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,