No More Learning

The Death of the Children of Usnach.
(From the King Conor MacNessa Cycle. Time : first century b. c. Abridged by Lady Ferguson. )
[King Conor goes to a banquet in the house of Feilimid, his story-teller. During the festivity, Deirdre, the daughter of Feilimid, is born. Cathbad, the Druid, foretells her future beauty and the destruction it will bring on Ulster and on the king and nobles. Thereupon, the nobles demand the death of the infant ; but the king orders her to be shut up in a strong tower until she grows old enough to become his wife. ]
Notwithstanding the precautions of Conor, Deirdre* saw and loved Naisi, the son of Usnach. He was sitting in the midst of the plain of Emania, playing on a harp. Sweet was the music of the sons of Usnach — great also was their prowess ; they were fleet as hounds in the chase — they slew deer with their speed. As Naisi sat singing, he perceived a maiden approaching him. She held down her head as she came near him, and would have passed in silence. " Gentle is the damsel who passeth by," said Naisi. Then the maiden, looking up, replied, " Damsels may well be gentle when there are no youths. " Then Naisi knew it was Deirdre", and great dread fell upon him. "The king of the province is betrothed to thee, O damsel," he said. " I love him not," she replied ; "he is an aged man. I would rather love a youth like thee. " " Say not so, O damsel," answered Naisi" , " the king is a bet ter spouse than the king's servant. " Thou sayest so," said Deirdre, " that thou mayest avoid me. " Then plucking a rose from a brier, she flung it towards him, and said, " Now thou art ever disgraced if thou rejectest me. " " Depart from me, I beseech thee, damsel," said Naisi. "If thou dost not take me to be thy wife," said Deirdre, " thou art dishonored before all the men of Erin after what I have done. " Then Naisi said no more, and Deirdre" took the harp, and sat beside him, play ing sweetly. But the other sons of Usnach, rushing forth, came running to the spot where Naisi sat, and Deirdre with him. "Alas ! " they cried, "what hast thou done, O brother?
252 EARLY CELTIC LITERATURE.
After wandering through various parts of Erin, from Easroe to Ben Edar, from Dundalgan to Almain, the fugitives at length took shelter in Alba,1 where they found an asylum on the banks of Loch Etive. The loss of three warriors of such renown soon began to be felt by the nobles of Ulster, who no longer found themselves able to make head with their accustomed success against the southern provinces. They therefore urged Conor to abandon his resentment and recall the fugitives. Conor, with no other intention than that of repossessing himself of Deirdre, feigned compliance. But, to induce Clan Usnach to trust themselves again in the hands of him whom their leader had so outraged, it was necessary that the message of pardon should be borne by one on whose warranty of safe conduct the most implicit reliance could be placed. After sounding some of his chief nobles who were of sufficient authority to under take the mission, and finding that any attempt to tamper with them would be unavailing, Conor fixes on Fergus, the son of Roy, as a more likely instrument, and commits the embassy to him. But though he does not much fear the consequences of compromising the safe conduct of Fergus, he yet does not venture to enlist him openly in the meditated treachery, but proceeds by a stratagem. Fergus was of the order of the Red Branch knights, and the brethren of the Red Branch were under vow never to refuse hospitality at one another's hands. Conor, therefore, arranged with Barach, one of his minions, and a brother of the order, to intercept Fergus on his return by the tender of a three days' banquet, well knowing that Clan Usnach must in that case proceed to Emania without the pres ence of their protector. Meanwhile, Fergus, arriving in the harbor of Loch Etive, where dwelt Clan Usnach in green hunting booths along the shore, " sends forth the loud cry of a mighty man of chase. " Deirdre and Naisi were sitting to-
1 Scotland.
Is not this damsel fated to ruin Ulster ? "
before the men of Erin forever," replied Naisi, " if I take her not after that which she hath done. " "Evil will come of it," said the brothers. " I care not," said Naisi. " I would rather be in misfortune than dishonor. We will fly with her to an other country. " So that night they departed, taking with them three times fifty men of might, and three times fifty women, and three times fifty greyhounds, and three times fifty attendants ; and Naisi took Deirdre to be his wife.
"I am disgraced
EARLY CELTIC LITERATURE.
253
gether in their tent, and Conor's polished chessboard between them. And Naisi, hearing the cry, said, " I hear the call of a man of Erin. " " That was not the call of a man of Erin," replied Deirdre, " but the call of a man of Alba. " Then again Fergus shouted a second time. " Surely that was the call of a man of Erin," said Naisi. " Surely no," said Deirdre ; " let us play on. " Then again Fergus shouted a third time, and Naisi knew that
it was the cry of Fergus, and he said : "
in existence, I hear his hunting shout from the Loch. Go forth, Ardan, my brother, and give our kinsman welcome. " " Alas ! " cried Deirdre, " I knew the call of Fergus from the first. " For she has a prophetic dread that foul play is intended them, and this feeling never subsides in her breast from that hour until the catastrophe. Quite different are the feelings of Naisi ; he reposes the most unlimited confidence in the safe conduct vouched for by his brother in arms, and, in spite of the remonstrance of Deirdre, embarks with all his retainers for Ireland. Deirdre, on leaving the only secure or happy home she ever expects to enjoy, sings this farewell to Alba and her green sheeling on the shores of Glen Etive : —
(Translation of Sir Samuel Ferguson. )
Harp, take my bosom's burthen on thy string, And, turning it to sad, sweet melody,
Waste and disperse it on the careless air.
Air, take the harp string's burthen on thy breast, And, softly thrilling soulward through the sense, Bring my love's heart again in tune with mine.
Blessed were the hours when, heart in tune with hearty My love and I desired no happier home
Than Etive's airy glades and lonely shore.
Alba, farewell ! Farewell, fair Etive bank ! Sun kiss thee ; moon caress thee ; dewy stars Refresh thee long, dear scene of quiet days !
Barach meets them on their landing, near Dunseverick on the coast of Antrim, and detains Fergus, who reluctantly assigns his charge to his two sons, Red Buine Borb and Illan Finn, to conduct them in safety to their journey's end. Deir- dre's fears are more and more excited. "A blood-red cloud
If the son of Roy be
254 EARLY CELTIC LITERATURE.
floats before her and hovers above the palace of Emania. " She has dreams and visions of disasters. She urges Naisi to go to Dunseverick or to Dundalgan and there await the com ing of Fergus. Naisi is inflexible. It would injure the honor of his companion in arms to admit any apprehension of danger while under his safe conduct. The omens multiply. Deirdre's sense of danger becomes more and more acute. Still Naisi's
reply is :
"I fear not; let us proceed. " At length they reach Emania, and are assigned the house of the Red Branch for their lodging. Calm, and to all appearance unconscious of any cause for apprehension, Naisi takes his place at the chess table, and Deirdre, full of fears, sits opposite. Meanwhile the king, knowing that Deirdre was again within his reach, could not rest at the banquet, but sends spies to bring him word " if her beauty yet lived upon her. " The first messenger, friendly to Clan Usnach, reports that she is "quite bereft of her own aspect, and is lovely and desirable no longer. " This allays Conor's passion for a time ; but growing heated with wine, he shortly after sends another messenger, who brings back the intelligence that not only is Deirdre " the fairest woman on the ridge of the world," but that he himself has been wounded by Naisi, who had resented his gazing in at the window of the Red Branch by flinging a chessman at his head, and dashing out one of his eyes. This was all that Conor wanted ; he starts up in pretended indignation at the violence done his servant, calls his bodyguard, and attacks the Red Branch. The defense now devolves on the sons of Fergus. Clan Usnach scorn to evince alarm, or interfere in any way with the duties of their pro tectors. But Deirdre cannot "conceal her consciousness that they are betrayed. " Ah, me ! she cries, hearing the soldiery of Conor at the gates, " I knew that Fergus was a traitor. " " If Fergus hath betrayed you," replied Red Buine Borb, " yet will not I betray you. " And he issues out and slays his " thrice fifty men of might. " But when Conor offers him Slieve Fuad for a bribe, he holds back his hand from the slaughter, and goes his way. Then calls Deirdre, " Traitor father, traitor son ! " "No," replied Illan Finn, "though Red Buine Borb be a traitor, yet will not I be a traitor. While liveth this small straight sword in my hand, I will not forsake Clan Usnach. " Then Illan Finn, encountering Fiachra, the son of Conor, who was armed with Ocean, Flight, and Victory, the shield, spear, and sword of his father, they fight " a fair fight, stout and manly,
EARLY CELTIC LITERATURE. 255
bitter and bloody, savage and hot, and vehement and terrible, until the waves round the blue rim of Ocean roared, for it was the nature of Conor's shield that it ever resounded as with the noise of stormy waters when he who bore it was in danger. " Summoned by which signal, one of King Conor's nobles, coming behind Illan Finn, thrusts him through. "The weakness of death then fell darkly upon Illan, and he threw his arms into the mansion, and called to Naisi to fight manfully, and ex pired. " Clan Usnach at length designed to lay aside their chess tables and stand to their arms. Ardan first sallies out, and slays his " three hundred men of might," then Ainle, who makes twice that havoc ; and last Naisi himself ; and " till the sands of the sea, the dewdrops of the meadows, the leaves of the forest, or the stars of heaven be counted, it is not possi ble to tell the number of heads and hands and lopped limbs of heroes that there lay bare and red from the hands of Naisi and his brothers on that plain. " Then Naisi came again into the Red Branch to Deirdre ; and she encouraged him, and said, "We will yet escape; fight manfully, and fear not. " Then the sons of Usnach made a phalanx of their shields, and spread the links of their joined bucklers round Deirdre, and bounding forth like three eagles, swept down upon the troops of Conor, making great havoc of the people. But when Cathbad, the Druid, saw that the sons of Usnach were bent on the destruc tion of Conor himself, he had recourse to his arts of magic and he cast an enchantment over them, so that their arms fell from their hands, and they were taken by the men of Ulster ; for the spell was like a sea of thick gums about them, and their limbs were clogged in that they could not move. The sons of Usnach were then put to death, and Deirdre, standing over
—
(Translation of Sir Samuel Ferguson. )
The lions of the hill are gone,
And am left alone — alone.
Dig the grave both wide and deep, For am sick, and fain would sleep
The falcons of the wood are flown, And am left alone — alone.
Dig the grave both deep and wide, And let us slumber side by side.
their grave, sang this funeral song
III it, :
!
EARLY CELTIC LITERATURE.
The dragons of the rock are sleeping, Sleep that wakes not for our weeping. Dig the grave, and make it ready, Lay me on my true love's body.
Lay their spears and bucklers bright By the warriors' sides aright.
Many a day the three before me
On their linked bucklers bore me.
Lay upon the low grave floor,
'Neath each head, the blue claymore ; Many a time the noble three Reddened these blue blades for me.
Lay the collars, as is meet,
Of their greyhounds at their feet ; Many a time for me have they Brought the tall red deer to bay.
In the falcon's jesses throw Hook and arrow, line and bow: Never again by stream or plain Shall the gentle woodsmen go.
Sweet companions ye were ever — Harsh to me, your sister, never ; Woods and wilds and misty valleys Were with you as good's a palace.
Oh ! to hear my true love singing,
Sweet as sound of trumpets ringing; Like the sway of Ocean swelling
Rolled his deep voice round our dwelling.
Oh! to hear the echoes pealing
Round our green and fairy sheeling, When the three, with soaring chorus, Passed the silent skylark o'er us.
Echo, now sleep morn and even — Lark, alone enchant the heaven ! — Ardan's lips are scant of breath, Naisi's tongue is cold in death.
EARLY CELTIC LITERATURE. 267
Stag, exult on glen and mountain ; Salmon, leap from loch to fountain ; Heron, in the free air warm ye ; Usnach's sons no more will harm ye.
Erin's stay no more ye are,
Rulers of the ridge of war ! Nevermore 'twill be your fate
To keep the beam of battle straight !
Woe is me ! by fraud and wrong, Traitors false and tyrants strong, Fell Clan Usnach, bought and sold, For Barach's feast and Conor's gold I
Woe to Emain, roof and wall !
Woe to Red Branch, hearth and hall ! Tenfold woe and black dishonor
To the foul and false Clan Conor !
Dig the grave both wide and deep, Sick I am, and fain would sleep. Dig the grave and make it ready, Lay me on my true love's body !
So saying, she flung herself into the grave, and expired.
(Episodes from the Tain Bo Cuailqne, or Cattle Spoil of Coolnet, the chief epic of ancient Ireland. Time : the first century b. c. )
The Pillow Conversation of King Ailill and Queen Maev that caused the War.
Translation of O'CURRY.
On one occasion that Ailill and Maev had arisen from their royal bed in Cruachan of Rath Conrach, a pillow conversation was "carried on between them : — "
It is a true saying, O woman," said Ailill, that a good man's wife is a happy creature. "
"Why do you say so ? " said Maev.
" The reason that I say so," said Ailill, " is because you are happier this day than the day I espoused you. "
" I was happy before I knew you," said Maev.
" It was a happiness of which we never heard," said Ailill.
vol. v. — 17
258 EARLY CELTIC LITERATURE.
" We only heard of your being in the dependent position of a woman, while your nearest enemies stole and plundered, and carried off your property. "
" Not so was I," said Maev, " but my father was arch king of Erin ; that is, Eochy Fiedlech, son of Finn, son of Finno- man, son of Finneon, son of Finnlag, etc. He had six daughters of daughters; namely, Derbrin, Eithne, Ele, Clothra, Mugain, and Maev, myself, who was the most noble and illustrious of them, for I was the best for gifts and presents of them. I was the best for battle and fight and combat of them. It was I that had fifteen hundred noble mercenaries, soldiers — sons of foreign chiefs — and as many more of the sons of my own landholders ; and there were ten men with every soldier of them ; and eight with every soldier, and seven with every soldier, and six with every soldier, and five with every soldier, and three with every soldier, and two with every soldier, and a soldier with every soldier. These I had for my ordinary household, and for that it was that my father gave me a province of the provinces of Erin ; namely, the province of Cruachan, where I am called Maev of Cruachan. And I was sought in marriage by Finn, son of Ross Ruadh, king of Laighin, and by Cairpri Nia Fear, son of the king of Flamair, and by Conor, son of Fachna Fathach. And I was sought by Eochy, son of Luchta ; and I did not go, because it was I that demanded the extraordinary dowry, such as no woman ever sought before from the men of Erin ; namely, a man without parsimoniousness, without jealousy, without fear. If the man who would have me were parsimonious, we were not fit to be united in one, because I am good at bestowing gifts and pres ents, and it would be a reproach to my husband that I were better in gifts than he ; and it would be no reproach now, if we were equally good, provided that we were both good. If my husband were timid, we were not the more fit to unite, because I go in battle and fights and combats, by myself alone ; and it would be a reproach to my husband that his wife were more active than himself ; and it is no reproach if we are equally active. If the man who had me were jealous, we were not matched either, because I never was without having a man in the shadow of another. I have found that man ; namely, you ; namely, Ailill, the son of Ross Ruadh, of the men of Laighin. You were not parsimonious ; you were not jealous ; you were not timid. I gave you an engagement and a dowry,
EARLY CELTIC LITERATURE.
259
the best that is desired of woman ; namely, of clothes, the array of twelve men ; a chariot, with thrice seven cumhals (steeds) ; the breadth of your face of red gold ; the span of your left wrist of carved silver. Should any one work reproach or injury or incantation on you, you are not entitled to DirS (fine for bodily injury) or Uneclann (fine for satire and calumny) for but what comes to me. Because man in
attendance on woman what you are. "
"Such was not my state," said Ailill, "but had two
brothers, one the king of Temar, and the other the king of Laighin. left them the sovereignty because of their senior ity. And you were not the better for gifts and presents than
was. have not heard of province of Erin in woman's keep ing but this province alone. came, then, and assumed sovereignty here in succession to my mother for Mata of Murisy, the daughter of Magach, was my mother, and what better queen need desire to have than you, since you happen to be the daughter of the arch king of Erin. "
"It happens, however," said Maev, "that my goodness greater than yours. "
" wonder at that," said Ailill, " since there no one that has more jewels, and wealth, and riches than have — and know there not. "
Ailill and Maev then commenced a comparison of their goods and effects — for women at this time did not lose by marriage their separate rights of property. Their jewels, garments, flocks, were compared, and found to be of equal value, with one exception. There was particularly splendid bull of AHill's cows. Now he was the calf of one of Maev's cows, and Finn- bennach (White Horn) was his name but he deemed not honorable to be in a woman's dependence, and he passed over to the king's cows. And the queen was indignant, but hearing that Dare, son of Factna, of Cuailgne", was the possessor of brown bull, still finer animal than the white-horned deserter of her drove, she dispatched her courier, MacRoth, to Dare, requesting of him the loan of the Donn Cuailgne (the Brown One of Coolney) for year, and promising to restore him with fifty heifers to boot, chariot worth sixty-three cows, and other tokens of her friendship. On his refusal, she summoned her forces to join in foray for the capture of the Donn Cuailgne.
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260 EARLY CELTIC LITERATURE.
How Setanta, the Hero of the Tatv, received the Name of Cuchullin, the Hound of Cullan.
Translation of Sir SAMUEL FERGUSON.
[King Conor, going with a few guests to a feast at the Dun of Cullan, the Smith, meets his nephew, Setanta, who is playing with his companions on the plain of Emania. ]
Conor —
Setanta, if bird nesting in the woods
And ball feats on the playgreen please thee not More than discourse of warrior and sage,
And sight of warrior weapons in the forge,
I offer an indulgence. For we go —
Myself, my step-sire Fergus, and my Bard — To visit Cullan, the illustrious smith
Of Coolney. Come thou also if thou wilt.
Setanta —
Ask me not, O good Conor, yet to leave
The playgreen ; for the ball feats just begun
Are those which most delight my playmate youths, And they entreat me to defend the goal :
But let me follow ; for the chariot tracks
Are easy to discern ; and much I long
To hear discourse of warrior and sage,
And see the nest that hatches deaths of men,
The tongs a-flash, and Cullan's welding blow.
Conor —
Too late the hour ; too difficult the way.
Set forward, drivers : give our steeds the goad.
Cullan —
Great King of Emain, welcome. Welcome, thou, Fergus, illustrious step-sire of the King :
And, Seer and Poet, Cathbad, welcome too, Behold the tables set, the feast prepared.
Sit. But before I cast my chain hound loose, Give me assurance that ye be all in.
For night descends ; and perilous the wild ;
And other watchman none of house or herds, Here, in this solitude remote from men,
Own I, but one hound only. Once his chain
Is loosened, and he makes three bounds at large Before my doorposts, after fall of night,
EARLY CELTIC LITERATURE.
There lives not man nor company of men, Less than a cohort, shall within my close Set foot of trespass, short of life or limb.
Conor —
Yea ; all are in. Let loose, and sit secure.
Good are thy viands, Smith, and strong thine ale.
Hark, the hound growling Cullan —
! —
Wild dogs are abroad.
Fergus —
Not ruddier the fire that laps a sword — Steeled for a king, oh Cullan, than thy wine.
Hark, the hound baying Cullan —
! —
Wolves, belike, are near.
Cathbad —
Not cheerfuller the ruddy forge's light
To wayfarer benighted, nor the glow
Of wine and viands to a hungry man
Than look of welcome passed from host to guest. — Hark, the hound yelling ! —
Cullan — — Friends, arise and arm ! Some enemy intrudes! Tush! 'tis a boy.
Setanta —
Setanta here, the son of Suailtam.
Conor —
Setanta, whom I deemed on Emain green, Engaged at ball play, on our track, indeed !
Setanta —
Not difficult the track to find, oh King,
But difficult, indeed, to follow home.
Cullan, 'tis evil welcome for a guest
This unwarned onset of a savage beast,
Which, but that 'gainst the stone posts of thy gate I three times threw him, leaping at my throat, And, at the third throw, on the stone edge, slew, Had brought on thee the shame indelible
Of bidden guest, at his host's threshold, torn.
Conor —
Yea, he was bidden : it was I myself
Said, as I passed him with the youths at play, This morning : Come thou also if thou wilt. But little thought I, — when he said the youths Desired his presence still to hold the goal,
Yet asked to follow — for he said he longed
To hear discourse of warrior and sage,
And see the nest that hatches deaths of men
262
EARLY CELTIC LITERATURE.
The tongs a-flash, and Cullan's welding blow — That such a playful, young, untutored boy Would come on this adventure of a man.
Cullan —
I knew not he was bidden ; and I asked,
Ere I cast loose, if all the train were in. — But, since thy word has made the boy my guest, Boy, for his sake who bade thee to my board,
I give thee welcome : for thine own sake, no.
For thou hast slain my servant and my friend,
The hound I loved, that fierce, intractable
To all men else, was ever mild to me.
He knew me ; and he knew my uttered words,
All my commandments, as a man might know : More than a man, he knew my looks and tones
And turns of gesture, and discerned my mind, Unspoken, if in grief or if in joy.
He was my pride, my strength, my company,
For I am childless ; and that hand of thine
Has left an old man lonely in the world.
Setanta —
Since, Cullan, by mischance, I've slain thy hound, So much thy grief compassion stirs in me,
Hear me pronounce a sentence on myself.
If of his seed there liveth but a whelp
In Uladh, I will rear him till he grow
To such ability as had his sire
For knowing, honoring, and serving thee.
Meantime, but give a javelin in my hand,
And a good buckler, and there never went
About thy bounds, from daylight — gone till dawn, Hound watchf uller, or of a keener fang
Against intruder, than myself shall be.
Cullan —
A sentence, a just sentence.
Setanta —
Setanta I, the son of Suailtam,
Nor other name assume I, or desire.
Conor —
Hath made award more righteous. Be it so. Wherefore what hinders that we give him now His hero name, no more Setanta called
But now Cuchullin, chain hound of the Smith ?
Cathbad —
Take, son of Suailtam, the offered name.
Not myself
EARLY CELTIC LITERATURE.
Setanta —
Setanta I, Setanta let me be.
Conor — — Mark Cathbad!
I hear perpetual voices Proclaim to land and fame
The name,
Cuchullin !
Hound of the Smith, thy boyish vow Devotes thy manhood even now
Fergus — Cathbad —
'Tis his seer fit!
To my ears
There comes a clamor from the rising years,
The tumult of a passion torrent-swollen,
Rolled hitherward, and 'mid its mingling noises,
To vigilance, fidelity, and toil :
'Tis not alone the wolf, fang-bare to snatch, Not the marauder from the lifted latch Alone, thy coming footfall makes recoil, The nobler service thine to chase afar Seditious tumult and intestine war,
Envy and unfraternal hate,
From all the households of the state.
*####*•
Great is the land and splendid :
The borders of the country are extended :
The extern tribes look up with wondering awe And own the central law.
Fair show the fields, and fair the friendly faces Of men in all their places.
With song and chosen story,
With game and dance, with revelries and races, Life glides on joyous wing —
The tales they tell of love and war and glory, Tales that the soft bright daughters of the land Delight to understand,
The songs they sing,
To harps of double string, To gitterns and new reeds, Are of the glorious deeds
Of young Cuchullin in the Cuelgnian foray.
Take, son of Suailtam, the offered name. For at that name the mightiest of the men Of Erin and of Alba shall turn pale :
264
EARLY CELTIC LITERATURE.
And of that name the mouths of all the men Of Erin and of Alba shall be fulL
Setanta — — Yea, then if that be so
Cuchullin here !
Cuchttllhi's Wooing of Edieb. Translation of STANDISH O'GRADY.
" Hers were the gift of beauty of person, the gift of voice, the gift of music, the gift of embroidery and of all needlework, the gift of wisdom, and the gift of virtuous chastity. "
Cuchullin —
Come down, O daughter of Forgal Manah, Sweet Eimer, come down without fear.
The moon has arisen to light us on our way, Come down from thy grenan 1 without fear.
Eimer —
Who is that beneath my chamber window
Sends up to me his words through the dim night ? Who art thou, standing in the beechen shadows, White-browed and tall, with thy golden hair ?
Cuchullin —
It is I, Setanta, O gentle Eimer !
I, thy lover, come to seek thee from the north ;
It is I who stand in the beechen shadows,
Sending up my heart in words through the dim night.
Eimer —
I fear my proud father, O Setanta,
My brothers, and my kinsmen, and the guards,
Ere I come unto thy hands, O my lover !
Through their well-lit feasting chamber I must pass.
Cuchullin —
Fear not the guards, O noble Eimer !
Fear not thy brothers or thy sire,
Dull with ale are they all, and pressed with slumber, And the lights extinguished in the hall.
Eimer —
I fear the fierce watchdogs, 0 Setanta,
The deep water of the moat how shall I
Not alone for myself, I fear, Setanta,
They will rend thee without ruth, Cuchullin.
1 Women's apartments.
cross ?
EARLY CELTIC LITERATURE.
Cuchullin —
The dogs are my comrades and my namesakes ; Like my Luath they are friendly unto me.
O'er the foss I will bear thee in my arms —
I will leap across the foss, my love, with thee.
265
Eimer —
Forward wide, all the tribes and the nations Over Bregia, northwards to Dun — Sir, — They are kin to my father and his subjects For thy life I fear, O noble Cuchullin.
Cuchullin —
On the lawn within the beechen shadows
Is my chariot light and strong, bright with gold ; And steeds like the March wind in their swiftness Will bear thee to Dundalgan ere the dawn.
Eimer —
I grieve to leave my father, O Setanta, Mild to me, though his nature be not mild ; I grieve to leave my native land, Setanta, Frisk with its streams and fairy glades.
I grieve to leave my Dun, O Setanta,
And this lawn, and the trees I know so well, And this, my tiny chamber looking eastward, Where love found me unknowing of his power.
Well I know the great wrong I do my father, But thus, even thus I fly with thee ;
As the sea draws down the little Tolka
So thou, O Cuchullin, drawest me.
Like a god descending from the mountains, So hast thou descended upon me ;
I would die to save thy life, O Setanta,
I would die if thou caredst not for me.
The Fight of Cuchullin and Ferdtah at the Ford. Translation of O'CUERY.
[King Ailill and Queen Maev threaten Ferdiah" with the bardic curse " which withers and dishonors heroes if he re fuses to meet his former friend and companion, Cuchullin, in
combat. ]
Maev and Ailill sent to the Bards to make a great outcry
266 EARLY CELTIC LITERATURE.
and get up an excitement, and raise up a triple barrier of scandal and reproach against his name unless he came to them. Then came Ferdiah to them, for it was better for him to fall in chivalrous and martial exploit than to fall by the libels and outcries of the Bards. And when he came, a full and wondrous joy took possession of Ailill and Maev, and they promised him abundance of goods if he would go and encounter exalted Cuchullin, and that he should be free of imposition of exaction or tribute, and that nothing should ever be required of him during eternity. And that he should get for a wife Fionbar, the beauteous only daughter of Ailill and Maev, who excelled in beauty and in form all the women of the world, and that he should take the golden jewel that was in the cloak of Maev, a talisman of great virtue. . . . Ferdiah took his steeds and mounted his chariot at the rising of the sun. . . . And Ferdiah beheld the polished bounding chariot of Cuchullin com ing rapidly and actively, with his people clad in green, and with a shaking of stout spears and dexterous bloodthirsty javelins held up aloft. And two fleet steeds under the chariot, bound ing broad-chested, high-spirited, holding high their heads and arching their long necks. And they were as a hawk on a sharp blustering day, or as a whirlwind in a brisk spring day in March in its course over the lovely wide marshy plains. Or like a beauteous excellent deer at the first starting of the hounds — such were those two steeds under the chariot of Cuchullin.
And Ferdiah gave Cuchullin a manly and a truly mild wel come. And then said Cuchullin : " O Ferdiah, it was not meet of thee to come to do battle with me at the jealous in stigation and complaint of Ailill and Maev, and for the sake of their false promises and deceitful gifts. O Ferdiah, and woe is it to thee to have abandoned my friendship for the friend ship of any one woman. Fifty champions have hitherto fallen by me, and long is it ere I would forsake thee for the promises of any woman ; for we were together gaining instruction in chivalry, and together went we to every battle and conflict, and together pursued we the chase, and together were we in every desolate place of darkness and sorcery. "
" Dost thou bear in mind, great Cuchullin," said Ferdiah, " the generous exercise we used to go through with Uatha and Scatha and with Aife" ? " " Well do I remember them," said Cuchullin. " And now let us joust with our trusty spears. "
EARLY CELTIC LITERATURE. 267
And they made ready their chariots and did so. And they began piercing and overthrowing one another from the dusky dawn of the morning until eventide. And after that they ceased. And they handed their arms to their attendants, and gave each other many a kiss. And their steeds rested at the same time ; and their attendants were at the same fire for the night. And two lofty beds of rushes were made ready for these wounded heroes. The herbs that assuage pain were brought, and cures to alleviate their sufferings, and they tended them that night, and every remedy and every charm that was applied to Cuchullin was equally divided with Ferdiah.
Thus were they that night, and they arose early in the morning to go to the field of combat. — " Thou art looking badly to-day, O Ferdiah," said Cuchullin ; " for thine hair has lost its gloss, and thine eyes are heavy, and thine upright form and sprightliness have deserted thee. " " It is neither through fear or dread of thine encounter I am so," said Ferdiah ; " for there is not in Erin a champion that I would not do battle with this day. " " It is a pity, O Ferdiah, nor is it for thy good to confront thine own comrade and fellow-soldier at the instigation of any woman of the world. " "Pity it is," said Ferdiah, " but were I to go hence without encountering thee, I shall be forever under the aspersion of cowardice with Maev and with Ailill and with all the men of Erin. " . . .
And so Ferdiah fought for the sake of his honor, for he preferred to fall by the shafts of valor, gallantry, and bravery, rather than by the shafts of satire, censure, and reproach. . . . And at last Ferdiah fell down there, and a cloud, and a faint, and a weakness came on Cuchullin, and the hero, exhausted by his wounds and long-continued strife, and still more by the distress of mind caused by the death of his loved friend, lay long on his bed of sickness, and was unable to take part in the coming battle between the Ultonians and the forces of Ailill and Maev.
The Death of Cttchullin. Translation of STANDISH O'GBADY.
As Cuchullin and Leagh, his charioteer, traveled, they saw a smoke on the edge of the wood that ascended not into the still air, but lay low, hovering around the leafless trees, and soon they saw where a party of wandering outcasts had made
268 EARLY CELTIC LITERATURE.
their encampment beside the wood, and they sat around the fire cooking ; for a brazen pot was suspended from a branch between forked supporters, and they were cooking their evening meal.
" Methinks I never saw such miserable wanderers as these. There are three men and three women, all very old, and wretched, and meanly clad. "
And Leagh said : —
But when the outcasts saw Cuchullin, they lifted up their voices in a hard and dissonant chorus, and said : —
" Right well have we chosen our encampment, O mighty prince, for we said that this way thou wouldst go down to the battle, and we knew that no arts or persuasions would restrain thee that thou shouldst not come out, as of yore, to the assist ance of thy people. Hail to thee, O Cuchullin, O flame of the heroes of Erin, and to thee, O illustrious son of Riangowra. "
But as they spake they all stood up, and they were very hideous to look upon, marred, as Cuchullin and Leagh thought, by some evil destiny. They were clad in the skins of black he-goats, and on the breast of each, instead of pin or brooch, was the shank bone of a heron, or a swan, or such like bird ; their arms and legs were lean and bony, but their hands and feet large, and they were all maimed in the right hand and the right foot.
But Cuchullin answered them as was his wont, for many such a greeting had he received from unwarlike people and out casts, for such especially cherished his glory. Then, as Leagh was urging on the steeds, one limped forward and stood before the steeds and said : —
" O Cuchullin, partake with us of our poor repast, not meet for princes, but such as we outcasts can procure trapping wild animals ; and we ourselves are like wild animals hunted to and fro. They say indeed that in many a poor man's cot thou hast eaten food, and sat beside many a humble fire, not knowing thine own greatness. " —
And Cuchullin said :
" The night is already upon us, O Leagh, and we cannot
travel further ; let us not insult these unhappy people, maimed and outcast, by refusing what they offer. "
Leagh reluctantly consented, and unharnessed the steeds from the great war car, and he returned to Cuchullin, who sat beside the fire among the outlaws, for he was chill from sitting all day in the war car. Nevertheless, he was not warmed by the fire.
EARLY CELTIC LITERATURE. 269
But Cuchullin was glad when the charioteer drew nigh, for he was distressed at the conversation of these homeless people, and their countenances, and their forms ; for their wretchedness sat lightly upon them, and they were very gay and mirthful, as they sat holding the flesh on skewers of the rowan over the embers, and they made obscene jests, and answered in a language which he could not comprehend, and it seemed to him that the women were worse than the men. Moreover, the sun set, and the darkness came down, and mysterious sounds came from the sacred hill, the noise of the trees, and of the fall ing water, and he saw naught but these unlovely faces around.
When the flesh was cooked they gave a portion to Cuchul lin, and he ate thereof, but Leagh refused with an oath. Then these outcasts laughed and sprang to their feet, and they joined hands around them twain, and danced upon their misshapen feet, and sang : —
" Sisters and brothers, join hands, he is ours ;
Let the charm work, he is ours. — A rath in Murthemney holds twenty-eight skulls Work on, little charm, he is ours ! "
" Hast thou heard, O Cuchullin, of Clan Cailitin ? " 1
But Cuchullin drew his sword, crying : —
" O brood of hell, see now if your charms are proof against
keen bronze. "
But they bounded away nimbly like goats, and still encircled
him, singing. Then one plunged into the wood, and all fol lowed ; and there was cracked, obscene laughter in the forest, and then silence. Cuchullin stood panting, and very pallid, with wide eyes ; but Leagh crouched upon the ground.
"They are gone, O Leagh. It was some horrible vision. Here was the fire where the grass is yet unburned, and there is no trace of the rowan-tree spits, or of the flesh. "
But Leagh recovered himself with difficulty, and spake with a stammering tongue ; and they found there no trace of the encampment of the outcasts save the skin of a wolf lately slain.
" I marvel, O Leagh, how the mighty and righteous Loi, to whom this mountain is sacred, can suffer within his precincts
1A druidical clan, powerful in working evil enchantments, and implacable enemies of Cuchullin.
And Cuchullin said : —
And Cuchullin said : —
270 EARLY CELTIC LITERATURE.
this horrid brood. O mountain dwelling, unseen king, shield us at least" within thine own borders against these powers of darkness !
Cuchullin and Leagh slept not that night. And when it was dawn Leagh harnessed the steeds and yoked the chariot. And about noon they beheld the first signs of the invasion, and saw afar the lurid smoke of conflagration, and heard the dis tant noise of battle. Then Leagh unfolded and closed the glittering scythes, to see if they would work freely, urging on the steeds, and Cuchullin stood erect in the chariot, looking southwards. . . .
And as the Ultonians grew less in the dread conflict, the southern warriors precipitated themselves upon Cuchullin, and like a great rock over which rolls some mighty billow of the western sea, so was Cuchullin often submerged in the overflow ing tide ; and as with the down-sinking billow the same rock reappears in its invincible greatness, and the white brine runs down its stubborn ribs, so the son of Suailtam perpetually re appeared, scattering and destroying his foes. Then crashed his battle mace through opposing shields ; then flew the foam flakes from his lips over his reddened garments ; baleful shone his eyes beneath his brows, and his voice died away in his throat till it became a hoarse whisper. Often, too, Leagh charged with the war car, and extricated him surrounded, and the mighty steeds trampled down opposing squadrons, and many a southern hero was transfixed with the chariot spear, or divided by the brazen scythes.
And on the eighth day, two hours after noon, Cuchullin, raising his eyes, beheld where the last of the Red Branch were overwhelmed ; and he and Leagh were abandoned and alone, and he heard Leagh shouting, for he was surrounded by a battalion, and Cuchullin hastened back to defend him, and sprang into the chariot, bounding over the rim. There he in tercepted three javelins cast against the charioteer by a Lage- nian band ; but Ere, son of Cairbre Nia-Far, pursued him, and at the same time cast his spear from the right. Through Cuchullin it passed, breaking through the battle shirt and the waist piece, and it pierced his left side between the hip bone and the lowest rib, and transfixed Leagh in the stomach above the navel. Then fell the reins from"the hands of Leagh.
" How is it with thee, O Leagh? said then Cuchullin. And Leagh answered : —
"I have had enough this time, O my dear master. "
EARLY CELTIC LITERATURE.
271
Then Cuchullin cut through the spear tree with his colg, and tore forth the tree out of himself ; but meantime, Lewy Mac Conroi stabbed the steed, black Shanglan, with his red hands, driving the spear through his left side, behind the shoulder, and Shanglan fell, overturning the war car, and Cuchullin sprang forth, but as he sprang Lewy Mac Conroi pierced him through the bowels. Then fell the great hero of the Gael.
Thereat the sun darkened, and the earth trembled, and a wail of agony from immortal mouths shrilled across the land, and a pale panic smote the vast host of Meav when, with a crash, fell that pillar of heroism, and that flame of the warlike valor of Erin was extinguished. Then, too, from his slain comrade brake the divine steed, the Liath Macha ; for, like a housewife's thread, the divine steed brake the traces, and the brazen chains, and the yoke and bounded forth neighing, and three times he encircled the heroes, trampling down the hosts of Meav. Afar then retreated the host, and the Liath Macha, wearing still the broken collar, went back into the realms of the unseen. "
But Cuchullin kissed Leagh, and Leagh, dying, said :
well, O dear master and schoolfellow. Till the end of the world no servant will have a better master than thou hast been to me. "
And Cuchullin said : " Farewell, O dear Leagh. The gods of Erin have deserted us, and the Clan Cailitin are now abroad, and what will happen to us henceforward I know not. But true and faithful thou hast ever been to me, and it is now seventeen years since we plighted friendship, and no angry word has ever passed between us since then. "
Then the spirit went out of Leagh, and he died, and Cuchullin, raising his eyes, saw thence northwestward, about two hundred yards, a small lake called Loch-an-Tanaigte, and he tore forth from himself the bloody spear, and went stagger ing, and at times he fell ; nevertheless, he reached the lake, and stooped down and drank a deep draught of the pure cold water, keen with frost, and the burning fever in his veins was allayed. After that he arose, and saw northward from the lake a tall pillar stone, the grave of a warrior slain there in some ancient war, and its name was Carrig-an-Compan. With difficulty he reached and he leaned awhile against the pil
lar, for his mind wandered, and he knew nothing for
After that he took off his brooch, and removing the torn bratta, he passed round the top of the pillar, where there was an indentation in the stone, and passed the ends under his
space.
Fare
it
it,
a
272 EARLY CELTIC LITERATURE.
arms and around his breast, tying with languid hands a loose knot, which soon was made fast by the weight of the dying hero ; so that he might not die in his sitting, or lying, but that he might die in his standing. But the host of Meav, when they beheld him, retired again, for they said that he was im mortal, and that Lu Lamfada would once more come down from fairyland to his aid, and that they would wreak a terrible vengeance. So afar they retreated, when they beheld him standing with a drawn sword in his hand and the rays of the setting sun bright on his panic-striking helmet.
Now, as Cuchullin stood dying, a stream of blood trickled from his wounds, and ran in a devious way down to the lake, and poured its tiny red current into the pure water ; and as Cuchullin looked upon thinking many things in his deep mind, there came forth an otter out of the reeds of the lake and approached the pebbly strand, where the blood flowed into the water, having been attracted thither by the smell, and at the point where the blood flowed into the lake, he lapped up the lifeblood of the hero, looking up from time to time, after the manner of dog feeding. Which seeing, Cuchullin gazed upon the otter, and he smiled for the last time, and said —
"O thou greedy water dog, often in my boyhood have pursued thy race in the rivers and lakes of Murthemney but now thou hast full eric [blood-money], who drinkest the blood of me dying. Nor do grudge thee this thy bloody meal. Drink on, thou happy beast. To thee, too, doubtless there will some time be an hour of woe. "
Then terrible loneliness and desolation came over his mind, and again he saw the faces of the wandering clan and they laughed around him, and taunted him, and said —
" Thus shalt thou perish, Hound, and thus shall all like thee be forsaken and deserted. An early death and desolation shall be their lot, for we are powerful over men and over gods, and the kingdom that seen and the kingdom that unseen belong to us " and they ringed him round, and chanted obscene songs, and triumphed.
Nevertheless, they terrified him not, for deep spring of stern valor was opened in his soul, and the might of his unfath omable spirit sustained him.
Then was Cuchullin aware that the Clan Cailitin retired, as though in fear and after that the soul of the mild, handsome, invincible hero departed from him.
;
a
;
a
a
a
is
O
I
it,
: is
: ;
;
I
KING DATHY'S DEATH. 273
KING DATHY'S DEATH. (Translated from the Irish by James Clarence Mangan. )
[James Clarence Mangan, an Irish poet, was born in Dublin, May 1, 1803. As a boy he was a copyist and attorney's clerk, and worked at the former trade intermittently all his life. Extreme poverty, overwork, bohemian irregularity and exposure, and opium, made him a physical wreck ; and he died of cholera June 20, 1849.