel what course to follow next!"
"Send thou to Ailill Fair-haired to ask for aid!" said Maev, "He well may meet a herald, who comes his help to crave Let Fergus go to crave it: no harm can there be seen; And better gifts from Ailill shall Fergus win, I ween!"
So forth to Ailill Fair-haired went Fergus, son of Ro; And thirty, Dubhtach[FN#82] leading, he chose with him to go; And yet another Fergus his aid to Fergus brought; Mac Oonlama[FN#83] men called him; his sire one-handed fought.
[FN#82] Pronounced Doov-ta.
[FN#83] Spelt Mac Oenlama, son of the one-handed one.
Beside the Ford of Fenna, in Kerry's north they came, They neared the hold, and from it rang welcome's loud acclaim: "What quest," said Ailill Fair-haired, "hath brought these warriors here?" "Of Ailill, son of Magach, we stand," they said, "in fear; A feud we hold against him; with thee would fain abide!" "For each of these," said Ailill, "who Fergus march beside, If they were foes to Connaught, for long they here might stay, And ne'er till peace was granted, I'd drive these men away: For Fergus, naught I grant him a tale of him men tell That Fergus 'tis whom Flidais, my wife, doth love too well!"
"It is kine that I ask for," said Fergus, "and hard is the task on me set: For the men who have marched here beside me, the means to win life I must get." "I will give no such present," said Ailill," thou comest not here as my guest: Men will say, 'twas from fear that I gave it, lest my wife from my arms thou should'st wrest: Yet an ox of my herds, and some bacon, if thou wilt, shall my hand to thee give; That the men who have marched here beside thee on that meat may be stayed, and may live!"
"I eat no bread thus thrown me!" fierce Fergus straight replied: "I asked a gift of honour; that gift thine hand denied." "Avoid my house," said Ailill in wrath, "now get thee hence! "We go indeed," said Fergus; "no siege we now commence: Yet here," he cried, "for duel beside yon ford I wait, If thou canst find a champion to meet me at thy gate."
Then up and answered Ailill: "'Tis mine this strife must be And none shall hurt mine honour, or take this task from me: None hold me back from battle!"—the ford for fight he sought: "Now Dubhtach, say," said Fergus, "to whom this war is brought! Or thou or I must meet him." And Dubhtach said, "I go; For I am younger, Fergus, and bolder far with foe."
To the ford for the battle with Ailill he hies, And he thrust at him fiercely, and pierced through his thighs; But a javelin by Ailill at Dubhtach was cast, And right through his body the shaft of it passed: And a shield over Dubhtach, laid low in the dust, Spread Fergus; and Ailill his spear at him thrust; And through Fergus' shield had the spear made its way, When Fergus Mae Oonlama joined in the fray, And his shield he uplifted, his namesake to guard; But at Fergus Mac Oonlama Ailill thrust hard, And he brake through the fence of Mac Oonlama's shield; And he leaped in his pain; as they lay on the field, On his comrades he fell: Flidais forth to them flew, And her cloak on the warriors to shield them she threw.
Then against all the comrades of Fergus turned Ailill the Fair-haired to fight, And he chased them away from his castle, and slew as they scattered in flight; A twenty he reached, and he slew them: they fell, on that field to remain; And but seven there were of that thirty who fled, and their safety could gain: They came to the palace of Croghan, they entered the gates of that hold, And to Maev and to Ailill of Connaught the tale of the slaughter they told.
Then roused himself King Ailill, of Connaught's land the king, With Maev to march to battle, their aid to friends to bring: And forth from Connaught's kingdom went many a lord of worth, Beside them marched the exiles who gat from Ulster birth: So forward went that army, and reached to Kerry's land, And near the Ford of Fenna they came, and there made stand.
While this was done, the wounded three Within the hold lay still, And Flidais cared for all, for she To heal their wounds had skill.
To Ailill Fair-Haired's castle the Connaught host was led, And toward the foeman's ramparts the Connaught herald sped; He called on Ailill Fair-haired to come without the gate, And there to meet King Ailill, and with him hold debate. "I come to no such meeting," the angry chief replied; "Yon man is far too haughty: too grossly swells his pride!"
Yet 'twas peaceful meeting, So the old men say, Ailill willed; whose greeting Heralds bore that day. Fergus, ere he perished, First he sought to aid He that thought who cherished Friendship's claims obeyed: Then his foe he vainly Hoped in truce to bind: Peace, 'tis said, was plainly Dear to Connaught's mind!
The wounded men, on litters laid, Without the walls they bore To friendly hands, with skill to aid, And fainting health restore.
At the castle of Ailill the Fair-Haired the Connaught-men rushed in attack, And to win it they failed: from his ramparts in defeat were his foes driven back: For long in that contest they struggled, yet naught in the fight they prevailed - For a week were the walls of the castle of Ailill the Fair-Haired assailed, Seven score of the nobles of Connaught, and all of them warriors of might, For the castle of Ailill contended, and fell as they strove in the fight.
"'Tis sure that with omen of evil this castle was sought by our folk!" Thus Bricroo,[FN#84] the Poisonous Scoffer, in mockery, jeering them, spoke: "The taunt," answered Ailill Mae Mata, "is true, and with grief I confess That the fame of the heroes of Ulster hereafter is like to be less, For a three of the Ulstermen's champions in stress of the fight have been quelled; And the vengeance we wait for from Ulster hath long been by Ulster withheld; As a pillar of warfare each hero, 'twas claimed, could a battle sustain; Yet by none of the three in this battle hath a foeman been conquered, or slain! In the future for all of these champions shall scorn and much mocking befall: One man hath come forth from yon castle; alone he hath wounded them all— Such disgrace for such heroes of valour no times that are past ever saw, For three lords of the battle lie conquered by mannikins, fashioned of straw!"
[FN#84] Spelt Bricriu. The usual epithet of Bricriu, "Bricriu of the Poison Tongue," is indicated in the verse rendering.
"Ah! woe is me," said Bricroo, "how long, thus stretched on ground, The length of Father Fergus hath here by all been found! But one he sought to conquer; a single fight essayed, And here he met his victor, and low on land is laid."
Then rose the men of Ulster a hardy war to wage, And forward rushed, though naked, in strong and stubborn rage: Against the castle gateway in wrathful might they dashed, And down the shattered portal within the castle crashed. Then close by Ulster's champions was Connaught's battle formed; And Connaught's troops with Ulster by might the castle stormed; But fitly framed for battle were men whom there they met, Wild war, where none showed pity between the hosts was set: And well they struck; each hero commenced with mighty blows To crush and slay, destruction was heaped by foe on foes.
Of the wounding at length and the slaughter all weary the champions had grown, And the men who the castle of Ailill had held were at length over thrown: Of those who were found in that castle, and its walls had defended so well, Seven hundred by warriors of Ulster were smitten to death, and they fell: And there in his castle fell Ailill the Fair-haired, and fighting he died, And a thirty of sons stood about him, and all met their death by his side.
The chief of those who perished, by Ailill's side who stood Within his hold, were Noodoo;[FN#85] and Awley[FN#86] named the Good; And Feeho[FN#87] called the Broad-backed; and Corpre Cromm the Bent; An Ailill, he from Breffny to help of Ailill went; A three whose name was Angus-fierce was each warrior's face; Three Eochaid, sea-girt Donnan[FN#88] had cradled erst their race; And there fell seven Breslen, from plains of Ay[FN#89] who came; And fifty fell beside them who all had Donnell's name.
[FN#85] Spelt Nuado.
[FN#86] Spelt Amalgaid.
[FN#87] Spelt Fiacho.
[FN#88] Irross Donnan, the promontory of Donnan (now Mayo).
[FN#89] Mag Ai, a plain in Roscommon.
For to Ailill the Fair-Haired for warfare had marched all the Gamanra[FN#90] clan, And his friends from the sea-girded Donnan had sent to his aid every man; All these had with Ailill been leaguered, their help to him freely they brought, And that aid from them Ailill. took gladly, he knew that his hold would be sought; He knew that the exiles of Ulster his captives from prison would save, And would come, their surrender demanding; that Ailill mac Mata and Maev Would bring all Connaught's troops to the rescue: for Fergus that aid they would lend, And Fergus the succour of Connaught could claim, and with right, as a friend.
[FN#90] Spelt Gamanrad.
Hero clans in Erin three of old were found; One in Irross Donnan, oceans Donnan bound, Thence came Clan Gamanra; Deda's warlike clan Nursed in Tara Loochra[FN#91] many a fighting man. Deda sprang from Munster; far in Ulster's north Oft from Emain Macha Rury's[FN#92] clan went forth: Vainly all with Rury strove to fight, the twain Rury's clan hath vanquished; Rury all hath slain!
[FN#91] Temair Luachra, an ancient palace near Abbeyfeale, on the borders of the counties of Limerick and Kerry. "Tara," as is well known, is a corruption of Temair, but is now established.
[FN#92] Spelt Rudraige.
Then rose up the warriors of Ulster, the hold they had conquered to sack; And the folk of Queen Maev and King Ailill followed close on the Ulstermen's track: And they took with them captives; for Flidais away from her castle they tore; And the women who dwelt in the castle away to captivity bore:
And all things therein that were precious they seized on as booty; the gold And the silver they seized, and the treasures amassed by the men of that hold: The horns, and the goblets for drinking, the vats for the ale, and the keys, The gay robes with all hues that were glowing lay there for the raiders to seize: And much cattle they took; in that castle were one hundred of milk giving kine; And beside them a seven score oxen; three thousand of sheep and of swine.
Then Flidais went with Fergus, his wedded wife to be; For thus had Maev and Ailill pronounced their high decree: They bade that when from Cualgne to drive the kine they went, From those who then were wedded should aid for war be sent. And thus it fell thereafter: when Ireland went that Raid, By milk from cows of Flidais, the lives of all were stayed; Each seventh day she sent it; and thus fulfilled her vows, And thus the tale is ended, men tell of Flidais' Cows.
Then, all that Raid accomplished, with Fergus Flidais dwell And he of Ulster's kingdom a part in lordship held: He ruled in Mag I Murthemne[FN#92], yea, more than that, he won The land where once was ruler Cuchulain, Sualtam's son: And by the shore of Bali thereafter Flidais died, And naught of good for Fergus did Flidais' death betide: For worse was all his household; if Fergus aught desired, From Flidais' wealth and bounty came all his soul required.
In the days that followed, when his wife was dead, Fergus went to Connaught; there his blood was shed: There with Maev and Ailill he a while would stay; Men had made a story, he would learn the lay! There he went to cheer him, hearing converse fair: Kine beside were promised; home he these would bear: So he went to Croghan, 'twas a deadly quest, There he found his slaughter, death within the west: Slain by jealous Ailill, Fergus low was laid: Flidais' tale is ended: now comes Cualgne's Raid!
[FN#92] Pronounced Maw Moortemmy
THE DRIVING OF THE CATTLE OF FLIDAIS
LITERAL TRANSLATION
Flidais was the wife of Ailill Finn (the Fair-haired) in the district of Kerry.[FN#93] She loved Fergus the son of Rog on account of the glorious tales about him; and always there went messengers from her to him at the end of each week.
[FN#93] Kerry is the district now called Castlereagh, in the west of the present county of Roscommon.
So, when he came to Connaught, he brought this matter before[FN#94] Ailill: "What[FN#95] shall I do next in this matter?" said Fergus: "it is hard for me to lay bare your land, without there being loss to thee of honour and renown therewith." "Yes, what shall we do next in the matter?" said Ailill; "we will consider this in counsel with Maev." "Let one of us go to Ailill Finn," (said Maev), "that he may help us, and as this involves a meeting of some one with him, there is no reason why it should not be thyself who goest to him: the gift will be all the better for that!"
[FN#94] i.e. Ailill of Connaught.
[FN#95] This sentence to the end is taken from the Egerton version, which seems the clearer; the Book of Leinster gives: "What shall I do next, that there be no loss of honour or renown to thee in the matter?"
Then Fergus set out thereon, in number thirty men; the two Ferguses (i.e. Fergus mac Rog, and Fergus mac Oen-lama) and Dubhtach; till they were at the Ford of Fenna in the north of the land of Kerry. They go to the burg, and welcome is brought to them.[FN#96] "What brings you here?" said Ailill Finn. "We had the intention of staying with you on a visit, for we have a quarrel with Ailill the son of Magach."
[FN#96] The Book of the Dun Cow (Leabhar na h-Uidhri) version begins at this point.
"If it were one of thy people who had the quarrel, he should stay with me until he had made his peace. But thou shalt not stay," said Ailill Finn, "it has been told me that my wife loves thee!" "We must have a gift of cows then," said Fergus, "for a great need lies on us, even the sustenance of the troop who have gone with me into exile." "Thou shalt carry off no such present from me," he said, "because thou art not remaining with me on a visit. Men will say that it is to keep my wife that I gave thee what thou hast required. I[FN#97] will give to your company one ox and some bacon to help them, if such is your pleasure." "I will eat not thy bread although offered (lit. however)," said Fergus, "because I can get no present of honour from thee!"
[FN#97] L.L. and Egerton make the end of this speech part of the story: "There was given to them one ox with bacon, with as much as they wished of beer, as a feast for them."
"Out of my house with you all, then!" said Ailill.
"That shall be," said Fergus; "we shall not begin to lay siege to thee and they betake themselves outside.
"Let a man come at once to fight me beside a ford at the gate of this castle!" said Fergus.
"That[FN#98] will not for the sake of my honour be refused," said Ailill; "I will not hand it (the strife) over to another: I will go myself," said he. He went to a ford against him. "Which of us," said Fergus, "O Dubhtach, shall encounter this man?" "I will go," said Dubhtach; "I am younger and keener than thou art!" Dubhtach went against Ailill. Dubhtach thrust a spear through Ailill so that it went through his two thighs. He (Ailill) hurled a javelin at Dubhtach, so that he drove the spear right through him, (so that it came out) on the other side.
[FN#98] The end of the speech is from L.L.: the L.U. text gives the whole speech thus: "For my honour's sake, I could not draw back in this matter."
Fergus threw his shield over Dubhtach. The former (Ailill) thrust his spear at the shield of Fergus so that he even drove the shaft right through it. Fergus mac Oen-laimi comes by. Fergus mac Oen-laimi holds a shield in front of him (the other Fergus). Ailill struck his spear upon this so that it was forced right through it. He leaped so that he lay there on the top of his companions. Flidais comes by from the castle, and throws her cloak over the three.
Fergus' people took to flight; Ailill pursues them. There remain (slain) by him twenty men of them. Seven of them escape to Cruachan Ai, and tell there the whole story to Ailill and Medb.
Then Ailill and Medb arise, and the nobles of Connaught and the exiles from Ulster: they march into the district of Kerry Ai with their troops as far as: the Ford of Fenna.
Meanwhile the wounded men were being cared for by Flidais in the castle, and their healing was undertaken by her.
Then the troops come to the castle. Ailill Finn is summoned to Ailill mac Mata to come to a conference with him outside the castle. "I will not go," he said; "the pride and arrogance of that man there is great."
It was,[FN#99] however, for a peaceful meeting that Ailill mac Mata had come to Ailill the Fair-haired, both that he might save Fergus, as it was right he should, and that he might afterwards make peace with him (Ailill Fair haired), according to the will of the lords of Connaught.
[FN#99] This passage is sometimes considered to be an interpolation by a scribe or narrator whose sympathies were with Connaught. The passage does not occur in the Book of Leinster, nor in the Egerton MS.
Then the wounded men were brought out of the castle, on hand-barrows, that they might be cared for by their own people.
Then the men attack him (Ailill Finn): while they are storming the castle, and they could get no hold on him, a full week long went it thus with them. Seven times twenty heroes from among the nobles of Connaught fell during the time that they (endeavoured) to storm the castle of Ailill the Fair-haired.
"It was with no good omen that with which you went to this castle," said Bricriu. "True indeed is the word that is spoken," said Ailill mac Mata. "The expedition is bad for the honour of the Ulstermen, in that their three heroes fall, and they take not vengeance for them. Each one (of the three) was a pillar of war, yet not a single man has fallen at the hands of one of the three! Truly these heroes are great to be under such wisps of straw as axe the men of this castle! Most worthy is it of scorn that one man has wounded you three!"
"O woe is me," said Bricriu, "long is the length upon the ground of my Papa Fergus, since one man in single combat laid him low!"
Then the champions of Ulster arise, naked as they were, and make a strong and obstinate attack in their rage and in the might of their violence, so that they forced in the outer gateway till it was in the midst of the castle, and the men of Connaught go beside them. They storm the castle with great might against the valiant warriors who were there. A wild pitiless battle is fought between them, and each man begins to strike out against the other, and to destroy him.
Then, after they had wearied of wounding and overcoming one another, the people of the castle were overthrown, and the Ulstermen slay seven hundred warriors there in the castle with Ailill the Fair-Haired and thirty of his sons; and Amalgaid the Good;[FN#100] and Nuado; and Fiacho Muinmethan (Fiacho the Broad-backed); and Corpre Cromm (the Bent or Crooked); and Ailill from Brefne; and the three Oengus Bodbgnai (the Faces of Danger); and the three Eochaid of Irross (i.e. Irross Donnan); and the seven Breslene from Ai; and the fifty Domnall.
[FN#100] "The Good" is in the Book of Leinster and the Egerton text, not in the Leabhar na h-Uidhri: the two later texts omit Nuado.
For the assembly of the Gamanrad were with Ailill, and each of the men of Domnan who had bidden himself to come to him to aid him: they were in the same place assembled in his castle; for he knew that the exiles from Ulster and Ailill and Medb with their army would come to him to demand the surrender of Fergus, for Fergus was under their protection.
This was the third race of heroes in Ireland, namely the Clan Gamanrad of Irross Donnan (the peninsula of Donnan), and (the other two were) the Clan Dedad in Temair Lochra, and the Clan Rudraige in Emain Macha. But both the other clans were destroyed by the Clan Rudraige.
But the men of Ulster arise, and with them the people of Medb and of Ailill; and they laid waste the castle, and take Flidais out of the castle with them, and carry off the women of the castle into captivity; and they take with them all the costly things and the treasures that were there, gold and silver, and horns, and drinking cups, and keys, and vats; and they take what there was of garments of every colour, and they take what there was of kine, even a hundred milch-cows, and a hundred and forty oxen, and thirty hundred of little cattle.
And after these things had been done, Flidais went to Fergus mac Rog according to the decree of Ailill and Medb, that they might thence have sustenance (lit. that their sustenance might be) on the occasion of the Raid of the Cows of Cualgne. As[FN#101] a result of this, Flidais was accustomed each seventh day from the produce of her cows to support the men of Ireland, in order that during the Raid she might provide them with the means of life. This then was the Herd of Flidais.
[FN#101] L.L. and Egerton give "For him used every seventh day," &c.
In consequence[FN#102] of all this Flidais went with Fergus to his home, and he received the lordship of a part of Ulster, even Mag Murthemni (the plain of Murthemne), together with that which had been in the hands of Cuchulain, the son of Sualtam. So Flidais died after some time at Trag Bli (the shore of Bali), and the state of Fergus' household was none the better for that. For she used to supply all Fergus' needs whatsoever they might be (lit. she used to provide for Fergus every outfit that he desired for himself). Fergus died after some time in the land of Connaught, after the death of his wife, after he had gone there to obtain knowledge of a story. For, in order to cheer himself, and to fetch home a grant of cows from Ailill and Medb, he had gone westwards to Cruachan, so that it was in consequence of this journey that he found his death in the west, through the jealousy of Ailill.
[FN#102] L.L. and Egerton give "thereafter," adopted in verse translation.
This, then, is the story of the Tain bo Flidais; it[FN#103] is among the preludes of the Tain bo Cualnge.
[FN#103] This sentence does not occur in the Leabhar na h-Uidhri. It is given as in the Egerton version: the Book of Leinster gives "it is among the preludes of the Tain."
THE APPARITION OF THE GREAT QUEEN TO CUCHULAIN
(TAIN BO REGAMNA)
INTRODUCTION
This tale is given by the same two manuscripts that give the Tain bo Dartada and the Tain bo Regamon; namely the Yellow Book of Lecan, and Egerton 1782. The text of both is given by Windisch, Irische Texte, II. pp. 239-254; he gives a translation of the version in the Yellow Book, with a few insertions from the Egerton MS., where the version in Y.B.L. is apparently corrupt: Miss Hull gives an English translation of Windisch's rendering, in the Cuchullin Saga, pages 103 to 107. The prose version given here is a little closer to the Irish than Miss Hull's, and differs very little from that of Windisch. The song sung by the Morrigan to Cuchulain is given in the Irish of both versions by Windisch; he gives no rendering, as it is difficult and corrupt: I can make nothing of it, except that it is a jeering account of the War of Cualgne.
The title Tain bo Regamna is not connected with anything in the tale, as given; Windisch conjectures "Tain bo Morrigna," the Driving of the Cow of the Great Queen (Morrigan); as the woman is called at the end of the Egerton version. The Morrigan, one of the three goddesses of war, was the chief of them: they were Morrigan, Badb, and Macha. She is also the wife of the Dagda, the chief god of the pagan Irish. The Yellow Book version calls her Badb in this tale, but the account in the Tain bo Cualnge (Leabhar na h-Uidhri facsimile, pp. 74 and 77), where the prophecies are fulfilled, agrees with the Egerton version in calling the woman of this tale the Morrigan or the Great Queen.
THE APPARITION OF THE GREAT QUEEN TO CUCHULAIN
(ALSO CALLED "TAIN BO REGAMNA")
FROM THE YELLOW BOOK OF LECAN (FOURTEENTH CENTURY)
AT Dun Imrid lay Cuchulain,[FN#104] and slept, when a cry rang out; And in fear he heard from the north-land come ringing that terrible shout: He fell, as he woke from his slumber, with the thud of a weight, to the ground, From his couch on that side of the castle that the rising sun first found. He left his arms in the castle, as the lawns round its walls he sought, But his wife, who followed behind him, apparel and arms to him brought: Then he saw his harnessed chariot, and Laeg,[FN#105] his charioteer, From Ferta Laig who drave it: from the north the car drew near: "What bringeth thee here?" said Cuchulain: said Laeg, "By a cry I was stirred, That across the plain came sounding." "And whence was the cry thou hast heard?" "From the north-west quarter it travelled, it crossed the great Cayll[FN#106] Cooen road!" "Follow on, on that track," said Cuchulain, "till we know what that clamour may bode!"
[FN#104] Pronounced Cu-hoolin.
[FN#105] Pronounced Layg.
[FN#106] Spelt Caill Cuan.
At the ford of the Double Wonder, at Ah[FN#107] Fayrta, the car made stand For a chariot rattled toward them, from the clay-soiled Coolgarry[FN#108] land And before them came that chariot; and strange was the sight they saw: For a one-legged chestnut charger was harnessed the car to draw; And right through the horse's body the pole of the car had passed, To a halter across his forehead was the pole with a wedge made fast: A red woman sat in the chariot, bright red were her eyebrows twain A crimson cloak was round her: the folds of it touched the plain: Two poles were behind her chariot: between them her mantle flowed; And close by the side of that woman a mighty giant strode; On his back was a staff of hazel, two-forked, and the garb he wore Was red, and a cow he goaded, that shambled on before.
[FN#107] Spelt Ath Ferta, or more fully Ath da Ferta, the ford of the two marvels.
[FN#108] Spelt Culgaire.
To that woman and man cried Cuchulain, "Ye who drive that cow do wrong, For against her will do ye drive her!" "Not to thee doth that cow belong," Said the woman; "no byre of thy comrades or thy friends hath that cow yet barred." "The kine of the land of Ulster," said Cuchulain, "are mine to guard!" "Dost thou sit on the seat of judgment?" said the dame, "and a sage decree On this cow would'st thou give, Cuchulain?—too great is that task for thee!" Said the hero, "Why speaketh this woman? hath the man with her never a word?" "'Twas not him you addressed," was her answer, "when first your reproaches we heard." "Nay, to him did I speak," said Cuchulain, "though 'tis thou to reply who would'st claim!" 'Ooer-gay-skyeo-loo-ehar-skyeo[FN#109] is the name that he bears," said the dame.
[FN#109] Spelt Uar-gaeth-sceo-luachair-sceo
"'Tis a marvellous name!" said Cuchulain, "if from thee all my answer must come, Let it be as thou wishest; thy comrade, this man, as it seemeth, is dumb. Tell me now of thine own name, O woman." "Faebor-bayg-byeo-ill,"[FN#110] said the man. "Coom-diewr-folt-skayv-garry-skyeo-ooa is her name, if pronounce it you can!" Then Cuchulain sprang at the chariot: "Would ye make me a fool with your jest?" He cried, as he leapt at the woman; his feet on her shoulders he pressed, And he set on her head his spear-point: "Now cease from thy sharp weapon-play!" Cried the woman. Cuchulain made answer: Thy name to me truth fully say!" "Then remove thyself from me!" she answered: I am skilled in satirical spells; The man is called Darry I mac Feena[FN#111]: in the country of Cualgne[FN#112] he dwells; I of late made a marvellous poem; and as fee for the poem this cow Do I drive to my home." "Let its verses," said Cuchulain," be sung to me now!" "Then away from me stand!" said the woman: "though above me thou shakest thy spear, It will naught avail thee to move me." Then he left her, but lingered near, Between the poles of her chariot: the woman her song then sang; And the song was a song of insult. Again at the car he sprang, But nothing he found before him: as soon as the car he had neared, The woman, the horse, and the chariot, the cow, and the man disappeared.
[FN#110] Spelt Faebor-begbeoil-cuimdiuir-folt-seenb-gairit-sceo-uath.
[FN#111] Spelt Daire mac Fiachna: he is the owner of the Dun of Cualgne in the Great Tain.
[FN#112] Pronounced Kell-ny.
At a bird on a bough, as they vanished, a glance by Cuchulain was cast, And he knew to that bird's black body the shape of the woman had passed: As a woman of danger I know you," he cried, "and as powerful in spell!" From to-day and for ever," she chanted, "this tale in yon clay-land shall dwell!" And her word was accomplished; that region to-day is the Grella Dolloo,[FN#113] The Clay-land of Evil: its name from the deeds of that woman it drew.
[FN#113] Spelt Grellach Dolluid.
"Had I known it was you," said Cuchulain, "not thus had you passed from my sight!" And she sang, "For thy deed it is fated that evil shall soon be thy plight!" Thou canst. do naught against me," he answered. "Yea, evil in sooth can I send; Of thy Bringer of Death I am guardian, shall guard it till cometh thine end: From the Under-world Country of Croghan this cow have I driven, to breed By the Dun Bull of Darry[FN#114] Mae Feena, the Bull that in Cualgne doth feed. So long as her calf be a yearling, for that time thy life shall endure; But, that then shall the Raid have beginning, the dread Raid of Cualgne, be sure."
[FN#114] Spelt Daire mac Fiachna.
"Nay, clearer my fame shall be ringing," the hero replied," for the Raid: All bards, who my deeds shall be singing, must tell of the stand that I made, Each warrior in fight shall be stricken, who dares with my valour to strive: Thou shalt see me, though battle-fields thicken, from the Tain Bo returning alive!"
"How canst thou that strife be surviving?" the woman replied to his song, "For, when thou with a hero art striving, as fearful as thou, and as strong, Who like thee in his wars is victorious, who all of thy feats can perform, As brave, and as great, and as glorious, as tireless as thou in a storm, Then, in shape of an eel round thee coiling, thy feet at the Ford I will bind, And thou, in such contest when toiling, a battle unequal shalt find."
"By my god now I swear, by the token that Ulstermen swear by," he cried; "On a green stone by me shall be broken that eel, to the Ford if it glide: From woe it shall ne'er be escaping, till it loose me, and pass on its way!" And she said: "As a wolf myself shaping, I will spring on thee, eager to slay, I will tear thee; the flesh shall be rended from thy chest by the wolf's savage bite, Till a strip be torn from thee, extended from the arm on thy left to thy right! With blows that my spear-shaft shall deal thee," he said, "I will force thee to fly Till thou quit me; my skill shall not heal thee, though bursts from thy head either eye!" I will come then," she cried, "as a heifer, white-skinned, but with ears that are red, At what time thou in fight shalt endeavour the blood of a hero to shed, Whose skill is full match for thy cunning; by the ford in a lake I will be, And a hundred white cows shall come running, with red ears, in like fashion to me:
As the hooves of the cows on thee trample, thou shalt test 'truth of men in the fight': And the proof thou shalt have shall be ample, for from thee thy head they shall smite!" Said Cuchulain: "Aside from thee springing, a stone for a cast will I take, And that stone at thee furiously slinging, thy right or thy left leg will break: Till thou quit me, no help will I grant thee." Morreegan,[FN#115] the great Battle Queen, With her cow to Rath Croghan departed, and no more by Cuchulain was seen. For she went to her Under-World Country: Cuchulain returned to his place. The tale of the Great Raid of Cualgne this lay, as a prelude, may grace.
[FN#115] Spelt Morrigan.
THE APPARITION OF THE GREAT QUEEN TO CUCHULAIN
LITERAL TRANSLATION
When Cuchulain lay in his sleep at Dun Imrid, there he heard a cry from the north; it came straight towards him; the cry was dire, and most terrifying to him. And he awaked in the midst of his sleep, so that he fell, with the fall of a heavy load, out of his couch,[FN#116] to the ground on the eastern side of his house. He went out thereupon without his weapons, so that he was on the lawns before his house, but his wife brought out, as she followed behind him, his arms and his clothing. Then he saw Laeg in his harnessed chariot, coming from Ferta Laig, from the north; and "What brings thee here?" said Cuchulain. "A cry," said Laeg, "that I heard sounding over the plains. "On what side was it?" said Cuchulain. "From the north-west it seemed," said Laeg, "that is, across the great road of Caill Cuan."[FN#117] "Let us follow after to know of it (lit. after it, to it for us)," said Cuchulain.
[FN#116] Or "out of his room." The word is imda, sometimes rendered "bed," as here by Windisch sometimes also "room," as in the Bruidne da Derga by Whitley Stokes.
[FN#117] Lough Cuan was the old name for Strangford Lough.
They went out thereupon till they came to Ath da Ferta. When they were there, straightway they heard the rattle of a chariot from the quarter of the loamy district of Culgaire. Then they saw the chariot come before them, and one chestnut (lit. red) horse in it. The horse was one footed, and the pole of the chariot passed through the body of the horse, till a wedge went through it, to make it fast on its forehead. A red[FN#118] woman was in the chariot, and a red mantle about her, she had two red eye-brows, and the mantle fell between the two ferta[FN#119] of her chariot behind till it struck upon the ground behind her. A great man was beside her chariot, a red[FN#120] cloak was upon him, and a forked staff of hazel at his back, he drove a cow in front of him.
[FN#118] The above is the Egerton text: the text of Y.B.L. gives "A red woman there, with her two eyebrows red, and her cloak and her raiment: the cloak fell," &c.
[FN#119] It is not known certainly what the ferta were: Windisch translates "wheels," but does not give this meaning in his Dictionary: the ferta were behind the car, and could be removed to sound the depth of a ford. It is suggested that they were poles, projecting behind to balance the chariot; and perhaps could be adjusted so as to project less or farther.
[FN#120] This is the Egerton text; the Y.B.L. text gives "a tunic forptha on him the meaning of forptha is unknown.
"That cow is not joyful at being driven by you!" said Cuchulain. "The cow does not belong to you," said the woman, "she is not the cow of any friend or acquaintance of yours." "The cows of Ulster," said Cuchulain, "are my proper (care)." "Dost thou give a decision about the cow?" said the woman; "the task is too great to which thy hand is set, O Cuchulain." "Why is it the woman who answers me?" said Cuchulain, "why was it not the man?" "It was not the man whom you addressed," said the woman. "Ay," said Cuchulain, "(I did address him), though thyself hath answered for him:" "h-Uar-gaeth-sceo-luachair-sceo[FN#121] is his name," said she.
[FN#121] Cold-wind-and-much-rushes.
"Alas! his name is a wondrous one," said Cuchulain. "Let it be thyself who answers,[FN#122] since the man answers not. What is thine own name?" said Cuchulain. "The woman to whom thou speakest," said the man, "is Faebor-begbeoil-cuimdiuir-folt-scenbgairit-sceo-uath."[FN#123] "Do ye make a fool of me?" cried Cuchulain, and on that Cuchulain sprang into her chariot: he set his two feet on her two shoulders thereupon, and his spear on the top of her head. "Play not sharp weapons on me!" "Name thyself then by thy true name!" said Cuchulain. "Depart then from me!" said she: "I am a female satirist in truth," she said, "and he is Daire mac Fiachna from Cualnge: I have brought the cow as fee for a master-poem." "Let me hear the poem then," said Cuchulain. "Only remove thyself from me," said the woman; "it is none[FN#124] the better for thee that thou shakest it over my head." Thereon he left her until he was between the two poles (ferta) of her chariot, and she sang to him[FN#125] . . . . . . Cuchulain threw a spring at her chariot, and he saw not the horse, nor the woman, nor the chariot, nor the man, nor the cow.
[FN#122] Y.B.L. corrupt; Egerton version adopted here.
[FN#123] Little-mouthed-edge-equally-small-hair-short-splinter-much-clamour.
[FN#124] Not is it better for thee that" is in Egerton alone.
[FN#125] See the introduction for the omission of the poem.
Then he saw that she had become a black bird upon a branch near to him. "A dangerous[FN#126] (or magical) woman thou art," said Cuchulain: "Henceforward," said the woman, "this clay-land shall be called dolluid (of evil,)" and it has been the Grellach Dolluid ever since. "If only I had known it was you," said Cuchulain, "not thus should we have separated." "What thou hast done," said she, "shall be evil to thee from it." "Thou hast no power against me," said Cuchulain. "I have power indeed," said the woman; "it is at the guarding of thy death that I am; and I shall be," said she. "I brought this cow out of the fairy-mound of Cruachan, that she might breed by the Black Bull[FN#127] of Cualnge, that is the Bull of Daire Mae Fiachna. It is up to that time that thou art in life, so long as the calf which is in this cow's body is a yearling; and it is this that shall lead to the Tain bo Cualnge." "I shall myself be all the more glorious for that Tain," said Cuchulain: "I shall slay their warriors: I shall break their great hosts: I shall be survivor of the Tain."
[FN#126] Windisch is doubtful about the meaning of this word. He gives it as "dangerous" in his translation; it may also mean "magical," though he thinks not. In a note he says that the meaning "dangerous" is not certain.
[FN#127] In Egerton "the Dun of Cualnge."
"In what way canst thou do this?" said the woman, "for when thou art in combat against a man of equal strength (to thee), equally rich in victories, thine equal in feats, equally fierce, equally untiring, equally noble, equally brave, equally great with thee, I will be an eel, and I will draw a noose about thy feet in the ford, so that it will be a great unequal war for thee." "I swear to the god that the Ulstermen swear by," said Cuchulain, "I will break thee against a green stone of the ford; and thou shalt have no healing from me, if thou leavest me not." "I will in truth be a grey wolf against thee," said she, "and I will strip a stripe[FN#128] from thee, from thy right (hand) till it extends to thy left."
[FN#128] This word is left doubtful in Windisch's translation. The word is breth in Y.B.L. and breit in Egerton. Breit may be a strip of woollen material, or a strip of land; so the meaning of a strip of flesh seems possible.
"I will beat thee from me," said he, "with the spear, till thy left or thy right eye bursts from thy head, and thou shalt never have healing from me, if thou leavest me not." "I shall in truth," she said, "be for thee as a white heifer with red ears, and I will go into a lake near to the ford in which thou art in combat against a man who is thine equal in feats, and one hundred white, red-eared cows shall be behind me and 'truth of men' shall on that day be tested; and they shall take thy head from thee." "I will cast at thee with a cast of my sling," said Cuchulain, "so as to break either thy left or thy right leg from under thee; and thou shalt have no help from me if thou leavest me not."
They[FN#129] separated, and Cuchulain went back again to Dun Imrid, and the Morrigan with her cow to the fairy mound of Cruachan; so that this tale is a prelude to the Tain bo Cualnge.
[FN#129] All this sentence up to "so that this tale" is from the Egerton version. The Yellow Book of Lecan gives "The Badb thereon went from him, and Cuchulain went to his own house, so that," &c.
TEXT OF LEABHAR NA H-UIDHRI
GIVING THE CONCLUSION OF THE "COURTSHIP OF ETAIN"
INTRODUCTION
The following pages give, with an interlinear word for word[FN#130] translation, the text of Leabhar na h-Uidhri, page 130 b. line 19 to the end of page 132 a. of the facsimile. The text corresponds to the end of the tale of the Court ship of Etain in vol. i., from page 27, line 21, to the end of the story; it also contains the poem which is in that volume placed on page 26, but occurs in the manuscript at the place where the first line of it is quoted on page 30 of vol. i.
[FN#130] The Irish idiom of putting the adjective after the noun is not always followed in the translation.
It is hoped that the text may be found to be convenient by scholars: special care has been taken to make it accurate, and it has not, with the exception of the poem just referred to, been published before except in the facsimile; the remainder of the text of the L.U. version of the Courtship of Etain, together with the poem, has been given by Windisch in the first volume of the Irische Texte.
The immediate object of the publication of this text, with its interlinear translation, is however somewhat different; it was desired to give any who may have become interested in the subject, from the romances contained in the two volumes of this collection, some idea of their exact form in the original, and of the Irish constructions and metres, as no Irish scholarship is needed to follow the text, when supplemented by the interlinear translation. The translation may be relied on, except for a few words indicated by a mark of interrogation.
The passage is especially well suited to give an idea of the style of Irish composition, as it contains all the three forms used in the romances, rhetoric, regular verse, and prose: the prose also is varied in character, for it includes narrative, rapid dialogue, an antiquarian insertion, and two descriptive passages. The piece of antiquarian information and the resume of the old legend immediately preceding the second rhetoric can be seen to be of a different character to the flowing form of the narrative proper; the inserted passage being full of explanatory words, conid, issairi, is aice, &c., and containing no imagery. The two descriptions, though short, are good examples of two styles of description which occur in some other romances; neither of these styles is universal, nor are they the only styles; the favour shown to one or the other in a romance may be regarded as a characteristic of its author.
The first style, exemplified by the description of Mider's appearance, consists of a succession of images presented in short sentences, sometimes, as in this case, with no verb, sometimes with the verb batar or a similar verb repeated in each sentence, but in all cases giving a brilliant word-picture, absolutely clear and definite, of what it is intended to convey. The second style, exemplified here by the description of the horses that Mider offers to Eochaid, consists of a series of epithets or of substantives, and is often imitated in modern Irish. These passages are usually difficult to translate, as many words appear to be coined for the purpose of the descriptions; but, in the best writings, the epithets are by no means arbitrary; they are placed so as to contrast sharply with each other, and in many cases suggest brilliant metaphors; the style being in this respect more like Latin than English. Absolutely literal translations quite fail to bring out the effect of such passages; for not only is the string of adjectives a distinctively Irish feature, but both in English and in Greek such metaphors are generally expressed more definitely and by short sentences. There is also a third style of description which does not appear in the prose of any of the romances in this collection, but appears often in other romances, as in the Bruidne da Derga, Bricriu's Feast, and the Great Tain; it resembles the first style, but the sentences are longer, yet it does not give clear descriptions, only leaving a vague impression. This style is often used for descriptions of the supernatural; it may be regarded as actual reproductions of the oldest pre-Christian work, but it is also possible that it is the result of legends, dimly known to the authors of the tales, and represented by them in the half-understood way in which they were apprehended by them: the Druidic forms may have been much more clear. Such passages are those which describe Cuchulain's distortions; the only passage of the character in this collection is in the verse of the Sick-bed, vol. i. page 77. Five of the romances in the present collection have no descriptive passages in the prose; the Combat at the Ford and the Tain bo Fraich show examples of both the first and the second form, but more often the first; the Tain bo Regamna, though a very short piece, also shows one example of each; for the description of the goblins met by Cuchulain is quite clear, and cannot be regarded as belonging to the third form. There is also one case of the second form in the Tain bo Dartada, and two other cases of the first in the Court ship of Etain-one in the Egerton, one in the Leabhar na h-Uidhri version. The best example of the first style is in the Egerton version of Etain (vol. i. page 12); the best example of the second is the description of Cuchulain's horses (vol. i. page 128); a still better example of contrasts in such a description is in the Courtship of Ferb (Nutt, page 23).
The piece of regular verse contained in the extract should give a fair idea of the style of this form of composition. Description is common in the verse, and it is in this case a prominent feature. It may be noted that lines 8, 16, 23, 26 will not scan unless the present diphthongs are divided, also that the poem has fewer internal rhymes than is usual in this regular verse.
The two passages in rhetoric, for so I take them to be, are good examples of the style. An attempt has been made to divide them into lines, but this division is open to criticism, especially as some lines in one of the two passages cannot be translated, and the translation of some other lines is doubtful: the division suggested does, however, appear to me to give a rough metre and occasional rhymes. It is possible that, if attention is called to those lines which are at present untranslatable, something may be done for them. The verse translations given in vol. i. pages 27 and 29, give the meaning that I take the Irish to bear where I can get any meaning at all.
As to the text, the usual abbreviation for n has in general not been italicized, nor has that for fri; all other abbreviations, including acht, final n in the symbol for con, and that for or in the recognized symbol for for, have been italicized. In the rhetorics, owing to their difficulty, the abbreviation for n has been italicized throughout; the symbol for ocus is not italicised. A few conjectures have been inserted, the text being given as a foot-note; a conjectured letter supposed to be missing has been inserted in brackets, and a restoration by Professor Strachan of a few letters where the MS. is torn are similarly placed in brackets. The rest of the text is carefully copied from the facsimile, including the glosses, which are inserted above the words in the same places that they occupy in the manuscript.
TEXT WITH INTERLINEAR TRANSLATION
Fecht n-aile asraracht Eochaid Airem ri Temrach la n-alaind
Another time arose Eochaid Airem. king of Tara on a beautiful day
i n-amsir samrata frisocaib[FN#131] for sosta na Temrach do imcaisiu maigi Breg,
in time of summer, mounted on heights of Tara for viewing of plain of Breg,
[FN#131] A conjecture: MS. fosrocaib= fo-s-ro-od-gaib, an unknown compound.
boi fo a li ocus fo bluth cach datha. Am-imracacha inti
was good its colour, and good blossom of every hue. When looked about the aforesaid
Eochaid imbi, co acca inn oclaech n-ingnad for sin sossad[FN#132] inna
Eoebaid around him, he saw the young warrior unknown on the height beside
[FN#132] A conjecture: MS. tossad.
chomairi. Fuan corcair imbi, ocus mong or-budi fair co brainni
him. Tunic purple about him, and hair gold-yellow on him to edges
a da imdae. Rosc cainlech glas ina chind. Sleg coicrind ina laim.
of his two shoulders. Eye lustrous gray in his head. Spear five-pointed in his hand.
Sciath taulgel ina laim con gemaib oir forri. Sochtais Eochaid, ar ni
Shield white-bossed in his hand with gems of gold on it. Was silent Eochaid, for not
fitir a bith isin Temraig inn aidehi riam, ocus ni orslaiethe ind lis
he knew of his being in the Tara the night before, and not was opened the Liss
in trath sin. Tolluid ar inchaib Eochoda iarsain asbert Eochaid iarom,
at that hour. He came under protection of Eochaid thereon; said Eochaid then,
fochen dond laech nad athgenmar. Is ed doroehtmar or in
welcome to the hero whom we know not. It is for that we have come, said the
t-oclaech. Ni tathgenmar or Eochaid. Atotgensa chetus ol in
(young) warrior. We know thee not, said Eochaid. I know thee indeed, said the
t-oclaech. Cia th'ainm seo? ol Eochaid. Ni airdairc son, ol se,
warrior. What (is) thy own name? said Eochaid. Not illustrious that, said he,
Mider Breg Leith. Cid dotroacht ol Eochaid. Do imbert fidcille
Mider of Bri Leith. What brought thee? said Eochaid. To play at chess
frit-su ol se. Am maith se em, ol Eochaid for fithchill. A fromad
with thee, said he. I am good myself truly, said Eochaid, at chess-play. Its essaying
dun ol Mider. Ata ol Eochaid, ind rigan ina cotlud, is le in tech
to us! said Mider. Is, said Eochaid, the queen in her sleep, it is hers the house
ata ind fithchell. Ata sund chenae, ol Mider, fidchell nad
where is the chessboard. There is here yet, said Mider, a chessboard which is not
messo. Ba fir on, clar n-argit ocus fir oir, ocus fursunnud cacha
worse. Was true that, a board of silver and men of gold, and shining in every
hairidi for sin clar di liic logmair, ocus fer-bolg di figi rond credumae.
direction on that board of costly stones, and a men-bag of woven chains of brass.
Ecraid Mider in fidchill iarsin. Imbir ol Mider. Ni immer acht
Set out Mider the chessboard thereupon. Play! said Mider. Not will I play, except
di giull ol Eochaid. Cid gell bias and? ol Mider. Cumma lim ol
for a stake, said Eochaid. What stake shall be here? said Mider. Equal to me, said
Eochaid. Rot-bia lim-sa ol Mider mad tu beras mo thochell,
Eochaid. Thou shalt have from me, said Mider, if thou carry off my stake,
L. gabur n-dub-glas ite cend-brecca, croderga, biruich,
50 horses of dark-gray, and they with dappled heads, blood-red, with ears pricked high,
bruin-lethain, bolg(s)roin, coss choela, comrassa, faeborda,[FN#133] femendae,[FN#133]
chests broad, nostrils distended, feet thin, strong, keen, ? vehement,
aurarda, aignecha, so-(a)staidi,[FN#133] so
very high, spirited, easily stopped,
[FN#133] See Bruidne da Derga (Stokes), 50, 51, faeborda, lit. with an edge on them; femendae? = Lat. vehemens; soaistidi is the form adopted by Stokes in his edition of the Bruidne; Egerton MS. gives soastaide.
There is a gap here, a complete column being torn from the manuscript. The lost part obviously describes the issue of the chess game or games, and the penalties demanded by Bochaid: what these penalties were is plain from the succeeding story. The work of Mider and his folk in paying these penalties must also have been described: the next column (Leabhar na h- Uidhri, 131 b. of the facsimile) opens thus:
iarsin doberar uir ocus grian ocus clocha for sin monai. Fri etna
thereupon is, placed earth and gravel and stones on the bog. Over foreheads
dam dano-batar fedmand la firu h-Erind cosind n-aidchi sin, co
of oxen then were yokes among men of Ireland till that very night, when
n-aicces la lucht in t-side for a formnaib. Dognith
it was seen (tbLat they were) among people of the Mounds on their shoulders. It was done
samlaid la Eochaid, conid de ata do som. Echaid Airem, ar
so by Eochaid, so that hence is to himself (the name of) Echaid Airem, for
is aice toisech tucad cuing for muinelaib dam do ferand h-Erind. Is
it is by him first was put yoke on necks of oxen for land of Ireland. This
ed dino and food ro boi im belaib in t-sluaig oc denam in tocuir:
is then there word which was on lips of the host at making of the causeway:
Rhetoric—
Cuire illaim,
Put into hand
tochra illaim,
place (it) into hand
aurdairc damrad trathaib iar fuin
noble (are) oxen for hours after sunset
for trom ailges
very heavy request
ni fes cuich les
it is not known to whom (is) gain
cuich amles de thochur dar moin Lamraige.
to whom harm from the causeway over moor of Lamrach.
Ni biad isin bith tochur bad ferr mani bethe oca
There would not be in the world a causeway which is better, if not (men) had been at
n-descin Forracbad de bochtae and iartain. Iarsin dolluid
the seeing them. Was left on that account a breach there thenceforth. Thereupon came
in rechtaire co Echaid ocus adfet scela in mor fedma, atconnaire
the steward to Echaid, and made known tales of the great serving band, that he saw
fiadai, ocus asbert nad rabi for fertas in betha cumachta
before him, and said that there was not on the chariot pole of life a power
dodrosce de. Am batar for a m-briathraib co n-accatar Mider
that excelled it. When they were at their talking they saw Mider (come)
chucu. Ard chustal ocus droch gne fair. Atrigestar Eochaid,
to them. High ? girt (he was), and evil face (was) on him.? Rose ?[FN#134] Eochaid,
[FN#134] This is a possible rendering, taking the word as a deponent form of atregaim. It would be more natural to take the word as from adagur; being equivalent to ad-d-raigestar, and to mean "feared him," but this does not agree with Eoebaid's general attitude.
ocus ferais faelti fri. Is ed dorochtmar ol Mider. Is toreda ocus is
and gave welcome to him. It is for that we have come, said Mider. It is cruel and is
di-cheill no tai frim, mor decrai ocus mor aingcessa do thabairt form
senseless thou art to me, great hardship and great suffering thy bestowing on me
adethaind ni bad maith lat chena acht is bairnech mo menma frit.
I used to get what seemed good to thee still but is angry my mind against thee.
Ni bara fri bure dait-siu on do-gignestar do menma for Eochaid.
Not anger against anger: to thyself the thing that shall choose thy mind, said Eochaid.
Gebthar dano, ol Mider. Inn imberam fidchill? for Mider. Cid gell
It shall be done then, said Mider. Shall we play at chess? said Mider. What stake
bias and? for Eochaid. Gell adcobra cechtar da lina for
shall be there? said Eochaid. The stake that wishes each of the two parties, said
Mider. Berar tochell n-Echdach alla sin. Rucais mo
Mider. Is carried off stake of Echaid in that very place. Thou hast carried off my
thocell, for Eebaid. Mad ail dam no-beraind o chianaib,
stake, said Echaid. If wish to me (had been) I could have carried it off long since,
for Mider. Cacht cid adcobrai form-sa? for Echaid. Di laim im
said Mider. Question what wishest thou from myself? said Echaid. Two arms about
etain, ocus poc di ol Mider. Sochtais Echaid la, sodain, ocus asbert,
Etain, and a kiss from her, said Mider. Was silent Echaid thereon, and said,
tis dia mis on diu, doberthar dait ani sin. In
thou shalt come in a month from to-day, (and) shall be given to thee that very thing. The
bliadain ria tuidecht do Mider co Echaid do imbert na fidehille boi oc
year before the coming of Mider to Echaid for playing of the chess was he at
tochmarc etaine, ocus nis n-etad leis. Is ed ainm dobered Mider
wooing of Etain, and nothing was found by him. This is the name used to give Mider
di: befind conide asbert:
to her: fair-haired lady, so that thence he said:
a be find in raga lim
O fair-haired lady, wilt thou come with me
i tir n-ingnad hi fil rind
into a land marvellous, that is music?
Is barr sobarche folt and
(thus) is the top of the head, of primrose the hair there,
is dath snechta corp co ind:
is colour of snow the body to the head:
Is and nad bi mui na tai,
It is there not will be 'mine' or 'thine,'
gela det and, dubai brai,
white teeth there, black eyebrows,
Is li sula lin ar sluag,[FN#135]
is colour of eyes number of our hosts,
[FN#135] A conjecture by Windisch. Text gives sluaig the genitive singular, which does not rhyme.
[FN#136]no is brece is dath sion and cech gruad:
or is many-coloured is hue of foxglove there each cheek:
[FN#136] The three glosses are interesting. It may be noted that the last two certainly follow the word (above the line in which it occurs) that they seem to gloss: it is therefore probable that the first does so too; the two lines of a couplet are on the same line in the manuscript. It {footnote p. 156} seems then possible that the gloss "it is many-coloured" refers, not to the foxglove, but to the preceding line, "the colour of eyes is number of our hosts," and that the writer of this gloss gave the same meaning to the rather hard description of the colour of the eyes as is given in the verse translation (vol. i. p. 26), i.e. that the eyes had changing lights and shapes. We must hope, for the credit of his taste, that he did not think of the cheeks as many-coloured or freckled, but his gloss of lossa does not seem happy. The meaning "growth" is taken from O'Reilly's Dictionary.
no lossa Is corcair maige cach muin,[FN#137]
or growth? is purple of a plain each neck,
[FN#137] A conjecture (Str.), main, treasure, is in the text: this does not rhyme, nor give good sense; note, however, that muin has no accent-the text gives one.
no is dath is li sula ugai luin:
or is hue is colour of eyes (that of) eggs of a blackbird:
cid cain deicsiu maigi Fail
though pleasant (is) seeing plains of Fal (isle of Destiny)
annam iar gnais maige mair.
a wilderness[FN#138] after knowledge of the Great Plain.
[FN#138] This meaning for annam is doubtful; the sense of "seldom" is established for the word; the line possibly means "it will seldom be so after," &c.
Cid mesc lib coirm inse Fail,
Though intoxicating to you (is) ale of the island Fal,
is mescu coirm tire mair,
is more intoxicating the ale of the country great,
amra tire tir asbiur,
a wonder of a land the land I mention,
ni theit oac and re siun.
not goes a young man there before an old man.
Srotha teith millsi tar tir,
Streams warm (and) sweet through the land,
rogu de mid ocus fin,
choice of mead and wine,
doini delgnaidi, cen on,
men ? handsome, without blemish,
combart cen pecead, cen col.
conception without sin without crime.
Atchiam cach for each leth,
We see all on every side,
ocus ni-conn acci nech;
and yet not sees us anyone
temel imorbais adaim
the cloud of the sin of Adam
do-don-archeil[FN#139] ar araim
encompasses us from reckoning
[FN#139] From tairchellaim.
A ben dia ris mo thuaith tind,
O woman, if thou wilt come to my people strong,
is barr oir bias fort chind,
it is top of head of gold shall be on thy head,
inue ur, laith, lemnacht la lind
pork unsalted, ale, new milk for drink
rot bia lim and, a be find, a be find.
shall be to thee with me there, O woman fair-haired.
[a gap, 9 letters lost] i atumchotaise om aithech tige rag-sa, [a gap,
thou obtainest me from my master of the house I will go,
[9 letters lost] fetai, ni rag. Is iarsin dolluid Mider (L.U. 130 a.) co
canst, not will I go. It is thereon came Mider to
Echaid, ocus damair a thochell fochetoir co m-beth flo acai
Echaid, and yields his stake immediately that may be (cause) of reproach for him
do Echaid, is airi roic na comada mora, ocus issairi is
to Echaid, it is therefore he paid the great stakes, and on that account it is (that)
fo anfis con atig a gell. Conid iarsin giull adrubrad in tan tra
under ignorance that he asked his wager. So that after that wager it was said when now
ro boi Mider cona muinter oc ic comad na aidehi, i. in tochor, ocus
was Mider and his folk at paying the stake of the night, that is, the causeway, and
di-chlochad Midi, ocus luachair Tetbai, ocus fid dar Breg: isse[FN#140] seo
clearing stones off Meath, and rushes of Tethba and forest over Breg: it is he this
[FN#140] Grammar not clear: perhaps the Irish is corrupt (Str.).
an no foclad boi oca muinter amal atbert lebor drom snechta:
what used to say was with his folk as says Book of Drom-snechta:
Rhetoric—
Cuirthe illand:
Put on the field:
tochre illand:
Put close on the field
airderg dararad:
very red oxen:
trom in choibden:
heavy the troop
clunithar fir ferdi.
Which hears ?really-manly
buidni balc-thruim crand-chuir
troops for strong heavy setting of trees
forderg saire fedar
of very red ?oaks[FN#141] are led
[FN#141] Reading daire for saire.
sechuib slimprib snithib
past them on twisted wattles:
scitha lama:
weary are hands,
ind rosc cloina:
the eye ?slants aside?
fobith oen mna
because of one woman
Duib in digail:
To you the revenge,
duib in trom-daim:[FN#142]
to you the heavy ?oxen
[FN#142] A conjecture. MS. gives trom-daim.
tairthim flatho fer ban:
splendour of sovereignty over white men:
fomnis, fomnis, in fer m-braine cerpae fomnis diad derg
? ? ?
fer arfeid solaig
?
fri aiss esslind
?
fer bron for-ti
? sorrow shall, come on the man?
i. more ertechta inde
?
lamnado luachair
rushes
for di Thethbi
over?two Tethbas
di-chlochad[FN#143] Midi
clearing stones from Meath
[FN#143] A conjecture. MS. gives dilecad (Str.)
indracht
?
coich les, coich amles to whom the benefit, to whom the harm
thocur dar clochach? moin.[FN#144]
causeway over stony moor.
[FN#144] The last line in the Ms. is t d c m.
Dalis Mider dia mis Fochiallastar (i. rotinoil). Echaid formna
Mider appointed a meeting for the end of a month. Echaid assembled (i.e. collected)troops.
laech la-erend com batar hi Temrach, ocus an ro po dech do fiannaib
of heroes of Ireland so that they were in Tara, and what was best of champions
h-Erind, cach cuaird imm araile im Temrach immedon ocus a nechtair,
of Ireland, each ring about another, around Tara im the middle, and outside it
ocus is-tig. Ocus in ri ocus in rigan immedon in taigi, ocus ind lis
and within. And the king and the queen in the middle of the house, and its Liss
iatai fo glassaib, ar ro fetatar do t-icfad fer in mar cumacht. Etain
shut under locks, for they knew that would comie of insen the great might. Etain
boi ocon dail ind aidehi sin forsna flathi, ar ba sain dana disi dal.
was dispensing that night to the princes, for it was meet then for her pouring (of the wine)
Am batar iarom fora. m-briathraib, co accatar Mider chucu for
When they were thereon at their talking they saw Mider (come) to them on
lar ind rigthige. Ba cain som dogres ba caini dana inn aidehi sin.
the floor of the royal palace. He was fair always, was fairer then on that night.
Tosbert im mod na slag ateonnairc. Sochsit uli iarom ocus
He brought to amazement the hosts that he saw.[FN#145] Were silent all thereon, and
[FN#145] Reading atcondairc (Str.).
ferais in ri faelti fris. Is ed dorochtmar ol Mider. An ro gella
the king gave welcome to him. It is this we have come for, said Mider. What was promised
dam-sa or se, tucthar dam. Is fiach ma gelltar, an ro gellad
to myself, said he, let it be given to me. It is a debt if a promise is given,
tucus dait-siu. Ni imrordusa for Echaid, ani sin co se.
I have given to thee. Not have I thought on, said Echaid, that very thing up to now.
Atrugell etain fein dam-sa, ol Mider, ticht uait-siu.
Thou hast promised Etain herself to me, said Mider, message (lit. a coming) from you.
Imdergthar im Etain la, sodain. Na imdergthar imut for Mider, ni
There was a blush on Etain thereupon. Let there be no blush on thee, said Mider, not
droch banas duit-siu. Atu-sa, ol si, bliadain oc do chuingid com
evil marriage-feast to thee. I am myself, said he, a year at seeking thee with
mainib ocus setaib at aildem in ere, ocus ni tucus-sa
treasures and jewels that are the most beautiful in Ireland and not I took thee
comad chomarlecud do Echaid. Ni -la-deoas damsa ce
till there should be permission of Echaid. Not by good-will to me any
dotchotaind. Atrubart-sa frit-su ol si, conom rire Echaid,
getting thee. I myself said to thyself, said she, until Echaid gives me up
nit rius. Atometha lat ar mo chuit fein, dia nom rire Echaid.
not will I come to thee. Take me with thee for my own part, if me Echaid will give up.
Nit ririub immorro, for Echaid, acht tabrad a di laim
Not thee will I give up however, said Echaid, but (I give) a placing of his two hands
imut for lar in tige, amal ro gabais. Dogentar for Mider.
about thee on floor of the house, as thou art. It shall be done! said Mider.
i. mider Atetha a gaisced ina laim cli, ocus gabais in mnai fo a leth-oxail dess,
that is, Mider He took his weapons in his hand left, and took the woman under his shoulder right,
ocus focois-le for forles in tige. Conerget in-t-sluaig imon rig
and carried her off over skylight of the house. Pose up the hosts, about the king
iar melacht forro, co n-accatar in da ela timchell na Temra. Is ed
after a disgrace on them, they saw the two swans around Tara. It is this,
ro gabsat do sid ar Femun. Ocus luid Echaid co fomno
they took (the road) to elfmound about about Femun. And went Echaid with a troop
fer n-Erend imbi do sith ar Femun i. sid ban-find.
of men of Ireland about him to elf mound about Femun i.e. elfmound of the fair-haired women.
B (a si com)[FN#146] arli fer n-Erend, fochlaid each sid [a gap, 12 letters lost]
That was the counsel of the men of Ireland, he dug up each elf-mound.
[FN#146] The letters in parentheses are a conjecture by Strachan, to fill up a gap in the manuscript.
tised a ben. do uadib, Foce [a gap of 13 letters, rest of the version lost.]
should come his wife to him from them.
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