Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
The bardic poems of Tadhg Dall Ó Huiginn (1550–1591) (Author: Tadhg Dall Ó Huiginn)

section 23

WILLIAM BURKE

¶1] God's justice between me and William! not well did the generous and gifted nobleman—even though it be possible to make peace about it—suffer such as I to be harmed.

¶2] It were not worth his while, without cause or reason, seeing that he, bright face, hath proper objects of plunder, to rob any man on earth of what he had gained by his art.

¶3] Even if his slender hand were continually plundering the poets of Ireland, surely the flower of those stems from the Bregian Boyne would have no right to despoil me.

¶4] Never before was there a portion that William and I did not divide—though it was destined for his bright cheek that by him I should be deliberately ruined.

¶5] I was his poet, but none the meeter was it that he should meddle with my goods because I was called his follower and there was a bond of art between us.

¶6] Long before, moreover, I was to William a pupil, a teacher; I used to impart learning to him, loyal, rosy countenance, and receive it from him.

¶7] All the parchments of learning, the strain of music, the improvised couplet, each one of these that he studied I used to expound to the man.

¶8] The book I used not to read myself he, bright face, would impart it to me, so that his fair hand was my noble instructor; it is a shawl which is the thinner from its folding.


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¶9] Such learning and knowledge did he obtain from me that he was my special pupil; he to rob me is a sentence of bondage, he was my tutor in the elements.

¶10] I was his master, his pupil; his companion, his comrade; not well did he forthwith obtain my cattle; unjustly he went to despoil me.

¶11] Not well did he forget, when about to plunder me, that I was his follower, and that I and the fair, long-fingered fellow, William, used to be together over one book.

¶12] Moreover, even had I not been, as I am, his pupil, it was no meet action for him of the [...]tresses to snatch her gold from poesy.

¶13] Even had I not been tutor to the valorous champion of Fannad [...]

¶14] [...]

¶15] I have served—alas for me that served—in all these forms ye hear, though the griffin of the Erne be now an enemy, the author of my hurt.

¶16] It was none the wiser for William to attack me because he knew that I would not avenge my angering or my wrong on the royal star of the lands of Connacht.

¶17] He himself knew that I would not satirize his bright cheek—alas, that any should see me plundered by the man—for anything in the world he might do.

¶18] I would not, it were not for me to do so, satirize the precipitous flood (?) of the blood of the earls, a plant of the fair-haired race of Conn I would not satirize for the gold of Ireland.

¶19] I would not, it were not for me to do so—satirize a griffin of Conall Gulban's stock, I would not, he did not fear it, satirize a dragon of the noble race of Charles.


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¶20] I would not satirize the serpentlike venom of the blood of sternly-judging Brian, or the keen, bright, leonine countenance of the true flesh and blood of noble Niall's descendant.

¶21] I would not for the sake of cattle dispraise the fierce, blow-dealing champion of the remnant of Core's thirsty-speared seed, and of the progeny of famous Íor.

¶22] I know that the satirizing of the brown-browed warrior, oppressive though I deem his foray, would not be left unpunished by the kindreds of the high-kings of Ireland.

¶23] Even were no one on earth shielding him from me—bright, richly curling, waving tresses—I could not satirize William.


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