Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition

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Find and the Phantoms

Author: Unknown

File Description

Whitley Stokes

Electronic edition compiled by Beatrix Färber

Funded by School of History, University College, Cork

1. First draft.

Extent of text: 2478 words

Publication

CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a project of University College, Cork
College Road, Cork, Ireland—http://www.ucc.ie/celt

(2016)

Distributed by CELT online at University College, Cork, Ireland.
Text ID Number: G402361

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Available with prior consent of the CELT programme for purposes of academic research and teaching only.

Sources

    Manuscript Source
  1. Dublin, Trinity College Library, MS 1339 (H 2.18, Book of Leinster). 206b–207b.
    Editions and Translations
  1. Ludwig Christian Stern (ed), 'Le manuscrit Irlandais de Leide', Revue Celtique 13 (1892) 1–31, 274 (prose version).
  2. Lady Augusta Gregory, Gods and Fighting Men: The Story of the Tuatha De Danaan and of the Fianna of Ireland. arranged and put into English by Lady Gregory; with a preface by W.B. Yeats. (London and New York 1904).
  3. Marieke van Kranenburg, An edition of the three known versions of "Finn and the phantoms" with translation and textual notes. MA thesis. July 2008. Celtic Studies. University of Utrecht. (Available online.)
    Secondary literature
  1. Joseph Falaky Nagy, 'Shamanic Aspects of the "Bruidhean" Tale', History of Religions, 20:4 (May 1981) 302–322.
  2. Pádraig A. Breatnach, 'Irish Narrative Poetry after 1200 A.D.', Studia Hibernica 22/23 (1982/1983) 7–20.
  3. James MacKillop, Celtic Myth in English Literature (Syracuse 1986).
  4. For more bibliographic information, see http://vanhamel.nl/codecs/Oenach_indiu_luid_in_r%C3%AD.
    The edition used in the digital edition
  1. Whitley Stokes, Find and the Phantoms in Revue Celtique. Volume 7, Paris , F. Vieweg (1886) page 289–307

Encoding

Project Description

CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts

Sampling Declaration

The present text represents pages 289–307 of the published edition, including introduction. The English translation is available in a separate file, T402361.

Editorial Declaration

Correction

Text has been proof-read twice.

Normalization

The electronic text represents the edited text. Editorial expansions are marked ex Words have been segmented in line with CELT practice. Lention by point in the letters f/s is rendered fh/sh. The editor's corrections are taken from his footnotes and marked corr sic="" resp="WS", with the erroneous form retained in the 'sic' attribute. Footnotes are marked note type="auth" and numbered. Manuscript foliation is marked.

Quotation

Direct speech is tagged ".

Hyphenation

Hyphenation was introduced. When a hyphenated word (hard or soft) crosses a page-break, the page-break is marked after the completion of the hyphenated word. Soft hyphens are silently removed.

Segmentation

div0=the poem. Stanzas are numbered; page-breaks are marked pb n="".

Interpretation

Names are not tagged, nor are terms for cultural and social roles.

Profile Description

Created: By Irish scribes in monastic scriptoria, based on older materials. Date range: 1150–1190.

Use of language

Language: [GA] The text is in Middle Irish.
Language: [EN] English occurs in the translated title.

Revision History

Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition: G402361

Find and the Phantoms: Author: Unknown

p.289

Find and the Phantoms

The text of the following poem is taken from the Book of Leinster, a ms. of about the middle of the twelfth century, preserved in the library of Trinity College, Dublin, and recently reproduced in lithographic facsimile. The poem begins p. 206b and ends on the first line of p. 207b. It contains in fifty-four quatrains 216 heptasyllabic lines. I know of no other copy. A free metrical version by the late Dr Anster was published in the Dublin University Magazine, vol. 39, where it is entitled the Rath of Badammar, and the poem is noticed in O'Curry's Lectures on the Ms. Materials of Irish History, p. 305.

The teller of the tale introduces himself as Guaire the Blind. But it soon appears that this is a new name for Oisin (Ossian), the famous son of Find mac Cumaill, whose return to earth, after dwelling 300 years in the Tír na n-Óg, is told so well in a poem printed in the Transactions of the Ossianic Society, vol. 4, pp. 234–278, and whose blindness is mentioned in the same book, p. 8. The story now published is not devoid of imagination, and, from the literary point of view, the description of the quartette shrieked by the three-headed hag, the trunk with its solitary eye, the nine headless bodies and the nine bodiless heads has a certain amount of ghastly effectiveness. Moreover, it illustrates various superstitions, manners and customs. Consider the spear with a spell of venom (l. 35), the spits of rowan-tree (l. 158), the sunrise dispersing evil phantoms1 (ll. 187–192), the cooking of horseflesh (ll. 157–164), barter (l. 23), and horseracing (ll. 13–20). The poem, lastly, throws some light on the topography of Kerry (see lines 69–89): it contains some words and forms of philological interest, which are mentioned in the notes; and it illustrátes the metrical rules recently investigated by professors Windisch and Thurneysen.

Whitley Stokes.
2 April 1886.

p.290

{MS page 206b}
  1. 1] Oenach indiu luid in rí,
    2] Oenach Life cona li,
    3] aebind do cech-oen téit and,
    4] ni hinund is Guaire dall.
  2. 5] Ní Guaire dall gairthea dím
    6] lá lodmar fo gairm in ríg
    7] co tech Fiachu fairged gail,
    8] cosin ráith os Badammair.
  3. 9] Oenach Clochair romór Find
    10] is fianna Fail is cech dind;
    11] ramorsat Mumnig din maig
    12] ocus Fiachu mac Eogain.
  4. 13] Tucait eich na fían rofess
    14] is eich Mumnech 'sin morthres,
    15] rofhersat tri graffne glana
    16] for faichthe maic Maireda.
  5. 17] Ech dub re Díl mac Dá-chrech
    18] bái in cach cluchi rofer2,
    19] cusin carraic uas Loch Gair
    20] ruc trí lanbuada ind oenaig.
  6. 21] Cuinchis Fiachu in n-ech iarsain
    22] ar in ríg, ara shenathair,
    23] gellais cét dó do cech crud
    24] dia tabairt i tuarastul.
  7. 25] Roráid in drúi and iarsain
    26] aithesc maith ra mac Eogain: —
    27] "ber mo bennacht, ber inn-ech
    28] ocus tidnaic rit aenech."

    8. p.292

  8. 29] "Ashiút duitsiu int-ech dub dian",
    30] ar Fiachu ri flaith na fían,
    31] "ashiut mo charpat co mblaid
    32] is ashiút ech dot araid."
  9. 33] Asiút claideb is gell cét,
    34] asiut sciath a tirib Gréc,
    35] asiut sleg co mbricht neme,
    36] ocus m'idnu airgdide.
  10. 37] Asiút tri coin, caem a ndath,
    38] Feirne is Derchaem is Dualath,
    39] con a-muincib óir buidi
    40] co slabradaib findruini.
  11. 41] Mad ferr duit na beith cen ní,
    42] a maic Cumaill, a ardrí,
    43] na digis can ascid ass,
    44] a fhlaith na fían firamnas!"
  12. 45] Atraacht Find suas arsain:
    46] buidech é do mac Eogain:
    47] bendachais cach da cheli:
    48] ba curata a coméirge.
  13. 49] Iarsain luid Find roínn ar sét
    50] lodsam leis tri fichit cét
    51] co Cachér, co Clúain da loch,
    52] lodsam uile assinn oenoch.
  14. 53] Trí lá is tri aidche ba leith
    54] bámmar uile i tig Cachir,
    55] cen esbaid lenna na bíd
    56] ar na sluagaib 'mán ardrig.
  15. 57] Coica falach tucad dó,
    58] cóica ech is cóica bó,
    59] dorat Find fiach a lenna
    60] do Chachiur mac Cairella.

    16. p.294

  16. 61] Luid Find for Luachair iarsain
    62] cosin traig ac Berramain:
    63] anais Find co fiannaib Fáil
    64] os or in locha lindbáin.
  17. 65] Luid Find d'imlúad a eich duib
    66] forsin tráig oc Berramuin,
    67] misse ocus Cailte tri báis
    68] raithmít ris ra bothogáis.
  18. 69] Immar atchondairc in rí,
    70] búalid a ech co Tráig Lí,
    71] Tráig Lí col-Leirgg Daim Glaiss,
    72] dar Fraechmag is dar Findnais.
  19. 73] Dar Mag da Éo, dar Móin Cend,
    74] co Sen-ibar, dar Sen-glend,
    75] co hInber Flesci finni,
    76] co colomnaib Crohinni.
  20. 77] Dar Sruth Muinne, dar Moin Cét,
    78] dar Inber Lemna, ní bréc,
    79] otá Lemain co Loch Léin,
    80] etir réid ocus amréid.
  21. 81] Cid sinni nirsar malla,
    82] ropsat lúatha ar lémmenna,
    83] fer úan da chlí, fer da deis,
    84] ni fhil fiad arna bermís.
  22. 85] Lam ri Fleisc sech Fhid in Chairn,
    86] sech Mungairit meic Scáil Bailb,
    87] nocho ragaib Find ra ech
    88] cosin cnocc diarb ainm Bairnech.

    23. p.296

  23. 89] Mar rochuammar 'sin cnocc
    90] sinni ba toisciu 'cá thocht,
    91] cid sinni ba taisciu and
    92] ech in ríg nirbo romall.
  24. 93] "Adaig-seo dered din ló,"
    94] ar Find féin, ní himmargó:
    95] triar tancammar ille
    96] táeit róinn d'iarraid fhianbothe.
  25. 97] D'éccain radéch úad in rí
    98] forsin carraic da láim chlí,
    99] co facca in tech cona thein
    100] issin glind ararmhbélaib.
  26. 101] Atrubairt Find flaith na fian:
    102] "assiut tech nach fhacca riam:
    103] a Chailti, ni chuala thech
    104] isin glind-sea cid am eolach."
  27. 105] "Is ferrdúin dula dia fhiss{MS page 207a}106] atá mór neich 'narn anfis:
    107] is firt féli, is ferr cach ní,
    108] a maic Cumaill, a airdri!"
  28. 109] Dochuammar ar triar 'sin tech,
    110] terus aidche rab aithrech,
    111] dia fríth gol is gréch is gáir,
    112] is munter díscir dígair.
  29. 113] Aithech líath fora lár thair
    114] gebid arn-eich co-escaid,
    115] dúnaid comlaid a thaige
    116] de baccanaib íarnaide.
  30. 117] "Is mochen, a Fhind co mblaid"
    118] ar int-aithech co harnaid:
    119] "fota co tanac ille,
    120] a maic Cumaill Almaine!"

    31. p.298

  31. 121] Suidmít ar in cholbu chrúaid,
    122] doní ar n-ósaic ri óenuair,
    123] láid connud truimm fora thein.
    124] súail naron-much don dethaig.
  32. 125] Bái callech isin taig mór,
    126] trí cind for a caelmuneol,
    127] fer can chend 'sin leith aile,
    128] oenshúil asa ucht-saide.
  33. 129] "Denaid airfitiud don ríg!"
    130] ar int-athrech cen imshním,
    131] "érgid, a lucht atá istig,
    132] canaid ceol don rigfhennid!"
  34. 133] Ergit nói colla assin chúil,
    134] assin leith ba nessu dúin,
    135] is nói cind issin leith aile
    136] forsin cholbo iarnaide.
  35. 137] Tócbait nói ngrécha garba,
    138] nir chuibde ciar chomlabra:
    139] frecraid in challech fósech,
    140] ocus frecraid in méidech.
  36. 141] Ciarbo rogarb céol cach fhir
    142] ba gairbe céol in médig;
    143] ca céol díb narbo dúla
    144] acht céol fhir na oenshúla?
  37. 145] In ceol sain rocanad dúin
    146] dodúsechad marbu a húir ;
    147] súail na robriss cnáma ar cind,
    148] nírbe in cocetul ceolbind.

    38. p.300

  38. 149] Gebid int-aithech úain sair,
    150] tócbaid fair in túaig connaid,
    151] bualaid cohathlam ar n-ech,
    152] fennaid, coscraid can fuirech.
  39. 153] "Bí tost, a Cháilti mar tái!"
    154] ar Find fein cen immargái,
    155] "maith lind dia ndama duin féin
    156] damsa ocus duitsiu is d'Ossín.
  40. 157] Coica bera ara mbái rind
    158] tuc leis do beraib cáirthind,
    159] tuc ága ar cach mbir fosech
    160] is rachoraig fon tellach.
  41. 161] Nochor 'bruthi bir díb sein
    162] in tráth tucait ón tenid,
    163] tuc leis i fiadnaisi Find
    164] féoil om ar beraib ea[e]rthind.
  42. 165] "Beir lett, a athig, do bíad,
    166] uair ní duadus biad om riam:
    167] ni chathiub ondiu co bráth
    168] arái beith ean bíad oentráth."
  43. 169] "Mas aire thanac 'nar tech
    170] d'obba ar mhbíd", ar int-athech,
    171] is derb doragaim rib féin,
    172] A Chailti, a Fhind, a Ossín!
  44. 173] Iarsein roergemmar súas,
    174] gabmait ar claidbe cocrúas,
    175] gebid cach cend araile,
    176] ropo mana dorngaile.
  45. 177] Muchthair in tene bái thís,
    178] nar' léir a lassar no grís,
    179] timmaircther cúl dorcha dub
    180] orn artriúr in-oen inud.

    46. p.302

  46. 181] Inuair dobímmis cind ar chind
    182] cia nar cobrad acht mád Find,
    183] ropsar marba, mór in mod,
    184] meni beth Find a oenor.
  47. 185] Bammar cind ar chind istaig
    186] fat na haidche co matain,
    187] co roshollsig grian in tech
    188] im thrath eirgi arnabarach.
  48. 189] Innuair doérig in grian
    190] tuittid cach fer sair is síar
    191] tuitiid nél i cend cach fhir
    192] com-bái marb arin lathir.
  49. 193] Garit robammar 'nar tám,
    194] ergimmít súas, is sind slán:
    195] celtair orn in tech iar sain,
    196] celtair cech nech din muntir.
  50. 197] Is amlaid atracht Find Fáil,
    198] ocus a ech féin 'na láim,
    199] slán uile etir chend iss choiss
    200] bái cach anim 'na écmais.
  51. 201] Lodsam coscíth anfand ass,
    202] tucsam aichne arar neolass,
    203] lodmar ciarbo chían iarsain
    204] cosin traig ic Berramair.
  52. 205] Roiarfaiged dín scela,
    206] ni bái dúin dluig a shéna:
    207] "fuarammar", ar Find, "diar fecht
    208] imned ar arn-óigidecht."
  53. 209] Isiat sin dorala rind,
    210] na tri fuatha a hIbarglind,
    211] do digail fhoirn a sethar,{MS page 207b}212] diarb' aínm Cullend craeslethan.

    54. p.304

  54. 213] Lodsamar ar cuaird selgga
    214] morthirachell insi Elgga,
    215] sirmís mór sliab is mór mag,
    216] mór n-amreid is mór n-oenach.