¶1] Welcome art thou, fierce Gráinne! No ill case his who should depend on thee as his only weapon, thou shining one with the hue of ruddy drops (?), well-omened, keen-edged, perilous.
¶2] Thou surpassing jewel of a dagger; thou venomous, inimical monster; thou form so harsh yet most smooth, dark and graceful; thou veritable queen amongst the weapons of Ireland.
¶3] Thou fierce, hacking bear; thou best of all iron; thou bright-looped, swarthy tribal treasure; thou disturber of the hearts of champions.
¶4] Thou point that cannot be withstood; thou darling of high-kings; thou black opening of the great door, thou light of even before dark.
¶5] Thou slitting of the thread of life; thou high-king amongst weapons of all kinds; thou cause of envy in the heart; treasure of the eye of multitudes.
¶6] Thou gracefully shaped bar of steel; never did thy opponent in battle bear tidings from the conflict in which ye met, nor shall one ever do so.
¶7] Even the testament (?) in short, though the fee for leeching be small—great reproach doth it bring to thy bright form—is not procured for thy victims (?).
¶8] Never did any on earth experience a bad year from thy fortune, thou brightly-blossomed, comely sun.
¶9] It was a happy omen whereby thou didst fall to Aodh Óg, son of this Aodh, to a royal heir of Conn's race; a meet comrade for thee.
¶10] Thou art such a precious treasure as sufficeth him, thou seasoned, keen, cool weapon, and he, the youth from Bregia's battlesome castle, is the one sufficing surety for thee.
¶11] Oft, as a pledge of much wealth, hast thou been lifted from the smooth, comely knee of Maeve's descendant, at the quaffing of the juice of the vine-fruit.
¶12] Oft, it is said, as stipend of a high-king's heir, did the salmon from the fertile, murmuring Boyne get much gold and silver by thy means.
¶13] Oft hath a hundred of each kind of cattle been readily got through thee by Aodh for the poets of Crioinhthann's line, to uphold the repute of the stately, heavy-lashed one.
¶14] Never was it expected, thou shining one that hast not suffered hurt, that the scion from ancient Aolmhagh's slender streams would forego thee for the excellent weapons of any of the men of Ireland.
¶15] None of the men of the world could obtain thee from the white-toothed, graceful one—bright palm to which one must needs yield homage—save some man of art.
¶16] In exchange for gold or silver none might get thee readily from the prop of Bregia's white-footed host; and it is not likely that thou wouldst be obtained by force.
¶17] From the chieftain of Eachaidh's, race an exacting poet accepted nothing on earth save thee alone; thus was it easier to obtain thee.
¶18] Since one hath sought thee, after this Aodh, thou noble, alert, smooth, studded weapon, nobody will be forbearing towards any poet.