Find and the Phantoms

Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition

Find and the Phantoms (Author: Unknown)

p.291

1] Today the king went to a fair,
2] The fair of Liffey with its splendour.
3] Pleasant it is to every one who goes thither!
4] Not so is Guaire the Blind.²
5] Not "Guaire the Blind" was I called
6] On the day we went at the king's call,
7] To the house of Fiachu who wrought valour,
8] To the fortress over Badammar.³
9] (It was) Oenach Clochair⁴ that Find greatened,
10] And the champions of Ireland on every hilltop.
11] Munstermen from the plain greatened it,
12] And Fiachu son of Eogan.
13] The champions' horses were brought, it is known,
14] And the Munstermen's horses, into the great contest.
15] They ran three clear races
16] On the green of Mairid's son.
17] A black horse belonging to Dil son of Two-Raids
18] Was in every game that he played.
19] Unto the rock over Loch Gair
20] He won the three prizes of the meeting.
21] Thereafter Fiachu asked the horse
22] Of the king, of his grandfather:
23] He promised him a hundred of every (kind of) cattle
24] To be given to him in recompense.
25] Then the wizard there uttered
26] A good answer to Eogan's son:
27] "Take my blessing: take the horse,
28] And bestow it for thy honour's sake."

p.293

29] "There for thee is the black swift horse"
30] Saith Fiachu to the prince of the champions,
31] "There is my famous chariot,
32] And there is a horse for thy charioteer."
33] There is a sword, the pledge of hundreds,
34] There is a shield from the lands of Greeks,
35] There is a spear with a spell of venom,
36] And my silvern weapons.
37] There for thee are three hounds, fair their colour,
38] Feirne and Derchaem and Dualath,
39] With their collars of yellow gold,
40] With their chains of white bronze.
41] If thou preferrest to have somewhat
42] O son of Cumall, O overking!
43] Thou wilt not go hence without a gift,
44] prince of the fierce champions!"
45] Then Find rose up:
46] Thankful was he to Eogan's son:
47] Each blessed the other:
48] Gallant was their rising together.
49] Thereafter Find went forward
50] We went with him, three score hundred,
51] Unto Cacher, to Cluain-da-loch,
52] We all went from the meeting.
53] During three days and three nights—it was a festival—
54] We all abode in Cacher' s house,
55] Without lack of ale or food
56] For the hosts together with their overking.
57] Fifty rings were given him,
58] Fifty horses and fifty cows:
59] Find gave the price of his ale
60] To Cacher son of Cairill.

p.295

61] Then Find went over Luachair
62] To the strand at Berramain.
63] Find rested with Ireland's champions
64] Over the bank of the fair-watered lake.
65] Find went to gallop his black horse
66] On the strand at Berraman.
67] I and Cailte through wantonness
68] We raced against him, it was deception.
69] As the king saw (us)
70] He smites his horse to Tralee,
71] From Tralee to Lerg Daim glais,
72] Over Heatherfield and over Findnais.
73] Over Moy-da-Eo, over Moin-Cend,
74] Unto Old-yew, over Old-glen,
75] To the estuary of fair Flesc,
76] To the pillars of Crofinn.
77] Over Sruth-Muinne, over Moin-Cet,
78] Over the estuary of Lemain, no falsehood,
79] From Lemain to Loch Léin,
80] Both smooth and unsmooth.
81] As to us, we were not slow:
82] Swift were our leaps,
83] One of us on his left, one on his right,
84] There is no deer that we would not overtake.
85] One hand towards Flesc, past the Wood of the Cairn,
86] Past Mungairit of the son of the Stammering Champion,
87] Find did not rein in his horse
88] Till (he came) to the hillock named Bairnech.

p.297

89] As we reached the hillock
90] It is we that were first at coming to it:
91] Though we were foremost there
92] The king's horse was not very slow.
93] "Night (is) this, end of the day",
94] Saith Find himself, no error,
95] "We three have come hither:
96] Go forward to seek a hunting lodge".
97] To look the king looked forth
98] At the rock on his left hand,
99] Till he saw the house with its fire
100] In the glen before us.
101] Said Find, the prince of the champions:
102] "There is a house I never saw before!
103] O Chailte, I never heard of a house
104] In this glen, though I am knowing".
105] "We had better go and find out:
106] There are many things we do not know:
107] It is a marvel of hospitality, it is better than everything,
108] O son of Cumall, O overking!"
109] We three went on to the house,
110] A night's journey that was lamentable,
111] When wailing was found, and scream and cry,
112] And a household fierce, vehement.
113] A grey giant in front on its floor
114] Seizes our horses swiftly,
115] Fastens the door of the house
116] With iron hooks.
117] "My welcome, famous Find!"
118] Saith the giant cruelly:
119] "(It is) long till thou camest hither,
120] son of Cumall of Almain!"

p.299

121] We sit on the hard bedrail:
122] He tends us for one hour:
123] He flings firewood of elder on his fire:
124] It almost smothered us with the smoke.
125] A hag abode in the great house
126] With three heads on her thin neck:
127] A headless man on the other side,
128] With one eye (protruding) from his breast.
129] "Make music for the king!"
130] Saith the giant without sorrow.
131] "Arise, folk that are within,
132] Sing ye a strain for the kingly champion!"
133] Nine bodies arise out of the recess
134] From the side nearest us,
135] And nine heads on the other side
136] On the iron bed-rail.
137] They raise nine harsh shrieks:
138] They were discordant though uttered together:
139] The hag replies separately,
140] And the (headless) trunk answers.
141] Though passing harsh the strain of every one,
142] Harsher was the strain of the trunk:
143] What strain of them was not desirable
144] Save the strain of the one-eyed man?
145] That strain which was sung to us
146] Would waken the dead out of mould:
147] It almost broke the bones of our heads:
148] The concert was not melodious.

p.300

149] The giant gets him from us in front,
150] Lifts on him the fire-wood-axe,
151] Deftly smites our horses,
152] Flays, destroys without delaying.
153] "Be silent, O Chailte, as thou art!"
154] Saith Find himself without falsehood.
155] "Well for us if he grant (life) to us,
156] To me and thee and Ossin."
157] Fifty spits whereon were points
158] He brought with him of spits of rowan:
159] He put a joint on each spit separately,
160] And arranged them by the hearth..
161] Of those not a spit was cooked
162] When they were taken from the fire.
163] He brought with him before Find
164] Raw flesh on spits of rowan.
165] "Take away thy food, giant!
166] For I have never devoured raw food.
167] I will never eat it from today till Doom
168] Because of being foodless for one watch".
169] "If thou hast come into our house,"
170] Saith the giant, "to refuse our food,
171] "It is certain that we shall go against yourselves,
172] O Cailte, O Find, O Ossin!"
173] After that we rose up:
174] We seize our swords hardily:
175] Each grasps another's head:
176] It was an occasion of fighting hand to hand.
177] The fire that lay below is quenched:
178] Its flame or embers was not clear:
179] We are driven into a dark black nook,
180] We three in one place.

p.303

181] When we were head to head
182] And there was no help save Find,
183] We had been dead, great the deed,
184] Had it not been for Find alone.
185] We were head to head within
186] All through the night till morning,
187] Till the sun lighted up the house
188] At the time of rising on the morrow.
189] When the sun rose
190] Each man falls hither and thither:
191] A mist falls into every one's head
192] So that he was dead on the spot.
193] For a short time we lay in our rest:
194] We rise up, and we are whole!
195] There the house is hidden from us:
196] Every one of the household is hidden.
197] Thus arose Find of Inisfail,
198] With his own horse in his hand:
199] Whole were (we) all, both head and foot:
200] Every blemish was absent.
201] We fared thence wearily, feebly;
202] We took our bearings and saw which way we had to go:
203] We fared, though it was long thereafter,
204] To the strand by Berramar.
205] They asked of us tidings:
206] We had no wish to deny it:
207] "We found", saith Find, "on our way
208] Tribulation for our billeting."
209] Those are they that came against us,
210] The three Shapes out of Yew-glen,
211] To take vengeance on us for their sister{MS page 207b}212] Whose name was Cullenn Wide-maw.

p.305

213] We went on a hunting round
214] All about the isle of Elga:
215] We searched many mountains and many plains,
216] Many rough places and many fairs.