The Ancient Irish Epic Tale Táin Bó Cúalnge

by Unknown

XIVb. [¹]THE COLLOQUY OF THE MORRIGAN AND CUCHULAIN[¹]

[²]Then Cuchulain saw draw near him a young woman with a dress of every colour about her and her appearance was most surpassing. "Who art thou?" Cuchulain asked. "Daughter of Buan ('the Eternal'), the king," she answered. "I am come to thee; I have loved thee for the high tales they tell of thee and have brought my treasures and cattle with me." "Not good is the time thou hast come. Is not our condition weakened through hunger? Not easy then would it be for me to foregather with a woman the while I am engaged in this struggle." "Herein I will come to thy help." "Not for the love of a woman[^a] did I take this in hand." "This then shall be thy lot," said she, "when I come against thee what time thou art contending with men: In the shape of an eel I will come beneath thy feet in the ford; so shalt thou fall." "More likely that, methinks, than daughter of a king! I will seize thee," said he, "in the fork of my toes till thy ribs are broken, and thou shalt remain in such sorry plight till there come my sentence of blessing on thee." "In the shape of a grey she-wolf will I drive the cattle on to the ford against thee." "I will cast a stone from my sling at thee, so shall it smash thine eye in thy head" (said he), "and thou wilt so remain maimed till my sentence of blessing come on thee." "I will attack thee," said she, "in the shape of a hornless red heifer at the head of the cattle, so that they will overwhelm thee on the waters and fords and pools and thou wilt not see me before thee." "I will," replied he, "fling a stone at thee that will break thy leg under thee, and thou wilt thus be lamed till my sentence of blessing come on thee." Therewith she went from him.[²]

XV. [¹]HERE FOLLOWETH THE COMBAT OF LOCH AND CUCHULAIN ON THE TÁIN,[¹] [²]AND THE SLAYING OF LOCH SON OF MOFEMIS[²]

[³]Then it was debated by the men of Erin who would be fitted to fight and contend with Cuchulain and ward him off from them on the ford at the morning-hour early on the morrow. What they all agreed was that it should be Loch Mor ('the Great') son of Mofemis, the royal champion of Munster.[³] W. 2260. It was then that Loch Mor son of Mofemis was summoned [⁴]like the rest[⁴] to the pavilion of Ailill and Medb, [⁵]and he was promised the equal of Mag Murthemni of the smooth field of Mag Ai, and the accoutrement of twelve men, and a chariot of the value of seven bondmaids.[⁵] "What would ye of me?" asked Loch. "To have fight with Cuchulain," replied Medb. "I will not go on that errand, for I esteem it no honour nor becoming to attack a tender, young, smooth-chinned, beardless boy. [⁶]'Tis not seemly to speak thus to me, and ask it not of me.[⁶] And not to belittle him do I say it, but I have [⁷]a doughty brother, [⁸]the match of himself,"[⁸] said Loch,[⁷] "a man to confront him, Long macEmonis, to wit, and he will rejoice to accept an offer from you; [⁹]and it were fitting for him to contend with Cuchulain for Long has no beard on cheek or lip any more than Cuchulain."[⁹]

W. 2266. [¹]Thereupon[¹] Long was summoned to the tent of Ailill and Medb, and Medb promised him great gifts, even livery for twelve men of cloth of every colour, and a chariot worth four[^a] times seven bondmaids, and Finnabair to wife for him alone, and at all times entertainment in Cruachan, and that wine[^b] would be poured out for him.

[²]They passed there that night and he engaged to do the battle and combat, and early on the morrow[²] went Long [³]to the ford of battle and combat[³] to seek Cuchulain, and Cuchulain slew him and [⁵]they brought him dead into the presence of his brother, namely of Loch. And Loch [⁴]came forth and raised up his loud, quick voice and[⁴] cried, had he known it was a bearded man that slew him, he would slay him for it.[⁵] [⁶]And it was in the presence of Medb that he said it.[⁶] [⁷]"Lead a battle-force against him," Medb cried to her host, "over the ford from the west, that ye may cross, and let the law of fair fight be broken with Cuchulain." The seven Manè the warriors went first, till they saw him to the west of the edge of the ford. He wore his festive raiment on that day and the women clambered on the men that they might behold him. "It grieves me," said Medb. "I cannot see the boy because of whom they go there." "Thy mind would not be the easier for that," quoth Lethrenn, Ailill's horseboy, "if thou shouldst see him." Cuchulain came to the ford as he was. "What man is that yonder, O Fergus?" asked Medb.[^c] And Medb, too, climbed on the men to get a look W. 2272. at him.[⁷] [¹]Then[¹] Medb called upon [²]her handmaid for two woman-bands,[²] [³]fifty or twice fifty[³] of her women, to go speak with Cuchulain and to charge him to put a false beard on. The woman-troop went their way to Cuchulain and told him to put a false beard on [⁴]if he wished to engage in battle or combat with goodly warriors or with goodly youths of the men of Erin;[⁴] [⁵]that sport was made of him in the camp for that he had no beard, and that no good warrior would go meet him but only madmen. It were easier to make a false beard:[⁵] "For no brave warrior in the camp thinks it seemly to come fight with thee, and thou beardless," [⁶]said they.[⁶] [⁷]"If that please me," said Cuchulain, "then I shall do it."[⁷] Thereupon Cuchulain [⁸]took a handful of grass and speaking a spell over it he[⁸] bedaubed himself a beard [⁹]in order to obtain combat with a man, namely with Loch.[⁹] And he came onto the knoll overlooking the men of Erin and made that beard manifest to them all, [¹⁰]so that every one thought it was a real beard he had.[¹⁰] [¹¹]"'Tis true," spake the women,[^a] "Cuchulain has a beard. It is fitting for a warrior to fight with him." They said that to urge on Loch.[¹¹] Loch son of Mofemis saw it, and what he said was, "Why, that is a beard on Cuchulain!" "It is what I perceive," Medb answered. Medb promised the same great terms to Loch to put a check to Cuchulain. [¹²]"I will not undertake the fight till the end of seven days from this day," exclaimed Loch. "Not fitting is it for us to leave that man unattacked for all that time," Medb answered. "Let us put a warrior every night to spy upon him if, peradventure, we might get a chance at him." This then they did. A warrior went every night to spy upon him and he slew them all. These are the names of the men who fell there: the seven Conall, the seven Oengus, the seven Uargus, the seven Celtri, the eight Fiach, the ten Ailill, the ten Delbrath, the ten Tasach. These are the deeds of that week on Ath Grenca.

Medb sought counsel, what was best to be done with Cuchulain, for she was sore grieved at all of her host that had been slain by him. This is the counsel she took: To despatch keen, high-spirited men at one time to attack him when he would come to an appointment she would make to speak with him. For she had a tryst the next day with Cuchulain, to conclude the pretence of a truce with him in order to get a chance at him. She sent forth messengers to seek him to advise him to come to her, and thus it was that he should come, unarmed, for she herself would not come but with her women attendants to converse with him.

The runner, namely Traigtren ('Strongfoot') [¹]son of Traiglethan ('Broadfoot')[¹] went to the place where Cuchulain was and gave him Medb's message. Cuchulain promised that he would do her will. "How liketh it thee to meet Medb to-morrow, O Cuchulain?" asked Laeg. "Even as Medb desires it," answered Cuchulain. "Great are Medb's deeds," said the charioteer; "I fear a hand behind the back with her." "How is it to be done [²]by us[²] then?" asked he. "Thy sword at thy waist," the charioteer answered, "that thou be not taken off thy guard. For a warrior is not entitled to his honour-price if he be taken without arms, and it is the coward's law that falls to him in this manner." "Let it be so, then," said Cuchulain.