sad was the protection that he got;
the nation by which he was reared poured out
the cup of poison by which he died.
Dear is Berthan, beautiful its lands,
stately the men, though hilly the land,
it is sorrowful that to-day I rise not
to await the sons of Usnach.
Dear the mind, firm, upright,
dear the youth, lofty, modest,
after going with him through the dark wood
dear the girding (?) at early morning.
Dear his gray eye, which women loved,
it was evil-looking against enemies,
after circuit of the wood (was) a noble assembly,
dear the tenor through the dark wood.
I sleep not therefor,
and I stain not my nails with red,
joy comes not to my wakefulness,
for the sons of Usnach return not.
The last line is the Egerton reading.
I sleep not
for half the night on my bed,
my mind wanders amidst clouds of thoughts,
I eat not, nor smile.
There is no leisure or joy for me
in the assemblies of eastern Emain;
there is no peace, nor pleasure, nor repose
in beholding fine houses or splendid ornaments.
What, O Conor, of thee?
for me only sorrow under lamentation hast thou prepared,
such will be my life so long as it remains to me,
thy love for me will not last.
The man who under heaven was fairest to me,
the man who was so dear
thou hast torn from me; great was the crime;
so that I shall not see him until I die.
His absence is the cause of grief to me,
the shape of the son of Usnach shows itself to me,
a dark hill is above his white body
which was desired before many things by me.
His ruddy cheeks, more beautiful than meadows (?),
red lips, eyebrows of the colour of the chafer,
his teeth shining like pearls,
like noble colour of snow.
Well have I known his splendid garb
among the warrior men of Alba;
mantle of crimson, meet for an assembly,
with a border of red gold.
His tunic of satin of costly price,
on it a hundred pearls could be counted, goodly the number
(lit. "a smooth number" ? a round number),
for its embroidery had been used, it was bright,
fifty ounces of findruine (i.e. white bronze).
A gold-hilted sword in his hand,
two green spears with terrible points (?),
a shield with border of yellow gold,
and a boss of silver upon it.
Fair Fergus brought injury upon us
when inducing us to cross the sea;
he has sold his honour for ale,
the glory of his high deeds is departed.
If there were upon this plain
the warriors of Ulster in the presence of Conor,
all of them would I give up without a struggle
for the companionship of Naisi, the son of Usnach.
Break not to-day my heart (O Conor!),
soon shall I reach my early grave,
stronger than the sea is my grief,
dost thou not know it, O Conor?
PAGE 103
For the literal translations of the poems in the Glenn Masain version
see
Whitley Stokes in Irische Texte, ii. 2, 172 sqq.
Stanzas 13 to 16 are not in LVI. (the manuscript which is the second
authority used by Stokes for this version, and is the chief authority
for this part of the version). They are in the manuscript that Stokes
calls II. (the version used by O'Flanagan), which, like LVI., agrees
pretty closely with the Glenn Masain text so far as the latter
manuscript extends.
Stanza 22 is also from O'Flanagan's manuscript. This verse is not
translated by Stokes, but it seems worth inserting. The literal
translation of it is:
I am Deirdre without joy,
it is for me the end of my life;
since to remain behind them is the worst thing,
not long life to myself.
PAGE 107
Line 21. Two passages, one describing Fergus' sons born in Connaught,
the other summing up his deeds, are omitted, as it is not intended to
reproduce this version in full.
THE COMBAT AT THE FORD
The well-known translation by O'Curry of this part of the Book of
Leinster version of the "Tain bo Cuailgne" is given in the third volume
of his "Manners and Customs," pp. 414-463. There are, as has often
been pointed out, many inaccuracies in the translation, and the present
version does not claim to correct all or even the greater part of them;
for the complete version of the Great Tain by Windisch which has so
long eagerly been expected should give us a trustworthy text, and the
present translation is in the main founded on O'Curry; to whose version
reference may be made for literal translations for such parts of the
verse passages as are not noted below. A few more obvious corrections
have been made; most of those in the prose will appear by comparing the
rendering with O'Curry's; some of the corrections in the literal
versions adopted for the poems are briefly indicated. Two poems have
been literally translated in full: in these the renderings which have
no authority other than O'Curry's are followed by a query, in order to
give an indication of the extent to which the translation as given may
for the present be regarded as uncertain. For all the more valuable of
the corrections made to O'Curry's translation I am indebted to the
kindness of Mr. E. J. Quiggin, Fellow of Caius College, Cambridge.
PAGE 118
Line 7 Of the first stanza. O'Curry gives this as "Thou hast come out
of every strife," which seems to be an impossible rendering; "Take
whatever is thy will" seems to be nearer the sense of the passage, and
has been adopted.
Lines 5 to 8 of the fourth stanza are very uncertain; and the
translation given, which is in part based upon O'Curry, is very
doubtful; a more trustworthy one has not, however, been arrived at.
Line 4 of the fifth stanza in O'Curry's rendering means "Here is what
thou wilt not earn," i.e. "We can pay more than a full reward for thy
services."
Lines 5 and 6 of the sixth stanza should be, "If my request be granted
me I will advance, though I am not his match."
Line 2 Of the eighth stanza, "Not thine a pleasant smile for a
consort." Brachail in the next line is "guardian."
Line 10 of the last stanza. Elgga is one of the names of Ireland.
PAGE 121
Line 1. Maeth n-araig, "in an easy task," the force of which O'Curry
seems to miss, translating it "as he thought."
There are several changes to make in O'Curry's rendering of the
dialogue between Fergus and Cuchulain. It should run thus:
F. O Cuchulain, manifest is the bargain,
I see that rising is timely for thee;
here comes to thee in anger
Ferdiad, son of Daman, of the ruddy face.
C. I am here, it is no light task
valiantly delaying the men of Erin;
I have not yielded a foot in retreat
to shun the combat of any one man.
F. Fierce is the man in his excited (?) rage
because of his blood-red sword:
a horny skin is about Ferdiad of the troops,
against it prevails not battle or combat.
C. Be silent, urge not thy story,
O Fergus of the powerful weapons!
on any field, on any ground,
there is no unequal fight for me.
F. Fierce is the man, a war for twenties,
it is not easy to vanquish him,
the strength of a hundred in his body, valiant his deed (?),
spears pierce him not, swords cut him not.
C. Should we happen to meet at a ford (i.e. a field of battle),
I and Ferdiad of well-known valour,
the separation shall not be without history,
fierce shall be our edge-combat.
F. Better would it be to me than reward,
O Cuchulain of the blood-stained sword,
that it was thou who carried eastward
the spoils (coscur, not corcur) of the proud Ferdiad.
C. I give thee my word with boasting,
though I am not good at bragging,
that it is I who shall gain the victory
over the son of Daman, the son of Dare.
F. It is I who gathered the forces eastwards
in revenge for my dishonour by the men of Ulster;
with me they have come from their lands,
their champions and their battle warriors.
C. If Conor had not been in his sickness
hard would have been his nearness to thee;
Medb of Magh in Scail had not made
an expedition of so loud boastings.
F. A greater deed awaits thy hand,
battle with Ferdiad son of Daman,
hardened bloody weapons, friendly is my speech,
do thou have with thee, O Cuchulain!
PAGE 124
Line 7 of O'Curry's rendering of the first stanza should run: "So that
he may take the point of a weapon through him."
Stanza 2 of the poem should run thus:
It would be better for thee to stay,
thy threats will not be gentle,
there will be some one who shall have sickness on that account,
distressful will be thy departure
to encounter the Rock of Ulster;
and ill may this venture turn out;
long will be the remembrance of it,
woe shall be to him who goeth that journey.
Line 4 of the next stanza, "I will not keep back to please you."
PAGE 126
The literal rendering of the poem seems to be:
I hear the creaking of a chariot
with a beautiful silver yoke,
the figure of a man with perfection
(rises) from the wheels of the stout chariot;
over Breg Row, over Braine
they come (?), over the highway
beside the lower part of the Burg of the Trees;
it (the chariot?) is triumphant for its victories.
It is a heroic (?) hound who drives it,
it is a trusty charioteer who yokes it,
it is a noble hawk who scourges
his horses to the south:
he is a stubborn hero,
he is certain (to cause) heavy slaughter,
it is well-known that not with indexterity (?)
is the bringing of the battle to us.
Woe for him who shall be upon the hillock
waiting for the hound who is fitly framed (lit. in harmony");
I myself declared last year
that there would come, though it be from somewhere, a hound
the Hound of Emain Macha,
the Hound with a form on which are hues of all colours,
the Hound of a territory, the Hound of battle;
I hear, we have heard.
As a second rendering of the above in a metre a little closer to the
original than that given in the text, the following may be suggested:
Shrieks from war-car wake my hearing,
Silver yokes are nigh appearing;
High his perfect form is rearing,
He those wheels who guides!
Braina, Braeg Ross past it boundeth,
Triumph song for conquests soundeth,
Lo! the roadway's course it roundeth,
Skirting wooded sides.
Hero Hound the scourge hard plieth,
Trusty servant yoke-strap tieth,
Swift as noble hawk, he flieth,
Southward urging steeds!
Hardy chief is he, and story
Soon must speak his conquests gory,
Great for skilful war his glory;
We shall know his deeds!
Thou on hill, the fierce Hound scorning,
Waitest; woe for thee is dawning;
Fitly framed he comes, my warning
Spoke him thus last year:
"Emain's Hound towards us raceth,
Guards his land, the fight he faceth,
Every hue his body graceth:"
Whom I heard, I hear.
PAGE 127
In O'Curry's rendering of the dialogue between Ferdia and his servant,
line 3 should be, "That it be not a deed of prophecy," not "a deferred
deed"; and line 6, With his proud sport."
Last stanza of the poem:
It seems thou art not without rewards,
so greatly hast thou praised him;
why else hast thou extolled him
ever since I left my house?
they who now extol the man
when he is in their sight
come not to attack him,
but are cowardly churls.
PAGE 128
Line 34. "As a hawk darts up from the furrow." O'Curry gives "from
the top of a cliff." The word in the Irish is claiss.
PAGE 129
The metre of this poem, which is also the metre of all the preceeding
poems except the second in this romance, but does not occur elsewhere
in the collection, may be illustrated by quoting the original of the
fifth verse, which runs as follows:
Re funiud, re n-aidchi
Madit eicen airrthe,
Comrac dait re bairche,
Ni ba ban in gleo:
Ulaid acot gairmsiu,
Ra n-gabartar aillsiu,
Bud olc doib in taidbsiu
Rachthair thairsiu is treo.
Literal translation of the first two stanzas:
What has brought thee here, O Hound,
to fight with a strong champion?
crimson-red shall flow thy blood
over the breaths of thy steeds;
woe is thy journey:
it shall be a kindling of fuel against a house,
need shalt thou have of healing
if thou reach thy home (alive).
I have come before warriors
who gather round a mighty host-possessing prince,
before battalions, before hundreds,
to put thee under the water,
in anger with thee, and to slay thee
in a combat of hundreds of paths of battle,
so that thine shall the injury
as thou protectest thy head.
Line 2 of the fifth stanza, "Good is thy need of height."
Line 8 of the seventh stanza, "Without valour, without strength."
PAGE 133
Line 3. Literally: "Whatever be the excellence of her beauty." A
similar literal translation for page 138, line 10, of the dialogue; the
same line occurs in verse 3 on page 148, but is not rendered in the
verse translation.
PAGE 134
Line 18. "O Cuchulain! for beautiful feats renowned." O'Curry gives
this as prose, but it is clearly verse in the original.
PAGE 138
Lines 5, 6 of dialogue. "O Cuchulain! who art a breeder of wounds"
(lit. "pregnant with wounds"); "O true warrior! O true" (?accent
probably omitted) "champion!"
Lines 7, 8. "There is need for some one" (i.e. himself) "to go to the
sod where his final resting-place shall be." The Irish of line 7 is is
eicen do neoch a thecht, which O'Curry translates "a man is constrained
to come," and he is followed by Douglas Hyde, who renders the two lines:
Fate constrains each one to stir,
Moving towards his sepulchre.
But do neoch cannot possibly mean "every man," it means "some man;"
usually the person in question is obvious. Compare page 125 of this
romance, line 3, which is literally: "There will be some one who shall
have sickness on that account," biaid nech diamba galar, meaning, as
here, Ferdia.
The line is an explanation of Ferdia's appearance, and is not a moral
reflection.
Line 29. "O Cuchulain! with floods of deeds of valour," or "brimming
over with deeds, &c."
PAGE 141
Line 9. "Four jewels of carbuncle." This is the reading of H. 2, 17;
T.C.D; which O'Curry quotes as an alternative to "forty" of the Book of
Leinster. "Each one of them fit to adorn it" is by O'Curry translated
"in each compartment." The Irish is a cach aen chumtach: apparently
"for each one adornment."
PAGE 144
Line 8 of poem. "Alas for the departing of my ghost."
PAGE 146
Lines 1, 2. "Though he had struck off the half of my leg that is
sound, though he had smitten off half my arm."
PAGE 148
Line 5. "Since he whom Aife bore me," literally "Never until now have
I met, since I slew Aife's only son, thy like in deeds of battle, never
have I found it, O Ferdia." This is O'Curry's rendering; if it is
correct, and it seems to be so substantially, the passage raises a
difficulty. Aife's only son is, according to other records, Conlaoch,
son of Cuchulain and Aife, killed by his father, who did not at the
time know who Conlaoch was. This battle is usually represented as
having taken place at the end of Cuchulain's life; but here it is
represented as preceding the War of Cualgne, in which Cuchulain himself
is represented to be a youth. The allusion certainly indicates an
early date for the fight with Conlaoch, and if we are to lay stress on
the age of Cuchulain at the time of the War, as recorded in the Book of
Leinster, of whose version this incident is a part, the "Son of Aife"
would not have been a son of Cuchulain at all in the mind of the writer
of this verse. It is possible that there was an early legend of a
fight with the son of Aife which was developed afterwards by making him
the son of Cuchulain; the oldest version of this incident, that in the
Yellow Book of Lecan, reconciles the difficulty by making Conlaoch only
seven years old when he took up arms; this could hardly have been the
original version.
Line 23 of poem is literally: "It is like thrusting a spear into sand
or against the sun."
The metre of the poem "Ah that brooch of gold," and of that on page
144, commencing "Hound, of feats so fair," are unique in this
collection, and so far as I know do not occur elsewhere. Both have
been reproduced in the original metre, and the rather complicated
rhyme-system has also been followed in that on page 148. The first
verse of the Irish of this is
Dursan, a eo oir
a Fhirdiad na n-dam
a belc bemnig buain
ba buadach do lamh.
The last syllable of the third line has no rhyme beyond the echo in the
second syllable of the next line; oir, "gold," has no rhyme till the
word is repeated in the third line of the third verse, rhymed in the
second line of the fourth, and finally repeated at the end. The second
verse has two final words echoed, brass and maeth; it runs thus
Do barr bude brass
ba cass, ba cain set;
do chriss duillech maeth
immut taeb gu t-ec.
The rhymes in the last two verses are exactly those of the
reproduction, they are cain sair, main, laim, chain, the other three
end rhymes being oir, choir, and oir.
Line 3 of this poem is "O hero of strong-striking blows."
Line 4. "Triumphant was thine arm."
PAGE 149
Lines 11 and 12 of the poem. "Go ye all to the swift battle that shall
come to you from German the green-terrible" (? of the terrible green
spear).
PAGE 150
Line 12. The Torrian Sea is the Mediterranean.
PAGE 151
Line 15. Literally: "Thou in death, I alive and nimble."
Line 23. "Wars were gay, &c." Cluchi cach, gaine cach, "Each was a
game, each was little," taking gaine as gainne, the known derivative of
gand, "scanty." O'Curry gives the meaning as "sport," and has been
followed by subsequent translators, but there does not seem any
confirmation of this rendering.
PAGE 153
Line 10. Banba is one of the names of Ireland.
END OF VOL. I.