Electronic edition compiled by Benjamin Hazard
Funded by University College, Cork and
The Higher Education Authority via the LDT Project
1. First draft, revised and corrected.
Extent of text: 1970 words
Distributed by CELT online at University College, Cork, Ireland.
Text ID Number: G207003
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The electronic text represents the edited text. Meyer's introduction is integrated. Names are capitalized in line with CELT practice. In Meyer's edition, the acute accent and macron are used to mark long vowels. Both are retained. Meyer's handwritten corrections are marked corr sic="" resp="KM". Text supplied by him is marked sup resp="KM" and editorial expansions are marked ex.
Direct speech is marked q.
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Created: Manuscript in 15th century; its language suggests creation in Old Irish period. Date range: c.850–925.
Beatrix Färber (ed.)
Beatrix Färber (ed.)
Julianne Nyhan (ed.)
Peter Flynn (ed.)
Beatrix Färber (ed.)
Benjamin Hazard (ed.)
Staff of the CURIA Project (ed.)
Staff of the CURIA Project (data capture)
In our forthcoming edition of various inedited versions of Tundale's Vision,1 Dr. Friedel and I have purposely refrained from giving an account of early Irish visionary literature, and from touching the question of its relation to the Continental literature which culminated in Dante's poem. Nor do I propose to do so here. The time for such investigations has hardly arrived, since every search among Irish MSS. may bring new and important materials to light.
The Old Irish Vision of Hell, of which I now submit text and translation to the reader, has not hitherto been noticed,2 and it is edited here for the first time. It is found in the well-known Bodleian codex Rawlinson B. 512, fo. 44a1-44b2. Like so much of early Irish literature, it is only a fragment, containing no more than the introduction and the beginning of what was undoubtedly a complete description of Hell and Heaven. The MS. dates from the fifteenth century, but from the language I am inclined to assign the original from which our copy is derived to the Old-Irish period, to the early tenth or the latter half of the ninth century.3
Laisrén is the name of several Irish saints. The most celebrated among them was the abbot of Lethglenn, now Leighlin, co. Carlow, who died in A.D. 638, and it is not unreasonable, in the absence of any further particulars, to assume that he is the hero of our Vision. The monastery of Clúain mentioned in the introduction may be either Clonmacnois or Cloyne. Clúain Cháin in Connaught may be Clonkeen, near Athenry.
{folio 44ra}Feachtas luid Laisren for slatrad o muintir Cluana do glanad Chluana Cain, cell file a crich Connacht. Ro áin tri tredna la glanad na cille. I forciunn an tres tredain doforthrom cotlud fair isin derrthach, cu cuala trena cotlud in guth fris: ‘At-rai-su as!’. Nin gluais an cetna fecht. Co cuala aitherrach in guth. To-ocaib a cenn la sodain acus do-beir airde na croichi dara gnuis. Co n-aca ba solas ind eclais i m-bai, acus bai drechd din aidchi beos. Acus co n-aca in deilb n-etroicht etir an crocaingel acus an altoir.
As-bert an delb fris: ‘Tair am dochum!’. Crithnaigistar a corp uili an clerigh o mullach co fonn lasin n-guth n-í sin. Co n-acai anmain opunn co m-bui for a mullach acus ni fitir cia conair do-choid asin churp. Co n-acai ba obeola ind eclais suas dochum nime, co n-acai nan-gabsat da aingel eturru acus con-uacbasat isin aér.
Co n-aca iarum arbar de ainglib ara chiunn. Acus co n-accatar arbar aile do demnaib acus finna (?) tenntide impueib, acus tene as gech ball ro bui inntibh. Teora dealba do-arfás do forsna h-ib demnaib. Dealb rodub for alaile dib, acus gai boilggi tentidi ina lámaib, acus dealb ciardub for alaile, acus saigde tentide ina lamaib. Dealb mothluch forsin tres lucht, acus find tentidi trethu amail finn n-omthainn, acus goith tentide ina l-lamaib.
Do-génsat na {folio 44rb} tri lina-su tra aonergail catha dib do chosnam na h-anma frisna h-aingliu. Et do-accair oenfer dib frisin anmain for oentacra fot a anála cen coemchlod n-innsce a n-do-ringena do mignimaib o génair. Aidblidir lasin anmain a n-oentacrai sin a m-bith biet, acus nico n-erbart acht fir acus nocha targart fuirri gach ni do-rad a coibsena do anmcarait r n-dul a curp.
Fris-gart aingel don arbar mór dar cheann na h-anma don deman acus as-bert: ‘Tairgairt tra do tacra n-uili’. Fris-gart an demon acus as ed as-bert: ‘Ni targart, ni targart anas moam de.’ Fris-gart aingel: ‘Nin-cumca-sa a tacra n-i sin, o do-rata a coibsena acus a peinne do reir anmcharat re tuidencht a curp. Ércid tra’, ol an t-aingel, ‘ni fuil cuid duib isin fir-sa’. ‘Mad fír briathar Dé’, ol in daemon, ‘ni sceram an cruth-sa, ar ni derna an fer-sa núidin dé amail don-imarngair Dia dó, dicens’: nisi conuersi fueritis et efficiamini sicut paruuli, non inntrabitis in regnum celorum.’’
Matth. 18:3.
‘Is fir tra briathar Dé,’ ol an t-aingel, ‘ar ni doAs-bert iarum aingel don arbar mor frisin da aingel batar imme: ‘Beirid tra an fer-sa co n-aicedar ifern.’ Legar iarum fo tuaith fo glenn mar. Sírithir leis co n-acadar amail bid o turcbail greine co fuined. Co n-acadar fochlui mar amail bid beolu uama etir da sliab, co ristais iar n-uachtar. Tiagait isin uaim cein mair, co r-rancatar sliab {folio 44va} mar n-ard n-dub ara ciund for belaib an ifirn acus gleann mar i n-ochtur an t-slebi-sin. Edh indus an glenda-sin: lethan iar n-ichtur, coel iar n-uachtar. Is ed indsin dono dorus an ifirn acus a erportach ind uaim.
Acus co n-acai lucht inna innsea a fail dib i n-etail De a corp. Ro batar a medon an glenna acus eat oc cui. ‘Olc, a Dé!’, ol an anim. ‘In duineba thanaic diar n-eis? ol at-bebatar an t-sluaig-si uili diar n-éis an tan forsa-ragabsam’. ‘Ni ed’, ol an t-aingel, ‘acht cech oen fail i n-étail Dé a m-bethaid dit éis, iss ed indso for-accat a n-anmain, acus as airchenn ard atá, mani dernat aithrige.’ ‘Cest: in eber-sa’, ol in fer, ‘fri cech n-anmain at-cíu sund?’ ‘Nato’, ol an t-aingel, ‘arnabat derchaintech de. Apair friu immorro denat aithrige, ar nach aon do-gena aithrighe acus forcennfa inti, ni bia isind luc-sa, acht biaid i l-luc dídanta ond ulc-sa, acus nam-bera a aithrige secha. Acus dano an t-i bias i firinde, as betha for-accai cein bis i curp acus as betha 'na m-bia, mad feidil i firinne. Apair friu iarum,’ ol in t-aingel, ‘an t-i fuil i firinne bád feidil innti, ar ni ba sir a n-imráiti con na tí ec.
Do-lluid iarsin anam ind fir i nd-ifirn fadeisin .i. muir tened co n-anfad di-aisneise acus cona thonnaib di-aisneisi fair. Acus at-connairc na h-anmann isin muir-sin for lasad a cenna uasa uili, it e oc gol acus oc mairg cen cumsanad tria bithu. {folio 44vb} Araile dona h-anmaib acus clói teinntidhe tria tengtha fria cend anechtair, araile dib tria cluasa, araile dib tré suile.
At-connairc dano araile dib acus a m-beoil obéla acus na demna oc a tairbert co n-gablaib teinntidib fo chosmailius na tri lín n-aile. Accobair an fer co fessed decoir na pian. Fris-rogart an t-aingel fo cetoir ar cuma no frisgaired an t-aingel do menmannaib acus imraitib: ‘In lucht at-chiu-siu tra cusna cluib teintidib triana tengthaib .i. aes annsin naruo menic oc molad Dé nó oc a bennachad acus a adrad, acus rop menci immorro oc goi acus oc gol acus ac br
[gap: three or four letters illegible]
acus ethech acus ecnach acus rad uabair acus’ [...]4