- THE CRUITHNIANS who propagated
In the land of noble Alba,
With glorious illustrious might,
From what region did they come?- What cause also moved them
From the countries of war?
To traverse the waves over the floods,
In what number of ships did they embark?- How were they named before they came
To attain their sovereignty?
They were named from their own weapons)
And what was the name of their country?- Thracia was the name of their country,
(Until they spread their sails,
After they had resolved to emigrate),
In the east of Europe.- Agathyrsi was their name,
In the portion of Ercal-Itbi
From their tattoeing their fair skins
Were they called Picts.- The Picts, the tribe I speak of,
Understood travelling over the sea,
Without mean, unworthy deeds,
The seed of Geleon son of Ercal.- Of them six brothers
With alacrity, unflinching,
For glory's sake set out;
The seventh [gt ]was their sister.- Solen, Ulpha, Nechtain,
Drostan the powerful diviner,
Were their names and their order,
Aengus and Leithenn.
- The absolute sovereign of populous Thrace
Sought their lovely sister,
(It was the cause of conflict)
Without gift, without dowry.- They came away with her, the good men,
From their lands, from their flocks,
A company of three ships in good order,
Three hundred and nine persons.- They stepped on land from the surrounding sea
Of France,they cut down woods,
They built a city with their many weapons,
Which was named Pictabis.- Pictabis a Pictis
They named their city;
It remained a good and free name
Afterwards upon the fortress.- The king sought their sister
By battle fiercely,
And in consequence of his anger
They were driven upon the sea.
- On the shore of the sea was shattered,
A ship, swift sailing, well manned,
There remained, as we know,
With her the sixth brother.- They were in Pictavia,
With success attaching to them;
Their name was renowned
At the place where Elair was.- They stole away thence together
In haste, under sorrow,
At the end of two tempestuous days,
Their sister died with them.- Passing by Britain in their voyage,
To Eri the delightful
They directed their course,
And reached Inbher Slaine.- They cut down the plundering host of Fea,
Who were aided by poison,
By their fierce deeds,
In the battle of Ard-leamhnacht.
- The heroes valiant and numerous
Cut down knotty woods,
With wonderful arts;
From the Britons was their origin.- Dead was every one they struck,
If but his blood they shed,
So that he wasted away on that account,
Whether he were a dog, or whether he weren a man.- A Cruithnian Druid, of friendship,
Discovered a cure for those thus wounded,
New milk in which were washed
Those who lay wounded on the earth.- The herds of cows of the tribes were brought,
By just Cremhthann the headstrong,
Until the herd was milked
On the green of Ard-leamhnacht.- They cut down the troops of Fea, of sharp weapons,
Leaving them without tillage and without produce,
By their defeat in the battle
Cremhthan Sciathbel of horses was protected.- The Cruithnians settled themselves
On the lands of the three plains,
Until dread of their arms
Had seized the noble Gaels.- Soon after that died
Four of the noble brothers,
Solen, Neachtan, Drostan,
Aengus, the prophetic pillar.- From the south was Ulfa sent
After the decease of his friends;
In Rachrann in Bregia
He was utterly destroyed.- Cathluan was elevated by them,
(No despicable chieftain),
As king over them all,
Before they set out to another country.- For to them spake Erimon
That out of Eri they should go,
Lest they should make battle
For Teainhairm, as a possession.- Three hundred women were given,
To them they were agreeable,
But they were most cunning,
Each woman and her brother.- There were oaths imposed on them,
By the stars, by the earth,
That from the nobility of the mother
Should always be the right to the sovereignty.- They set out from Eri
On their oath-bound expedition,
Without families, without cavalry,
With Cathluan, son of Caitminn.- Catmolodor the hard-knobbed,
And Cathmachan the bright,
Were glorious youths,
The two valiant sons of Cathluan.- His hardy, puissant champions,
Heavy, stern, was their trampling,
Cing, victorious in his victory,
Im, son of Pernn, were their names.- Huasem was the name of his poet,
Who sought out the path of pleasantry.
Ruddy was his hero,
Crus, son of Cirigh Cetlim.- Cruithne, son of just Cing,
Attended to their courtship,
So that he brought a company of fair women,
Over Athmagh, over Athgort.- There remained of them behind in Ealga,
With many artificers and warriors,
Who settled in Breagh-magh,
Six demon-like druids.- Necromancy and idolatry, druidism,
In a fair and well-walled house,
Plundering in ships, bright poems,
By them were taught.- The honoring of sredhs and omens,
Choice of weather, lucky times,
The watching the voices of birds,
They practised without disguise.- Hills and rocks they prepared for the plough,
Among their sons were no thieves,
They prepared their expedition
Here at Inbher Boinne.- They passed away from us
With the splendour of swiftness,
To dwell by valour
In the beautiful land of Ile.
- From thence they conquered Alba,
The noble nurse of fruitfulness.
Without destroying the people or their houses,
From the region of Cat to Forcu.- Cathluan gained battles
Without flinching or cowardice,
His onsets were not without fierceness,
Until he had slain the Britons.- Thus did they conquer Alba,
Noble, gentle-hilled, smooth-surfaced,
With many an Amlaff,
Down to Cinaeth mac Alpin,
- For plundering known places,
And greens, without remorse,
For not practising inactivity,
For this are they called Cruithnians.- Fifty kings of plundering career,
Every one of them of the race of Eochaidh,
From Fergus, most truly,
To the vigorous Mac Brethach.- Six kings and six times ten
Of them who attended to bloody plunder:
They loved merry forays,
They possessed the sovereignty of the Cruithnians.The Cruithnians who propagated.