"Stay," he cried, and speaking
Caught the maiden's hand;
"Thee alone as seeking,
I have reached this land:
Here am I who sought thee,
Stay, and hear me woo!"
"Ah! thy speech hath brought me
Joy," she said, "most true;
Yet, thy side if nearing,
What for thee can I?"
"Maid!" he cried, "art fearing
Hence with me to fly?"
"Flight I hold disloyal,"
Answered she in scorn;
"I from mother royal,
I to king was born;
What should stay our wedding?
None so mean or poor
Thou hast seemed, nor dreading
Kin of mine; be sure:
I will go! 'tis spoken,
Thou beloved shalt be!
Take this ring as token,
Lent by Maev to me!
'Twas my mother who bid me to save it,
For the ring she in secret would hide;
'Tis as pledge of our love that I gave it,
As its pledge it with thee should abide.
Till that ring we can freely be showing
I will tell them I put it astray!"
And, the love of each other thus knowing,
Fraech and Finnabar went on their way.
"I have fear," said the king, "that with Fraech yon maid to his home as
his wife would fly;
Yet her hand he may win, if he rides on the Raid with his kine when the
time draws nigh."
Then Fraech to the Hall of Debate returned, and he cried: "Through Some
secret chink
Hath a whisper passed?" and the king replied, "Thou would'st fit in
that space, I think!"
"Will ye give me your daughter?" said Fraech: said the king, "In sight
of our hosts she goes;
If, as gift to suffice for her marriage price, thy hand what I ask
bestows."
"I will give thee what price thou dost name," said Fraech, "and now let
its sum be told!"'
"Then a sixty steeds do I claim," said the king, "dark-grey, and with
bits of gold;
And twelve milch-cows, from their udders shall come the milk in a
copious stream,
And by each of the cows a white calf shall run; bright red on its ears
shall gleam;
And thou, with thy harpers and men, shalt ride by my side on the
Cualgne[FN#10] Raid,
And when all thy kine driven here shall stand, shall the price of her
hand be paid!"