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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a3ebac6 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #50292 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50292) diff --git a/old/50292-0.txt b/old/50292-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 03c6916..0000000 --- a/old/50292-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7002 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Laughter of Peterkin, by Fiona Macleod - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Laughter of Peterkin - A retelling of old tales of the Celtic Wonderworld - -Author: Fiona Macleod - -Illustrator: Sunderland Rollinson - -Release Date: October 23, 2015 [EBook #50292] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LAUGHTER OF PETERKIN *** - - - - -Produced by Shirley McAleer, Shaun Pinder and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - -THE LAUGHTER OF PETERKIN - - - - -[Illustration: The king saw a fountain of exceeding beauty. - - _Frontis._] -] - - - - -THE LAUGHTER OF PETERKIN. - - “A RETELLING OF OLD TALES OF - THE CELTIC WONDERWORLD.” by - - ⋅ FIONA MACLEOD ⋅ - - [Illustration] - - ⋅DRAWINGS⋯BY⋯SUNDERLAND⋯ROLLINSON⋅§⋅ - - ⋅LONDON⋅ - ⋅ARCHIBALD⋅CONSTABLE⋅&⋅CO⋅ - ⋅1897⋅ - - - - - TO - ISLA, - EILIDH, - FIONA, - AND - IVOR - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - _PROLOGUE._ THE LAUGHTER OF PETERKIN 9 - - THE FOUR WHITE SWANS 33 - - THE FATE OF THE SONS OF TURENN 117 - - DARTHOOL AND THE SONS OF USNA 177 - - _NOTES_ 281 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - -BY SUNDERLAND ROLLINSON - - - THE KING SAW A FOUNTAIN OF EXCEEDING - BEAUTY _Frontispiece_ - - AS SHE TOUCHED FIONULA, LIR’S FAIR YOUNG - DAUGHTER BECAME A BEAUTIFUL SNOW-WHITE - SWAN _To face page_ 33 - - TURENN INTERCEDING FOR HIS SONS " 117 - - A GREAT RAVEN, GLOSSY BLACK, AND BURNISHED - IN THE SUN RAYS _To face page_ 177 - - - - -[Illustration] - - -The Laughter of Peterkin - - -[Illustration] - - - - -The Laughter of Peterkin - - -At the rising of the moon, Peterkin awoke, and laughed. He was in his -little white bed near the open window, so that when a moonbeam wavered -from amid the branches of the great poplar, falling suddenly upon his -tangled curls and yellowing them with a ripple of pale gold, it was as -though a living thing stole in out of the June night. - -He had not awaked at first. The moonbeam seemed caught in a tangle: -then it glanced along a crescent tress on the pillow: sprang back like -a startled bird: flickered hither and thither above the little sleeping -face: and at last played idly on the closed eyelids with their long -dark eyelashes. It was then that Peterkin awoke. - -When he opened his eyes he sat up, and so the moonbeam fell into the -two white cups of his tiny hands. He held it, but like a yellow eel it -wriggled away, and danced mockingly upon the counterpane. - -With a sleepy smile he turned and looked out of the window. How dark -it was out there! That white moth which wavered to and fro made the -twilight like a shadowy wall. Then upon this wall Peterkin saw a -great fantastic shape. It grew and grew, and spread out huge arms and -innumerable little hands: and in its shadow-face it had seven shining -eyes. Peterkin stared, awe-struck. Then there was a dance of moonshine, -a cascade of trickling, rippling yellow, and he saw that the shape -in the night was the familiar poplar, and that its arms were the -big boughs and branches where the spotted mavis and the black merle -sang each morning, and that the innumerable little hands were the -ever-tremulous, ever-dancing, round little leaves, and that the seven -glittering eyes were only seven stars that had caught among the topmost -twigs. - - -II - -Peterkin was very sleepy, but before his head sank back to the pillow -he saw something which caused him to hold his breath, and made his -eyes grow so round and large that they were like the little pools one -sees on the hill-side. - -Every here and there he saw tiny yellow and green lives slipping and -sliding along and in and out of the branches of the poplar. Sometimes -they were all pale yellow, like gold; sometimes of a shimmering green; -sometimes so dusky that only by their shining eyes were they visible. -At first he could not clearly distinguish these unfamiliar denizens of -the great poplar. The vast green pyramid seemed innumerously alive. -Then gradually he saw that each delicate shape was like a human being: -little men and women, but smaller than the smallest children, smaller -even than dolls. They were all laughing and chasing each other to and -fro. Some slid swiftly down an outspread branch, and then dropped on to -a green leafy billow or plunged into an inscrutable maze: others swung -by the little crook at the end of each leaf, and laughed as they were -blown this way and that by puffs of air: and a few daring ones climbed -to the topmost sprays of the topmost boughs and held up tiny white -hands like daisies. These wished to clasp the moonshine. As well might -a fish try to catch the moon-dazzle on the water! No wonder Peterkin -laughed. - -Ever and again a delicate sweet singing came from the moonshine-folk. -Peterkin listened, but could hear no words he knew. Perhaps there were -no words at all, or mayhap he himself knew too few. But the singing was -strangely familiar. Sometimes when mother sang, surely he had heard it: -as far back, farther back, than memory could take him, he had heard -some echo of it. Cradle-sweet it was, that dim snatch of a fugitive -strain. And, too, had he not heard something of it in the wind, when -that went whispering through the grass and in and out of the wild-rose -thicket, or when it lifted and waved a great wing and fanned the trees -into vast swaying flames of green? Yes, even in the fire he had heard -it. When the orange and red flames flickered among the coals, or caught -the sap in the pine-logs and grew into yellow and blue with hearts of -purple, he had heard a faint far-off music. - -Peterkin gave a little gasp when a sudden wave of shadow, trailed -across the poplar by a long slow-travelling cloud, swept from bough -to bough. It was as though all the singing, laughing, dancing folk had -been drowned. - -He stared through the darkness, but there was nothing to be seen. -He shivered. It was lonely out there. Again he heard a sound as of -a remote singing. As before, he could not hear what the words were. -But, once more, it was not all unfamiliar. It was sadder than anything -that dimly he remembered, save the long mournful crooning of a Gaelic -cradle-song, sadder than any flame-whisper in a waning fire, or than -any cadence of the wind in the grass, or among the thickets of wild -rose. - - -III - -Next night Peterkin lay awake a long time, hoping to see the -moonshine-folk again. He had spoken of them, but was told that there -were no little people in the poplar. At first this was the more strange -to him, for had he not seen them? Then, after he had scrupulously -examined the branches from beneath as well as at a distance, he -comforted himself with the thought that, while there might be no -little people actually living in the poplar, they came into the tree -on the flood of the moonshine. - -But that night there was no moon-flood. A south wind had arisen at -sundown, and had shepherded from beyond the hills a medley of strayed -clouds: these, intricately interwoven, now spread from horizon to -horizon, obliterating the stars and obscuring even the radiance of the -new-risen moon. - -If there were no moonlight, and therefore no little yellow and -green lives with bright shining eyes, there was a strange exquisite -whispering that grew into music sweeter than any which Peterkin had -ever heard. - -He rose and crept stealthily from his bed to the door. It was ajar, and -he looked, half-fearfully, half-wonderingly, into the open passage. -How long and dark it was, and haunted by unfamiliar shadows: but, -clasping the skirts of his nightgown close to him, he ran swiftly to -the balustrade at the far end. - -There the stair lamp shed a comfortable glow. Peterkin looked warily -down the stairs, into the hall, along the closed or opened rooms. There -was no one stirring. The front door too was open, for the night was -warm, or perhaps some one had strayed without. - -The child stood awhile, hesitating. Then he slipped down the stairway -like a swift moonbeam. For the first time he realized he was only a -little child, when he passed the great antlered stag’s-head in the -hall, and the high stand hung with coats and hats, the raiment of -giants as they seemed, and mysteriously life-like. - -But once in the open air he lost all fear. True, a great mass of -rhododendrons ran close to the avenue to the right, and through this -the path meandered to the gardens behind the house: but there was -nothing unfamiliar about their gloom, for Peterkin loved their green -shadowy depths at noon, and their fragrant dusk when the long shadows -on the lawn slept longer and bluer, till they sank invisibly into the -grass. - -Old Donal McDonal the gardener, on his way through the shrubberies, -rubbed his eyes: for he thought he saw a sprite. He could have sworn, -he said to Mairgred Cameron the cook, after he entered the house, that -he had seen a small white ghost flitting from bush to bush. Both shook -their heads, and wondered if the White Lady were come again, that -apparition which legend averred was to be seen by mortal eyes once in -every generation, and always before some tragic event or death itself. - -But as for Peterkin he had no thought of such things. He was now in the -garden, eager in his quest of the little people who hide among leaves -and grass, and love the dusk and the moonlit dark. - -He had no fear as he ran to and fro along the grassy ways. Why should -he be afraid of the dark? There was nothing there to frighten him, or -any child. - -For a time he ran to and fro, or crept warily among the lilac bushes. -His little white figure drifted hither and thither like a moth. Once -he was still, when he stood, shimmering white, among the lilies of the -valley, which clustered among their green sheaths at the far end of the -garden. Here, a few days ago, he had buried a dead bird he had found -under a net. It was a thrush, the gardener had told him, puzzled at -the slow tears which welled from the eyes of the little lad. And now -Peterkin wondered if the bird were awake. - -He had gone to Ian Mor, who was staying with his father and mother, and -told him about the buried bird: and Ian had comforted him with this -tale:-- - -“Long ago there was a great king. He had the wisdom of wisdom, as the -saying is. One day the plague came to his kingdom, and he lost the -three lives which were dearest to him in all the world. These were his -mother, his wife, and his little son. - -“This king was a poet and dreamer, as well as a great warrior and -prince, and he had ever been wont to have communion with the powers and -sweet influences which are behind the innumerable veils of the world. -Through these he had come to know the mystery of the Spirit of Life. - -“With this Eternal Spirit he held communion in his deep sorrow. It was -then that he learned how what is beautiful cannot pass, for beauty -is like life that is mortal, but whose essence does not perish. In -fragrance, in colour, in sweet sound, somehow and somewhere, that which -is beautiful is transmuted when suddenly changed or slain. - -“So he prayed to the Spirit of Life that his dear ones might not pass -from him utterly. - -“On the morrow, when he rose and went into his favourite place in the -royal gardens, a secret hollow in a glade of ilex and pine, he saw a -fountain of exceeding beauty. The spray rose dazzling white against -the sombre green of the old trees, and seemed to be alive with a myriad -rainbow-spirits, who ceaselessly flashed their wings as they darted -hither and thither. The king was looking upon this, entranced by its -sunny loveliness, when he noticed a white dove flying round the high -sunlit fount, and at the hither margin of the water a cream-white -dappled fawn, which stooped its graceful neck and drank. - -“The king marvelled; for not only had there never been any fountain in -that place, but he knew that no wild fawn could wander there from the -distant forests, and no dove had he ever seen so snowy white and with -wings radiant as though stained by the rainbow-hues of the flying spray. - -“Suddenly it was as though a mist fell from his eyes. He saw and -understood. His old mother, his wife, his little son, had not passed -away, although they were dead. His mother had been fair and beautiful -even in her white-hair years; and of the beauty of his wife, whom he -loved so passing well, the poets had sung from one end of the land to -another; while his little son had been held to be so perfect that there -was none like him. - -“And now the king saw that the beauty of his mother had passed into a -living fount of waters, whose spray cooled the air and made a sound of -aerial music and a laughing radiance everywhere; and that the beauty -of the woman whom he had loved so passing well was transmuted into the -wild fawn which drank at the water’s edge; and that the beauty of his -little son was now the white dove which beat its wings in the rainbow -spray. - -“The king rejoiced therein with a great joy. Many of his people thought -him mad, but he smiled at that saying, and with grave eyes prayed that -that madness would come to all true and noble souls in his kingdom. - -“For a year and a day this joy was his. Then the fountain ceased to -rise, and the dove to beat its pinions in the spray, and the wild fawn -to drink at the water’s edge. The rumour went from mouth to mouth that -this was because the plague had come again. The king was heavy with -sorrow, for he had taken his deepest happiness in the beauty of these -three lovely things, as, of yore, in the beauty of his aged mother, -and in the beauty of the woman whom he loved, and in the beauty of his -little son. So once again he remembered how he had been helped. With -shame at his heart he upbraided himself because he had lived too much -to the things of the moment and so had lost touch with those which -were of the enduring life. That night he spent in unspoken prayer and -prolonged meditation; and at dawn on the morrow he went slowly and -sadly forth, hoping against hope that his life might be gladdened again. - -“The sun rose as he crossed the glade of ilex and pine. There was no -fountain, as he well knew; but where the fountain had been he saw a -garth of wild hyacinths, of a blue so wonderful that no Maytide sky was -ever more delicately wrought of azure and purple. And above this were -two little brown birds, which sang with so sweet voice and bewildered -rapture that his heart melted within him. - -“Then he knew that in these new joys he had found again the beauty he -had lost. - -“When, in the change of the days, the hyacinths spilt their blue wave -into the rising green of the fern, and the birds ceased singing their -lovely aerial songs, the king no longer grieved, for now he knew that -what was beautiful would not perish but drift from change to change. - -“And so it was. For when, weary of his pain, he went forth one night -to the lovely glade of ilex and pine, he saw the ground white with the -little blooms we call Stars of Bethlehem, and among these a glow-worm -lay and glowed like a lamp in a white wilderness, and from an ancient -ilex came the voice of a nightingale. - -“Thus the king was comforted. - -“And so you too, Peterkin,” added Ian Mor, “need not sorrow too much -for your little dead bird. It will live again mayhap in the fragrance -of a lily or in the beauty of a rose. It will rise again, Peterkin.” - -This tale had sunk deeply into the child’s mind, and perhaps all the -more so because the words, and the meaning behind the words, were -sometimes beyond him. But he understood well the drift of what Ian Mor -had told him. - -He was prepared for any miracle. If his little bird should rise through -the brown earth and ascend singing towards the stars; or if he should -hear a song and see no bird; or if a fount should well from where its -body lay; or if a rare bloom should spring from the earth; or if a -fragrance, new and sweet, should reach him--if one of these things -should happen, or anything akin, it would be no surprise to him. - -But while he was still wondering, he heard voices. - -“Peterkin! Peterkin!” - -He did not answer, but laughing low to himself, crept in among the -lilies-of-the-valley, and lay there, himself like a white bloom. The -voices came near, nearer, and passed by. Peterkin’s heart smote him, -for he heard the pain in the calling voices; but it was so cool and -quiet there among the lilies, and it was so sweet to be out of sight of -every one and lost, that he could not break the spell. - -What if he were to be found by the elfin-folk and led into fairyland? -He thrilled both with fear and eager delight at the thought. Surely -even now he heard the delicate music of the lily-bells? - -Peterkin did not know that he had a neighbour. Suddenly, he heard a -faint rustle. Ah, it was one of the Shee--one of the little people! -Mayhap it was the green Harper, of whom Ian Mor had told him, or one of -the seven star-crowned queens, or the haughty Midir, with a peacock’s -feather in his moon-gold hair, or Fand, who walked in fairy dew, -or--or---- - -And then Peterkin saw who his neighbour was. From under a stone, beset -by lily-sheaths, a small toad crawled. Its strange bright eyes were -fixed upon the staring child, whom, however, it did not seem to heed -after it had once examined this strange white creature who lay among -the lilies. - -Suddenly Peterkin began to laugh. The toad sat still, solemnly -regarding him. Peterkin laughed the more. Once the toad gave a short -jump, though this was not from fear, or even from lack of interest in -his unfamiliar neighbour, but because a gnat had come temptingly almost -within reach of his long, thin, serpentine tongue. - -“Tell me, toad,” Peterkin said at last, “why are you so funny?” - -Whether it was because the toad was not given to gaiety, or whether his -disappointment about the gnat had soured him, he did not respond save -by an unwinking stare. After a while it shot out its tongue, as though -it were speculating as to Peterkin’s flavour as a pleasant morsel, or -perhaps only to find if he were within reach. - -This was too much for Peterkin, who rolled back among the lilies, -crushing the little white bells into a floating fragrance. But, alas, -that betraying laughter! - -Peterkin was still in its throes when he heard a voice falling upon him -as though out of the skies. - -“Ah, there you are, you little rascal! How you frightened us all, and -what a hunt we have had!” - -Almost before he recognised the voice of Ian Mor, Peterkin was seized -and lifted high into the air. - -“Don’t be angry, Ian,” the child whispered. “I came out to see the -fairies. And then I ran on here to see if the little dead bird had come -out of the earth again.” - -“And have you seen a fairy, Peterkin?” - -“I don’t know. I saw a toad.” - -“What did the toad do?” - -“It looked at me till I laughed. Then it put out its tongue, and I -laughed and laughed and laughed.” - -“I’m thinking that toad must have been a fairy in disguise, Peterkin. -But now come: I am going to carry you back to your bed.” - -And whether it was because of Peterkin’s escape into the garden, or -what vaguely came to him there, or what Ian Mor told him as he carried -him homeward in his arms, he did hear the horns of elf-land that night, -and did see the gathering of the Shee in the moonshine. But it was in -a drowsy hollow in the dim wood of sleep, wherein the birds were white -soft-pinioned dreams, and the moon waxed and waned like the lily that -sinks and rises in dark pools. - - -IV - -In those first fragments of Peterkin’s experiences, all his life was -foreshadowed. Wonder, delight, longing, laughter--the four winds of -childhood--these blew for him through his first few years, through -childhood and boyhood and youth. He is a man now; but though the -laughter is rarer and the longing deeper and more constant, there still -blow through the dark glens and wide sunlit moors of his mind the four -winds of Laughter, Longing, Wonder, and Delight. - -As year after year went by, his mind became a storehouse of all that -was most beautiful and marvellous in the Celtic wonder-world. It is -no wonder this, since he had for story-teller Ian Mor, and Eilidh whom -Ian loved; and knew every shepherd on the hillsides of Strachurmore, -and every fisherman on the shores of Loch Fyne. The old ballads, the -old romances, the strange fragments of the Ossianic tales, the lore of -fairydom, fantastic folk-lore, craft of the woodlands, all of the outer -and inner life grew into and became interwrought with the fibre of his -most intimate being. - -I am not here telling the story of Peterkin himself. He stands, indeed, -for many children rather than for one, for many lives and not an -individual merely. - -In a sense, therefore, Peterkin is not merely a little child, a boy, -a youth, who went through his years gladly laughing, mysteriously -wondering, wrought to pain and joy, to suffering and delight, by all he -saw and heard and inwardly learned; but a type of the Wonder-Child, and -so a brother to all children, to poets, and dreamers. - -Of the many tales of old times which Peterkin loved, none did he dwell -upon with so much delight as those three which are familiar throughout -Ireland and Gaelic Scotland as “The Three Sorrows of Story-Telling.” -In “The Children of Lir,” in “Deirdre and the Sons of Usna,” in “The -Children of Turenn,” he found pre-eminently the haunting charm and -sad exquisite beauty which are the colour and fragrance of the Celtic -genius. And though in his manhood he turned with deeper emotion to -tales such as “Dermid and Grainne,” or “The Amadan Mor,” it was of -these early favourites that he loved to think, that he loved to -re-read, to hear again, to re-tell. - -That is why, therefore, I have chosen to make this book essentially -a re-telling of the beautiful old tales of “The Three Sorrows,” so -familiar once to our Gaelic ancestors, and still, in however crude a -form, the most popular of all the tales of the Gael. They are sad, -it is true, because all the old beautiful tales are sad; but it is a -sadness which is a fragrance about an exquisite bloom, and that bloom -wrought of joy and keen delight. They were not sad, they who lived the -old, joyous, heroic life; in some poignant vicissitude, some sudden -slaying, some passing of a bright flame into a melancholy wane, we -see a sad gleam about the end of their days, and, seeing thus the -fortuitous coming and going of life and death, read into the old -chronicles a melancholy which often is not there. - -Of course, a tale such as “The Fate of the Children of Lir”--probably -the story known above all others among the children of Western Scotland -and Ireland--is sad with another sadness, that of prolonged and -unmerited suffering. But to the Gaelic mind, at least, this is redeemed -by the sense of heroic endurance, of the deep unselfish devotion of a -lovely womanly type such as is represented by Fionula, and perhaps, -above all, by the music and beauty which were the sweet doom of Fionula -and her brothers. - -But to me not one of them is sad, save with beauty. For through all I -hear the sound of Peterkin’s laughter. Sometimes it was aroused by an -episode; sometimes it leapt like a hound along the trail of vagrant -thoughts; sometimes it came and went as an eddying wind, none knowing -whence or whither. - -This laughter of Peterkin has become for me one of the sweet wonderful -voices of nature--the four winds of Childhood: Wonder, Delight, -Longing, and Laughter. Ah, children, children, to one and all I wish -the golden fortune of Peterkin. - - -V - -When Peterkin was still a child he was familiar with tales of the old -world which now-a-days we keep from children, because they are not old -enough to understand. That, I fear, is more because we ourselves do not -understand, or are out of sympathy. Is a child more likely to be hurt, -or to be nobly attuned to the chant-royal of life, by acquaintance with -stories of vivid and beautiful human love such as that of Nathos and -Darthool, or Dermid and Grainne? Surely, what is beautiful is not a -thing to be feared; and though, alas! so many of us do now indeed dread -beauty and feel toward it a strange baffled aversion, there are others -who know it to be the profoundest and most exquisite mystery in life. - -To Peterkin at any rate there was never anything but what was stirring -and heroic and full of charm and beauty in these old tales: and through -all his days their atmosphere was in his mind, so that he made life -fairer for himself and others. - -Few stories delighted him more than the wild folk-lore tales which he -heard from the shepherds and fishermen, or than those which he was told -on Iona. It was to that island he was taken when he was still a child, -at a time when the shadow of death darkened his young life. But there, -staying with Ian Mor and with Eilidh, his wife, he lived the happiest -months of his early years, and came closer to the beauty of the past -and to the beauty of the present than ever before or after. - -It was on Iona that he first heard the “Three Sorrows of -Story-Telling,” though that of Nathos and Darthool--or of “The Sons of -Usna,” as it is generally called--was rather overheard by him as Ian -related it to Eilidh, than told to him direct. - -Throughout the first months of his stay in Iona, Peterkin was told -something daily by Ian Mor, so that, child as he was, he became -familiar with strange names and peoples of the past, as well as with -all the wonders of the living world. True, there was thus in his mind -a jumble of the past and the present, and Columba was more real to him -than McCailin Mor himself, and Finn and Cuchulain, Ossian and Oscar and -Dermid as vivid and actual as any fisherman of Iona. - -When he was old enough to follow aright, Ian Mor told him, anew and in -his own way, the three famous tales which follow. - - - - - The Tale of the Four - White Swans - - - - - “The cold and cruel fate that overtook - The children of the great De Danann, Lir, - Is of the Sorrow-stories of our isle. - This sorrow-tale indeed is old and young; - Old, for so many hundred years have gone - Since last beneath the midnight shimmering star - Was heard the music of the birds of snow: - Young, for amid the bright-eyed tuneful Gael - The sorrows of the snowy-breasted four - Are told again to-day, and shall be told - Long as the children of Milesius last - To people Banba’s hills and pleasant vales.” - - _The Three Sorrows of Story-Telling_: - “The Children of Lir,” - _trs. by Dr. Douglas Hyde_. - - - - -[Illustration: As she touched Fionula, Lir’s fair young daughter became -a beautiful snow-white swan. - - _To face p. 33._] -] - - - - - The Tale of the Four - White Swans - - -The story that I will tell you now is one of the most famous among all -the peoples of the Gael. It is called sometimes “The Tale of the Four -White Swans,” sometimes “The Fate of the Children of Lir,” sometimes -simply “Fionula,”[1] because of the beauty and tenderness of Lir’s -daughter. - -The tale is of the old far-off days. It was old when Ossian was a -youth, and Fionn heard it as a child from the lips of grey-beards. -Often I have spoken to you, Peterkin, of the Danann folk, the -Tuatha-De-Danann who lived in the lands of our race before the foreign -peoples came and drove the ancient dwellers in Ireland and Scotland -to the hills and remote places. When men allude to them now in this -late day, they speak of the Dedannans (as they are often called) as the -Hidden Folk, the Quiet People, the Hill Folk, and even as the Fairies. -It is natural, therefore, that years are as dust in the chronicles of -this lost race. They live for hundreds of years where we live for ten; -and so it is that the foam of time is white against the brief wave of -our life, when against the mighty and long reach of theirs it is but -flying spray. - -You have heard Eilidh singing the song of the Four White Swans. It is a -music that hundreds of tired ears have heard. It is so sweet, Peterkin, -that old men grow young, and old women are girls again, and weary -hearts ache no more, and dreams and hopes become real, and peace puts -out her white healing hand. - -“Have you heard that singing, Ian?” - -“Yes, my boykin, often. And you, too, shall often hear it. It is -in lonely places, in lonely hours, that you shall hear it. It is a -beautiful strange sound, and so old and so wonderful that in it you -will hear the beating of the heart of the world thousands of years -ago. But first I will tell you the story of the Four Swans, and then -we can speak again of the strange singing I have heard at times, and -that you often shall hear.” - -The Dedannans were the most wonderful and happy people in the world -till they became discontented with what the unknown and beautiful -gods had given them. Then they split into sections, and some sought -one vain thing and some another, and in the end all found weariness. -Their wise men knew that as long as they were at one no enemy could -prevail against them; but it has never been the way of the unquiet -to believe in the old wisdom, and so feuds arose, and the Fairy Host -itself--as the great array of the warriors of the Tuatha-De-Danann was -called--ceased to be invincible, because the banners blew to the four -winds. - -Not all their ancestral sojournings in the dim lands of the East, nor -in the ages of their migration to the country of fjords which has its -whole length in the sea, nor in Alba, that is now Scotland, nor Eiré, -that is now Ireland, not all they had learned in their remote past -helped them against the undoing of their own folly. - -It has been said that the Dedannans never fought against men till the -Milesians, the warriors of Miled out of some land in the south--the -land, mayhap, we know as Spain--came against them upon the banks of a -river then as now called the Blackwater, in the heart of Meath. - -But before the Dedannans themselves ever saw it, the Green Isle was -held by the Firbolgs, a terrible, heroic race, but allied to the dark -powers. Some say they became demons, after they were defeated in many -battles by the Tuatha-De-Danann, and at last wholly conquered. But so -old is this ancient tired world, that long before the Dedannans and the -Firbolg people fought for sovereignty, the Firbolg had striven with -and overcome an earlier race--the Nemedians--which had come to Ireland -under a mysterious king, Nemed. None knows who Nemed was, though he may -have been a god, seeing that he overcame that most ancient people who -were the first to set foot in the Isle of Destiny, under Partholan, a -son of him who was called the Most High God. - -Whether it be true or not that the overlordship of the world was meant -for man, certain it is that man has thought so. Therefore are all -stories of his cosmic strife coloured by this destiny. Terrible and -mighty were the Firbolgs, fierce and terrible and beautiful were the -Dedannans, but now there is no rumour of either, save in the wail of -the wind, or in the stirring of swift, stealthy feet in the moonshine. - -But now, Peterkin, I will tell you about the children of Lir, who was -one of the great princes of the Dedannans. - -The first great battle between the Milesians and the Dedannans had been -fought, and the ancient people, for all their secret powers of wonders -and enchantment, had been defeated. Throughout all Erin--for Ireland at -that time was called either Eiré (Erin), or Fola, or Banba, after three -great queens--there was a rumour of lamentation. It was the beginning -of the end, though few save the wisest Druids foresaw it. - -But the people knew that their dissensions were the cause of their -sorrow. They clamoured for one king to be overlord, so that the whole -Dedannan race might be united. - -There were five great princes who claimed to be king by right. Of these -two were greater than the others--Bove Derg, son of Dagda, one of the -divine race (and some say a mighty god), and Lir of Shee Finnaha. -In the end Bove Derg was elected Ardree, or High King. Even Midir -the Haughty acquiesced in this judgment of the people, but Lir was -wroth and held aloof. All the princes and warriors were fierce with -Lir because he had left the assembly in anger, paying heed to no one, -and scornfully ignoring the majesty of the king. A hundred swords of -proven heroes leapt before Bove Derg, for all were eager to follow Lir -and destroy him and his, because of the insult to the king and to the -voice and freewill of the people. But Bove Derg was a wise and generous -prince, and forbore. This was well. For in time a great sorrow came -upon Lir. When the rumour of this sorrow reached Bove Derg, he saw how -he might win over Lir. - -“In my house,” he said, “are my three foster-children, the daughters -of Aileel of Ara. Each is beautiful, all are wise and sweet and noble. -Let messengers go to Lir, and tell him that my friendship is his if he -will have it. Surely now he will submit to the will of the people. And -he can have to wife whomsoever of the three daughters of Aileel he may -choose, if so be that she will gladly and freely go with him.” - -Lir was glad at this message. He called his warriors together, and in -fifty chariots he and they set forth. They rested not till they came -to the palace of Bove Derg, by the Great Lake, nigh to the place now -called Killaloe. Great were the rejoicings, and again at the alliance -which after many days was made between the king and Lir. - -When Lir saw the three daughters of Aileel, he could not say who was -the most beautiful. - -“Each is alike beautiful, O king,” he said; “and I cannot tell which is -best. But surely the eldest must be the noblest of the three, and so I -will choose her, if so be that she gladly and freely come with me as my -wife.” - -And so it was. When Lir returned to his own place, he took with him -as his wife the beautiful Aev, who was the eldest of the daughters of -Aileel of Ara, and was foster-child of Bove Derg the king. From that -day, too, a deep and true friendship lived between Bove Derg and Lir. - -In the course of time Aev bore him twin children, a son and a daughter. -The daughter was named Fionula, because of her lovely whiteness, and -the son was named Aed, for that his eyes, and the mind behind his -eyes, were bright and wonderful as a flame of fire. - -And at the end of the second year Aev again bore twin children. Both -were sons, and they were named Fiachra and Conn. But in giving them -life she lost her own. - -Lir was in bitter distress because of her death, and for the reason -that his four little children were now motherless. He was comforted by -Bove Derg, who not only gave him friendship and kingly aid and counsel, -but said that he should not be left alone to mourn, and that his little -ones should not go motherless. - -Thus it was that Aeifa, the second of the daughters of Aileel of Ara -and foster-child of Bove Derg the king, came to Shee Finnaha and -espoused Lir. - -For some years all went well. Aeifa nursed the children, and tended -them. They were so fair and beautiful that the poets sang of them -far and wide. Even Bove Derg loved them as though they were his own. -As for Lir, so great was his love, that he could not bear to be long -apart from them. His sleeping-room was separated from them only by a -deerskin, and this often he pulled aside at dawn, so that he might see -his dear ones, and perchance go to them to talk lightly and happily, or -to caress them with loving laughter and joy. - -Lir was never sad save when the four children went south to the Great -Lake to stay awhile with Bove Derg, who in his turn was filled with -melancholy when the time came for them to go home again. Nor was Lir -ever so proud as when, at the Feast of Age, whenever that festival came -to be held at Shee Finnaha, the king and the nobles and the warriors -delighted in the beauty and marvellous sweet charm of Fionula and Aed -and Fiachra and Conn. Thus it was that the saying grew: “Fair as the -four children of Lir.” - -But there was a deep shadow behind all this joy. This shadow came out -of the heart of Aeifa. In love there is sometimes a poisonous mist. It -is what we call Jealousy. At first Aeifa truly loved her step-children. -But as the years lapsed, and when Fionula was passing from girlhood -into maidenhood, the wife of Lir was filled with anger against the four -children. She was bitter at heart because their father loved them with -so great a tenderness, and that even the king himself cared for them -above all else, and because all the Dedannans had joy of them. - -The time came when this dull smouldering fire, which she might have -overcome had she loved nobly and not ignobly, burst into flame. This -flame withered her heart, and rose thence till it obscured her mind. - -She had something of the old druidical wisdom, but she feared the -counter-spells of others wiser than herself. Nevertheless she set -herself to learn one or other of the ancient incantations against which -even the gods are powerless to avert evil from men and women. - -While she was brooding thus--and for weeks and even months she lay in -the house of Lir as one stricken with some terrible ill--her rage grew -till she could no longer endure the sight of her husband or of her -step-children. - -One day she arose and ordered the horses to be yoked to her chariot, -and bade a small chosen company to be ready to go with her and the -four children to the Great Lake: for, she said, she wished to see -Bove Derg, her foster-father, and to take the children to gladden -his heart. Lir was sad, and sadder still when he saw the tears in -Fionula’s eyes. In vain he asked her why this drifting dew was there -instead of the sun-bright laughing glancings he joyed so much to see. -She would not answer: for all she could have said was that in a dream -she had fore-knowledge of the evil desire of Aeifa to kill her and -her brothers. Perhaps, she thought, it was but a dream. She loved -honour, too, and would not put her father against his wife because of a -visionary thing that came to her in the night. - -It was when they were in a deep gorge of the hills that Aeifa was -overcome by her hatred. Turning to her attendants, she offered them -wealth and whatsoever they desired if only they would slay the four -children of Lir then and there, inasmuch as these had come between her -and her husband, and had therein and in all else made her life a burden -to her. - -The attendants listened with horror. Not one there would lift a hand -against Lir’s children. What was wealth, or any fruit of desire, -compared with so foul a treachery, so terrible a crime! The oldest -among them even warned Lir’s wife that the very thought of such evil -would surely work a dreadful punishment against her. - -At this, Aeifa laughed wildly. Then, seizing a sword, she strove to -wield it herself against the defenceless children. The three boys -stood, wondering. In the blue eyes of Fionula there was something the -wife of Lir dreaded more than the wrath of husband or king. Dashing -the sword to the ground, she cried to the chariot-driver to make haste -onward. - -No word was spoken among them till they reached the hither end of the -Lake of Darvra.[2] There Aeifa called a halt, and the horses were -unyoked for rest. It was a fair and warm day, so when she bade the -children undress and go into the water, they did so gladly. - -While their white sunlit bodies were splashing in the lake, she took -from beneath the rim of the chariot, where she had secreted it, a -druidical fairy wand. This had been given her by a Dedannan druid, and -was a dreadful thing to possess, for its power was of the black magic, -against which nothing might prevail. Going to the side of the clear -water, she struck lightly with the wand the shoulder of each of the -four children; and, as she touched Fionula, Lir’s fair young daughter -became a beautiful snow-white swan, and as she touched Aed and Fiachra -and Conn, Lir’s three young sons were changed like unto Fionula. - -A cry of lamentation arose from the witnesses of this deed, though none -guessed that the ill was so dreadful and beyond the reach of druidic -skill, nor did the children know at first what evil had befallen them, -but swam to and fro laughing in their hearts, and rejoicing in their -white feathers and in their swift joy in the water. But when Fionula -heard the lamentation, and looked upon the evil face of Aeifa her -stepmother, she knew that the hour of doom had come. - -Then Aeifa stretched out her arms, and chanted these words: - - “Lost far and wide on Darvra’s gloomy water, - With other lonely birds tost far and wide. - For nevermore shall Lir behold his daughter, - And never shall his sons lie by his side.” - -Then while all on the shore stood in deep grief, Fionula swam close, -and looked up into the white face of Aeifa, which was whiter then than -the whitest breast-feathers of these poor bewildered swans. - -“This is an evil deed thou hast done, O Aeifa,” she said. “Out of a -bitter heart thou hast wrought this cruel wrong upon us who love thee, -and have never done or wished thee ill. Nevertheless it is not our -ill that shall endure for ever, but thine own evil. There shall be an -avenging terrible for thee, whensoever it come.” - -It was then that Fionula for the first time sang as a swan, and even -then the marvellous sweet singing brought both gladness and tears into -the hearts of those who heard. - - “In the years long ago, long ago now, long ago, - We were loved by her who dooms us to this evil cruel woe: - Who with magic wand and words - Hath changed us into birds-- - Snow-white swans to drift and drift for evermore - Homeless, weary, tempest-baffled hence from shore to shore.” - -A silence followed this melancholy singing. Then at last Fionula spoke -again. - -“Tell us, O Aeifa, how long this doom is to be upon us, so that we may -know when death shall come to take away our suffering?” - -Then because in that day it was not honourable to refuse the truth when -asked, Aeifa did as Fionula prayed of her. - -“Better would it be for thee and thy brothers to know nothing and to -hope much. But since thou hast asked this thing I will tell it: - -“Three hundred years shall ye, Fionula, and Aed and Fiachra and Conn, -who are now four white swans, abide here on this great lonely, desolate -lake of Darvra. For three hundred years thereafter shall ye inhabit the -wild sea of Moyle, which lies between the Stairway of the Giants, and -the bleak shores of the great headland of Alba.[3] And for yet another -three hundred years ye shall drift to and fro among the storm-swept -seas off the rocky isles to the west of Erin. - -“Furthermore, ye shall be idle sport for the storms until Lairgnen, a -great prince of the north, has union with Decca, in the south: until -the Taillkenn,[4] the new prophet, shall come to Erin and preach a new -faith that shall chase away the old gods: and until ye shall be filled -with fear and wonder at a strange sound, that shall be the ringing of -the first Christian bell. All this I tell ye because of the prophetic -sight I have, and that has come to me through the druidic wand -wherewith I have changed ye into four wild white swans. And this too, I -say unto ye, Fionula and Aed and Fiachra and Conn, that neither by your -own power nor by your prayers, nor by mine, nor by the power of Lir and -Bove Derg, nor by that of all kings and princes and druids whatsoever; -no, nor by any god, nor by any power in heaven or earth, can ye be -freed from this spell I have put upon ye, until the times and events I -have spoken of shall be fulfilled.” - -When Aeifa had ceased speaking, there was no sound to be heard, save -the lap-lapping of the lake-water upon the shore. Of the company of -those with her none spake a word, each dreading the evil that was sure -to come. At last a faint sobbing came from amid the sedges, where the -young brothers nestled by the side of Fionula, who had already begun to -mother these dear ones whom she loved. - -When she heard these sobs, Aeifa’s heart smote her. Even if she would, -she could not now undo the age-long spell she had set upon the children -of Lir. But one thing was left to her that she might do with the fairy -wand, which could be moved once again if stirred by the breath of her -will. - -“Hearken, O children of Lir,” she cried, “for I have yet one thing -to say: and that out of the sorrow in my heart because of the doom I -have put upon ye. Although ye are turned into wild swans, ye shall not -become as the desert birds, and have no speech but the savage screams -and cries of the wilderness. Ye shall keep for ever your own sweet -Gaelic speech, and so be able to talk each with the other, and with -any of the human kind whom ye may meet. And more than this, ye shall -be able to sing the most sweet, plaintive songs, and the most wild, -haunting music that ever man has heard; so that all whose ears list -shall be lulled into deep sleep, or into a peace sweeter than slumber -itself. Nor shall the law of the soulless brutes be upon you, but ye -shall be Fionula and Aed and Fiachra and Conn, the children of Lir.” - -Having said these words, Aeifa raised her arms and chanted this song: - - “Speed hence, speed hence, O lone white swans, - Across the wind-sprent foam; - The wave shall be your father now, - And the wind alone shall kiss your brow, - And the waste be your home. - - Speed hence, speed hence, O lone white swans, - Your age-long quest to make; - Three hundred years on Moyle’s wild breast, - Three hundred years on the wilder west, - Three hundred on this lake. - - Speed hence, speed hence, O lone white swans, - And Lir shall call in vain; - For all his aching heart and tears, - For all the weariness of his years, - Ye shall not come again. - - Speed hence, speed hence, O lone white swans, - Till the ringing of Christ’s bell; - Then at the last ye shall have rest, - And Death shall take ye to his breast - At the ringing of Christ’s bell.” - -Having sung this farewell song, Aeifa ordered the horses to be yoked -again to her chariot. - -This done, she drove away westward, nor was there a single heart in -those who accompanied her but was filled with sorrow and foreboding. - -When the lake was no longer visible, and the gloom of the mountains -came down upon the pass which led towards the westlands where Bove Derg -dwelled, a faint wild aerial singing was heard, delicate as tinkling -cowbells on far hill-pastures. - -Before Aeifa drew near to the great dun of Bove Derg, she put each of -her company under a solemn bond of silence as to what she had meant to -do and not done, and as to what later she had done; and because of the -lealty of the bond to a woman, and also because of the fear of each -towards the druidical fairy wand that she still carried, the oath was -taken by one and all. - -Therefore it was easy for Aeifa to mislead Bove Derg as to the reason -why she had not brought the children of Lir with her. Nevertheless he -doubted greatly that his foster-daughter deceived him, for he could not -think that Lir his friend would so mistrust him as to refuse to let -Fionula and her brothers accompany their stepmother. - -So, secretly, he sent a swift messenger across the hills and straths to -the dun of Lir. - -Lir was at once wroth and filled with fear when he heard that Aeifa -had reached the dun of Bove Derg without the children. Some treachery -surely had been done, he cried. - -Then, calling together a company, he set forth with all speed. Towards -sundown, the cavalcade came upon the wide desolate shores of the great -lake of Darvra. - -“What is that sound?” cried Lir. - -“It is the wind in the reeds, O Lir,” answered a spearman by his side. - -“The wind in the reeds is a sweet sound to hear, Coran, but never have -I heard any wind that could make so sweet a music.” - -“It is the little gentle lapping of the wavelets by the west wind, O -Lir.” - -“It is no gentle lapping of the wavelets by the west wind, Coran, nor -yet is it the wind in the reeds; but that is the voice of Fionula -singing.” - -And as the sound grew clearer, all heard it, and soon the words were -audible: - - “Behold the Danann host is on the shore, - Seeking for those now lost for evermore; - But let us haste towards that proud array - And tell the tidings of this fatal day.” - -And while the song was still in the ears of all there, Lir gave a great -cry and pointed to where above the midmost of the lake four wild swans -were winging swiftly towards the eastern shore. - -When he heard from Fionula--and he knew her voice, which was sweeter -than any other he had ever heard--of all that had happened, and of -the strange and dreadful doom that was put upon her and her brothers, -he fell sobbing to the ground. From all his company the keening of a -bitter lamentation arose. - -Alas, as he knew well, not even the great length of years which the -Dedannan folk lived--and a score of years is to them what one year -is to us--would enable him to see his dear ones again. Three hundred -years on Darvra, these he might mayhap live to see; but not the three -hundred years on the bleak and wild region of the Moyle, nor the three -hundred on the wild tempestuous western seas, nor the far-off day when -a prophet called Taillken would come to Erin with a new faith, and in -the glens and across the plains would be heard the strange chiming of -Christ’s bell. - -Yet was he comforted when he heard that his children were to keep their -Gaelic speech, and to be human in all things save only in their outward -shape. And glad he was that they were to be able to chant music so -wild and sweet that all who should hear it would be filled with joy -and peace. For music is the most beautiful and wonderful thing in the -world, and is the oldest, as it will be the latest speech. - -“Remain with us this night, here by the lake,” said Fionula, “and we -shall sing to you our fairy music.” - -So all abode there, and so sweet was the song of the children of Lir, -that he himself and all his company fell into a deep, restful slumber. -All night long they sang their sweet sad song, and were glad because of -the quiet dark figures by the lake-side lying drowned in shadow. Slowly -the moon sank behind the hills. Then the stars glistened whitelier and -smaller, and a soft rosy flush came over the mountain crest in the -east. Then Lir awoke, and Fionula and Aed and Fiachra and Conn ceased -their singing, and spread out their white pinions to the light of a -new day, and ruffled their snowy breasts against the frothing that the -dawn-wind made upon the lake. - -Lir took a harp from one of his followers, and sang a song of farewell -to his children. At that singing all awoke, and the heart of each man -was heavy because of the doom that had fallen upon the children of Lir. - -He sang of the fateful hour when he had taken Aeifa to wife, and of the -cruel hardness of her heart, that thus out of jealous rage she could -work so great and unmerited evil. And what rest could there be for him, -he chanted, since whenever he lay down in the dark he would see his -loved ones pictured plain before him: Fionula, his pride and joy; Aed, -so agile and adventurous; the laughing Fiachra; and little Conn, with -his curls of gold. - -Then with a heavy heart indeed Lir went on his way. Before he and his -company entered the great pass at the western end of Lough Darvra, he -looked back longingly. In the blue space of heaven he saw four white -cloudlets drifting idly in a slow circling flight. - -“O Fionula,” he cried, “O Aed, O Fiachra, O Conn, farewell, my little -ones! Well do I know that you have risen thus in high flight so that my -eyes may have this last glimpse of you. Nevertheless I will come again -soon.” - -It was a weary journey thence to the dun of Bove Derg, but all -weariness was forgotten in wrath against Aeifa. - -No sooner had Lir spoken to the king, no sooner had the king looked at -the face of Aeifa as she heard the accusation, than Bove Derg knew that -the truth had been told, and that Aeifa was guilty of this cruel wrong. -Turning to his foster-daughter, he exclaimed, in the hearing of all: - -“This ill deed that thou hast wrought, Aeifa, will be worse for thee -than all thou hast put upon the children of Lir. For in the end they -shall know joy and peace, while as long as the world lasts thou shalt -know what it is to be lonely and accursed and abhorred.” Then for a -brief time Bove Derg brooded. There was naught in all the world so -dreaded in the dim ancient days as the demons of the air, and no doom -could be more dreadful than to be transformed into one of those dark -and lonely and desperate spirits that make night and desolate places so -full of terror. At last the king rose. Taking his druidical magic wand, -he struck Aeifa with it, and therewith turned her into a demon of the -air. A great cry went up from the whole assemblage as they saw Aeifa -spread out gaunt shadowy wings, and struggle as in a sudden anguish of -new birth. The next moment she gave a terrible scream, and flew upward -like a swirling eagle, and disappeared among the dark lowering clouds -which hung over the land that day. - -Thus was it that Aeifa became a demon o the air. Even now her screaming -voice may be heard among the wild hills of her own land, on dark windy -nights, when tempests break, or in disastrous hours. - -But out of a wrong done the gods may work good. So was it with the -Dedannans. - -For not only Lir, and all his people, but Bove Derg and a great part of -the nation assembled by the shores of Lake Darvra, and there pitched -their tents, which afterwards grew into a vast rath, wherein the king -builded a mighty dun. - -For Lir and Bove Derg had vowed that henceforth they would live their -years by the shores of Darvra, where they might converse with their -dear ones, and where they might listen to the sweet oblivious songs -which Fionula and her brothers sang to the easing of the heart, and the -silence of all pain and weariness. - -But so great was the rumour of this marvel that all Erin heard of it. -The Milesians in the south agreed to a long truce of three hundred -years; and came and dwelt in amity with the Dedannans, for they too -loved the sweet and wonderful music of the white swans that were the -children of Lir. - -“Three hundred years yet may we live,” said Bove Derg to Lir, “and as -I am a king, I swear never to leave the lough of Darvra while the four -swans that are thy sons and daughter inhabit it. The heavy years shall -pass for us, listening to their beautiful sweet singing; and therein we -shall know peace and joy.” - -“So be it,” said Lir, and he spoke the truth, for in that day the -Dedannans lived to a great age; some say to three hundred, some to -five, some to seven hundred years. - -The years went by, one after the other, and by tens and by scores, and -still Lir and Bove Derg and the Dedannans and Milesians dwelled by the -shores of Lake Darvra. For never in the world’s history has there been -chronicle of so sweet a singing as that of the four children of Lir. -All day the swans discoursed lovingly with their father and Bove Derg, -and their kith and kin, and all who sought them; and each night they -sang their slow, sweet, fairy music--a music so wonderful and passing -sweet, that all who listed to it forgot weariness and pain and bitter -memories and the burden of years, and fell into a deep restful slumber, -whence they awoke each morrow as though they had drunken overnight of -the Fountain of Youth. - -The hair of Lir and Bove Derg was long and white, and almost had the -Dedannans and the Milesians forgotten their ancient enmity, when a day -of the days came whereon Fionula called aside her three brothers. - -“Dear brothers,” she said, as she looked sadly at the three beautiful -white swans, and at the four drifting shadow-swans in the depths of -the lake, “dear brothers, do you know that the time has come when we -must put away our happiness as a dream that has been dreamed? For now -the three hundred years of our sojourn here are at an end, and at dawn -to-morrow we must arise and wing our sad flight across the dear lands -of Erin, till we come to the wild and stormy waters of the sea-stream -of the Moyle.” - -Aed and Fiachra and Conn made so loud and bitter lamentation at this -that all heard, and soon the whole host that was encamped there filled -the region with long keening cries of grief, and a sorrowful mourning -strain as of the melancholy wind among the hills. - -But once more all were soothed that night into deep slumber and happy -peace, because of the slow, sweet, fairy music of the chanting swans. - -At dawn, the four swans arose, and with their white pinions circled -high above the lake, glittering as they soared into the sunflood as it -swept across the summits of the eastern hills. - -“Farewell! farewell! farewell!” they chanted, and at that sad sound all -the Dedannan host and all the Milesians, headed by Lir and Bove Derg, -kneeled along the lake pastures and amid the reeds and sedges. - -Then Fionula, as she and her brothers slowly descended in wide-sweeping -curves, sang this song: - - “Farewell! Farewell! Farewell! - Far hence we lost ones go: - Hearken our knell, - Hearken our woe! - - Farewell! Farewell! Farewell! - With breaking hearts we flee: - For none can tell - Our wild home on the sea. - - For ages on the Moyle, - In loneliness and pain, - Our feet shall tread no soil, - Wild wave, wild wind, wild rain. - - For ages in the west, - Fierce storms and fiercer cold - Shall be alone our rest, - While ye grow old. - - Let not our memories pass, - O ye who stay behind-- - Who are as the grass - And we the wind. - - Farewell! Farewell! Farewell! - Far hence we lost ones go: - Hearken our knell, - Hearken our woe!” - -As Fionula ceased this song, she and her brothers swept so close to -the water’s edge that their white wings made a little dazzle of spray. -Then with swift pinions they rose again, and soared in great spirals -of flight, till they gleamed against the morning blue like four white -banners adrift before a skiey wind. - -Then for a brief while they suspended on outspread wings, and looked -longingly down upon the dear ones and all their kith and kin, who on -their part could scarce see the four white swans for the mist of tears -that was before all faces. - -Suddenly they swung hither and thither, like foam tossed by a tidal -wind, and then flew straight to the northward. Soon they were but white -specks; then the blue closed in upon them, as the wastes of the sea -close at last behind the hulls of drifting ships. - -Before the torch of a stormy sun sank that night amid the tossed green -billows of the Moyle, there where the sea flows to and fro betwixt Erin -and Alba, the children of Lir drooped their weary wings. Their home -now was the running wave. In darkness and loneliness and sorrow, they -floated close to each other, waiting for the dawn to steal into that -first night of bitter exile. - -From that day they were severed from those who loved them. Of a truth, -there was keening and lamentation and sorrow by the shores of the -lough of Darvra. At the last, as the snow melts, the great host of the -Dedannans and Milesians passed away: to the westward, some; others, to -the south. - -As for Bove Derg and Lir, their white hairs and the grey ashes of -their lives were the mournful refrain of many a song on the lips of -wandering bards. - - * * * * * - -There were tears in the eyes of Peterkin when Ian Mor ceased speaking. -His heart was sore because of Fionula and Aed and Fiachra and Conn. - -Nevertheless, he too would be glad to be a swan for a time, if only so -as to be able to soar into the blue spaces of the sky, and to spread -white wings over the dancing waters, and to move through them swifter -than any boat. With what joy he had once climbed on to the fan of an -old windmill, and slowly revolved through the hot August air, which -winnowed around him a coolness like the flowing of wind over the summit -of a hill. - -A bright shining came into his eyes, then laughter bubbled to his lips. - -Eilidh looked at him, half in mock reproof, half rejoicingly. - -“Peterkin, why do you laugh?” - -“Oh, for sure, dear, it’s not laughing I am at the poor swans, but -at the face of Old Nanny, my nurse, when she came out of the cottage -in the glen and saw me lying flat and holding on to the fan of the -windmill, with my hair all blown back, and both my legs hanging in the -air.” - -“Some day you will kill yourself, Peterkin,” said Eilidh gravely. - -“Then I’ll be a swan! and I’ll fly round and round Iona, and whenever -you or Ian want to go to the mainland, I’ll take you on my back.” - -Suddenly Peterkin sprang to his feet, and jumped to and fro, clapping -his hands. - -“Ah, how I would love it!” he exclaimed. - -“Love what, dearie?” - -“Love to see Ian fall off my back and go plump in among the herrings in -the Sound! _What_ a splash he would make!” - -“And poor Ian---- Why, he might be drowned, Peterkin!” - -“Oh, no; I would swoop down the way a gannet does when it sees a fish, -and would scoop him up with my bill.” - -The picture was too much for Peterkin. The thought of grabbing the -dripping half-drowned Ian in his bill, and of soaring away with him to -the white dry sands, was better than any dream of the fairies he had -ever had, even than that when he rode a fairy horse in the guise of a -white mouse, with grasshoppers for hounds, and a great bumble-bee as -a wild boar for the occasion. He threw himself on the floor in front -of the hearth, and rolled over and over, contorting his small body -into alarming convulsions, clapping his hands, and laughing, laughing, -laughing. - -Eilidh, too, let the laughter take her, and then Ian found it sweet; -and soon the little room was full of joyous laughter upon laughter, and -of the leaping flame-light from the blazing log on the peats, and of -the dancing of the shadow-men in the corners and up and down the walls. - -“The swans! The swans!” cried Peterkin suddenly, as he grabbed wildly -at some shadowy shapes which slid along the floor. But these swans -proved as tantalising as the wind-shadows on the grass which so often -he chased, and suddenly in a flash they disappeared altogether. They -seemed to spring right into Ian Mor; at any rate it was in his arms -that Peterkin found himself. - -“Where are the shadows? Where are the shadows, Ian?” he cried: “I -believe you are hiding them inside yourself! Where are they? Where are -they?” - -“Why, you boykin, where could they be?” - -“They are in your heart, Ian! I know they are! I see them! I see them!” - -Ian glanced at Eilidh. Then, putting his arm round Peterkin, he laid -his lips against his downy cheek and whispered: - -“Yes, my little lad, you’ve guessed right.” - -“Then why don’t you chase them out, Ian?” - -Again Ian Mor glanced at Eilidh. - -“They live there, lennavan-mo. They jumped out because of your -laughter, but they are back now.” - -“Then I’ll be laughing often, Ian dear, and some day I’ll catch them -and drive them out into the sunshine, and then they’ll melt--ay, ay, -they’ll melt for sure, Ian, and what will you be after doing then?” - -“Well, like Fionula and the wild swans, Peterkin, I’ll rise up and soar -away on the great flood of the sun across the sea till I come to Hy -Brásil, the Isle of Youth far away in the West.” - -“Yes, I know,” Peterkin said gravely: “Hy Brásil: Eilidh told me that -is where she and you are going to live. Will you take me there too?” - -“Yes, you will come there too, mochree, some day.” - -“But with you -- when you and Eilidh go?” - -“Perhaps we’ll not be going there together, Peterkin. But we won’t be -forgetting our dear little Peterkin. We’ll be on the shore looking out -for you when you come.” - -“Why are your eyes wet, Ian, and Eilidh’s too?” - -“Why, you unfeeling little wretch, it’s because we have left the poor -swans, Fionula, and Aed, and Fiachra, and Conn, alone on the rough seas -of the Moyle all this while.” - -“Tell me, tell me now about the children of Lir. Did they see any one -up there? Were they ever happy?” - -“Eilidh knows the rest of the story as well as I do, Peterkin, so go -and sit in her lap while she tells it to you and to me.” - -With that, Ian Mor rose and put another log on the red peats. A shower -of sparks shot up into the dark hollow of the chimney. Peterkin laughed. - -“Hush!” whispered Eilidh, with smiling eyes: and then in her sweet, -low voice resumed the tale of the Children of Lir, from where Ian had -stopped. - -It was at the edge of winter when Fionula and her brothers reached the -wild bleak seas of the Moyle. - -At first there was no too bitter cold or too fierce tempestuousness -to make their evil lot still more hard to bear; but sad indeed were -their hearts as day after day they saw nothing but the same grey skies, -the same grey wastes and dark sullen waves, the same bleak, rocky -coasts inhabited only by the cormorant and the sea-mew. Never to see a -familiar face, never to hear a familiar voice: to dwell from morning -dusk till evening dark in loneliness and sorrow--that, indeed, was a -hard fate upon the four children of Lir. From hunger and cold, too, -they suffered much. No longer could they be cheered as they were on -Lough Darvra, and often and often they lamented that their doom could -not have permitted them to remain as swans indeed, but as swans on that -now dear and home-sweet inland sea of Darvra. - -Day after day passed, but while their misery and want did not grow less -they were not yet tortured by wintry storms and bitter frosts. - -But one forlorn afternoon a terrible congregation of clouds, black and -heavy and flanked with livid gleams, appeared above the horizon and -slowly invaded the whole west, and then all the sky northward and all -southward. - -Fionula saw that a great tempest was nigh, so she called Aed, and -Fiachra, and Conn, to come to her side. - -“Dear brothers,” she exclaimed, “the storm that will soon be upon us -will be worse than any we have yet known. Hardly can we hope not to -be driven far apart. Let us agree, therefore, to meet somewhere, if -so be that we are not utterly destroyed. For though Aeifa, our cruel -stepmother, doomed us to these long ages of suffering, it may well be -that even her potent spell is not strong enough against death: and -death may come to us through famine, or cold, or in the drowning wave.” - -At first the brothers could answer nothing. Then Aed spoke. “Thou -art wise, dear Fionula. Let us, then, fix upon the rocky isle of -Carrick-na-ron, as that place is well known to each of us, and can be -descried from a great way off.” - -Thus it was that Carrick-na-ron was made their place of meeting, if so -be that in the blind fury and confusion of the tempest they should be -driven the one from the other. - -This was well: for that night, with the darkening of the night into a -hollow of starless blackness, a terrible tempest swept over the seas, -and lashed them into foam and into vast heaving, rolling, swaying -billows. Amid the noise of the waves, and behind the screaming of the -wind, the four weary rain-drenched bewildered swans could hear the -crashing of the thunder and see the wild fitful blue glare of savage -lightnings. - -Before midnight they were whirled this way and that by the fierce paws -of the gale. Soon they were separated, and with despairing cries, -each swept solitary through the night. In the heart of each of the -children of Lir there was little hope of any morrow. All nearly died of -weariness and despair. Nevertheless dawn broke at last, and with the -first coming of light the tempest passed away. - -When the sun rose the waters were almost smooth again. A sparkling came -into the crest of every wave. The sea blued. - -Fionula was the first to descry the rocky isle of Carrick-na-ron, and -gladly she swam towards it, for she was now too weary to fly. Eagerly -she hoped to find her brothers there, safe-havened. Alas, there was not -a sign of any, not even when she flew to the summit of the highest -rock and looked far and wide across the wilderness of waters. - -Great sorrow was hers, for sure, when she beheld nothing but wave upon -wave, wave upon wave, till on the far horizon the long low line of sea -climbed into the sky. - -A song of mourning broke from Fionula, so sad and sweet and despairing -that the gannets and sea-mews and dark fierce cormorants wheeled around -Carrick-na-ron, wondering at the marvel of this wild swan, with the -strange remote voice of the human kind. It was a song of farewell. - -When Fionula ceased her lament she looked once more across the wastes -of the sea. Suddenly she uttered a glad cry, for she descried Conn -swimming slowly towards the rocky isle, slowly, and with drooping head, -for he was drenched with the salt brine, and so weary that he could -scarce move. - -Hardly had she welcomed him with joy, and helped him to reach a flat -ledge of rock whereon the sunlight poured with healing warmth, than she -saw Fiachra desperately striving to make his way towards them, but so -far spent that it seemed as though death would overtake him before he -reached the foam-edged rocks. Fionula sprang into the running wave, -and soon was beside Fiachra, aiding him to her utmost. With difficulty -she helped him to the ledge where Conn crouched in the sun, but so weak -was he that when he was spoken to he could utter no word in reply. -Fionula looked with pity upon her two young brothers. It was hard for -her to see their unmothered pain and weariness. So she spread out -her broad white pinions, and gave the warmth of her body to the two -drenched and shivering swans. - -“Ah!” she exclaimed, as she crouched on the ledge, with Fiachra -nestling by her right side and Conn by her left; “ah! if only Aed were -here too, all might yet be well. And even if it be death, sweeter -far that we might all perish together.” It was as though her loving -prayer were answered, for before long she descried Aed swimming swiftly -through the sunny foam-splashed seas. He, at least, she saw with joy, -had not suffered as his younger brothers had done, for he came on with -head erect and his white plumage all unruffled and dazzlingly ashine. - -Nevertheless, Aed, too, was glad to rest in the sunshine, so Fionula -placed him under her breast. - -Noon found them thus: Fionula with sad eyes staring out across the -wastes of windy seas; under the warm feathers of her breast, Aed; and -close nestled to the warm down of her sides, Fiachra and Conn. She -heard their low breathing as they slept, and that they might sleep the -deeper and longer she sang her low, sweet, fairy music: - - Sleep, sleep, brothers dear, sleep and dream, - Nothing so sweet lies hid in all your years. - Life is a storm-swept gleam - In a rain of tears: - Why wake to a bitter hour, to sigh, to weep? - How better far to sleep---- - To sleep and dream. - - To sleep and dream, ah, that is well indeed: - Better than sighs, better than tears; - Ye can have nothing better for your meed - In all the years. - Why wake to a bitter hour, to sigh, to weep? - How better far to sleep---- - To sleep and dream, ah, that is well indeed! - -This and other songs Fionula chanted low throughout the day, till at -last she too was overcome by her weariness; and she slept. - -At the rising of the moon, all awoke. Full glad were Aed and Fiachra -and Conn that their tribulation was over; only Fionula knew that the -doom which Aeifa had put upon them held worse things, and many, in -store for them. - -For some days thereafter there was peace. Then a snow-whisper came, and -the inland hills and the peaked summits of the isles were white. The -cold grew deeper day by day; at each dawn the frost bit with a keener -grip. The bitter hardships of the children of Lir were now more almost -than they could bear. Nevertheless, they had a yet more dreadful trial -to endure: for at mid-winter there came a tempest of whirling snow and -icy wind so fierce and terrible, that for a day and a night the waves -were strewn with the dead bodies of sea-mews and terns. Nothing the -four swans had ever suffered was like unto what they suffered at this -time. - -But when Fionula had again found and sheltered her dear ones, and -mothered them with her great love, she knew that whatever their -sufferings they would now surely endure until the end. Had they been -subject to the mortal law, they could not have survived that dreadful -day, and still more awful night. - -And so another year passed. The worst sorrow of the children of Lir was -their great loneliness, a thing more bitter than hunger or thirst or -any privation. They longed for their kind as the first white flowers of -the year long for the sun. When mid-winter came again a terrible frost -arose. All the north isles were like black bosses in a gleaming shield, -for sheets of ice covered the seas, and each island was gripped as in -an iron vice. Day by day the cold grew more terrible. On the morrow of -the ninth day the four children of Lir thought that the end of their -misery was at hand. The whole sea was one solid floor of ice; the isle -of Carrick-na-ron, where they were, was like a black iceberg; into ice -lapsed each faint failing breath that they drew with ever greater pain. - -Each morning they had waked to find their feet frozen to the rock, -and even the edges of their wings; and a bitter thing it was to tear -themselves free, and to leave clinging to the rock the soft feathers of -their breasts and the outer quills of their wings and the skin of their -feet. - -How fain each was of death! How gladly they would have passed away -from the world of the living, though in exile, and longing with aching -hearts to see once more their own dear land and the faces of those whom -they loved! But their doom was on them, and they could not leave the -sea of Moyle, nor could they win death. - -The brave heart of Fionula knew this. She knew too what cruel pain it -would give her and her brothers to swim through the salt seas with -their bleeding wounds, for the brine would enter them and cause agony. -Nevertheless, she led them forth towards the coast of the mainland. -There they found a fjord and a haven amid the pine-clad shores, and -before long their wounds were healed, and the feathers on their wings -and breasts grew again. - -But of what avail to tell the tale of all their years? Fionula saw that -while they must ever return each night to the sea of Moyle till the -three hundred years were over and done, they might fly as far and wide -as they could between dawn and dusk. Mighty and strong were they now -upon the wing, and fit to endure the slashing of rains, the buffetings -of wild winds, the whirling briny sleet of the seas, and the cold of -the high forlorn spaces of the lonely sky. - -Far and wide therefore they roamed, sometimes along the foam-swept -headlands of Alba, sometimes by the stormy coasts of Erin, sometimes -for leagues and leagues out into the vast dim wilderness, wherein, so -men said, Hy Brásil lay--Hy Brásil, the Isle of Rest, the Isle of Joy, -the Isle of Youth Eternal. - -One day, far in the oblivion of these selfsame years, they chanced to -be flying past the mouth of the Bann, on the north coast of Erin: and -Aed gave a cry of joy, and bade Fionula and his brothers look inland, -for there, coming out of the south-west, was a stately cavalcade, the -horsemen mounted on white steeds, beautifully apparelled, and with -weapons gleaming in the sun. - -How joyous it was to see their own kind again! All gave a cry of -rapture, their hearts aching the while that they could not set foot -upon the land, as that was forbidden to them, though they might -adventure to the shore. - -Long and earnestly Fionula looked, but she could not tell who the -strangers were. - -“Keen are your eyes, Aed,” she said; “can you discern who the men of -yonder cavalcade are?” - -“I know them not as men: but it seems to me that they are a troop of -our own Dedannan folk, or perchance they may be of the Milesians.” - -But while they were still wondering and discussing, the cavalcade drew -nearer, and the men of it saw the four swans, and, recognising them as -the children of Lir, made signs to Fionula and her brothers to alight -on the shore. - -With joy the Dedannans, for so they were, hailed the poor exiles, for -whom indeed they had long been seeking along the north coasts of Erin. -As for the children of Lir they could scarce speak, so great was their -happiness to hear their dear familiar speech once more and to see the -faces of their own people. - -Again and again they were embraced by the two chiefs of the Fairy -Host, as the Dedannan warriors were called--Aed the keen-witted, -and Fergus the chess-player, the two sons of Bove Derg, king of the -Tuatha-De-Danann. - -With joy the children of Lir learned that their father was still alive, -and was even then celebrating at his house at Shee Finnaha, along with -Bove Derg and the chiefs of the Dedannans, the Feast of Age. As for Aed -and Fergus and all their following, they wept when they heard the tale -of the misery of these lost years, when Fionula and Aed and Fiachra -and Conn were the sport of the winds. - -While eagerly and lovingly they were conversing, none noticed that the -sun was sinking upon the low wavering line of the ultimate wave. But -when at last Fionula saw this, she uttered a sad cry of warning to her -brothers, and all four rose on their white wings and made ready to fly -back to the bleak and desolate sea of Moyle. And sad, sadder than ever, -was the heart of Fionula, for she knew that they could not be there -till nightfall, and that the penalty of this would be that they should -not again see the face of their kind, either on the shores of Erin or -Alba, until the end of the three hundred years on the wastes of the -Moyle. - -As they circled in the air, she sang this song, the last of the -swan-songs heard of any of the Dedannans who were in that company: - - Happy our father Lir afar, - With mead, and songs of love and war: - The salt brine, and the white foam, - With these his children have their home. - - In the sweet days of long ago - Soft-clad we wandered to and fro: - But now cold winds of dawn and night - Pierce deep our feathers thin and light. - - The hazel mead in cups of gold - We feasted from in days of old: - The sea-weed now our food, our wine - The salt, keen, bitter, barren brine. - - On soft warm couches once we pressed - While harpers lulled us to our rest: - Our beds are now where the sea raves, - Our lullaby the clash of waves. - - Alas! the fair sweet days are gone - When love was ours from dawn to dawn: - Our sole companion now is pain, - Through frost and snow, through storm and rain. - - Beneath my wings my brothers lie - When fierce the ice-winds hurtle by: - On either side and ’neath my breast - Lir’s sons have known no other rest. - - Ah, kisses we shall no more know, - Ah, love so dear exchanged for woe, - All that is sweet for us is o’er, - Homeless for aye from shore to shore. - -A great lamentation went up from the cavalcade of the Fairy Host -when Fionula ended this song, and she and her brothers flew swiftly -northward athwart the waves, red and wild because of the stormy setting -of the sun. - -Sad was the tale the Dedannans had to relate when they returned to Shee -Finnaha. - -Nevertheless, Bove Derg, the aged king, and white-haired Lir himself, -took comfort in this, that Fionula and her brothers were still alive. -Moreover, they knew that in the end the spell of Aeifa would be broken -and that the exiles would be freed from their sufferings. - -But often, often, they thought with tears, as the slow revolving -seasons lapsed one into the other, of the children of Lir upon the -desolate far seas of the Moyle. - - * * * * * - -Here Eilidh’s voice lapsed into silence. Then, looking no longer at -Peterkin, but staring into the red heart of the peats, she sang a -Gaelic song, called the Sorrow of the Grey Hairs of Lir. - -Peterkin never loved Eilidh so well as when she sang; but he was -sorrowful to-night when he saw that the song brought tears into her -eyes. - -“Eilidh,” he whispered. - -“Yes, Peterkin, dear.” - -“Wouldn’t you be liking to kiss Ian?” - -Eilidh laughed low, a faint flush coming and going upon her face. - -“For why, boykin?” - -“Oh, I know that whenever you have tears in your eyes Ian can chase -them away. I have seen him kiss you when you are tired.” - -At this Ian Mor rose and lifted Peterkin in his arms. - -“Eilidh is thinking of something sad, Peterkin; that is all. See, she -is smiling now, and laughing too by the same token.” The boy tossed his -curls, and with a roguish smile added: - -“Ah, that is just because I said she wanted to kiss you.” - -“You’re much too wise, Peterkin. But there, down with you! Now run to -the door, and tell me if it is still raining.” - -Peterkin never could go straight anywhere, for his progress was ever -like that of a kid or lambkin, a series of jumps and little sudden -runs. No sooner was he gone, than Ian turned to Eilidh, and took her in -his arms. - -“Sweetheart,” he whispered, “that little burst o’ sunshine is right. A -kiss from your lips is the best thing to chase away the tears. But why -are you sad, mochree?” - -“I was thinking of the sorrow of old Lir; and how little it matters -whether one live fifty years or five hundred, as these old Dedannans -did. Then suddenly the thought flashed across me that some day soon we -should lose Peterkin: he too will become a wild swan, and it will be we -who shall hear the far-off singing of his laughing childhood.” - -“Perhaps he will take his childhood with him into manhood, dear. Let -him look often into your beautiful eyes, Eilidh, and the little one -will learn much without knowing that he is learning. And then, too, -to be near you: why, that is to be a child always deep down, and to -have sunshine in the heart and mind--for have you forgotten your name, -‘Sunshine’?” - -As he spoke, Ian Mor leaned and kissed her. Puzzled at the sudden -radiant smile on her face, he looked round. There was Peterkin, sitting -squatted on the hearth, with an impish smile in his blue eyes. He had -crawled behind the hanging curtain at the door, and unseen and unheard -gained the fireside. - -With a joyous laugh he sprang to his feet. - -“Ah, Ian, you and your rain! Is it not hearing you are? It’s on the -window as if the brownies were throwing little wee stones. It was not -the rain you were wanting, but only a kiss from Eilidh! Now, Eilidh, -tell me true?” - -“Tell you true, Blumpits. Why----” - -But here Peterkin, overcome by some sudden memory suggested by the pet -name which Eilidh sometimes gave him, went dancing round the room, -laughing and chuckling by turns, and once and again clapping his hands -in elfin glee. - -“Eilidh, Eilidh,” he cried, “do tell me again that story of Blumpits -and the Bunnywig.” - -Ian looked puzzled. - -“What’s a bunnywig, Blumpits?” - -“A bunnywig--you’re not for knowing what a bunnywig is--and you, Ian -Mor, too! A bunnywig is a _kunak_.”[5] - -“And what did Blumpits do?” - -“He got on the bunnywig, in the green fern, and rode on it into -fairyland, and no one saw him go but a squirrel. But no, Eilidh, I am -not wanting to hear about that now; and don’t be looking at my bed -there, for I haven’t got the sleep upon me yet. Tell me the rest of -the tale about Fionula and Aed and Fiachra and Conn.” - -“I wonder, now, if that’s because you really want to hear, or if it’s -because you don’t want to be sent to bed?” - -Peterkin had kicked aside his shoes, and taken off his socks, and was -warming his feet at the fire. His body was bent nearly double, as he -looked round, clutching the while his big toe in the hollow of his tiny -fist. - -“O Eilidh,” he said reproachfully, but with a light of such mischief in -his eyes that Eilidh laughed. Then stooping, she took him on her lap, -and after a few seconds, when all three looked idly and dreamily into -the red fanwave in the heart of the peats, her lips moved again to the -sorrowful sweet tale of the Children of Lir. - - * * * * * - -Year after year passed for the four swans that were the children of -Lir. On that bleak and lonely sea of the Moyle they saw none of their -own kind from year’s end to year’s end: only the sea-mew and the -cormorant, the gannet and the tern, the slow droves of the pollack, the -travelling schools of mackerel and herring, the swift seals migrating -from isle to isle. With each Spring they saw the great solanders and -wild swans flying northward towards the polar seas: thence, at the -first days of winter, they saw them again flying southward, athirst for -the thin blue wine of unfrozen seas. - -There was no change save the changefulness of the seasons; the -grey-black wave of winter lapsed into the grey-blue wave of spring, and -out of the dark-blue wave of summer grew the grey-green wave of autumn. - -Cold and hunger and weariness: these only did not vary. - -But at last the long weary exile on the Sea of Moyle came to an end. -One day Fionula told her brothers that on the morrow they would have to -fly far westward, for the three hundred years on the sea-stream of the -Moyle were over, and now they had to begin their long and mayhap still -more bitter, bleak, and mournful exile on the wild western ocean beyond -Erin. - -“We must fly straight to the bleak headland of Irros Domnann,” she -said, “and then must remain on the wild and desolate seas off the isle -of Glora, the island that is farthest away from the mainland of our -beloved Erin.” - -Thither, accordingly, the four swans flew on the morrow. It was with -joy that they left the sea of the Moyle, where they had known so much -privation and misery; but little cause had they for joy, for not less -bleak were the skies, not less desolate the coasts, not less wild the -storm-lashed, rain-swept seas, off the lifeless, barren isle of Glora. -The great waves of the shoreless western ocean beat upon it for ever, -and their thunder often filled the darkness for countless leagues with -a sound most dreadful to hear. - -But after many years it chanced that a young man, named Ebric, the son -of a Dedannan lord, came to farm a tract of land lying along the shore -of Irros Domnann. This youth, who was a poet, and loved all beautiful -things, soon cared more for the sweet, wonderful singing of the four -swans, which often he heard, and to see their white bodies glistening -in the sun, than to till his land. - -One day Fionula and her brothers descried him. Flying to the shore, -they called, and great was his wonder to hear the dear familiar Gaelic -speech in the mouths of wild swans. - -From that time he walked daily down to the extreme rocks on the shore, -that he might converse with the children of Lir, and hear all they had -to tell of their sad story; though he, on his part, could relate little -to them of what had happened, or was happening further inland in Erin, -though they heard from him with sorrow that the Milesians were now -mightier than the Dedannans, and that the Fairy Host was no longer able -to withstand the might of these enemies who long since had come out of -the south. - -“For,” he said, “it is the way of what is beautiful and wonderful; that -the wonder passes and the beauty fades.” - -That night he heard Fionula singing, and knew that the burden of her -song was no other than the saying he had uttered: - - Dim face of Beauty haunting all the world, - Fair face of Beauty all too fair to see, - Where the lost stars adown the heavens are hurled, - There, there alone for thee - May white peace be. - - For here where all the dreams of men are whirled - Like sere torn leaves of autumn to and fro, - There is no place for thee in all the world, - Who driftest as a star, - Beyond, afar. - - Beauty, sad face of Beauty, Mystery, Wonder, - What are these dreams to foolish babbling men -- - Who cry with little noises ’neath the thunder - Of ages ground to sand, - To a little sand. - -Ebric moved homeward through the moonlight wondering much at that song -of Fionula. But because he was a poet, he understood. - -From him the people of the hills, and the valleys round about Irros -Domnann, heard the story of the speaking swans; and soon the wonder of -it, and the whole sorrowful tale of the Children of Lir became as well -known in that region as, long, long ago, to the Dedannans and Milesians -on the shores of Lough Darvra, when they encamped by its shores because -of the slow, sweet, fairy music of the four swans. - -Then once again it chanced that the four children of Lir unwittingly -transgressed their doom, and so had to leave the shores where they -could converse with the people who loved them. But Ebric, to whom they -had told everything, was a poet, and wrought of their story a tale so -sweet and marvellous that it has lasted all these ages, and is heard to -this day on the lips of peasants in the west of Erin. - -From that time onward the sufferings of Fionula and her brothers were -no less than they had been on the sea of the Moyle. Yet even the -worst they had there known was surpassed midway in the heart of a -terrible winter, a winter when cattle died in covered sheds, and men -and women in their houses, and the wild creatures of the forest under -their branches, and the storm-inured seabirds in the hollows of their -ocean-fronting cliffs. - -On that day the whole surface of the sea from Irros Domnann to Achill -was frozen into one solid mass of ice. Across this a polar wind drove -sheets of hail and sleet. By nightfall, Aed and Fiachra and Conn were -so far spent that they despaired of any morrow; and at the last Fionula -herself, who had striven to comfort them, was herself in so pitiful a -misery that she could only lament with them that death was so long in -coming. - -But in the full horror of midnight, while they clung nigh-frozen to -the rock of Glora, Fionula had a vision. It was of that God, that new -faith, that great wonder and beauty which was even then coming towards -Erin, though St. Patrick had not yet set foot upon its shores. - -“Brothers,” she cried, “take heart. I have had a vision. Of a truth -our ancient gods are but the children of a greater than they. Aed, dear -Aed and Fiachra and Conn, believe now in this great and loving God, the -most splendid God of the living truth: for it is He who has made all -things, the pleasant, fruitful land and the wild barren sea; and it has -been revealed to me that if we put our trust in Him, He will comfort us -and send us help.” - -“That we now do, O Fionula!” cried Aed and Fiachra and Conn. - -Thereupon they fell into a deep slumber. When they awoke the sun was -shining; the fierce wind no longer blew; the waves danced joyously, -tossing little sheets of spray from one to another. The bitter cold was -gone, and they rejoiced exceedingly. - -“It is Spring!” Aed cried, with joy. - -“It is the answer of God,” said Fionula gravely. - -From that hour they had peace. Thenceforth they suffered no more from -cold or hunger. When the savage frosts of winter, or the wild rains of -autumn, came over the western sea, the four swans alighted on Innis -Glora, and sang their wild, sweet, beautiful music, and then fell -asleep, nestling side by side, till they awoke to warmth and joy. - -So was it till the end of the three hundred years. Three hundred years -on the lough of Darvra; three hundred on the sea-stream of the Moyle; -three hundred on the sea of Glora, to the west of Erin. All these ages -had they endured, and now their exile was at an end. - -“On the morrow, dear brothers,” Fionula sang rejoicingly, “on the -morrow we shall wing our way inland; for our hearts ache to see again -our own country and our kindred, and the faces of Lir our father, and -Bove Derg the king, and all whom we love. Great shall be the joy at -Shee Finnaha when they behold us once more; but not more joyous shall -their delight be than it will be for us to see the smoke rising from -the fires of our people, and to see the greatness and beauty of Shee -Finnaha.” - -They could not sleep that night for eagerness. At dawn they rose on -white wings, circling through the wide blue spaces of the air. When the -yellow stream of the sun poured westward out of the mountain-ridges of -Achill, they chanted a farewell song, and then stretched their wide -pinions and flew homeward with beating hearts. - -Sweet it was to see below them the green grass instead of the cold, -running wave; and the hollows of the meadows, how much dearer were they -than the troughs of the drowning billows! - -When they came to the great hill above Shee Finnaha, their wings were -seized with so great a trembling that scarcely could they reach into -view of Lir’s high shining house. - -Descending, therefore, they alit on a rock and rested awhile. A deep -sadness oppressed Fionula. There was so great a silence on every rock, -on every tree. Moreover, she had seen a stag stand staring inland with -idle eyes, and had seen the hill-fox and the wolf prowling in the glen -where as a child she had often played. - -“What is the fear that is in your eyes, Fionula?” asked one of her -brothers with sudden dread. - -“Alas! Aed, if Lir and the Dedannans were still here, would a stag -stand staring inland, where Shee Finnaha is, with heedless eyes and no -hoof lifted, and nostrils idly sniffing the unfrequented wind?” - -“Of a surety no, Fionula.” - -“Yet that have I seen, Aed. And if in Shee Finnaha still dwelled our -Dedannan folk, would the hill-fox and the wolf prowl in the Glen of the -White Water, there where we were wont to play and bathe, we and all the -little children?” - -“Of a surety no, Fionula.” - -“Yet that have I seen, O Aed and Fiachra and Conn. Come! we are rested -now. Let us hasten homeward to Shee Finnaha, that we have longed for -all these years, and to our father Lir, who awaiteth us.” - -Onward they flew. - -But just as they soared over the shoulder of Knoc-na-Shee, Fionula -uttered a piercing cry. - -There indeed was the valley where Lir long, long ago had made his home. -But now there was not a single wreath of smoke rising to the sky, not a -single cow lowed in the pastures, neither man nor woman nor child moved -to and fro. Nay, there were not even any houses. All had gone. Amid the -desolate place rose the gaunt, dishevelled ruins of Lir’s great dun; -its halls empty and roofless, or tenanted only by the rank grass and -tall companies of nettles. - -“Alas!” cried Aed, “for the omen of the stag staring idly on Shee -Finnaha, and for that of the hill-fox and the wolf prowling in the Glen -of the White Water.” - -But Fionula could speak no word, for her heart was breaking. - -For long they crouched silent amid the desolation of that ruined place. -Thrice three hundred years had passed since they had played in front of -the house of Lir: beneath yonder ruined wooden arch they had set forth -with Aeifa on that ill-fated journey. - -The dusk came. Still the four children of Lir crouched silent amid the -ruined desolation which was all that remained of lordly Shee Finnaha. - -The wolf prowled near, but turned away the flame of his yellow eyes, -for he feared those who crouched there and had the voices of the human -kind. The bats and owls alone paid no heed. - -When the stars glistened in the sky, and the moon rose, and on the -night wind there was not the lowing of a cow or the barking of a -dog, or any sound whatsoever, save from the rustling forest and the -murmuring stream, Fionula and Aed and Fiachra and Conn fell into a -bitter sobbing and a long, mournful keen, that rose into the hills -with plaintive echoes. - -When the day broke, each told the other that they could no longer stay -in Shee Finnaha. That desolation was now to them more bitter than -the wilderness of the bleak seas of the Moyle. While they were still -speaking thus sorrowfully, Conn descried an old man--so old and worn -that his hair hung about his wrinkled face like thistledown, so white -and bleached was it. He carried a small harp, but in his eyes was the -look of one who saw only far into the mind and never from the mind -outward. - -“Who art thou, O stranger?” Conn asked. - -The man looked at the swan that spoke to him in human speech, and in -the sweet, familiar tongue of the Gael. - -“I have heard strange things,” he muttered, “and in my madness have -come to learn of the beasts. Have not the hawks and eagles of Shee -Finnaha told me bitter tidings, and has not the hill-fox barked to me -of the graves of dead hopes, and has not the she-wolf whined to me in -the dusk of the sorrows that flit through the woods--the old ancient -sorrows of the wise and the beautiful and the brave that are now no -more? Why then should not a wild swan speak? Have I forgotten that, -ages ago, the children of Lir were changed into swans, and that they -spoke with the human tongue, and sang songs so passing sweet that life -and death became as the selfsame dream? Ah! that dream of dreams: -fragrant it was as the breath of Moy Mell, the honey-sweet plain of -Heaven; restful as the sound of the waves beating on the shores of -Tir-fa-Tonn, where the dead dwell in youth and joy; strange and wild as -the noise of invisible wings over the blessed isle that is Hy Brásil in -the west.” - -Conn spake again: - -“Art thou a Dedannan, old man?” - -“A Dedannan I am, O Swan, that speakest with the tongue of man; yea, a -Dedannan I am, if a sere and fallen leaf can be called a child of the -green tree. Say, rather, a Dedannan I was.” - -“Dost thou know aught of Bove Derg, the King of the Dedannans, or of -Lir, the lord of Shee Finnaha?” - -The stranger sighed, and by the veiling of his eyes Conn knew that the -old harper was with the past. - -“Ay,” he muttered at last, “but who can note the passage of the years -when one is old and broken and sick unto death? A hundred years have -trodden the red leaves again, or it may be thrice a hundred, since I -chanted the death-song of Bove Derg, the King of the Dedannans; since -I looked on the white face of Lir, as he lay grey and ashy among the -ashy-grey thistles.” - -Conn uttered a cry of sorrow, and a bitter keen of lament came from his -two brothers and from Fionula. - -“Then these also speak,” muttered the old harper: “almost can I -persuade myself that I look on the wild swans that are the four -children of Lir--Fionula and Aed and Fiachra and Conn. Ages ago I -thought they had lapsed in death. All are gone now, save only Aeifa, -who is a demon of the air, and wails among the hills and in desolate -places.” - -All this time Fionula had been looking earnestly at the old man. Now -she spoke. - -“Tell me, art thou not Irbir the Harper?” - -“It is Irbir the Harper I am, the chief harper of Bove Derg, that -was King of the Dedannans before the Fairy Host faded away from the -meadows and pastures of Erin. And if indeed ye be the children of Lir, -know I am that Irbir who sang the birth-song at the birthing of ye, -Fionula and Aed, and at the birthing of ye, Fiachra and Conn.” - -Thereupon the old harper embraced the four swans, tears running down -his face the while. - -While he was yet embracing them, his wildered mind began to wander, and -he talked idly of vain things. - -Nevertheless, they learned from him that more than a hundred years -back, and maybe thrice a hundred, the Tuatha-De-Danann had fought a -last great battle with the Milesians and had been utterly defeated. -They were now a dispersed and hidden people, some deathless, others -living to the thousand and one years of the old-world folk, and some -with a new and terrible mortality upon them. As for Bove Derg and all -the Fairy Host, the wild thistle waved over their nameless graves. Lir -lay beneath the grass outside his great dun of Shee Finnaha. His last -words had been: “I hear the beating of wings. O wild swans, I hear the -beating of thy wings.” - -Thereafter Irbir the Harper moved aimlessly away, and with him passed -the shadow of the greatness that was gone. - -The children of Lir now spoke wearily among themselves of what they -should do. At the last they decided to go back to the Isle of Glora, -and there await the fulfilment of their doom. - -One more night they spent at Shee Finnaha, mourning over the grey -sorrow of Lir, and over the desolation of that noble place, and over -the ruin of the Dedannan folk. So wild and mournful was their singing -that night that the beasts of the forest congregated round the ruined -dun, and from the crags of the hills thronged the cliff-hawks and the -eagles. In the heart of the woods Irbir, the old harper, died, dreaming -that he was in Tir-nan-Og, the Land of Youth, and was listening again -to the voices of Love. - -On the morrow the children of Lir flew sorrowfully away from Shee -Finnaha and returned to Innis Glora. They alit at a small lake in the -heart of that isle, and there began once more to sing their slow, -sweet, fairy music. - -So wonderful was their singing, with all its added pain and the mystery -of years, that the birds of all the regions round were wont to collect -daily, and gather in flocks round about the singing swans. Thus it was -that the little lake came to be called the Lake of the Bird Flocks. - -At sunrise these innumerable birds would disperse far and wide; some -seaward, some inland, some northward to Achill, some as far south as -the three rocks known as Donn’s Sea-Rest, some to Inniskea--to this -day called the Isle of the Lonely Crane, for there dwells, and has -dwelled since the beginning of the world, and shall dwell till the day -of flame, a solitary brooding crane. But at night every bird returned -to Innis Glora, to hear the slow, sweet, fairy music of the children of -Lir. - -In this way the years went past. - -On a day of the days Fionula called her brothers to listen to her, -because of a dream that she had dreamed. - -“The Taillkenn[6] has come at last,” she said. “I saw a strange light -in the East at midnight. A star rose out of it, and travelled through -the gulfs of the sky, and rested over Erin, and sank slowly over this -our dear land. Then I heard a smoke of voices rising to the stars, and -thence, too, came a chiming sweeter than any chants we have sung in all -these thrice three hundred years.” - -On the eve of that day a man came forth from the mainland in a coracle. -He came to Innis Glora, and alighted there, and kneeled in a strange -fashion, and supplicated some god. - -It was St. Kemoc. - -After nightfall the wild swans were silent, for all were heavy with the -strangeness of this man, who was not like unto any Dedannan or even a -Milesian, and who prayed on his knees, and supplicated a god set beyond -the stars. - -In the grey dawn they awoke, trembling. Trembling still, they started -and ran bewilderedly to and fro, for strange and dreadful to them was -the sound that they heard. It was but a little sound, and faint and -afar; but it was the chiming of a bell, and in all the thrice three -hundred years and more they had lived they had heard nought like it. -The bell was the matin-bell of St. Kemoc, but they knew it not, nor -what it meant. Aed and Fiachra and Conn ran wildly and far, but at -last when the bell ceased, they returned to Fionula. - -“Do you know what this sound is, this faint, fearful sound that has -terrified us, dear brothers?” - -“No, we have heard the faint, fearful voice, but know not what it is. -Is it the voice of the strange man who has come among us, and is he a -god?” - -“No,” answered Fionula, with grave joy, “but it is the voice of the -Christians’ bell. Soon we shall be free of our spell; soon we shall -have peace. It is the bell we have dreamed of for so many years.” - -All were glad at that. Kemoc had again begun to ring his matin-bell, -and the four swans crouched low, listening to its strange music. When -it ceased, Fionula spoke: - -“Let us now sing our music.” - -Therewith they sang their slow, sweet, fairy music. - -Kemoc rose in his place, amazed with great wonder. At first he thought -it was the voices of the angels singing in Paradise. Then suddenly it -was revealed to him that it was the slow, sweet, fairy music of the -children of Lir, whereat he rejoiced exceedingly, for he had fared -westward in the hope to find and save Fionula and Aed and Fiachra and -Conn, of whom he had heard soon after he came to Erin with tidings of -Christ and the Christian faith. - -So when his prayers were done, and sunrise put a shine of gold upon the -sea, Kemoc rose and went to the lake, and hailed the four white swans. -And when they answered and told him who they were, he gave thanks to -God. - -“Come now to land,” he added, “and sojourn with me, for it is in this -place that ye are destined to be freed from your enchantment.” - -Filled with a great joy on hearing the words of the Christian saint, -they came ashore, and went with him to where he had builded his cell -against the forefront of a cave. - -Three days later a skilled craftsman for whom he had sent came to Innis -Glora, and wrought two slender shining chains of silver. These St. -Kemoc put upon Fionula and Aed and upon Fiachra and Conn, to show that -they were now bondagers to Christ, for all that they were still swans -and under the doom of the spell of Aeifa. - -Thereafter the time passed with joy and peace. Kemoc taught them the -holy faith, and came to love them with his whole heart. As for the -children of Lir they were glad with so great a gladness that they -remembered no more their long misery, and even loved better to hear -the hymns and litanies of St. Kemoc than the lifesweet war-chants and -love-songs they had heard in their childhood from Irbir and other bards -and minstrels. - -But at that time[7] there was a queen in Erin who above all other -things desired the glory of having these marvellous singing swans as -her own. In the olden days men and women were wont to hold the decrees -of the gods and of fate in reverence; and more thought was taken of -the inner meanings of dreams, marvels, and the strange vicissitudes -of life. Has not a wise poet declared that the smaller the soul the -greater the tyranny? This queen was Decca, daughter of Finghin, king of -Munster, and wife of Lairgnen, the king of Connaught. - -It was of these two that Aeifa, long, long ago, had spoken -prophetically, but none remembered this save only Fionula, in whose -mind dreams and memories floated as water-blooms on a mountain -lake--the blooms that float and sink and rise as though a breath -sustained or swayed them, the breath out of still, pellucid depths. - -At last the desire of Decca overmastered her. She begged Lairgnen to -fare westward to Kemoc, and obtain the swans from the saint and bring -them to her. But this the king feared to do, nor held it a kingly act. -Then Decca gave way to her anger, and left the great house of the king -and vowed that she would not sleep there another night till Lairgnen -brought her the singing swans. - -So the woman fled southward into Munster, her father’s realm. - -Lairgnen the Connaught king loved his wife to weakness. He was the -slave of her dark eyes and her smiling lips and her selfish heart and -her poor will: so he came to evil then, and later. For according as a -man’s love is, and as he loves to strength, so shall his life be abased -or uplifted. - -So Lairgnen sent messengers after Decca, and sought her in the south. -Thus was the prophecy fulfilled. - -The woman returned, but put a bond upon the king. He was weak, and she -made a sport of him as women do who are loved to weakness and not to -strength: as with men also, when women love them ignobly, and not as -high mate with high mate. - -Thus it came about that Lairgnen gave the word to St. Kemoc that -he desired the four swans to be sent to him at his royal house in -Connaught. Kemoc, however, refused. He served the King of kings, not -the king of Connaught. - -Full of wrath, Lairgnen set out for the western coast, and at last -reached Innis Glora. When he asked Kemoc if he had indeed refused to -give up the swans at his command, and was told that this was so, he -swore the old pagan oath by the sun and the moon and the wind, and -vowed that he would not leave that place without them. - -“Doom must be fulfilled, O king,” said Kemoc, “but woe unto that man by -whom the evil of a day of the days is wrought.” - -Lairgnen laughed, and followed the saint into the little chapel where -the four swans stood before the altar, singing a sweet wonderful song -that was a hymn of peace and joy. Seizing the silver chain of Fionula -and Aed in one hand, and that of Fiachra and Conn in the other, he -forced them to follow him. - -“Do not do this thing, Lairgnen, son of Colman,” said St. Kemoc. - -“And for why not?” asked the king, smiling grimly, as he neared the -door of the wattle-church. “Am I not the king, and can I not do as I -will in mine own lands?” - -“There is another King. If thou doest a wrong against Him, thou shalt -have neither the desire of thine heart nor yet go free of the penalty -of lifelong sorrow and a bitter end.” - -For a moment Lairgnen quailed. The angry voice of a cleric was a -perilous omen in those days. Then he strode forward, dragging after him -the four swans. - -Suddenly a wild, strange cry resounded over the church. All stood -silent, appalled. To Fionula only was it revealed that it was neither -the screaming of the wind, nor the thin shrewd wail of the sea, nor the -savage cry of a sea-mew--but that it was the voice of Aeifa, that lost -forlorn demon of the air for whom there might be no rest now till the -day of the flame of which St. Kemoc spoke. - -“Come!” said Lairgnen, with a great effort. - -But when he strove with the chains, lo! a strange thing happened. -These fell apart, and at the same moment the great wings of the swans -contracted, and the white feathers that were the beauty of their bodies -shrivelled. A mist of blown feathers was about them: and when Lairgnen -and Kemoc looked through this as it settled upon the ground like dust, -they beheld a wonderful and a terrible thing. - -For as the feathers fell away from the children of Lir, Fionula and -her brothers once more regained their human shape. But now they were -no longer fair and sweet and young, as they were when Aeifa put her -enchantment upon them. They stood there, worn with intolerable age. -Grey and ashy were their bodies, and long and sere and white their -thin, blanched hair: and they were tremulous as reeds, and their wan -hands were as the shaking wan leaves of the poplar when autumn is dead. - -The children of Lir looked one upon the other with dim, forlorn eyes. -It was a bitter thing to live so many ages only to find that their own -kith and kin were as dust, and that their habitation was a wilderness, -and that their very race had passed away: to see each other in human -form again, but Fionula an aged ancient woman, grey as old hanging moss -and wrinkled as the wave-rippled sand, and tall Aed and swift Fiachra -and laughing Conn as three feeble old men, wavering as their own -shadows. - -When Lairgnen saw this he was overcome with dread. He uttered a strange -cry, and, averting his face, fled from the little chapel, nor looked -back once upon Innis Glora; and feared the following flight of his own -shadow till once more he reached his great house in Connaught, over -which he heard a demon of the air wailing and laughing, and knew that -it was Aeifa, and that the terror of this banshee would be with him and -his for ever. - -As he fled, he heard the bitter execrations of St. Kemoc, but these he -heeded less than the thin, inarticulate murmur of the voices of the -children of Lir, like the hum of gnats in a well. - -Nevertheless Kemoc himself was able to hear the whisper of Fionula. So -one may hear the faint rustle of leaves in the heart of a forest where -there is no wind. - -“Be swift, holy one, and give us baptism, here before the altar. We -have but a brief while wherein to draw breath. Great is thy sorrow at -this parting, but not more great than is ours. Nevertheless the end -is always in the beginning, and we are but the dry thistledown of the -young sprays of green. For thee, too, O Kemoc, the vial of silence -shall be broken, but not until thy hair is like the foam of the sea, -and thine eyes dim as the light beneath a wave.” - -Thereupon St. Kemoc led them slowly towards the altar, and bade -farewell to each, for he saw that the shadow of death had covered them -from the soles of the feet to the chin of the head, and was rising to -the eyes. - -Once more Fionula spoke. - -“Farewell, dear brothers,” she said. “We are so old that we have -forgotten age. Very weary should we be were it not for sweet death. We -go far hence, and it may well be that we visit Hy Brásil before we see -the shining of the gates of Paradise. There we shall greet our father -Lir, and he shall come with us. And if he come not, we shall abide with -him, for love is stronger than death.” - -“Even so,” whispered Aed and Fiachra and Conn. - -“And to thee, Kemoc, thou holy one,” she murmured, “I have this thing -for the saying. We are of our people, and would fain be in the darkness -as our ancient forgotten dead before us. It is not fitting that we lie -in the earth who are of the old race, and have the blood of kings, and -have lived in no dishonour, and die as we have lived.” - -“Speak, Fionula.” - -“When we fail utterly and perish, as we shall do within this hour that -is upon us, O Kemoc, remember that as in life I so often sheltered my -brothers against my breast and sides when we were swans, we must not be -apart in death. Therefore bury us on this spot and in one grave.[8] And -in that grave let Conn stand near me at my right side, and Fiachra at -my left, and let Aed my twin-brother be before my face.” - -With that she sighed. So sighs a wan, drifting leaf wind-slidden over -sere grass. - -Then Kemoc baptized Fionula and Aed and Fiachra and Conn: and when he -had given them eternity and the company of saints, they died. They did -not fall, but wavered as dry reeds, and were suddenly at one with -their own shadows, and were no more. - -When the saint rose from his knees, he put the tears from his face and -stared into the deeps of heaven. Then he had the joy of a glad vision. -Overhead he beheld four children with light silver-shining wings, their -faces radiant: yet knew not whether they were little ones or were -youthful with new life, for the glory dazzled him. A moment, as the -foam-bells on a falling wave, they were there: then they vanished, and -passed westward, and were in Hy Brásil with Lir and their own people -even while Kemoc bent lamenting over the frail ancient bodies that had -been the children of Lir. - -So in that place a grave was digged, and Fionula was placed standing -therein: and by her right side, Conn; and by her left, Fiachra; and -before her face, Aed. Over this grave Kemoc raised a mound, and put a -great stone upon it. Then he made a lament over the dead. - -When all the people were gone, there remained only Kemoc, and a young -poet and cleric named Ebric the son of Ebric, the son of Ebric of Irros -Domnann. And when St. Kemoc went to his cell, and knew the dark hour, -because of his sorrow, Ebric stood by the great stone at the mound and -graved in Ogham the names of Fionula and Aed and Fiachra and Conn. - -The salt grasses wave out of the dust, the dust of the powder of that -stone which Ebric graved with cunning hand: but out of the hearts -of men who shall take the sorrowful tale of the Children of Lir, or -against it shall prevail what frost of age, what breath of time? - -The stone perisheth, but the winged word on the breath of the lips -endureth for ever. - -[Illustration] - - - - - The Fate of - the Sons of Turenn - - - - -[Illustration: Turenn interceding for his sons. - - _To face p. 117._] -] - - - - - The Fate of - the Sons of Turenn - - -I will tell you now the old heroic saga of the Fate of the Sons -of Turenn: how they paid the great eric laid upon them by Lu the -Long-Handed, called the Ildanna because of his great wisdom in all -magic craft and Dedannan lore; and how at the last their dauntless -bravery was as sand before the wind, as mist before the sun, as dew -upon the grass. - -It is one of the most ancient of tales. Brian, Ur, and Urba, the sons -of Turenn, did their great wrong upon Kian, the father of Lu of the -Long Hand, and paid their unheard-of and heroic eric, when Bove Derg, -the last king of the Dedannans, was still a youth--and that was long -before the Children of Lir were changed into four white swans. - -No Milesian had been seen in Erin in those days. Nevertheless the -power of the Dedannans was already broken, though they were still -foremost in green Banba, as the bards loved to call Erin, after a great -queen who had reigned there, when the Fairy Host was supreme: for the -fierce Fomorian pirates of the north had descended upon them again and -again like a devastating plague, and at last their High King, the King -of Lochlin, Balor of the Evil Eye, had subdued them into bondage. - -Year by year, and that for the fourth part of a year, Balor sent -his emissaries to collect tribute. The men were of the greatest -and fiercest of the black Fomorians, so called because they were -black-haired and black-bearded, with fells as coarse and thick as -those of wild boars. These men were dreaded by the Dedannans, for they -appeared to be beyond all reach of magic spells, and to have more -terrible arms and an invincible power in warfare. - -At that time Nuadh of the Silver Hand was High King of Erin. He was -the most prudent of all the Dedannan kings, but there were many of -the wisest druids and bards even in his own day who lamented that he -was over-prudent, and that it would be wiser to risk all in order -to regain honour and freedom than to lose all for the sake of an -inglorious peace. Nevertheless, so great was the love of life among the -people at large, and so keen was their desire to be left at peace by -the Fomorians, that Nuadh of the Silver Hand put aside his kinglihood, -and agreed to pay both tribute and homage. - -The yearly tax laid by Balor of the Evil Eye upon Nuadh of the Silver -Hand and all the Dedannan folk, was this: a tax separately upon -querns, kneading-troughs, and baking-flags, the three things which -every Dedannan had to use. Besides this, there was a tax of one gold -ounce for every man and woman of the Tuatha-De-Danann. Every year the -people had to assemble at the Hill of Tara, where the High King had -his palace, and there submit their tribute with many obeisances to the -dark, scowling emissaries of Balor of the Evil Eye. - -In one year of the years this happened as before. But after Nuadh of -the Silver Hand and all his nobles and druids and all the Dedannans had -made humble obeisance before the Fomorians, and while the tribute was -being put together, a strange sight was descried. - -Coming from the east was a company of lordly men, splendidly arrayed in -white with gleaming helmets and shields, and riding tall white horses. -These were headed by a youthful champion of so great a stature and so -warlike a mien, that all men knew he could be none other than Lu the -Long-Handed, son of Kian the Noble. All the northlands and eastlands of -Erin were aware of the rumour of his great valour and worth, and there -was at that day no champion so feared between the two seas. - -Lu, son of Kian, was also of the Dedannans, but he was of the older -and rarer branch, and he and his claimed that the Fairy Host, of -which they formed the chief ornament, rose or fell by their support. -Among the splendid company were the sons of Manannan, son of Lir, the -lord of the sea, and other chieftains and brave knights. Yet, as they -approached, it was Lu of the Long Hand who held all eyes. Upon his head -was a golden helmet, wherefrom gleamed two great shining stones--the -eyes of strange gods they seemed to the people. His body was covered -with shining armour that was no other than the famous coat of armour of -Manannan, through which no weapon might pierce; and by his side hung -the terrible sword, the “Answerer,” which had but one answer for every -one against whom it was raised--death. The horse, too, that Lu rode was -the far-famed stallion of Manannan, so swift that the March wind could -not overtake him, nor could water, air, or land offer any obstacles to -his progress. - -A great shout welcomed these champions of the Fairy Host as they -drew near, but this shout came from the assemblage outside of Tara; -and neither the king nor his lords rose at their approach. The -Fomorians scowled and stood apart, and then scornfully resumed their -tax-gathering. - -When they had finished their task the Fomorians rose and together -approached the place where the king sat high among his people. - -As they drew near, Nuadh of the Silver Hand and all his lords rose and -made humble obeisance. - -At this, Lu the Ildanna frowned, and when Lu of the Long Hand frowned -his company knew that evil was like to come. - -“Tell me, O King,” he said haughtily: “why do you make obeisance to -these rude, ungainly folk, and did none to us when we approached, to us -who are of the old Dedannan race?” - -Thereupon Nuadh of the Silver Hand spake the bitterness of truth, and -how it was that in order to save the land from devastation, and his -people from rapine and outrage, he submitted to the Fomorian yoke. And -for the same reason he had not ventured to pay homage to Lu and the -Fairy Host, for the Fomorians would have taken this as an insult to -Balor of the Evil Eye, and some great evil would have ensued. - -Lu smiled scornfully. - -“And at the worst, O Nuadh of the Silver Hand, there is a disastrous -end and death. What then? Is not death the sure end of all men, and is -not disaster the lot of many a hero as well as of many a slave?” - -“That is so, Ildanna.” - -“Then why evade that shadow, and all because of fear of these dark -pirates out of the north. Is not honour better than safety, and is not -shame a worse death than to be slain?” - -“Even so, Ildanna. Nevertheless, I wish to avoid vain bloodshed. There -can be but one end. Why should I ruin my people?” - -“Ruin is not a sure thing, O King: but if it were, better ruin than -dishonour.” - -“Dost thou speak as a lord of high birth, or as one of the common -people?” - -“I speak as the son of Kian the Noble.” - -“Even so; but for each noble in my kingdom there are a thousand -Dedannans of no rank. I am their king. I speak for them.” - -For a time thereafter Lu sat brooding. His silence was worse than his -scornful words. Nuadh the King saw what was in his mind, and dreaded -that he would go forth in his wrath. Thrice he half rose as though to -lay hands upon Lu to restrain him, and thrice he sat back uncertain -what to do. - -Then suddenly Lu rose, and in the eyes of all men drew slowly from its -sheath his great white sword. At sight of the “Answerer,” there was -a shiver among the Dedannans, so great was the terrible fame of this -sword, but still more because the drawing of it there and then by Lu of -the Long Hand meant that the flame was in his blood. - -“Beware!” cried the king. - -But Lu laughed a grim laugh. Then, lifting the “Answerer” on high, -and knitting his brows into a heavy frown, he sprang in among the -Fomorians. - -It was like the leap of lightning among wild cattle, that. Hither -and thither the “Answerer” flashed, and at each blow a Fomorian head -whirled to the ground; yea, as a sharp prow will divide the wave-crest -from the wave, so the great sword severed the head from the shoulders -of each Fomorian, shoring through helmet or thick fell of hair as -through water. - -It was not till a whirlwind of swords flashed and circled around Lu -that those about him woke from their stupor. Then with a loud shout the -sons of Manannan and others of the Fairy Host leaped forward and joined -in the fray. - -The Fomorians fought with fury, being wrought to madness by the thought -that they were as chaff before these newcomers, in the face of the -whole Dedannan nation--for so great was their scorn of the people they -held in bondage that death at their hands seemed doubly accursed. - -But before Lu of the Long Hand and his Fairy Host there was no -withstaying. By tens and scores the Fomorians fell, as swaying grain -before the reaper. Everywhere, flashing like a meteor, the white gleam -of the Answerer rose and fell, the pulse of death. - -At last only nine of the Fomorian pirates survived, and these clustered -upon a low rising, and fought desperately to the end. Suddenly the -tides of battle ceased, and this was because of the voice of Lu Ildanna. - -He looked scornfully at the remnant of the proud Fomorians. These were -now sullenly at bay, foreseeing death only, and not unwillingly now -that the despised Dedannans had brought them to so sore a pass. - -“Let these dogs go!” exclaimed Lu. - -At the bitter words, the emissaries of King Balor of Lochlin gripped -their swords anew, and ground their teeth in impotent rage. More they -could not do, for even in their brief breathing space they saw that -they were beset by a hedge of spears. - -“Let these dogs go!” Lu said again. Then, addressing them, he added: - -“Look ye, ye carrion wolves, we spare your lives only that ye may fare -back to your dens in the north, and tell that unkingly king, Balor of -the Evil Eye, that which we have done unto your company. And say this -also, that if he come hither, we shall do unto him and his, that which -we have done unto these dead men who were once your fellows.” With that -the nine Fomorians departed, scowling fiercely and below their breath -muttering imprecations and menaces. - -That night the beacons of joy flared out across valley and plain, from -the hill of Tara, and great were the rejoicings throughout the land. -Only Nuadh of the Silver Hand dreamed uneasily for that and many other -nights; knowing well that Balor of the Evil Eye would not let pass -the slight which had been put upon him. And after all, it was but a -handful of the Fomorian host which had been slain on the Plains of -Tara. Nevertheless, the king hoped that he might be spared the wrath of -Balor, for none of the Dedannans whom he ruled had taken part in the -fray, but only those who were of the company of Lu of the Long Hand. - -Bitter, indeed, was the wrath of Balor, when he heard what had been -done to his Fomorian emissaries. - -“The Dedannans shall soon be but a memory,” he exclaimed; “their kings -and nobles shall utterly perish, and of all their race none shall -survive save those who shall be slaves for ever to my people. Their -very land, that green Eri they are so fain of, shall be no more than an -unregarded province of Lochlin.” - -Thereafter, Balor sent word throughout all Lochlin, from the Cape of -the Midnight Sun to the Narrow Seas,[9] and bade all the peoples who -owned him king to assemble speedily for war; and in every haven he bade -the sea-galleys to be got ready. - -This took many weeks, and thereafter was the slow waiting for the -coming of spring. But at last all was ready, and then Bras, the son -of Balor, led forth the mightiest host which had ever sailed from the -shores of Lochlin. - -This vast concourse of galleys sailed northward before favouring winds, -and then westward along the storm-swept coasts of Alba, and at last -southward again by the Hebrid Isles. Thence, with fresh provisions and -replenished water-barrels, they sailed towards and round the northern -headlands of Eri, and like a great flock of sea-vultures settled upon -the coasts of Connaught. - -With laughter and fierce disdain the Fomorians spread far and wide, -and at once began to despoil the country, and lay waste the tilled -lands. In the ears of all rang the arrogant parting words of Balor of -the Evil Eye: “And when at the last ye have cut off for me the head of -that man Lu, called the Ildanna, then put a mighty cable around this -troublesome Isle of Erin, and tow it back with your ships, and lay it -alongside the north coasts of our Lochlin.” - -But meanwhile all the realms of the Tuatha-De-Danann were smitten with -fear. None dared await the dreaded Fomorians, and everywhere were -flying hordes of men and women and children, chariots, horses, and -cattle. - -The king of Connaught in that day was Bove Derg, son of the Dagda, -he who afterwards became the last Dedannan king. Straightway he sent -word to Lu Ildanna, begging him to raise a host and succour the men of -Connaught, as otherwise not a man would be left to stay the advance of -the Fomorians. - -Lu of the Long Hand was sorrowful that by his action he had brought -this curse upon the lands of Erin, yet he knew that it was better than -the old shame. By the Sun and Moon and Wind he swore that he would do -all he could to raise a host, and himself give battle to Bras and his -Fomorians. - -With all speed he hasted to Dunree, and was glad indeed when he saw the -Hill of Tara rise from the plain. For of a surety he held that Nuadh -of the Silver Hand would join with the princes of Erin and fight the -invader. - -That surety was in vain. Nuadh refused to go into battle. - -“When Bras leads his Fomorians towards the Hill of Tara,” he said, -“that will be time for me to raise the banner against him.” - -“Listen, Nuadh of the Silver Hand, art thou not High King?” exclaimed -Lu. - -“Even so, Ildanna.” - -“And is not thy first duty to lead the princes of Erin against the -invader? If we are all as one, we can laugh at Balor of the Evil Eye -and all the host he sends against us. If we are divided we shall surely -fall.” - -But for all the pleadings of Lu Ildanna, Nuadh refused to take the -field. He had one answer to all pleas. - -“Bras and his Fomorian host do no more than lay waste the lands of -Connaught. Let then the king of Connaught see to his own. I have sent -friendly messages to Balor, and in order to keep the peace have offered -alliance and even to pay tribute again. But till war is declared -against me I will do nothing.” - -Furious against Nuadh of the Silver Hand, Lu Ildanna rode away. - -“Dust upon thy home,” he muttered, “were it not for the ruin upon all -Erin. Nevertheless, I have but one thing to do.” - -Lu had not ridden far, when his heart rejoiced because of three strong -warriors he saw approaching. - -These were his father, Kian, and the two brothers of his father, Ald -and Art. In that day the seven fairest champions in the northlands of -Erin were Lu himself, Kian and his two brothers, and Brian, Ur, and -Urba, the sons of Turenn. Each of these was a host in himself, both -because of his own valour and for the great influence that each had -upon the clansmen of the north. - -In a brief while Lu told all, and begged the aid of these three chiefs -for Bove Derg, and not for Bove Derg only, but for the honour and -safety of Erin. - -Kian and Ald and Art were wroth with the high king. - -“The first duty of a king is kinglihood,” said Kian. - -“And without deathless courage a king is dead,” said Ald. - -“And without sleepless eyes a king is a sluggard,” said Art. - -“A king should be to all men what each man would fain be to himself,” -said Lu. “My father Kian says well: the first duty of a king is -kinglihood. But since Nuadh of the Silver Hand is fain to rest at ease -in his dun, under the safe shadow of Tara, so let him rest. We are men, -and must act.” - -Therewith all took counsel, and while Lu rode westward, to raise -all whom he could to succour the men of Connaught, Ald and Art rode -southward. - -“I shall go north,” said Kian. - -“Why so?” asked Lu, knowing that it would be best for his father to go -eastward. - -“The wind bloweth that way,” answered Kian lightly. But truly enough -none knew that in that answer and in that riding northward, was the -beginning of the long and dreadful tragedy of which, for generations -thereafter, the bards sang as The Fate of the Sons of Turenn. - - * * * * * - -At this point Peterkin rose from where he kneeled beside Eilidh, and -went over to Ian Mor and took his hand and looked long at him. - -“These words I have heard you say again and again, Ian--_Ma tha sin an -Dan_, if it be Destiny--what do they mean?” - -“I cannot tell you, Peterkin; for to me they mean everything.” - -“But must Kian come to sorrow because he followed the way of the wind?” - -“I cannot tell you, Peterkin. But of this you may be sure, that no -man needs to do this or that thing because of the way of the wind or -anything else. Only, behind all doings of men there is a wind that -blows. That is the wind of Destiny. That is what I meant when I said -that Kian, choosing lightly to go the way of the wind, and by his own -choice, yet went the way of Fate.” - -“And is Fate a man?” - -“No.” - -“Have you ever seen it?” - -“No.” - -“Has any one ever seen it?” - -“No.” - -Peterkin laughed below his breath. - -“Ivor Maclean the boatman, told me that ‘an Dan’ was only a shadow -before and behind, and that none need trouble about a shadow.” - -“And what do _you_ think, Peterkin?” - -“I think that ‘an Dan’ is only a shadow before and behind; and I laugh -to see my shadow, but I do not fear it. It is only a shadow.” - -“Peterkin is right, Ian,” said Eilidh, in a low voice. “And do you -remember what was said long ago about wisdom coming out of the mouths -of little children?” - -“Yes,” Ian answered slowly and gravely, “Peterkin is right.” - -But Peterkin only laughed merrily, as suddenly he sprang up. - -“See,” he exclaimed, “my shadow has leapt from beside me, till now it -is fading along the wall. When I laughed it leapt away.” - - * * * * * - -Well, resumed Ian Mor, Kian was not many miles forth upon the great -pastures to the north of Tara, when he saw three lordly men riding -towards him. - -They were still a great way off, but Kian the Noble was noted far -and wide for his keen sight, and he knew who the mailed and shining -ones were. They were Dedannans, but they were of a clan at bitter feud -with his own; and his heart quailed as he saw that in that lonely -place he would have to meet face to face with Brian, Ur, and Urba, the -sons of Turenn. Far better would it have been for him to ride forward -fearlessly, and call upon the sons of Turenn to put all enmity aside -in the face of the bitter danger to Erin because of Bras and his -Fomorians. But a man born under a dark star must soon or late ride into -the shadow of that star. - -So when Kian had realized that the foes of him and his house were fast -approaching, he cast about for some way to delude the sons of Turenn. -Already they had seen the stranger, though they had not recognised him. - -In common with all the lords of the Dedannans, Kian carried with him -a magic wand. With this he could at any time transform himself into -some living creature. And so it happened that, while he was still -pondering, he caught sight of a vast herd of swine feeding upon the -thistle-pastures to the left; and no sooner had he done so than he took -his wand and changed himself into a boar. His horse, too, he changed; -and then both, grazing often, joined the great herd, and were soon at -one with it. - -Kian laughed to himself at how he had outwitted the sons of Turenn, -but oversoon did he laugh. After all he was sorrowful; for it was not -seemly for a man to change himself into a pig, lest death or some -disaster came upon him in that guise: for, according as a man’s doom -came to him, so would he have to bear it. - -Meanwhile the three sons of Turenn rode across the plain. Fair to see -were they, these three comely lords: Brian, the eldest and strongest; -Ur, the tallest and fairest; and Urba the swift. They had seen Kian -riding slowly towards them, but had not thought more than that he was -an emissary from Dunree, where Nuadh of the Silver Hand was. When, -however, they missed him suddenly, Brian frowned and drew rein. - -“Tell me, my brothers,” he exclaimed, “where is he whom a brief while -ago we saw riding toward us?” - -“He is no longer to be seen,” Urba answered. “Yet there is no -hiding-place that we wot of. If he were lying on the grass, we should -descry him and his horse from where we now are.” - -“They are not on the grass,” said Ur; “for I could see a slim greyhound -were it lying there.” - -Brian pondered awhile. Then he spoke again. - -“As ye know well, war is all about us now, and it befits us to be wary. -It is clear that the man we saw was no friend to us, or why has he -hidden himself? But I think I know his secret: with a magic wand he has -turned himself into a pig, and is now among that great herd of swine -that we see yonder.” - -“Then he has escaped us, Brian?” - -“Not so, Ur. I too have my magic wand with me; with it I shall now turn -my two brothers into swift hounds. Ye shall then speed in among these -swine and see if ye can root out this man, who is surely an enemy.” - -And with that Brian took his wand, and changed his brothers into -hounds; and they raced away with the speed of the wind, while he rode -swiftly towards a belt of forest which skirted the plain to the rear of -the herd. - -When the baying of the hounds was heard, a panic seized upon the -swine. Like a great swaying mass of seaweed in the trough of the waves, -the herd swung to and fro; ever becoming more and more densely packed, -and squealing and grunting in terror and bewilderment as the two gaunt -hounds sprang against their heaving masses or dashed to and fro in -their midst. - -At the east they were so driven in upon themselves, that they became -as one solid mass, close-wedged. Among these dense hundreds it seemed -impossible for Ur and Urba to find the enchanted man; but while they -were still running to and fro in their eager quest, Brian saw a pig -leap from the rear of the herd and run swiftly towards the belt of -forest. - -Brian put his horse upon the wind, as the saying is; and it was a race -then between the mounted man and the enchanted boar: but just as the -first undergrowth was nigh Brian came up with the fleeing animal, and -drove his hunting-spear in betwixt its shoulders. - -With a terrible scream the flying boar rolled over; then, with a wild -human crying and speech, begged for pity. - -“Oh, son of Turenn,” it cried, “have pity upon me! Sure it is an evil -deed to slay me thus, well knowing who I am!” - -“I know that thy voice is the voice of a man,” answered Brian, “but I -know not who thou art. I am Brian, eldest of the sons of Turenn. Tell -me thy name.” - -“He who implores thy mercy, O Brian of the Oak Shaft, is Kian, the -father of thy comrade in years and arms, Lu of the Long Hand.” - -By this time Ur and Urba were beside the victor and the victim, and now -resumed their human shape. When they heard the pleadings of Kian they -interceded for him, notwithstanding the deadly feud between the clans -of Turenn and Kian. But Brian would not listen to their counsel, not -even when Ur pleaded that great evil might come out of the slaying of -Kian, nor when Urba urged that this was not the day and the hour for -such a deed, when Erin needed every man to fight against the Fomorians. -And, of a truth, that has ever been the sad way of the Gael, who will -think of the private wrong first, than of the general weal, and so will -fall as a single tree will fall where a forest would be steadfast. - -When Kian saw that his fate was come upon him, and heard Brian swear by -a sacred oath that he would not spare him though he returned thrice to -life, or seven times changed his form, he made one last supplication. - -“At the least, as ye are honourable men, save me this dishonour. Let -me not die as a pig, but as a man. I have dropped my magic wand; -therefore, O Brian, I pray of thee to take thine, and with it restore -me to mine own form.” - -“That shall be done,” said the chief, adding scornfully, “for sure it -is an easier thing for me to kill a man than a pig.” - -But no sooner was Kian a man again than he laughed mockingly. - -“Why do you laugh thus?” asked Ur. - -“I laugh because I have outwitted ye at the last, ye sons of Turenn. -What is death to me who have a dust of grey hairs over my once black -locks, or is death indeed a thing at any time to fear overmuch? Ill as -it would befit me to die as a pig, still more ill would it be because -of that which follows death.” - -“Speak,” said Ur, though in his heart both he and his brothers knew -what Kian was about to say. - -“I have outwitted ye, as I have said; for if as a pig I had been slain -by Brian of the Oak Shaft, then ye would have had no other eric to pay -for me than the eric of a pig, but now ye shall have to pay the eric -of a man, and upon that the eric of a father of grown sons, and upon -that the fatherhood eric of each son, and upon that the eric of a great -lord, and upon that the eric of the broken honour of my son Lu of the -Long Hand. And I tell ye this, that never has there been, nor ever will -be, so great an eric as that which ye shall have to pay for this deed -of thine, so that in the years to come men shall speak of the eric of -the sons of Turenn as the most difficult and the worst that was ever -paid in Erin.” - -“That may be,” said Brian sullenly, “but we shall slay thee here, in -this waste place, and none shall know when death came to thee, or where -thou liest, and for all that thy son Lu is Lu the Ildanna, he shall -seek in vain to know where the worms make merry upon thee.” - -“In the shadow of death I see clearly, and I see that death will not -put his silence upon me till Lu has learned the evil deed that has been -done.” - -“Spare him,” urged Urba, “for of a surety he is already sore wounded, -and he did no more than seek to escape us. It would be well, Brian, not -to have this man’s blood upon us.” - -“Spare him,” pleaded Ur, “for innocent blood is an ill thing to spill. -This man did not come upon us with lifted spear or sword, but, seeing -that we were three and he one only, sought to escape. It is not a -knightly deed to take the life of a stricken man, and of one who asks -for mercy.” - -“We will slay him,” said Brian sullenly. - -“Remember this,” pleaded Ur, “that if we slay him, Urba and I must pay -the penalty along with thee, and that it is a hard thing upon us who -would fain spare this man.” - -Brian laughed. - -“If ye and Urba fear the eric, ye may go hence at once. I will do my -own slaying. But ye forget that the sons of Turenn are under _geas_ to -have no quarrel that is not the quarrel of each, and to fight no fight -wherein each doth not front it in the same hour and place.” - -“We do not forget,” answered Ur and Urba; and each added: “Do as thou -wilt, Brian, our elder brother.” - -So Brian turned to where Kian lay upon the stony thistle-strewn grass. - -“Hast thou aught more to say?” - -“This only, that no eric ever paid shall be counted as near unto that -which ye shall have to pay, and that the weapons wherewith ye slay me -shall cry out to Lu my son, and tell him what ye three have done unto -me.” - -Again Brian laughed. - -“Thou who fled before us as a pig shalt die as a trapped beast. We -shall not give thee the honour of death by the clean sword or the deft -spear.” - -With that he stooped and raised on high a huge angular slab of stone, -grey below, and mossed and lichened above, and, swaying with the -weight, hurled it down upon the head of Kian. Then Ur and Urba lifted -other great stones, and did likewise, because of their bond. And this -was how death came to Kian the Noble. - -When the old chief lay still and white at last, the three sons of -Turenn made haste to hide his body from sight; so they dug a great hole -in the sandy grass, and buried the slain man. - -There was a strange trembling in the earth that day, a trembling felt -throughout Erin from sea to sea, and men marvelled and feared. - -But none so much marvelled as Brian and Ur and Urba, for when they had -buried the bruised body of Kian they saw with horror that the shaking -earth threw it back again. Nevertheless, once more they buried it, and -deeper, and put heavy stones upon the trodden sods. Then, to their -still greater horror and amaze, the earth again trembled and again -threw back the murdered dead. - -At that Ur and Urba wished to ride away at once from the accursed -place, but Brian would not. - -“Fate is made by men, as well as that Fate rules men,” he said. “I -shall not rest content till the earth holds at last the body of Kian, -son of Kian the White.” - -Yet it was not until the seventh time that the earth trembled no more, -and held within it, beneath a cairn of boulders, the slain body of Kian -the Noble. - -Thereafter the three sons of Turenn rode swiftly away, and that night -were among the host which had been assembled by Lu of the Long Hand. - -On the morrow, on the vast plains of Moytura, the great and terrible -Battle of the Kites was fought. It was so called because after a day -of dreadful slaughter the kites and hawks assembled in multitudes, and -were satiated with the feast of the dead. In that battle the fiercest -strife was on the part of four heroes: Lu the Ildanna, and the three -sons of Turenn. For hours the swaying and whirling of spears, the rush -of javelins, the flashing of swords, the trampling of horses and crash -of war-chariots, made the plain of Moytura a place of savage din and -fury. For long it seemed as though the great might and numbers of the -Fomorians would give the day to Bras, son of Balor of the Evil Eye; but -so great was the prowess of the Dedannan host, that the Fomorians were -mowed down as ripe grain. - -In the wane of the afternoon, Bras and Lu met at last. The tides of -war ceased, for all men wished to see the battle-meeting of these two -champions. - -But already Bras had seen that the day had gone against the glory of -Lochlin, and he knew that an hour hence his great army would be utterly -routed, and that all who did not straightway escape to the shores of -Connaught and gain the Fomorian galleys would be tracked and cut down -like flying wolves. - -So he lowered his great spear, and threw his shield upon the ground, -and thereafter asked Lu to stay the tides of battle, and agreed that -the day should be accounted as a final victory to the men of Erin. -And the son of the king of Lochlin further agreed, that if Lu and the -leaders of the Dedannans would do this, he would give a solemn bond -to withdraw all the Fomorians from Erin, to cancel for ever the bond -put upon the Tuatha-De-Danann by Balor of the Evil Eye, and never to -return again in enmity, neither he nor any Fomorian of the north nor -southlander of lower Lochlin. - -And thus it was that the great battle of Moytura, the Battle of the -Kites, came to an end. A year thereafter the grass was not yet green, -and the plain was covered with the white bones of the innumerous dead. - -When all was over, and Bras and his defeated army were hasting towards -the distant Connaught shores, Lu threw from him his blood-stained -armour and the weapons he was almost too weary to bear. All day he -had fought, as only the mightiest heroes fight, and many strong and -valorous men had marvelled at his dauntless courage and at the prowess -that failed not for one moment. - -Glad was Lu of the Long Hand to see Ald and Art, but when he asked how -his father had fared in the battle, and heard that he had not been -there, and had been seen of no man that day, he knew that Kian the -Noble was no longer alive. - -“For,” he said, “if my father were alive he would have been with me -this day, or, if peradventure that were not possible, would have sent -me a sign. Howsoever this may be, something within me tells that my -father is no longer among the living. And now, ye who hear me, listen, -for by the Sun and the Moon and the Wind I swear that I shall not slake -this bitter thirst of mine, nor rest this over-weary head, until I have -found how and where and when an evil fate came upon my father, whom I -loved as I have loved and love none other.” - -That night Lu Ildanna, with a hundred chosen men, rode swiftly to Tara, -but there found no word of Kian. - -On the morrow he set forth at dawn, alone; for in a dream it had come -to him that his father lay moaning beneath the thistle-strewn grass -on the stony plain of Moy Murhenna. And there, in truth, Lu came upon -the end of his quest; for as he rode slowly and sadly across the plain, -whereon he could not discern a living being save a vast herd of swine, -he heard, as one may hear in a shell, a plaintive sighing. - -“What is that sighing?” he cried. “Is it the death-sigh of thee, Kian -my father?” - -There was no answer save the strange sighing, that was not of the -wind or any moving thing, but seemed now to come from above, now from -around, now from beneath. But at the third asking, a voice answered, -thin and feeble: - -“It is the death-sighing of me, Kian thy father, O Lu my son.” - -“And who put death upon thee, thou who liest there in the darkness of -the shadow of death?” - -“The three sons of Turenn slew me here in this waste place. And because -that they slew me in no fair strife, and because that they finished -their slaying by crushing me with great stones till there was not left -of me one bone alive, I cry to thee, O Lu my son, whom men now call Lu -the Ildanna, because of thy craft and wisdom, to see that a greater -eric be exacted for me than has ever yet been exacted in Erin for any -slain man. And in the end see that thou sparest not, for otherwise -there shall be a greater bloodshed still; and ill it befits us, who are -noble, that we should bring a tide of blood over Erin, for no worthier -cause than the wiping out of that which lies between the clan of Kian -and the clan of Turenn.” - -“As thou sayest, O Kian my father, so shall it be, and even unto the -end. And this I swear by the Sun and by the Moon and by the Wind.” - -Nevertheless, Lu showed no grief till he saw his father’s bruised body -before him, and then he bewailed bitterly that he had not been nigh -when the sons of Turenn drove Kian the Noble to his fate; and bitterly -he lamented that one of the noble Dedannan race should be slain by -Dedannans; and bitterly he swore that an eric should be exacted such as -never before had been heard of in Erin, and that in the end, even were -it fulfilled, he should not spare, because of what Kian had foreseen. - -At noon Lu returned from Tara, whither he had gone after he had viewed -the speechless dead body of his father, with ten chosen men whom he had -bound to silence. - -So once more Kian the Noble was placed in his grave, but now standing, -as befits a hero. And above the grave they raised a cairn, and midway -in this cairn was a great slab of smooth stone, whereon Lu Ildanna -graved in Ogam the name and ancestry and great fame of Kian, son of -Kian, son of Kian the Thunder-Smith. - -But when that night Lu entered Tara again, the whole of the king’s -town was lit with torches, and resounded with joyous shouts and cries -because of the great victory of the Dedannans over the Fomorians; nor -was any name so often named as that of Lu Lamfada, Lu the Long-Handed. - -When Lu entered the palace of the king, he was received with a mighty -shout of welcome, and Nuadh of the Silver Hand himself came to greet -him, with fair loving words of praise and gratitude. Right glad was the -king to see Lu come to him thus, for he had feared that the Ildanna -bore him a bitter grudge because of his having refused his aid to drive -forth Bras and his Fomorians. Therefore it was that he paid honour -to Lu Ildanna above all other men, and led him to a seat at his right -hand, placing him above the whole assemblage of princes and great lords. - -But Lu neither smiled nor made any sign of pleasure. His eyes wandered -round the concourse of the Dedannan chivalry. Suddenly his gaze became -intent and fixed, for upon three golden-studded seats of honour he -beheld the three sons of Turenn. - -The high king of Erin was about to speak to his chiefs on the great -matter of rejoicing and counsel which had brought them all together, -when Lu arose. All stared in amaze, for only some unforeseen emergency -could justify a noble speaking before the high king had said what he -had to say. - -“O King of Erin,” said Lu slowly, and in a low voice, yet so clear and -cold and vibrant that it was heard of every man in that vast concourse: -“O King of Erin, order the chain of silence to be brought hither, and -let its soft, delicate music be shaken from it, for I have that to say -that must be heard of all men, and not in their ears only but in their -hearts and in their minds.” - -Therewith the Chain of Silence was brought, and was shaken slowly and -delicately by the young druid whose charge it was. The sweet low sound -rose into the air like fragrance, and passed through all the halls in -Tara, and filled the ears of every man, and the mind of each, and the -soul of each. There was not a sound in all that place, not a whisper, -not a sigh. - -In that great silence Lu moved forward till he stood beside the king -and faced the whole assemblage. - -“Chiefs and warriors of the Tuatha-De-Danann, I have that to ask ye to -which I need an answer this day. Tell me this: What would ye do unto -one who wittingly, and not in battle but shamefully, slew your father, -and he innocent, even such a man, say, as Kian the Noble?” - -There was no whisper of answer. All sat there amazed, marvelling at the -strange question. But at last Nuadh the King spoke. - -“What meaning lives in thy words, Ildanna? For we know that thy father -Kian is not slain, for he was not in the Great Battle.” - -“Nevertheless he is slain, and here in this royal place my eyes behold -them who slew him.” - -When Lu of the Long Hand had spoken these words, every man looked from -neighbour to neighbour in amaze. But all waited for the king to speak. - -“What sayest thou, Nuadh of the Silver Hand, Ardree of Erin?” - -“I have this to say, that if a man wittingly, and without the just -cause of war, slew my father, and he innocent, I would not be content -with exacting death, but would rather lop him limb from limb daily till -he died.” - -“And what say ye, chiefs and nobles of the Dedannan race?” - -“We say as the Ardree says,” cried one and all, save the three who sat -on golden-knobbed seats near the high king, though these too bowed -their heads in acquiescence. - -“And what say ye, ye sons of Turenn?” - -At this all turned and looked upon Brian and Ur and Urba, who sat pale -and stern. Brian answered for himself and his brothers. - -“We say as the high king says.” - -“Nuadh of the Silver Hand, Ardree of Erin, and all ye chieftains and -chiefs and nobles of the Dedannan race, I call ye to witness that this -man who has spoken slew my father, and that he and his brothers are -jointly guilty of that foul deed.” - -For more than the furthest singing of an arrow, there was silence. -Neither the king nor any man spoke, but all looked to the sons of -Turenn to say Yea or Nay. But Brian and Ur and Urba sat in a frozen -stillness, and moved neither their hands nor their lips, and stared -only with unwavering eyes upon the white accusing face of the son of -the murdered Kian. - -Then Lu spoke again. - -“Behold the men who slew my father. And now, O king, I say not whether -there were good cause for this slaying: all men know that there was a -feud between the clans of Kian and Turenn. Nor do I wish to bring evil -into this house and town of thine. Because one man is dead, there is no -need that others must die who have nought to do with his death. I have -come in peace: I would go in peace. But this only I say: I go not hence -till I have won from the sons of Turenn the vow of my eric.” - -“That is right and wise,” answered the king, “and for myself I would -be well content if, being guilty, I could evade death by paying any -eric whatsoever.” - -At this Brian rose. - -“Lu, son of Kian, has spoken inadvisedly, O king. He has accused us of -a crime, he knowing nothing of when or how that deed was done, and in -what circumstances, and how made inevitable. Nor, again, have we ever -admitted that we are guilty of this deed of murder.” - -“It is enough. Kian, father of Lu Ildanna, came to his death through ye -three sons of Turenn. Whatsoever eric Lu may exact, that eric ye shall -have to pay. Otherwise the lives that ye hold so dear, being your own, -will no longer have the shelter of this royal place; and as no man’s -hand can be raised to aid thee, ye shall be at the mercy of Lu of the -Long Hand, and of whomsoever he may bring against thee.” - -For a brief while Brian talked low with his brothers; then he turned -and addressed Nuadh the king and Lu Lamfada. - -“We are for peace, not strife. We say not we are guilty, but we will -pay the eric that Lu, son of Kian, may demand, save only that it be -not against the life of Turenn our father.” - -“That is well said,” exclaimed Nuadh of the Silver Hand. - -“I accept the troth,” said Lu, “and now call upon all here to witness -that the sons of Turenn have made a solemn pledge.” - -There were few there who did not wonder what the eric would be, for all -knew that Lu was a stern man, and would not rest till he had done his -utmost to make the sons of Turenn expiate their deed. - -Great was their amazement, therefore, when Lu gave forth the eric that -he demanded. - -“The eric I demand is this,” he said: “that ye bring me three apples, a -certain skin, a spear, two horses and a chariot, seven swine, a hound, -and a roasting spit. And further, that ye shout three shouts upon a -hill. Yet, if ye will,” Lu added scornfully, “I shall remit a portion -of this eric if ye find it too heavy for ye.” - -“It is neither heavy nor great,” answered Brian, “if there be no hidden -evil behind. For by the Sun and Wind I swear that I would not count -too heavy an eric, three hundreds of thousands of apples, or thrice a -hundred skins, or many score horses and chariots, spears and hounds, or -a shouting a hundred times upon a hundred hills.” - -“Nevertheless, I do not account it small,” answered Lu gravely. “But -give me now security that ye shall fulfil this eric to the uttermost.” - -“We give ourselves as security.” - -“Not so,” exclaimed Lu scornfully. “I will not have the security of -thyselves.” - -“Then I call upon Bove Derg, son of the Dagda, and upon Nuadh of the -Silver Hand, Ardree of Erin, and upon the score I shall name of the -foremost chiefs of the Dedannan race, to be our pledge and warranty.” - -And after Brian had named the score, all they, and Nuadh the king, and -Bove Derg, the son of the Dagda, gave the pledge, so that thenceforth -the sons of Turenn were under solemn _geas_ to fulfil the eric, or die -in the effort to fulfil that eric, or otherwise bring dishonour upon -all these noble and great lords, each of whom moreover would be bound -to seek the lives of Brian and Ur and Urba. - -“And now tell us if that is all, O Lu Ildanna, for much I misdoubt me -if thou hast no evil thought for us behind thy fair-seeming words.” - -Thereat all leaned forward and listened eagerly, for each man knew that -Lu was not vainly called the Ildanna, for there was no one in all Erin -who had so much knowledge, or whose craft was so greatly to be feared. -When he had uttered the eric that he demanded, all were at first -amazed. Then some had thought that he was under _geas_ never to exact -a great eric, but always the smallest that he might make; but most -were troubled, for behind these slight exactions they knew that he had -arrowy intentions. - -“Yes, ye sons of Turenn,” Lu Lamfada began slowly, “I shall tell ye now -what my eric is. I do not think ye shall find it over easy.” - -Brian and Ur and Urba rose, but all the host otherwise remained seated. -The three sons of Turenn leaned upon their spears, and tall and goodly -warriors they seemed, and worthy of their great fame as three of the -seven chief champions of Erin. - -“First, then, there is this. The skin I demand of ye is one that -belongs to the king of Greece in the far eastern lands. It is the -skin of healing. No man need die of wounds who has that skin; and cold -water, too, it will make into wine. I do not think ye will come easily -by that skin. - -“Second, there is this. The spear I demand of ye is the spear called -Aradvar, the dreadful spear of Pisarr, Prince of Persia, whose point is -for ever kept cooling in a cauldron of water, so terrible is its fiery -thirst, and that thirst for blood. I do not think ye will find the -spear of Pisarr easy to obtain. - -“Third, there is this. The chariot and two horses that I demand of ye -belong to Dobar, the king of Sicily. They heed neither the rough ways -of the land nor the rough ways of the sea, but travel equally and at -the will of him who drives. I do not think ye will find it easy to -obtain that chariot and its two horses. - -“Further, there is this. Far to the south there is a great lord, Asol -of the Golden Pillars. It is he who owns the seven swine I ask of ye. -Ye may slay the seven and yet all will remain. They know not death, -though ye may slay them and feed upon them. There is no death upon -them. I do not think ye will find it easy to obtain these swine. - -“Fifth, there is this. In a further land still, that is called Irrua, -there is a great and terrible hound named Falinnish. So fierce is he -that whatever beast comes within sight of him falls in helpless fear. I -do not think ye will find that hound very easy to obtain, or bring with -ye from far-off Irrua. - -“Sixth, there is this. In the remote seas is an isle called Fiancarya. -It is there that the sea-women dwell. In caverns beneath the waves they -roast their food. It is their roasting spit I ask of ye. I do not think -ye will find it easy to obtain that thing. - -“Seventh, there is this. The three apples I ask of ye are of gold, -and are in an ancient garden in Isberna. That ancient close is well -guarded, O Sons of Turenn, so that ye may not find it easy even to see -the wind-waved summits of the trees. I do not think ye will bring back -these apples.[10] - -“And lastly, there is this. In the remotest north of remote Lochlin -there is a hill called Mekween. It is so called from a man of that -name who lives there. He is a great and powerful man, and none others -equal him save only his two sons. So terrible are they that no man dare -venture into that wild place where they live, save in amity. It was -with them that my father learned his great craft with the sword; and so -great will their wrath be that ye have slain him, that even were I to -forgive ye, they would not. Moreover, Mekween and his sons are under -_geas_ not to allow a shout to be shouted upon that hill. I do not -think ye will find it easy to pass the sons of Mekween, nor to shout -three shouts upon that hill.” - -With that, Lu the Ildanna bowed before the king, and sat upon his -golden chair again. - -All men looked with sorrow upon the sons of Turenn. Any of the seven -_geasan_ of this eric that Lu put upon them was more than enough -for any hero: how then would they survive till the last, or, having -survived, how would they bring back with them these things, and how -escape the wrath of Mekween and his sons? - -Nevertheless, the sons of Turenn were now under bond, and they had no -choice but to do what they could to fulfil their eric. - -With sad hearts they left the great beauty and wonder of Tara, and with -sadder hearts still reached their own land. Here with sorrow they bade -farewell to Turenn their father and to dark-eyed Enya their sister, -whom they loved so passing well, and to all their kindred and folk. -Thereafter they set forth on their long and ever more and more perilous -quest. - -It would have been easy for the sons of Turenn to have passed over into -Alba, and sought service with the king of that country; or to have gone -among the Kymri in the inland highlands beyond the isle where Manannan -had his home: or southward to Lyonesse or into Armorica. But honour -is a better thing than ease, and it would ill have befit heroes such -as Brian and Ur and Urba to have evaded their solemn troth. A bitter -wrong they had done, because of the hereditary feud betwixt the clans -of Turenn and Kian: but now there was one thing only to do, and that -to fulfil the eric put upon them by Lu, son of Kian. Moreover, Nuadh -the Ardree and Bove Derg, son of the Dagda, and a score of the noblest -lords in Erin were their warranty that they would do this thing. - -So, one day of the days, they set forth from Erin: and sad indeed were -they when across the foam they took their last look at Dun Turenn and -at the dear familiar hill of Ben Edar. - - * * * * * - -For that night Peterkin heard no more of the story of the Fate of the -Sons of Turenn; but all the next evening, and the next again, he sat -entranced by the strange moving tale of how Brian and Ur and Urba one -by one fulfilled the hard and perilous conditions of their eric, and -this until the sixth was done. - -But here, now, this tale cannot be told in full. To tell it aright -would need a volume not less than this is. - -It must suffice that after innumerable hardships, after fierce cold -and fiercer heat, after hunger and thirst and daily perils by land -or sea, and strange and frightful encounters, and hazardous fights -with monsters and wild men and kings and princes, the sons of Turenn -found themselves sailing towards the remote north of Lochlin, having -accomplished the six seeming impossible conditions. - -That nigh-impossible task, indeed, had been made possible by the magic -boat of Manannan, called the Sweeper of the Waves, which they had won -from Lu by unlooked-for wile. For before they had left Tara they had -played a game of chess with Lu Ildanna, well knowing that Lu was under -_geas_ never to refuse to play at chess when asked by any Dedannan, or -to pay the hazard that was decided upon, whatsoever it might be. There -was no player in all Erin to surpass Ur, though few knew this, for he -was little given to talk, and still less of his own doings. - -First Urba had offered to play with Lu, and the hazard of that play -was to be the life of Lu Ildanna. “I will play that hazard,” he said, -“if thou wilt pay the like penalty if thou dost lose.” But when -Urba refused, he could play no more, because he had declined the -counter-hazard. - -Then Brian had offered to play, and the hazard of that play was to be -Daurya, the beautiful daughter of a great lord, whom Lu loved. “I will -play that hazard,” he said, “if, in return, thou wilt pledge me Enya of -the Dark Eyes, thy sister.” But when Brian refused this hazard, he too -could play no more with Lu until Lu asked him. - -Then Ur played, and the hazard of that play was the “Sweeper of the -Waves,” Manannan’s magic boat. “I will play that hazard,” Lu said, “if -in return thou wilt sail in it, and affront Manannan to his face.” To -that Ur agreed, and they played, and Ur won. - -This magic boat would sail swiftly and safely in any sea whether calm -or tempest-wrought, and at a word would make for any coast or haven; -more like a great bird it was, or some creature of the air and sea. - -“White shall be thy foamy track,” cried Lu as they sailed away; “but -red everywhere shall be the wake behind ye.” - -And so it was. For death and the bitterness of the sword were ever in -their way and in their wake. Nevertheless, they unceasingly rejoiced in -their possession of the Sweeper of the Waves, and when their eric-quest -took them into far eastern lands beyond the reach of great rivers, they -hid their precious vessel, or bade it lie till it heard their summoning -voice. - -And so at the last it happened that the sons of Turenn won the three -golden apples out of the guarded close in Isberna; and by craft and -daring carried away from Sicily the famous chariot and two steeds -which had no peer in all the world; and from Asol of the Golden -Pillars, who gave them in ransom for his life, they took the seven -deathless swine; and from its cauldron in the heart of a hostile city -they snatched the terrible spear of Pisarr; and the far-famed skin of -healing they brought away from the palace of Toosh, king of Greece, -whose head they left idly rolling upon his marble floor; and in far -Irrua they put captivity upon the terrible hound Falinnish; and in the -wild seas of Fiancarya they dared the sea-women in their caverns under -the waves, and took from them the roasting spit that Lu had demanded. - -All this they did, and much else in the doing of these wonders. And now -nothing remained but to shout three shouts upon the hill of Mekween; -and to this end they sailed blithely and swiftly towards the far north -of Lochlin. - -But meanwhile, in far-away Erin, Lu Ildanna became aware, by his -subtle magic and knowledge, that the sons of Turenn had one by one -accomplished all but the last of the bitter tasks of the eric he -had set upon them. He had not deemed this fulfilment possible, but -while greatly he marvelled that courage and endurance could so bring -impossible things to pass, he dreaded lest the sons of Turenn should -prevail in the last task also. For if they came back to Erin with -all that great eric fulfilled, then would there be a blood-shedding -terrible indeed. - -Moreover, Lu Ildanna, who saw far ahead of the things of the moment, -was even now preparing for that second great battle upon the Plain of -Moytura which he knew would come again; and a battle mightier and more -desperate than the last, or than ever was seen in Erin before. Great -warrior as he was, and lordly as was the war-host of the Dedannans, he -feared this final battle unless he had at least half of the eric he had -set upon the sons of Turenn--and, above all, the Spear of Pisarr, the -Skin of Healing, and the War-chariot of the Sicilian king. Therefore he -longed for the return of his foes, the sons of Turenn; yet feared that -they should come back having accomplished all. - -So on a day of the days he made a deep and potent spell, and sent this -spell forth to work its noiseless and invisible way across land and sea -and under the flaming sun and the white glister of the stars, till it -should find the Sweeper of the Waves. - -So forth that subtle spell went, and when it reached at last the -Sweeper of the Waves it crawled stealthily into the great boat, and -wound itself about the weary bodies of Brian and Ur and Urba, and moved -into their brains, filled as they were with dreams of Erin and of home. - -The spell was the spell of oblivion, but they knew it not. - -And so it chanced that they could no longer understand why it was they -sailed northward, nor had they any memory of the last obligation of the -eric, and thought neither of Mekween and his sons, nor of the doom put -upon them by Lu, nor of the vanity of all their long quest and brave -endurance if they returned with the eric unfulfilled in the least part. - -It was with joy that they set their prow for green Erin; and with joy -that they saw again its green grassy hills above its white shores; and -with joy that they recognised Ben Edar and Dun Turenn; and with joy -that they kissed once more Turenn their father and Enya of the Dark -Eyes, their sister, and knew themselves back at last from all their -weary wandering and endless peril and strife. - -Great was the marvelling at what they brought back, and the oldest -druids admitted that never in the history of Erin had so great a wonder -been done. - -Alas! theirs was but a brief joy. - -Lu Ildanna said nothing till he had put away all the treasures of that -eric. Then he said gravely: - -“All is accomplished save one thing. Have ye shouted three shouts upon -the hill of Mekween?” - -And as he spoke he broke the spell, so that suddenly Brian and Ur and -Urba remembered, and with shame and grief had to say that this last -thing they had not done. - -In vain did Turenn supplicate for his sons, in vain even was the -pleading of the king. Lu had but one answer. “All else is as nought if -they have not done this thing--to shout three shouts upon the hill of -Mekween.” - -So once more the sore-tried heroes set forth, but with dim -presentiments of woe; for now they had neither the Skin of Healing nor -the Sweeper of the Waves, for these had been taken away by Lu, and he -would not give them again. - -Nevertheless, they reached their goal. A great and terrible fight -was theirs with Mekween and his sons Conn and Corc and Ae--the most -terrible fight, the old bards say, which was ever fought between six -men--for at the beginning the sons of Turenn slew Mekween. - -At dusk on that disastrous day six gashed and mutilated men lay in the -swoon of death. Out of that swoon, three men never waked, and these -were Conn and Corc and Ae: and two had not strength to move even when -they waked, and these were Ur and Urba; and Brian alone staggered to -his feet, and stared through a mist of blood. - -When at last the eldest of the sons of Turenn looked upon his brothers, -and saw their glassy eyes staring idly at the sunrise, he feared that -they too were dead. Then he saw that the pulse of life still flickered. -Weak as he was, he took first Ur upon his shoulders, and bore him up -the rocky slope to the ridge of the hill of Mekween; and then returned -and bore Urba thither also. - -Then it was that three thin, faint shouts went forth upon the hill, -so thin and faint that the browsing stags on the uplands did not lift -their heads. - -Thus was it that the Great Eric was fulfilled. - -But, alas! the piteous tale of their return. None could tell aright -that woe-stricken, death-weary voyage of three dying men, upborne by -one hope only--that they might free their name and clan from the eric -put upon them, and lay their accusing deaths at the feet of Lu Ildanna. - -Yet hardly might they do even this. For as they drew nigh the coasts of -Erin once more, Ur and Urba spoke to Brian and supplicated him to raise -their heads, so that, before they died, they might see again the green -hills of their beloved Banba, and high Ben Edar, and their home Dun -Turenn. - -But to this Brian made answer: - -“Dear brothers, too great is my weakness, for I am now even as ye are. -Lo! through my gaping wounds one of these birds that skim above us -might fly, and be not snared within me.” - -After that, they spake no word till the galley grided against the sands -of Erin. - -Soon all in Dun Turenn and in all the lands of Edar knew that Brian, -Ur, and Urba were come again; but sorrowful were they indeed to see, -instead of the three proud heroes, only three wasted men like unto -shadows. Neither Ur nor Urba could speak, but Brian’s voice could rise -to a thin whisper. - -With halting breath he bade his father hasten to Tara, and tell Lu -Lamfada that now all the eric was paid at last; and then beseech him, -by his honour and fair name, and for the glory of the old Dedannan -faith, and by the invocation of the Sun and Moon and Wind, to lend to -the three perishing sons of Turenn, the Skin of Healing, so that their -lives might not flicker out as the flame of spent torches. - -But, alas! Lu would not yield to that prayer, not even when the grey -hairs of Turenn were at his feet. Then once more Brian besought his -father; and now it was that he bade his father put him upon a litter, -and bear him gently, because of his open wounds, and lay him at the -feet of Lu. - -And when he was there, Brian said this thing: - -“Behold, O Lu Ildanna, son of Kian, we have fulfilled the heaviest eric -ever exacted of any man since the world was made. And now we ask this -one thing alone: one hour only of the Healing Skin that we ourselves -brought unto thee. Yet not for myself I ask this, if thou desirest my -life, since it was I who slew thy father, but for my brothers Ur and -Urba. And if not for them--though they are guiltless of this ill, and -are with me in this dire plight because they would not forsake me, -but made my fortune their fortune--then for the sake of the old hero -Turenn, who was comrade in arms with thy father Kian when both were -youths. And by the Sun, and by the Moon, and by the Wind, and by thine -honour, I cry to thee to be merciful, and to do this thing.” - -But Lu smiled a bitter, evil smile. Half that smile was from the cruel -revengefulness in his breast, and half because he feared that if Brian -and Ur and Urba lived, there would be an end of the Dedannan race, for -the fierce internecine wars which would be in Erin. - -“I would not give thee the Skin, Brian, though all thy race, nay, not -though every man and woman in the eastlands were to perish with thee. -Go hence, and in the shadow of death remember the eric unto death of -Lu the Long-Handed.” - -So Brian went forth upon his litter, with the death-sweat already upon -him. - -That night a long and bitter lamentation went up from Dun Turenn, and -the Beacons of Death flared upon Ben Edar. For, at the setting of the -sun, Brian and Ur and Urba breathed out their souls into the light, and -these moved swift to Flathinnis, the holy island where are gathered all -the souls of heroes. - -Yet on their way to join the innumerous deathless dead, they halted -once, for they heard a thin voice crying upon the wind. It was the -voice of Turenn their father. - -In one great grave before the mighty dun, the four were buried, erect, -and sword in hand. And on a slab midway in the vast cairn of stones -that was erected thereon, was writ in branching Ogam the names and -glory of Turenn and his three sons. For three days the people wept. -Then, as the wont was, Enya of the Dark Eyes decreed the funeral games. - -And so these heroes died, and with them went the third part of the -perishing glory of the Tuatha-De-Danann. - -For in the end, that which is to be, is. There is no gainsaying the -slow, sure word of Fate. And, too, there is this thing to be said. The -wind in the grass outlasts the branching Ogam graven in granite, and -the granite cenotaph itself, and the powdered dust of that granite. - -[Illustration] - - - - - Darthool and the - Sons of Usna - - - - - “the story this - Of her, the morning star of loveliness, - Unhappy Helen of a western land.” - - _“Deirdrê.” Trs. by Dr. Douglas Hyde._ - - - - -[Illustration: A great raven, glossy black, and burnished in the sun -rays. - - _To face p. 177._] -] - - - - - Darthool and the - Sons of Usna - - -The story I will tell you now, Peterkin, is more beautiful, though not -so old. - -In all the regions of the Gael throughout Scotland, and in every isle, -from Arran and Islay in the south, to Iona in the west, and Tiree in -mid-sea, and the Outer Hebrides, there is no story of the old far-off -days so well known as that of Darthool. - -She it is who in Ireland is called Deirthrê or Deirdrê; and in Ireland -to this day there is not a cowherd who has not heard of Deirdrê. - -Her beauty filled the old world of the Gael with a sweet, wonderful, -and abiding rumour. The name of Deirdrê has been as a lamp to a -thousand poets. In a land of heroes and brave and beautiful women, -how shall one name survive? Yet to this day and for ever, men will -remember Deirdrê, the torch of men’s thoughts, and Grainne whom Diarmid -loved and died for, and Maev who ruled mightily, and Fand whose white -feet trod faery dew, and many another. For beauty is the most excellent -sweet thing in all the world, and though of it a few perish, and a -myriad die from knowing nothing of it, beneath it the nations of men -move forward as their one imperishable star. Therefore he who adds -to the beauty of the world is of the sons of God. He who destroys or -debases beauty is of the darkness, and shall have darkness for his -reward. - -The day will come, Peterkin, when you will find a rare and haunting -music in these names. They will bring you a lost music, a lost world, -and imperishable beauty. You will dwell with them, till you love -Deirdrê as did the sons of Usna, and would die for her, or live to -see her starry eyes; till you look longingly upon the Grainne of your -dreams, and cry as Diarmid did, when he asked her, as death menaced -them, if even yet she would go back, and she answered that she would -not: “Then go forward, O Grainne!” - -Many poets and shennachies have related this tale. I have heard it -given now this way, and now that; sometimes with new names and scenes, -sometimes with other beginnings and endings; but at heart it is ever -the same. Nor does it matter whether the father of Deirdrê be Felim, -the warrior bard of the Ultonians, or Malcolm the Harper, or any other, -or whether the fair and sweet beauty of the world be called Deirdrê or -Darthool. But as here in our own land she is called Darthool, that I -will call her. - -I will tell the story as it is told in the old chronicles, and to -this day, and if I add aught to it, that shall only be what I myself -heard when I was young, and had from the lips of an old woman, Barabal -Mac-Aodh, who was my nurse. She came out of Tiree or Coll, I forget -which. - - * * * * * - -Well, in the ancient dim days when Emania was the capital of the -Ultonians, the fair and wonderful capital of the kingdom of Ulster, -and before Maev, the queen of the south, had buried the chivalry of -the north in dust and blood, there came into the realm of Concobar the -Ultonian king, whom some call Conor and some Connachar, three of the -noblest and fairest of the youths of the world. These are they who -then bore, and in all the years since have borne, the name of the Sons -of Usna, who was himself, some say, a feudal king, in Alba.[11] - -It is because of these three heroes that this story I am relating is -often called the story of the Sons of Usna. But first, I have that to -tell you which precedes the time when Nathos,[12] and Ailne, and Ardan, -stood in the house of Concobar the high king. - -This Concobar was a great prince. He was known as Concobar MacNessa, -for though he was the son of Fatna the Wise, son of Ross the Red, son -of Rory, Nessa his mother was a famous queen, and had indeed by her -beauty and her wiles brought Concobar to the overlordship of Uladh[13] -when he was yet a youth. - -In many of the tales of the old far-off days, you will hear the rumour -of the splendour and wonder of the city of Emania. In Concobar’s -time it was called Emain Macha, for it had been built by a great and -beautiful queen--Macha Mongruay, Macha of the Ruddy Hair. A thousand -times have poets chanted of Emain Macha, and in the ancient days the -bards loved to sing also of Macha herself. Here is an old far-off lay: - - “O ’tis a good house, and a palace fair, the dun of Macha, - And happy with a great household is Macha there; - Druids she had, and bards, minstrels, harpers, knights, - Hosts of servants she had, and wonders beautiful and rare, - But nought so wonderful and sweet as her face, queenly fair, - O Macha of the Ruddy Hair! - - The colour of her great dun is the shining whiteness of lime, - And within it are floors strewn with green rushes and couches white, - Soft wondrous silks and blue gold-claspt mantles and furs - Are there, and jewelled golden cups for revelry by night: - Thy grianan of gold and glass is filled with sunshine-light, - O Macha, queen by day, queen by night! - - Beyond the green portals, and the brown and red thatch of wings - Striped orderly, the wings of innumerous stricken birds, - A wide shining floor reaches from wall to wall, wondrously carven - Out of a sheet of silver, whereon are graven swords - Intricately ablaze; mistress of many hoards - Art thou, Macha of few words! - - Fair indeed is thy couch, but fairer still is thy throne, - A chair it is, all of a blaze of wonderful yellow gold: - There thou sittest, and watchest the women going to and fro, - Each in garments fair and with long locks twisted fold in fold: - With the joy that is in thy house men would not grow old, - O Macha, proud, austere, cold. - - Of a surety there is much joy to be had of thee and thine, - There in the song-sweet sunlit bowers in that place: - Wounded men might sink in sleep and be well content - So to sleep, and to dream perchance, and know no other grace - Than to wake and look betimes on thy proud queenly face, - O Macha of the Proud Face! - - And if there be any here who wish to know more of this wonder, - Go, you will find all as I have shown, as I have said: - From beneath its portico thatched with wings of birds blue and - yellow - Reaches a green lawn, where a fount is fed - From crystal and gems: of crystal and gold each bed - In the house of Macha of the Ruddy Head. - - In that great house where Macha the queen has her pleasaunce - There is everything in the whole world that a man might desire. - God is my witness that if I say little it is for this, - That I am grown faint with wonder, and can no more admire, - But say this only, that I live and die in the fire - Of thine eyes, O Macha, my desire, - With thine eyes of fire!”[14] - -It was in this wonderful forefront of Ulster that Concobar reigned. -The fame of Emain Macha was throughout Gaeldom; and there was no man -or woman who, as the days went by, did not hear of the greatness of -Concobar. - -On a day of the days, the king went with his chief lords on a visit to -the dun of Felim, a warrior and harper whom he loved. There was to be -great feasting, and all men were glad. Felim himself rejoiced, though -he would fain have had the king come to him a few days later, for his -wife was heavy with child, and looked for her hour that very day or the -next. - -In the midmost of the feast, Concobar saw that Cathba, an aged Druid -who had accompanied him, was staring into the other world that is about -us. - -“Speak, Cathba,” he said. “There is no man in all Erin who has wisdom -like unto thine. What is it that thou seest, with the inner sight that -I perceive well is now upon thee?” - -“Old as I am with the heavy burden of years and sorrow, O Concobar, -did I not beg that I might come with thee to this festival at the dun -of Felim? And that was not because I wearied to hear strange harping -and singing, good and fine and better than our own as this harping is -here, in the house of Felim; for I am old and weary, and care more to -listen to the wind in the grass, or to the sighing upon the hill, than -to any music of war or love.” - -“Then what was it that was in thy mind, Cathba?” - -“This, O king. I saw a shadow arise whenever I thought of our Ultonian -realm, and I felt within me the burden of a new prophecy. Nevertheless, -I was moved by naught till I entered the dun of Felim, and now I know.” - -“Speak,” said the king; while all there listened with awe as well as -eagerness, for Cathba was the wisest of the Druids, and knew many -mysteries, and what he had foretold had ever come to pass. Slowly, the -white-haired Druid looked around the faces of all seated there. Then he -looked at the king. Then he looked at Felim. - -“To thee, O Felim, shall be born this night a sting, a sword, a -battering-ram, and a flame.” - -Felim the Harper stared with intent gaze, but said nothing. Of what -avail to say aught against the decrees of the gods? - -“This night shall that which I have said be born unto thee, O Felim. -The sting will sting to madness him who is king of the Ultonians; the -sword will sever from Uladh the chief of her glories, the proud Red -Branch for which Concobar and all his chivalry shall perish; the ram -shall batter down the proud splendour of Emain Macha; the flame shall -pass from dun to dun, from forest to forest, from hill to hill, from -the isles of Ara on the west to the shores of the sea-stream of the -Moyle on the north, and to those of the sea of Manannan in the east.” - -Still Felim answered nothing. Then the king spoke: - -“Thy words come in dust, like wind-whirled autumn leaves. We have not -thy further sight, Cathba, and understand thee not.” - -Then once more Cathba spake out of the dream that was upon him: - -“Two stars I see shining in a web of dusk; and, in the shadow of that -dusk, a low tower of ivory and white pearls I see, and a strange -crimson fruit; and through all and over all I hear the low, sweet -vibration of the strings of a harp, a harp such as the Dedannan folk -play upon in the moonshine in lonely places, but sweeter still, sweeter -and more wonderful.” - -“Is this thy second vision one and the same with thy first, O Cathba?” -asked the king. - -“Even so. For the shining stars are her eyes, and the web of dusk is -the flower-fragrant maze of her hair, that low tower of ivory is her -fair, white, wonderful neck, and her white teeth are these pearls, and -that strange crimson fruit is no other than her smiling mouth--a little -smiling mouth with life and death upon it because of its laughter and -grave stillness. As for that harp-playing, it is her voice I hear--a -voice more soft and sweet and tender than the love-music of Angus Ogue -himself. O shining eyes, O strange crimson fruit that is a little -smiling mouth, O sweet voice that is more excellent to hear than the -wild music of the Hidden People of the hills--it is of ye, of ye that I -speak, and of thee, O tender, delicate fawn, in all thy loveliness.” - -None spake, but all stared at the Druid. For dream was upon them at -these words, and each man imagined his desire, and was wrought by it, -and was rapt in strange longing. - -It was Concobar who broke the silence. - -“Of whomsoever thou speakest, Cathba, she is surely of the divine folk. -That exceeding loveliness is for the joy or the sorrow of the world.” - -Only Felim the Harper was troubled, for now he knew well that the -ancient Druid spoke of the unborn child with whom even then his wife -was in travail. But no sooner had Concobar ceased than Cathba rose, -with his great dark eyes aflame beneath his white eye-brows. His voice -was loud and terrible. - -“Behold, I see this thing; behold the vision of Cathba the Druid, who -is old and nigh unto death. And what is before mine eyes is a sea, a -sea of flowing crimson, a sea of blood. Foaming it rises, and wells -forth, and overflows, and drowns great straths and valleys, and laves -the flanks of high hills, and from the summits of mountains pours down -upon the lands of the Gael in a thundering flood, blood-red to the -blood-red sea.” - -But now the spell of silence was broken. All leaped to their feet, and -many put their hands upon their swords. There was not one who did not -fear the prophesying of Cathba the wise Druid. That deluge of blood, -was it not a terror, a great ruin to avert? - -“If this child that the wife of Felim the Harper is to bear this -night be a blood-bringer so terrible,” they cried, “let us slay her -at birth. For surely it is better to kill a child than to destroy a -nation.” - -So spake they out of their ignorance that they thought wisdom. For they -did not know that there is no thought, no power, no spell, no craft, -wherewith to turn aside the feet of Destiny. What has to be, will be, -and no man living can say or do aught that is of avail against the -inevitable tides of Fate. - -For the first time since Cathba had prophesied, Felim uttered word. - -“Listen, my kinsmen and fellow-knights of the Red Branch. A sore pity -is it for my wife Elva to bear a daughter that shall be a sting to -sting the king to madness, and a sword to sever the Red Branch from -Uladh, our fair heritage, and a ram to break down the walls of Emania, -and a flame to consume the land from shore to shore. And as for that -sea of blood, let it not be upon my head. For I, the father of the -child of Elva, that Cathba says is to be a woman-child and of a beauty -wonderful to see, say unto ye: That which ye would fain do, do. If it -seems good unto ye, O Concobar, and ye of the Red Branch, let this -child perish, so that the doom foretold by Cathba may be averted.” - -At that all were glad save Concobar. Two men was he, this king: a man -who recked little of aught save his desire, and a man who had wisdom. -Out of his wisdom he knew that Felim and the Red Branch lords spoke -madness, for if it was ordained that the child of Elva should bring -doom, that doom would surely come. Out of his longing he loved the -beauty of which Cathba had spoken, and desired it against the years to -come, and for the solace of his years when he had loved much and at the -last was fain only of that which was the crown of life. So he spoke to -those before him, and prevailed with them. Not vainly was he called -Concobar of the Honeymouth. - -“I will speak first to thee, Felim, son of Dall, my bard. It is not -good to put death upon the fruit of one’s loins. Thine own child should -not see death through thee. But even were it so, it is not meet for me -or for any one to bring the shame and pain of death to the house of a -friend. Therefore, do not speak of putting silence and darkness upon -the child of Elva.” - -Having spoken thus, the king turned to the lords of the Red Branch. As -the wont was, at the royal festivals there were five and three score -over three hundred of the Red Branch there and then.[15] - -“And to ye, Ultonians, I say this thing also. Do not bring blood into -the hospitable home of Felim; that would be a stain upon him, upon -ye yourselves, and upon me the king. But this is my counsel. Let the -child live. There is no good in idle blood, and if ye stain yourselves -with it, there shall be greater loss and sorrow to follow. Ye are all -grown men, and not boys who do not know our laws. Ye know the Law of -the Eric. Well, I will free ye of all doom, for upon my head be it. -To myself I will take this fair child, and upon me, and not upon the -Ultonians, nor upon the Red Branch, nor upon any other whomsoever save -Concobar MacNessa, the high king, be the penalty, if penalty there be.” - -At that a son of a king arose. - -“That is well, O Concobar. But what of Cathba’s prophecy? We do not -wish to see the sting that shall sting thee to madness, and if the -child live shall we not see that sting?” - -“Of that I have thought, that I have foreseen, Congal, son of Rossa of -the Lakes. For I shall send the child into a lonely place, and there -in a solitary rath shall she dwell and grow in years, and no man shall -look upon her save I myself, and that only in the fulness of time. She -shall be solitary and apart as the Crane of Innisbea, that has dwelt -upon its isle since the world was made, and is seen of none.” - -“Tell us once more, Concobar MacNessa; dost thou take this child, and -the doom of this child unto thee, and to thee alone?” - -“I have sworn. She shall grow in years, and be wife to me when the time -is come. And if sorrow come with her, that sorrow shall be my sorrow. -Not upon Uladh be it, but upon me. I have spoken.” - -“And as for thee, Felim?” - -“It would be better to slay the child than to drown the land in blood.” - -“And as for thee, Cathba?” - -“There is but one law: that which has to come, cometh.” But while they -were thus debating, the loud chanting voices of women were heard, -and soon a messenger came, crying loudly that a child had been born -to Elva, wife of Felim, and that it was a woman-child, and exceeding -comely, and strong, and white as milk. - -Once more Cathba the Druid spoke. - -“She shall be called Darthool,[16] this woman whose beauty shall be a -flame, and whose eyes shall be as stars.” - -And so it was. The child was spared, and that night Elva slept in -peace, and for many nights. - -When the days of the feasting were over, Concobar left the dun of -Felim, and returned with all his company to Emania. With him he took -the little child Darthool, and Elva came with him for a month and a day. - -The month and the day soon passed, and then Elva went back to her own -place. It was the will of the high king and of Felim, her husband; -nevertheless, she sorrowed to part with her little child, who, even as -a breast-babe, had eyes of so great a beauty that it was a joy to look -into them. - -Before the year was over--for, according to what Cathba the wise Druid -said, the child must either be slain or hidden away before the first -year of her life were past--Concobar sent Darthool with the nursing -woman to whom he entrusted her, to a small _lios_, or fort, deep in the -heart of the royal forest. A ban was upon that forest that none might -hunt or even stray there without the king’s will; and now that ban was -made absolute, and it was known that death would be the portion of any -man who went under these branches. None was to enter that woodland save -Concobar, or whosoever might be of his chosen company, or whom the king -might thither lead. - -Concobar himself saw that food and milk was sent in plenty to the lios, -and once in every seven days he went thither himself. As year after -year passed the secret of the hiding-place of Darthool went out of -men’s minds, and none knew of the lios save the king, and the sister -of the nursing woman, who was his own foster-child and under _geas_ or -bond to him. This woman was named Lavarcam (_Leabharcham_), and was -fair to see, and whom Concobar held to be discreet and trustworthy -beyond any other of his own people. She was of the royal household, -and of the women trained as chroniclers and relaters.[17] - -The little starry-eyed babe grew to a child, and from a child to a fawn -of a girl, fair to see, and from a young girl to a maid, of a beauty so -great that Concobar knew when she came to full womanhood she would be -indeed as Cathba the Druid had prophesied. - -Darthool saw no one but her nurse, and the tutor whom the king had sent -to teach her all that could be taught, and not only in learning, but in -courtesy and nobility; and Lavarcam, who alone went to and fro. From -the time that Darthool passed out of her first girlhood the king saw -little of her, but twice in each year--at the Festival of the Sun in -the time of the greening, and at the Festival of end Summer at the fall -of the leaf; and this because of a warning that had been given him by -Cathba the ancient Druid. - -How can the beauty of so fair and sweet a woman be revealed? Her -loveliness was even as Cathba had foretold. It was a surpassing -loveliness, and the three women who saw her often marvelled at it, -and wondered no more that Darthool should be kept apart, for of a -surety she would be a torch to put flame into the hearts of men, and -to set great duns and raths and towered capitals and warring nations -ablaze. The poets have sung of her, and no man has sung but out of -his deep desire. Her great sad eyes, so full of dream, were blue as -are the hill-tarns at noon, and often dusky as they when passing -clouds put purple into their depths; and like a golden web her hair -was, sprayed out with shining light, wonderful, glorious; and her -rowan-red lips were indeed that strange crimson fruit which Cathba -had foreseen--rowan-red against the cream-white softness of her skin. -Cream-white her body was, and her neck like a tower of ivory; slim and -graceful was she as a fawn, and fleet of foot as the wild roes on the -hills, and when she moved in the sunlight or the shadow she was so -beautiful that tears came at times to the eyes of the women in that -lonely place. Yet even more wonderful was her voice--low and sweet and -with music in it, like the whisper of the wind among the reeds, or the -ripple of green leaves, or the murmuring of a brook. - -But now and from this time forth Concobar did not see her. For a year -and a day after she attained womanhood, Cathba had warned the king it -would mean death to him if he saw her. Nevertheless, he often heard of -Darthool from Lavarcam, who in her going to and fro had ever one thing -to say--that never had there been any woman so beautiful. - -The rumour of this great loveliness spread from lip to lip. Yet no man -ventured to seek out the hidden place where Darthool dwelled, for to -all it was known that Concobar kept her there against the time when he -would make her his queen, and all feared the long arm and the heavy -hand of Concobar Mac Nessa. None might even question the king. - -It was in this year that the shadows of the feet of Fate came into that -place. - -One day when Lavarcam told the king that Darthool grew fairer and -fairer, so that even the wild creatures of the forest rejoiced in her, -he all but yielded to his desire. Nevertheless, fearing the prophetic -voice, he refrained, but cried: “When the snow time has passed, and the -first greening is over, and the wild rose runs like a flame throughout -the land, then will I go to Darthool.” - -But before the greening was lost in the tides of summer, and before -the wild rose had begun to run like a windy flame throughout the land, -Concobar had learned that Destiny waits on no man. - -One dawn the first snows came over the hills of the north and fell upon -the forest. At the rising of the sun they ceased, but every branch was -a white plume, and every glade was smooth and white as was the breast -of Darthool herself. There was no wind in the deep blue sky, but the -air was sharp and sweet because of the frost. For joy Darthool clapped -her hands, as she stood upon the wall of the lios. - -Then, glancing downward, she beheld the woman who was her attendant -standing beside a calf that had been slain for the provisioning of -those within the fort. The red blood streamed over the snow, and was as -the crimson cloak of an Ultonian chief there, till the red grew mottled -as it sank through the frozen whiteness. - -Darthool’s eyes ever saddened at the sight of blood, but after a brief -while she knew that there was no harm in that shedding, and that no -omen of further bloodspilling lay therein. While she was still looking -thereon, a great raven, glossy black and burnished in the sun rays, -came gliding swift across the snow, and alit by the slain calf, and -drank of the warm bright blood. - -Of a sudden Darthool laughed low. It was a sweet shy laugh, and -Lavarcam, who had come to her side, asked her why there was such -sweet low laughter upon her. Mayhap she knew; mayhap she guessed that -Darthool dreamed dreams of love, because her womanhood was now come, -and because of the old heroic tales she took so great a pleasure in, -and because of the vision that every woman has in her heart. - -“I was thinking, Lavarcam,” she said. - -“And what was that thought, Darthool?” - -“It was this: that if there be anywhere a youth whose skin is white as -that whiteness there, and whose locks are as dark and glossy as the -plumage of that raven, and in whose cheek is a crimson as red as that -blood that is upon the snow, then of a surety him could I love, and -that gladly.” - -For a moment Lavarcam said nought; then the power of Destiny moved her. - -“There is one man who is more beautiful than all others I have ever -seen. He is young, and his hair is dark and glossy as that raven’s -wing, and in his cheek the ruddy flame is as that crimson blood, and -his skin is as white as any sunlit whiteness, or as thine own breast, -Darthool.” - -“And what will be the name of that man, Lavarcam, and whence is he and -where, and what is his decree?” - -“He is called Nathos, and is the son of Usna, who is a great lord in -Alba. But he is now in Emania, among the company of the king; and with -him are his brothers, both fair to see, and princes among men because -of their beauty and valour, yet neither so surpassing all men as -Nathos. They are called Ailne and Ardan.”[18] - -That was a fatal saying of Lavarcam, for it sank into the mind of -Darthool as moonlight into dark water. - -Day by day thereafter she thought of nothing but of meeting this proud -son of beauty; night by night she dreamed of Nathos and of his love. - -At the last, Lavarcam was filled with fear, for she saw that her words -had awakened the flaming lion that lies hid in the heart. And truly it -was not long till Darthool spoke to her of her longing and deep desire, -and how that without Nathos she did not care to live. - -For a time Lavarcam smiled; but when she saw that the king’s beautiful -ward was ever growing more and more wrought, her heart smote her. - -One day, as she was returning from Emain Macha, she met a swineherd, -clad roughly in the fell of a deer, and with him were two men, rude, -dishevelled hillmen, bondagers to the Ultonians. - -These, notwithstanding the law of Concobar, she took with her into the -forest, and bade them await at a well that was there, until they heard -the cry of a jay and the bark of a hill-fox, when they were to move -slowly on their way, but to speak to no one whom they might meet, and -above all to be silent after they left the shadow of the wood. - -Having done this, she entered the lios, and asked Darthool to come -forth with her into the woods. - -When they drew near to the well, Lavarcam moved aside to look for some -rare herb, as she said. Soon the cry of the jay and the bark of the -hill-fox were in the air. - -“That is a strange thing,” Darthool said to her, when she was by her -side again; “for that cry of the jay was the cry it gives in April, at -the nesting time, and the bark of that hill-fox was the bark it gives -in the season of the rut, many months agone.” - -“Hush,” said Lavarcam, “and look.” - -They stood still, as they saw the swineherd and the two hillmen rise -from near the well, and move slowly across the glade. - -“Who are these, Lavarcam?” asked Darthool, with wonder in her eyes. - -“These are men, daughter of Felim.” - -“They are younger than those I have seen from the outskirts of the -forest, but they are wild in dress and mien, and are not of high -degree, and my eyes have no pleasure in looking upon them.” - -“Nevertheless,” answered Lavarcam, “these are the three sons of -Usna--Nathos and Ailne and Ardan.” - -For a brief while Darthool looked upon them. Then she spoke. - -“The truth flew past thy lips, Lavarcam. Yonder man whom ye name Nathos -has neither raven hair nor white skin, nor the comely red in his face; -and the two others are like the slaves I saw that day I beheld the -foster-brothers of Concobar driving back from battle, in a chariot -dragged by wild rough men in bondage. I remember the day, for it was -then that thou bade me know that death was the portion of any man who -sought me. That, too, I fear was no true word. Howsoever, as to these -men, they may go. And yet---- wait.” - -And with that Darthool moved swiftly forward, and, coming upon the -three men by a by-path through the fern, confronted them. - -They stood amazed at her exceeding great beauty. Nothing like it was in -the whole world; so, little wonder that these boors stood as though the -face of death was bare to them; for beauty is strange and terrible to -most men, and they are prone to stand in dread of it. - -None spake. Darthool looked at each, a slow smile of mocking in her -lips, a blue flame of scorn in her eyes. - -“Are ye the sons of Usna?” - -They made no answer, but stared unwaveringly upon her, as do the dull -cattle in the fields. - -“What brave courtesy!” she cried, mocking with her sweet voice, “how -swift in courtesy! Tell me, Nathos, son of Usna, is it the wont of thy -people in Alba to stand by agape when a woman speaks? Who is Usna, or -what? If he is a king, is he overlord of swineherds? If it is a place, -is it the rough bogs of the hills where sword-clad men do not go, but -only a poor folk clad rudely in skins?” - -Still they answered nothing. - -“Were ye whipt into silence when ye were young, ye that stand there -wordless as dogs? If indeed ye be the sons of Usna, then truly Concobar -MacNessa must be in sore want of men at Emain Macha!” - -At that the swineherd could no longer hold to his bond. - -“By thy great exceeding beauty I know that thou art no other than -Darthool, whom the king hides in this place. But do not mock us, who -would rather worship thee. We are no nobles, but a swineherd, and two -hillmen who are bondagers to Cairbre of the Three Duns.” - -At that Darthool laughed gently. - -“That I knew full well, swineherd, for all that I dwell here apart and -see none of my kind, save Maev my nurse and Aeifa my tutor and Lavarcam -the friend of the king. Those I have seen otherwise have been beheld a -great way off, from where I laid hid in the woods. But now, wilt thou -do one thing for me?” - -“I will give thee my life.” - -Darthool smiled into the man’s eyes, and what was only the swineherd -died, and a strong heroic soul arose in him. - -“I would fain see Nathos, the eldest of the sons of Usna.” - -“That is against the law of Concobar: and long is the arm and heavy the -hand of Concobar MacNessa the high king. But what is death to me, since -thou willest me to do this thing for thee, Darthool of the beautiful -eyes? Nay, I swear this thing: that rather would I die by torture, and -please thee, than live out my life and refuse thee of what thou art -fain. For thy beauty is upon me like the light of the moon at the full -on the dark moorland. I am thine.” - -Darthool looked at the man. Suddenly she stooped and kissed him on the -wind-furrowed brow. Great fortune was his, and he was well repaid for -his death by blunt spear-shafts, when Concobar knew all. For what is -death, when a man has reached beyond the limit of his desire? - -“Then go this night to Nathos, and tell him that I, Darthool, dream of -him by day and by night, and that if he is in anywise fain of me, let -him come to me to-morrow, an hour before the setting of the sun, at -this well.” - -With that she turned and walked slowly back to where Lavarcam awaited -her. As they moved homeward through the wood, Lavarcam saw that the -dream in the eyes of Darthool had deepened. It was in vain then, or -later, that she sought to know what the fair, beautiful girl had said -to the swineherd. She feared, however, that Darthool no longer trusted -her because of the lie that she had told, and that mayhap the girl had -plotted somewhat with the swineherd. - -All the morrow Lavarcam watched Darthool closely, but she seemed rapt -in vision, and cared neither to chase the fawns, nor to fish, nor even -to wander idly through the woods. No speech would she have with any -one, and said only that she wished to lie under the boughs of the -great oak in front of the lios, and sleep. - -“How can that be, when there is snow upon the ground?” Lavarcam asked. - -“Is there snow upon the ground?” answered Darthool dreamily. “Then I -will lie upon my deerskins, and Aeifa can play to me and sing me songs -till dusk.” - -Hearing that, Lavarcam was glad, for now she could leave the lios with -a mind at rest. - -So, in the wane of the day, she passed through the forest and came out -upon the great plain in front of Emain Macha, and went to seek the king -to take counsel with him. - -Nevertheless, Lavarcam was sore wrought by Darthool, and would fain -have given her her heart’s desire. Piteous indeed had her plaints been. -With tears and reproaches and sweet beseechings nigh intolerable, -Darthool had begged her to bring Nathos to her, if for once only, so -that she might at least see him, and know what her heart’s desire was -like. Moreover, was it not a bitter thing for her to be kept there in -that lonely place, and neither to see nor converse with her own kind, -and to be kept away from all the joys of youth, and to pass from spring -to summer, and from summer to autumn, and from autumn to winter, yea -and from year to year, and be exiled there, to hear no young voices, no -young laughter? When she pleaded thus, Lavarcam was sorrowful indeed, -for she had the heart of a woman, and knew the beauty and the wonder -and the mystery of love. - -Thinking of these things, her heart smote her as she fared towards -Emain Macha, and at the last she decided to say no word to the king as -to what she feared Darthool may have told the swineherd. Furthermore, -she muttered, what was death to her who had known all that life had to -give her? At the worst, Concobar could put death upon her. Had she not -lived and known love, and now was weary? - -When she drew nigh to Emain Macha she saw three ravens and three -hoodie-crows and three kites arise from some carrion hidden in the long -grass that waved there. - -When she came upon it, she saw that it was the body of the swineherd, -loose with the gaping wounds of blunt spear-shafts. In thus-wise she -knew that Concobar had in some way heard of what the man had done. - -Yet she had no fear from that. The swineherd was still now. Neither -king nor raven, neither man nor hoodie-crow, neither spear-shaft nor -kite could now hurt him. It was better to be alive than to be dead, but -it was well to be dead. - -So Lavarcam turned, and went over to the camp in Emain Macha where -the sons of Usna were. There she saw Nathos, and told him privily -that Darthool longed to see him, and that the forest was open to the -stealthy flight of the owl as well as to the soaring hawk. - -Nathos was indeed fair to see, and looking upon him Lavarcam knew in -her heart that Darthool would love him, and he her. He listened, and -she saw his eyes deepen, and a flush come and go upon his face. For -sure there was a beating swift of his pulse in that hour. - -Nevertheless, he could not come straightway, for Concobar knew that -the swineherd had spoken to him of Darthool, and it was for this, and -having seen and spoken with the girl, that the king had put the man to -death--though for that, added Nathos, little did the swineherd care, -for he died laughing and mocking, and, when he lay still, there was a -smile upon his face. - -“And that was because Darthool had looked into his eyes, Nathos, son of -Usna.” - -“Truly, he died well. I know a prince among men who also would die -gladly if Darthool would look into his eyes with love.” - -“Then come soon and hunt the deer in the solitudes to the north of -the forest: and there, amid the woods, or in some glen, or on the -hill-slopes, surely thou shalt meet with Darthool--and yet none know of -it.” - -So Lavarcam and Nathos made a bond between them, and parted. - -Thereafter days passed. On the morrow of the seventh day Darthool was -wandering among the glades and thickets of the uplands far away from -the lios, rejoicing in her new freedom and hoping that one day her eyes -might look upon Nathos. She was dreaming her dream, when she started at -a strange sound, the like of which she had never heard. - -That far-off baying of hounds she knew, for oftentimes of old Concobar -had ridden to the forest with his deerhounds: but that strange, wild, -blazoning sound---- Was it the voice of the flying creature the hounds -pursued? - -Then the thought came to her that it was the hunting horn she had often -heard of in the songs and war-ballads which Lavarcam and Aeifa were -wont to sing to her. - -But after that blast the horn no more tore the silence of the deep -woods, and the hounds were still: for Nathos had left the chase of -the deer and was now moving listless through the green glooms of the -forest. Night and day since Lavarcam and the swineherd had told him -of Darthool he had dreamed of the beautiful daughter of Felim the -Harper. Remembering the last chant of Cathba the Druid, he recalled how -Darthool had been named the Beauty of the World, and because he was -himself a poet and a dreamer the vision had become part of his life, -so that neither by night nor by day was there any hour wherein he did -not see in his mind the tall, white-robed figure of Darthool, and the -beauty of her eyes, and her face as the sweet wild face of a dream. - -And so dreaming he stood at the edge of a glade, his swift eyes -watching a fawn dispart a thicket that was close by. Yet it was no fawn -as he thought: but rather was it as though a sudden flood of sunshine -burst forth in that place. For a woman came from the thicket more -beautiful than any dream he had ever dreamed. She was clad in a saffron -robe over white that was like the shining of the sun on foam of the -sea, and this was claspt with great bands of yellow gold, and over her -shoulders was the golden rippling flood of her hair, the sprays of -which lightened into delicate fire, and made a mist before him, in the -which he could see her eyes like two blue pools wherein purple shadows -dreamed. - -So exceeding great was her beauty that Nathos did not think of her as -Darthool or as any mortal woman, but rather as a daughter of the elder -gods, or of that bright divine race of the Tuatha-De-Danann, whose -beauty surpassed that of human beings as the beauty of the primrose -bank that of the brown sod. He looked upon her amazed, and in a silent -worship. If she were indeed of the Dedannan folk, she might disappear -at any moment as a shadow goes, that now is here asleep upon the grass -and in the twinkling of an eye is among the things of oblivion. - -At last speech rose to his lips. - -“O fair and wonderful one, whom I see well art of the old sacred race -of the Tuatha-De-Danann, may I have word with thee? It may well be -that thou art no other than the wife of Midir himself, she who lives -in a fair shining grianan in the hollow of a hill, and lives upon the -beauty and fragrance of flowers.” Darthool looked at him, and her heart -beat. He was in truth fair to see: fairer even than him whom she had -imaged in her dreams, or him of whom Lavarcam had spoken. - -“Speak. What wouldst thou?” - -“I am faring idly through this lonely land, and I know not where I am. -Yonder, in the valley behind the oak-glade, is a high-walled rath. Is -it a place of the Shee, and so forbidden? or who dwells there, and -shall a spear or welcome greet me if I enter?” - -“Indeed, thou mayst enter there, and a welcome awaits thee, O Nathos, -son of Usna.” - -“Thou knowest my name, O fair one; then, indeed, thou art of the old -wondrous race, who know swifter than our thought, and whose sight is -further and deeper than our sight.” - -“I am no queen, Nathos, nor am I of the Tuatha-De-Danann, but am a -woman as other women are. If I am beautiful in thine eyes, of that I -am right glad, for thou art fairer to me than any man I have seen or -dreamed of, and my pulse leaps when thine eyes look into mine. I am -Darthool, the daughter of Felim the Harper; yet am I no better than a -slave, for here am I bound to stay, and see no one save Lavarcam and -my two women, and here I shall die for loneliness and longing.” - -Nathos heard her sweet low voice with delight, and it was with joy at -his heart he knew she was no strange Dedannan but a woman of his own -race, and that she was Darthool. Love rose suddenly within him like a -flame: a red flame was it that was in his heart, and a white flame in -his mind, and out of these two flames is wrought the love of love and -the passion of passion and the dream of dreams. - -“Art thou, indeed, Darthool?” he whispered; “art thou that Darthool -of whom I have dreamed? Strange is the strangeness of this meeting, O -white daughter of Felim. For so great is thy beauty that I was fain to -believe I saw before me one of the queens of the Tuatha-De-Danann. But -is this thing true, that against thine own will Concobar the high king -keeps thee here like a trapped bird among these woods?” - -“True it is, and more: for it is not even by Concobar’s will that I -roam the woodlands. He was fain that I should never leave the rath save -with Lavarcam, and that I should spend most of my days within the stone -walls of the dreary lios where he has doomed me to dwell.” - -“Darthool, my heart is filled with a rising tide. That tide is love. -Thou hast not seen the sea: but there, when the tide flows, there is -nothing, there is no one, in all the world, which can say it nay. So -is my love for thee, that now rises; and, once thine, will be thine -evermore. Yet I would not put this upon thee; and if thy words and -looks come out of thy frank, sweet courtesy and open maidenly heart, -and mean no more than that thou carest for me as a brother, it is thy -brother I will be, Darthool, to serve thee and succour thee and love -thee evermore, and in that way only.” - -For a brief while she looked at him. Then the noon-blue of her eyes -deepened, and a flush drifted through her face and waned into the -deeper red of her parted lips. - -“Nathos,” she said in a low voice, which trembled as a reed in the -wind, “I, too, love. It is thee I love. If it be wrong for me, a -maiden, to speak thus, forgive me, for I have grown wilding here, and -am more akin to the fawns of the forest than to women kind of mine -own age or estate. But I love thee, Nathos: as of old, in the far-off -Dedannan days, Dectura the queen loved the Green Harper, and went -forth with him and was seen no more of her own people.” - -“If thou indeed wilt have it so, Darthool, be thou my Dectura, and let -me be thy Green Harper. For beyond the reach of life or death is the -greatness of the love I feel for thee, even now in this first hour of -our meeting.” - -“Thy words are in my heart, Nathos; and because that this is so, I -now put _geas_ upon thee. Let thy sword be as my sword, and be thou -to me as brother and friend and the holder of my leal love; and to -this end, lo! I throw this yellow thistle against thy cheek, to raise -a mark of shame there if thou dost not fulfil the bond, and there to -be seen of all men as a sign and witness of thy disgrace; yea, even -thus I put _geas_ upon thee, to succour me in my ill fate, to take me -unto thyself, to give thyself unto me, and to let us go forth together -heedless of Fate.” - -Nathos looked at her with proud eyes. - -“Of a surety, Darthool, there is no hero of the Red Branch who hath a -courage greater than thine, even though it may be that thou speakest -the more freely from knowing little of what may befall.” - -“What can befall save death, and dost thou fear death, son of Usna?” - -Nathos smiled out of grave eyes. - -“If I feared death, Darthool, I would not now be speaking with thee -here. It is swift silence upon any who in this forbidden land speaks -with the daughter of Felim the Harper. Concobar MacNessa has the ears -of a hare and the eyes of a hawk and the swoop of an eagle. Dost thou -remember the swineherd to whom thou gavest word privily? Well, that -night he lay in the grass tended only by the raven and the wolf, for he -was done to death with blunt spear-shafts.” - -“For that I have deep grief,” said Darthool, with tears drifting like a -rainy mist athwart the blue of her eyes. - -“Nevertheless, he died with a smile, Darthool. Thou hadst looked into -his eyes and kissed him. Even so, and for less now, would I too die.” - -“That thou shalt not do, Nathos;” and even as she spoke Darthool moved -forward and put her honeysweet lips against the mouth of Nathos, and -made his blood leap, and a flame come into his eyes, and a trembling -come into his limbs. - -Then, as though with that kiss she had become as a wild rose, she stood -swaying lightly, her fair face delicately aflame. Nathos put his arms -about her, and kissed her on the brow and on the lips. - -“That kiss on the brow is for service,” he said, “because from this -hour thou art my queen; and that kiss on the lips is for love, for from -this hour I shall love no woman save thee thyself, but shall be thine -and thine only in life or death.” - -Nevertheless, though Nathos accepted the _geas_ put upon him by -Darthool, he was troubled at the thought of the anger of Concobar -the high king. It would be a swift and bitter death for him, and for -Darthool too it might be death or worse. - -The thought in his mind swam into his eyes, and Darthool saw it. She -shrank from him, and stood hesitating and as though about to flee at -his first word of doubt. When he looked at her again his last fear went. - -“Fair wonderful one, thou art as a fawn there in the fern where thou -standest; Darthool, do not doubt the truth of my words. I am thine to -love and to serve, and am under _geas_ to thee. But my thought was -this: if we two go hence and are waylaid, it will be death, and if we -go hence and are not waylaid forthwith, it will still be death; for -long is the arm, and heavy the hand, and tireless the quest of Concobar -MacNessa. And this, too: that if we cross the Moyle and go to Alba, it -may still be death; yea, though for a year or for a brood of years we -elude the undying wrath and vengeance of the king.” - -“He will forget when once the bird is flown. Neither the bird nor the -wind leaves any track, so let our flight be as that of the bird and our -way be as that of the wind.” - -“The king forgetteth not. If so be that we might escape him many years, -he will yet have his will of us in the end; and this though thou -wert old, Darthool, and wert no longer his desire, and though I were -outlawed and broken and no more in his sight than a wolf of the hills, -good to slay if come upon, but not worthy of chase.” - -“Concobar is not a king in Alba?” - -“No.” - -“Then let us go to thine own land. He can do no more than send -emissaries after us, and with these thou canst deal swiftly, Nathos.” - -At that, Nathos lightly laughed. - -“Truly, I am seeing Concobar as a man sees his own shadow in the water. -He is a great king in Uladh, but he is no more in Alba than any hero -of the Red Branch. Come, Darthool; across the Moyle are the pine-green -shores of Alba. It is a fair, beautiful land. The sea-lochs reach far -among pine-clad hills, and green pastures are on the slopes of the -great mountains and around the shadowy, inland waters. The forests -are full of deer and wild birds, the rivers and lochs of fish, the -pastures of cattle and sheep and swift brown mares. Thou shalt have -milk to drink, and the red flesh of the salmon, and the brown flesh -of the deer, and the white flesh of the badger. Thou shalt lack for -nothing, who art my queen; and thou shalt have love till the sun grows -a lordlier fire and the stars leap in their slow dance from dusk to -dawn.” - -“I will come,” Darthool whispered, with glad eyes. - -“Only thou must not delay. Thy coming must be now. Thou must not even -enter the rath again. Otherwise it is never the waters of the Moyle -that we shall see, but only the red flame in the eyes of Concobar.” - -Even while Nathos spoke his eyes grew hard, and his hands slipped to -the javelin he had by his side. While Darthool watched him in amaze, -he swung the iron-pointed shaft at a place where a bent bracken hung -listless in the air. - -“Is it a wolf?” cried Darthool, in sudden affright. - -“It is worse than a wolf,” answered Nathos; “for if thou wilt go to -that place thou wilt see either a slain man, or the form of a man, in -the grass beneath the bracken.” - -Swiftly Darthool ran to the spot wherein the javelin had swung singing. -There was no one there, but, where the javelin still quivered slightly, -she saw the still warm shape of a crouching man, and discerned, by the -bending of the bracken, what course he must have twisted away. - -Nathos followed and stood beside her. As he stooped to pluck the -javelin from the ground, he descried a wooden-hilted knife. - -“It is as I thought,” he said gravely. “Concobar has set a spy upon me. -No Ultonian carries a knife such as this. It belongs to the hillmen of -the north-west, of whom a few years agone we made slaves. Mayhap one -of these men who were with the swineherd has been told to follow me -secretly wheresoever I go.” - -Darthool turned and looked at Nathos with eyes filled with a new fear, -because of her love of him. - -He took her hand in his. - -“There is yet time, Darthool. Wilt thou go back to the rath, and stay -there till Concobar wills thee to be his wife?” - -“I cannot go back.” - -“Then come, O Darthool.” - -And with that the twain turned and moved swiftly northward through the -forest, by the way Nathos had already passed. - -“By dawn we may reach the dun where my two brothers now are, and for -that day and that night we may rest in safety,” whispered Nathos, as -Darthool turned and looked for the last time upon the place where she -had lived all these years. - -“But thereafter, O love that I have won, the wind must be in our hair -and the dead leaves be upon the soles of our feet, for there can be -no resting for us till we are away from this land: no, and not for us -only, but also for Ailne and Ardan. Concobar will not rest content -with bitter wrath, and, if he cannot track the stag, will slay the -fawns.” - -Soon thereafter they drew near the place where Nathos had left his -hounds and his huntsmen. Bidding Darthool hide among the bracken and -undergrowth, he went forward alone and told the men to go back to the -dun of the sons of Usna, but not till the third day, and by circuitous -ways. Thus he hoped that he might the longer elude Concobar, whose -emissaries would follow the track of his hounds. - -Thereafter Nathos and Darthool fared swiftly hand in hand through the -sombre ways of the forest. While it was still light they emerged upon -a great moor, which they crossed, and then ascended the gorges of the -hills. There the night fell, as though a wind-drifted darkness suddenly -suspended and then swiftly enshrouded everything. They dreaded to rest, -and yet so deep was the darkness that they could fare no farther. - -But while they were still whispering the one to the other, Darthool -descried a soft, silver shining, like a dewy gossamer. It was the -little group of seven stars that we call the Pleiades. - -“See,” she whispered, “An Grioglachan! When they shine, others will -soon be seen.” And so it was. - -All through the night the fugitives hastened onward by the light of the -stars, ever keeping close to each other, for the mountain solitudes -were full of dreadful noises, and in the black tarns among the peaty -moss they could hear the moaning of the kelpie, or on the shores of the -hill-lochs the shrill neighing of the water-horses, terrible creatures -of the darkness. - -For the last hour of the dark they rested a brief while, lying close -hid among the bracken, in a sheltered place on a rocky mountain slope. -Darthool heeded little now the weariness and fears of that perilous -faring by night, for she was with Nathos; and Nathos now was glad, -and no longer cared whether death was sure or not. He fell asleep -there under the morning stars, among the winter-brown bracken, with -Darthool’s head upon his breast; and his last thought was, that if the -swineherd had died smiling because Darthool’s eyes had looked into his, -how well might he too die content if his hour came suddenly upon him. - -The dawn wavered among the hills, but still they slept. - -A wolf tracking a wounded doe howled, and the howling wailed from -corrie to corrie. Darthool stirred, but slept again. An eagle screamed -as it rose and wheeled against the broadening light, but its wild voice -was drowned in silence. Then came the first sun-rays rippling, dancing, -leaping, from amid the crested heights and peaks to the eastward, and -Nathos awoke. - -For some moments he lay breathless with wonder. Darthool, in all -her radiant beauty, was by his side, her golden hair ablaze in the -sunlight, and her fair face like a flower amid the bracken. It was too -great a wonder. Then he knew that Concobar’s hounds might any hour now -be upon them, and so he put his dream away from him, and stooped and -kissed Darthool upon the lips. With a cry she woke, and put her arms -about him. Hard it was for him to add to her weariness; but she rose -at once, and seemed, indeed, in his eyes, as fresh as any fawn of the -hill-side. She went to a little tarn close by and drank of the cool, -sweet water. - -As she drank Nathos looked at her, and again wondered if she were not -one of the divine race of old, the mysterious Tuatha-De-Danann, whom, -ages before, the Milesians had driven to the hills and remote places. -So fair was she that his heart ached. Then a swift pulse of joy leaped -within him, and he was glad with a great gladness. - -Thereafter they sped swiftly onward, and now Nathos exulted, for he -recognised the peaks and the trend of the valleys. Within an hour from -the rising of the sun he saw the grey walls of the dun of the sons of -Usna. - -His long cry--that of the heron thrice repeated--brought Ailne and -Ardan forth. Darthool looked at them wondering, for they, too, were -taller and nobler than other men, and only less beautiful in her eyes -than Nathos himself. - -But if she wondered, much more did they marvel at what they saw. Never -had they beheld any woman so beautiful, and their first thought was -that of Nathos, that Darthool was of the fair divine race who were now -so seldom seen of men. - -But when Nathos had told them all, and that she who was now his bride -was no other than that Darthool whom Concobar the high king had set -aside to become his queen, they were filled with sorrow. Well they knew -that Concobar MacNessa would not lightly relinquish the fair maid whom -he had so long secreted in the forest-lios, and that blood would flow -because of this thing. - -“Moreover,” said Ailne, “hast thou forgotten the prophecy? There is -the saying of Cathba the Druid, of which we have all heard: that from -the daughter of Felim the Harper would come sorrow to the king, and -severance of the Red Branch from the lost kingdom of Uladh, and rivers -of blood.” - -“That may be, Ailne, my brother,” Nathos answered; “but I ask none to -go with me into this doom, if that doom indeed must be, though mayhap -the dark hour of it is passed. For Darthool and I shall now fare -forward, with some of our following, and with horses and food, and -haply we may reach the coast and find our great galley in the Creek -of the Willows, where we secreted it, and so gain the shores of Alba -before Concobar can overtake us.” - -But while Ailne pondered, Ardan spoke. - -“That shall not be, Nathos. Listen! By the Sun and the Wind I swear -that where thou goest I will go, and that I will never desert thee nor -Darthool, who is now our sister. If the doom must come, let it come. -What is death, that it should put a paleness into the face of love? Are -we not close-kin, children of one mother, and is not Darthool thy wife -now and our sister, and are we not henceforth as one? Speak, Ailne, is -it not so?” - -“It is so. Ardan has spoken for me. But I say nothing, for I feel upon -us the shadow of that doom of which, as we have heard, Cathba the Druid -spoke.” - -But here Darthool moved forward. - -“Listen, Nathos, and ye, Ailne and Ardan, my brothers: it is not for me -to bring sorrow upon the king and upon the Red Branch and upon Uladh, -and still less upon ye, my brothers, and upon thee, Nathos. Therefore, -let me now go back to the lios, and tell Lavarcam, who will tell the -king, that I have no will to stray, and that I will abide in that place -till I die, or till Concobar dare put his face against Fate and take me -thence.” - -At that Nathos smiled only. There was no word to say; in his eyes was -all his answer to Darthool. - -But Ardan answered for himself and Ailne: - -“Though the stars fall, beautiful daughter of Felim, who art now -Darthool, our sister, we shall not leave thee, nor suffer thee to go -from us save by thine own free will, and that in no fear for what may -befall us. Nathos and Ailne and Ardan are the three sons of Usna, upon -whom long ago _geas_ was set, that each would abide by each until -death.” - -Thereupon all kissed each other, and took the deep vow of fealty. The -sons of Usna knew well that it would be a madness to withstand Concobar -in their dun, strong as it was; for in time he would take the place, -as dogs hunt out the badger from its lair, and at the best would still -starve them into surrender or death. - -So with all speed they summoned those of their following who were under -the sword-bond, and put together food and raiment, and then mounted and -rode swiftly away. - -As they passed the highest ridge to the eastward that night they looked -back. A red light flared in a valley far to the west. It was their -dun, a torch amid the darkness. A single column of flame rose above -it, and wavered to and fro. And by that sign they knew that the long -arm and the heavy hand of Concobar MacNessa had already reached out -towards them. Three times fifty men went with them, and so swift was -their flight and so sure their way that before long they came to the -coast-lands. There, in the Creek of the Willows, the long black galley -was found; and swiftly all embarked. - -It was with glad eyes that Darthool and the sons of Usna saw the -dancing waves of the sea, and felt its free breath break upon them. -From three great tiers, fifty score men to each, the vassals thrust -out their long oars, and with their blades threshed the waters into a -yeast of foam. In the dazzle of the sea Darthool rejoiced, and made the -hearts of all there to swell because of an exceeding sweet song she -sang. - -Nathos and Ailne and Ardan sat beside her, and could scarce take from -her face their dreaming eyes. - -Towards noon the wind shifted, and slid out of the north towards the -west. Then the great sail was hoisted, and bellied out to the steady -breeze, and the oars were shipped. The black galley now flew along -the waters like a cormorant. Darthool laughed with joy at this new -beautiful world of the sea, and never tired of trailing her hands in -the swift lapsing wave, or in the send of the following billow. - -In the afternoon they came close to the shores of Alba, and made -northward, past many isles and through narrow straits and fjords. In -one and all Darthool took pleasure, and was glad indeed that the land -of Nathos was so beautiful. - -At sundown they reached the eastern shores of the great island of Mull, -and there the wind failed them, so the galley was put into a bay that -is now the bay of Aros. - -There the sons of Usna debated long as to what course to follow. Nathos -and Ailne thought it best to move inland, and to gain the protection of -the high king of Alba; but Darthool feared this because of a dream she -had thrice dreamed, wherein she saw a strange king and a strange folk -laughing over the slain body of Nathos, while she stood by crowned but -a captive. As for Ardan, he said only that the sons of Usna should go -to where their father’s dun had been, before the last king of Alba had -destroyed it. - -That night a galley came to them from the long island of Lismore. In -it were a score of men, commanded by a lord of Appin, named Fergus of -the Three Duns. With him was a stranger, clad in a rich robe of fur, so -claspt across the throat with gold that the hood he wore fell about and -covered his face. While Fergus spake with the sons of Usna, and told -them how they had been seen by men of his in a swift war-galley, off -the south coast of Mull, and urged them also to go inland to meet the -king, the stranger looked steadfastly upon Darthool. - -When at last he had to speak to the brothers he addressed them -courteously, but in a Gaelic strange to their ears. He bade them come -with him to his high-walled dun, a brief way inland: to come alone, as -his guests, and to bring Darthool with them. - -“It is not well to go to a man’s dun, and not be knowing that man’s -name,” said Nathos courteously. - -The stranger hesitated, and looked at Fergus. - -“They call me Angus Mudartach,” he said. But at that Darthool asked him -to let her look upon his face. - -“For it is not meet,” she added, “that we should go to a man’s dun and -not have seen his face.” - -Angus of Moidart drew back his hood. - -Darthool’s lips grew pale. Then she smiled. - -“Let us rest here for to-night, Angus Mudartach,” she said, “and, if -thou wilt come again on the morrow after to-morrow, thou canst take us -with thee to thy great dun. But meanwhile we have travelled far and -swiftly, and would fain rest: and, as thou seest, the skies are clear, -and we want for nothing.” - -Once more Angus pleaded to the sons of Usna. - -“Ye are brave men, and can laugh at weariness or danger. But if the -island be swept by a great storm to-night, or if the followers of -Concobar, king of the northlands of Erin, come upon ye, or if other -misadventure befall, shall ye wantonly expose this fair young princess? -Nay, rather, let her come with me, and she shall not only be safe in my -great rath of Dunchraig, but there my wife and her maidens shall make -much of her, and give her white robes and golden torques and garments -of delicate furs. This maid whom ye call Darthool is too young to be -thrown thus idly before the feet of the evil powers who are for ever -clamouring for death.” - -But, at a sign from Darthool, Nathos refused; saying, with gracious -words and courteous mien, that it would rejoice them all to visit Angus -Mudartach later, but not then. - -So Angus of Moidart turned, frowning, and went back to his galley with -Fergus of the Three Duns. And as he went he asked mutteringly how many -men the sons of Usna had with them. When he learned that there were -thrice fifty, and that Fergus had but a score and ten men with him, he -said no more. - -When the strangers had gone, Nathos turned to Darthool and asked why -she had not shown more graciousness to one who was surely a great lord -among the Alban Gaels, and why she would not go with him. - -“Because, Nathos, that man who called himself Angus Mudartach is no -other than the King of Alba. He it is whom I saw in my dreams, laughing -over your slain body, and beside whom I stood crowned and yet a -captive. And by that token I warn ye of this thing: that the Alban king -desireth me, and would fain slay ye all, or deliver ye into the hands -of Concobar MacNessa.” - -Nathos stood brooding, but Ardan stepped forward. - -“Darthool is right. And wise she was, too, to bid this Angus of Moidart -come on the morrow after to-morrow. Nevertheless, I know well by -hearsay of his vassal, Fergus of the Three Duns, and that the man is -called Fergus the Wily. He will not wait, but at dawn will be about us, -with thrice fifty and thrice fifty again.” - -“Ardan has spoken well,” added Nathos. “There is but one thing to be -done. Weary we are, but we must go hence at once.” - -And so it was. The dusk was heavy upon sea and land that night, and a -sea-mist came up and obscured the skies, so that not a star was visible. - -Soundlessly they launched the great galley again, and once more set -sail. The night-wind was from the south-east, whereat they rejoiced, -for thus there was no need of the oars, and so no betraying thresh -would be heard. - -When they were well north of Lismore they put out the long oars and -swung the galley northwards. It was with relief that the sons of Usna -passed the Appin lands, and before dawn rowed into a great sea-loch. - -There, however, they learned that the King of Alba, he who had called -himself Angus Mudartach, was in the westlands only for a brief while, -and would have to haste to Dunedin straightway, as runners had come -with tidings of a great rising. He had no rath of Dunchraig, and no dun -there; and so in truth the sons of Usna knew that the king had lied to -them, and that Darthool was right. As for Fergus of the Three Duns, he -was no longer a great lord, but had been despoiled, and at the most -could summon two score and ten men. - -So the sons of Usna greatly rejoiced, for now they could go to their -own land in safety, which lay beyond the region held by Fergus of the -Duns. - -For seven days they stayed by the shores of that sea-loch, under the -shadow of mighty mountains. Ardan, with a scanty following, went -through the hill-passes, and returned saying that the King of Alba had -gone to his own country and that all the great lords of the region had -departed with him, including Fergus. - -So on the eighth day the galley sailed a short way southward once more, -and entered into the Bay of Selma. There, on a rocky eminence, were -the walls of their great dun, which Usna their father had built among -the ruins of the chief stronghold of the Cruithne, the ancient people -of Alba.[19] - -It was with joy that the sons of Usna saw once more the house of their -childhood, and with still greater joy that they found the people of the -neighbouring glens and straths still loyal to them. Their father Usna -had ever been at war with the King of Alba, and after many battles (the -bards sang of the beauty of Usna’s wife as the torch that lit those -wars) he had conquered all this region. But at his death, by treachery -the king had overcome the stronghold and destroyed it. - -But now again the sons of Usna had their home in their own eyrie. They -knew not how long they might abide there in peace, for either the King -of Alba, or Fergus of the Duns as his leader of men, would come again -when once peace in the eastlands was secured. - -There Nathos wished to dwell alone with Darthool and a few followers, -but Ailne and Ardan once more refused to leave him then or ever. But -glad were the thrice fifty vassals to return to their own land, and -without regret the sons of Usna saw them set sail for Erin. They were -men who cared little for aught save strife, and when not wielding sword -or spear were haughty and bitter with all other men save those of the -Red Branch, and so were only a danger and a weariness in that place. - -Throughout that winter they lived there in peace, hunting and fishing. -So great was the love of each for Darthool that every day was full of -peace and content wherein they saw her. Nathos moved in a dream, and -knew the extreme of joy. At night, before the fire, Darthool sang to -them old-world airs of a sweet plaintive music, so sweet and plaintive -that men said she must be no other than Fionula, she of the children of -Lir who were turned into wild swans, and lived a thousand years in the -old, old days. - -But when spring came again--a spring so fair and sweet that it was as -though May had come hand in hand with February--a rumour reached them -that the King of Alba, though he could not penetrate the highlands of -the west, intended, with the help of Fergus of the Duns and other -chieftains, to proceed once more against the Dun of Usna. Moreover, he -had sworn to raze it to the ground, and to slay Nathos, and to take -Darthool to be his wife. - -Nathos laughed at this, for he knew well that the King of Alba would -never take him alive, nor yet Darthool. But after long colloquy with -Ailne and Ardan, all decided to set forth and pass northward to the -land whence their mother had come, a land of endless mountains and -narrow lochs, beautiful beyond any other, grander than any Darthool had -seen, and remote beyond the reach of any Alban king. - -So thither they set forth, and took with them in their great galley -two score and ten men of their own clan. After long sailing up narrow -lochs, the sons of Usna reached the mountain land whence their mother -had come. Her father was dead, but the great dun he had built upon the -summit of one of the hills overlooking the Black Loch had been left -unharmed, and was tenanted only by wandering shepherds. Here Nathos and -Darthool made their home, and in that beautiful land and in the glory -of spring, knew the full joy and richness of life.[20] - -For a brief while all the people of the mountain lands round about -gave in their adherence to Nathos, so that he became as a king in that -region. So great was the fear in which the three sons of Usna were -held, and so strong were they in their mountain home, that none dared -to approach them with the flaming brand. - -Thus three years passed, and in all the wide reaches of the world -there was no man so happy as Nathos and no woman so happy as Darthool; -and after these there were none so happy as Ailne and Ardan, who were -well content to live so that they might be near the beautiful wife of -Nathos, their sister, Darthool, fairest of all women in the world. - -The King of Alba, whom they had feared, was now dead, and the king who -reigned in his place was well disposed towards the sons of Usna and -sought their alliance. So this was done, and the name and fame of the -three brothers spread throughout the land; while from the wild west to -the populous east the poets sang of the beauty of Darthool. - -In the summer months they abode at the high fort of Darthool, for so -they named it, on the heights above the Black Loch, or Loch Ness as -we now call it; and from the first frosts till the cuckoo’s song had -ceased they lived at Dunuisneachan, their father’s ancient stronghold -by the shores of Loch Etive. Thence often they wandered far afoot, or -sailed southward and eastward among the sea-lochs and narrow kyles. -They hunted in Glenorchy and fished under the mountain-shadows on Loch -Awe; or followed the deer through the woods of Glenlaidhe. When it was -pleasant to be upon the waters, they sailed down the long fjord of Loch -Fyne, and rested awhile at the Haven of the Foray, and watched the -coming and going of the rainbows on the rocky headlands which guard -that place; then they would cross to the Cowal, and enter the narrow -Kyles of Bute, where on the little isle we call the Burnt Island they -built a vitrified fort. Thence they followed past the Hills of Ruel -to Glendaruay (Glendaruel), and so to the head of Loch Striven and -up Glenmassan, and thence down by the sweet inland waters of Loch -Eck, and waterward again by the bay we now call the Holy Loch. Thence -up the long, narrow fjord of Loch Long they sailed, till among the -mountains they crossed the short pass to Loch Lomond, and perhaps met -the soldiery of the King of Alba at the inland lakes, or came upon the -great fort of Dumbarton on the Clyde; or they may have crossed the -hill to the Gareloch, and so returned westward once more by the blue -frith of Clyde, past the precipitous isle of Arran, and so up Loch Fyne -again; or seaward by the Mull of Cantire, and thence northward past the -isles to their own place, and could once more watch the salmon leaping -through the Falls of Lora or chase the deer on the hills of Etive. - -But during all this time Concobar, the high king of the Ultonians, -nursed his bitter thoughts. He had heard of the great fame and -happiness of the sons of Usna, and more than ever he yearned after -Darthool, his wrath at his loss being the greater because that all the -old prophecies about the beautiful daughter of Felim were unfulfilled. - -One day the high king made a great festival in Emain Macha, and never -in Erin was seen one more royal and magnificent. The princes and -nobles from all the regions in the sway of Concobar were there, and all -the musicians, singers, and poets in Uladh. - -In the midst of the festival Concobar asked those present at his board -if now, in the height of the glory of the Red Branch, they wanted for -anything; but they answered as with one voice that they were content. - -“And that is what I am not,” he answered. - -“And wherefore, O king and lord?” - -“Because that the three greatest of ye are absent from us. I speak -of the three Torches of the Valour of the Gael: Nathos and Ailne and -Ardan, the sons of Usna, the son of Congal Claringnech. For now I the -king say this: that it is not fitting these three heroes, the pride of -our chivalry, should be in exile, and this only because of a woman. By -the Sun and Wind, there is no woman alive who is worthy to be the cause -of this. Far better were it that the sons of Usna were once more in -our midst. Even now they hold half the lands of Alba under the shadow -of their sword. Truly they are heroes, and if dark days come upon us, -as the soothsayers foretell, then indeed we shall be in sore need of -them.” - -All there were rejoiced at that. There was not one who had not lamented -the fierce anger of Concobar, and who was not fain to have the sons -of Usna again among the chivalry of the Red Branch. Only fear had not -allowed them to speak, for the high king had slain a man who had said -that Nathos was too great a lord to be exiled. - -“And since ye are so glad at this thing,” Concobar added, “and would -fain have these heroes among us, to be the chief pride, glory and -defence of Uladh against all other kingdoms and provinces of Erin, I -say to ye: Go and bring hence again from Alba the three sons of Usna.” - -“That is well,” their spokesman answered; “but who is to prevail with -Nathos and his brothers? We are willing to go, but we cannot bring -Nathos against his will. Moreover, is he not under _geas_ not to put -foot again in Erin?” - -“Not so. I know that Nathos is under _geas_ not to return to Erin -unless it be in the company of Fergus, the son of Lossa the Red, or -Conall Cernach, or Cuchulain. And look you, each of these is now here, -so that I shall well know who most loves me.” - -So, when the feast was over, Concobar first drew Conall Cernach aside. - -“Tell me, O warrior lord,” he said, “what wouldst thou say or do if I -should send thee for the sons of Usna, and that at my secret command -they should be slain privily--a thing, nevertheless, Conall, which I do -not purpose to do.” - -“That could not be done, O king and lord, without a bitter and wrongful -bloodshedding, for I could not do otherwise than put death upon each -and all of the Ultonians who might be with me on that day.” - -“That may be so, Conall Cernach. So now, go.” - -Thereafter the king sent for Cuchulain. The young champion came to him -fearlessly, for the whole heart of the warrior prince was noble and -courageous. - -Concobar asked him the same question as he had asked Conall Cernach. - -“What would I do, O lord and king?” answered Cuchulain with proud -disdain. “This thing I would do, and my troth to it: that if thou -through me brought about the death of the sons of Usna, thou mightst -flee eastward to Innia Iarrtharaigh[21] itself, and yet not be safe -from perishing by my hand because of thy deed.” - -Concobar smiled grimly. - -“I knew well, Cuchulain, that ye bore me no love,” he said; and bade -the hero begone. - -Thereafter the king sent for Fergus, the son of Rossa, and to him he -put the same question as to Conall Cernach and to Cuchulain. - -“This much I say,” said Fergus, “that never would I raise hand or -weapon against thee: nevertheless, there is not one Ultonian who might -fare forth on that errand who would not get the shortness of life and -sorrow of death from me.” - -“It is thou, Fergus, son of Rossa, who dost truly love thy king. It is -to thee I entrust this thing, who shalt be greater in Erin than any son -of Usna. Go forth on the morrow, and remember thy name of old--Fergus -Honeymouth. Of a surety Nathos, with Darthool, and Ailne and Ardan, -shall come from Alba with thee. When thou art again in Erin, go at -once to the house of Borrach, the son of Cainte; and when thou art -there stay, because of one of thy _geasa_ never to refuse a feast, and -beforehand I shall warn Borrach of this thing. Then send forward at -once, and without covenant, and without protection, to Emain Macha, the -three sons of Usna.” - -So on the morrow Fergus went forth, taking none with him save his two -sons, Illann the Fair, and Buine of the Red Locks, and a man Cullen to -steer the sea-barge wherewith he would set sail. - -It was a fair voyage, and soon the black barge of Fergus sailed past -the isles and headlands of Alba, and came to Loch Etive and the Bay of -Selma, where the great fort of Dun Usneachain lay black against the -ivy-clad heights beyond. - -This was in the first heats of summer, and Nathos and Darthool, with -Ailne and Ardan, had left the fort and were among the rocky declivities -of the woodland near the sea. There they had three hunting booths: one -for Nathos and Darthool, one for Ailne and Ardan, and one wherein to -have their eating and drinking. In front of one of these booths Nathos -and Darthool sat, on that day of the days, playing on the _Cemrcaem_ -(the chessboard), the very chessboard which had belonged to Concobar, -but which the king had left in the dun of Ailne and Ardan when hunting -near by, on the day before that on which they fled with Nathos. It -was all of ivory, and the chessmen were of wrought gold and in the -likeness of strange kings and priests and fantastic animals wrought in -immemorial years in the Orient. - -And while they were playing a great shout was heard, coming upon them -from a branch-hid hollow of the sea. - -“That is the voice of a man of Erin,” said Nathos, holding in the air a -golden knight. - -“Not so,” answered Darthool; “it is the voice of a Gael of Alba.” Yet -well she knew that Nathos had guessed aright, and that even now were -the footsteps of fate drawing close. For none can prevail against -destiny. - -Once more a loud cry was heard, and a voice called upon Nathos and the -sons of Usna. - -“Of a surety, that is the voice of a man of Erin,” said Nathos eagerly, -for his heart was fain to see an Ultonian again, and to hear of the Red -Branch and of the fate of Uladh, and as to whether Concobar reigned -still. - -“Indeed, it is not so,” answered Darthool, and turning the great glory -and beauty of her eyes upon Nathos she bade him play on. Then a third -cry, nearer and clearer, was heard; and now all knew that it was the -voice of a man of Erin. - -“And if there be no cloud upon me,” said Nathos, “that is the voice of -no other than Fergus, the son of Rossa the Red, whom I knew well of -old, and for whom my heart is fain. Ardan, do ye go down at once to the -haven, and bid Fergus welcome, and all who may be with him. It is a -good day this for us, when once more we may hear the voices of the Red -Branch.” - -While Ardan went to the haven, Darthool told Nathos she had known from -the first that the newcomer was a man out of Erin, and moreover, that -he came from Concobar, and that his coming boded no good. - -“And how will you be knowing the one and the other, Darthool?” - -“From a dream that I had: to wit, that three birds flew hither from -Emain Macha, and brought with them three sips of rare honey, and then -that they left us with that honey but took away instead three sips of -our blood.” - -“Tell me, my queen, what is the reading you put upon that dream?” - -“That Fergus comes to us with the honey-words of peace, but that behind -them lies the shedding of blood, and that blood ours.” - -Meanwhile Ardan welcomed Fergus, and brought him and his companions -to where Nathos sat playing with Darthool upon the ivory and gold -chessboard of Concobar the king. As the fair-smiling Ultonian drew -near, he smiled a grimmer smile behind his beard, to see Nathos there -with the two chiefest treasures of the king’s heart--the woman he -wished to make his queen, and the chessboard that had come to him from -some great king’s palace in the dim remote Indies of which the poets -sang. - -Great was the rejoicing, and Nathos and his brothers and Darthool -embraced Fergus and his sons, and eagerly questioned them for tidings. - -“The best tidings I have,” Fergus answered, “is that I have come to ye -with messages of loving peace from Concobar, whose heart is smitten -by your long absence, and who would fain see in Erin again the three -noblest lords in his or any other realm. Moreover, he has sent me to -you with covenants and guarantees of loving good faith. He has pledged -his kingly word, and I, too, have pledged mine, and ye know well, ye -sons of Usna, that Fergus MacRossa Rua is not a man of light word. -So come back to Erin with me, Nathos and Ailne and Ardan, and I pray -of thee, come thou too, Darthool, wife of Nathos. Great shall be the -welcome given to ye all, and sure it is a good thing to end a feud, and -to put an unwaking sleep upon the sword and the spear.” - -“That is a good word,” said Nathos, who was well pleased; but a sob was -in the heart of Darthool, and her lips quivered as she spoke. - -“Surely,” she said, “Concobar MacNessa forgets. The sons of Usna are no -tributaries. Nathos is overlord now of a country greater in extent than -all the province of Uladh over which Concobar is king. It ill befits a -king of an isle to go as a forgiven guest to the lord of a rock.” - -“That is true,” said Fergus quickly, “Darthool has justice for what -she says. But there is truth in what I say also, and it is a truth -which the sons of Usna know, and will act by, that a man longs to see -the land which is his own land or the land of his adoption. And were -not Nathos and Ailne and Ardan among us as children and as boys and as -youths, and are they not heroes of the Red Branch? Surely, it is a good -thing for a man to see his own land each day, and to rejoice therein?” - -“We have two lands,” interrupted Ardan, “we who are of both Alba and -Erin. Nevertheless, it would ill befit us not to look upon ourselves -of the Red Branch first and foremost. So if Nathos is ready to go with -thee, so also are Ailne and I myself.” - -“I am ready,” said Nathos, though he kept his eyes away from those of -Darthool. - -“And ye know that my guaranty is sure?” added Fergus. - -“It is sure,” said Nathos. - -That night all were full of joyous pleasure, save only Darthool, who -in her heart knew that the shadowy feet of Fate were all about them, -and that she at least and perhaps none other there would ever again see -Alba. - -On the morrow all set sail. As they left the beautiful shores, than -which for sure there are none more beautiful in all the realms of the -Gael, Darthool took her harp and sat back among the deerskins in the -stern of the galley and sang: - - “_Ionmhuin tir, an tir ud shoir-- - Alba go na h’-iongantaibh; - Nocha ttiocfainn aiste ale, - Muna ttagainn le Naoise_,” - -and for eight other verses in the old ancient Gaelic that has lived in -her lament till this day:[22] - - Dear is this land to me, dear is this land: - O Alba of the lochs! - Sure I would not be sailing sad from thy foam-white sand - Were I not sailing with Nathos for the Irish strand. - Dear is the Forest Fort and high Dunfin, - And Dun Sween, and Innis Drayno-- - Often with Nathos have I striven to win - To the wooded heights of these--and now we go - Far hence, and to me it is a parting of woe. - - O woods of Coona, I can hear the singing - Of the west wind among the branches green - And the leaping and laughing of cool waters springing, - And my heart aches for all that has been, - For all that has been, my Home, all that has been! - - Fain would I be once more in the woods of Glen Cain, - Fain would I sleep on the fern in that place: - Of the fish, venison, and white badger’s flesh I am fain - That plentifully we had there, or wherever our trail - Carried us, yea, I am fain of that place. - - Glenmassan! O Glenmassan! - High the sorrel there, and the sweet fragrant grasses: - It would be well if I were listening now to where - In Glenmassan the sun shines and the cool west wind passes, - Glenmassan of the grasses! - - Loch Etive, O fair Loch Etive, that was my first home, - I think of thee now when on the grey-green sea-- - And beneath the mist in my eyes and the flying foam - I look back wearily, - I look back wearily to thee! - - Glen Orchy, O Glen Orchy, fair sweet glen, - Was ever I more happy than in thy shade? - Was not Nathos there the happiest of men? - O may thy beauty never fade, - Most fair and sweet and beautiful glade. - - Glen of the Roes, Glen of the Roes, - In thee I have dreamed to the full my happy dream: - O that where the shallow bickering Ruel flows, - I might hear again, o’er its flashing gleam, - The cuckoos calling by the murmuring stream. - - Ah, well I remember the Isle of the Thorn - In dark and beautiful Loch Awe afar: - Ah, from these I am now like a flower uptorn, - Who shall soon be more lost than a falling star, - And am now as a blown flame in the front of war! - -Nathos was sad when he heard this lament from the mouth of Darthool, -and Ailne and Ardan looked at each other and whispered that it was -the beginning of the end. Nevertheless, they did not fear to confront -the days to come, for whatsoever the decrees of Fate may be a brave -man does not draw back, but goes forward upon the way set before him. -But Nathos was in a dream, and so heeded little, content too to chide -Darthool because that she laid so much stress on vain imaginings. - -The voyage was a swift and good one, and even Darthool’s heart beat the -quicker when once more she stood on the soil of Erin, her own land. In -three days thereafter they came within sight of the Dun of Borrach, and -Fergus MacRossa was glad, for soon he would be able to see Concobar the -king, and tell him how great was his success. - -It is a strange thing that a man such as Fergus Honeymouth could be so -blind. Yet had he ever believed in the kinglihood of Concobar, and it -was not till he reached the house of the son of Cainte that he knew in -truth how the high king meant to play him false, and mayhap to deal -treacherously with the sons of Usna. For after Borrach had greeted them -all with affection and heartsome pleasure, he told them that word had -come from Concobar that they were to press forward without delay, so -great was the king’s longing to see them again, and so deep was his -love for three of the noblest of the knights of the Red Branch. “But -upon thee, Fergus MacRossa, I have a feast made ready, a festival of -weeks, and thou knowest it is _geas_ upon thee not to refuse any feast -made for thee: and so as thou wouldst avoid putting shame upon me and -deep disgrace upon thyself, thou must abide here with me.” - -At that, Fergus flushed a deep red,[23] and was filled with anger. Yet -could he not refuse, for his _geas_ was sacred: and no man of that age -dared break that bond. - -So he turned to those with him, and asked what was now to be done. - -“Let this be done,” said Darthool: “either forsake the sons of Usna, or -keep to thy feast-bond.” - -“My feast-bond I must keep, Darthool, yet will I not forsake the sons -of Usna. My guaranty is known for sure: but over and above that I will -send with them, and with thee, my two sons, Illann the Fair and Buine -the Fiery, as further warranty.” - -But at these words Nathos turned away with a scornful smile. - -“It is not at thee or thy feast-bond I smile, O Fergus,” he said, “but -at thy protection, good though thy sons be. For, by the Sun and Wind, -I have never yet had need of any man to protect me, and go now, as -ever before, confident in my own valour and might: and this I say not -boastingly, but openly, so that Concobar and all Uladh may know it.” - -Thereafter Darthool and the sons of Usna left the house of Borrach, -and fared southward, with Illann the Fair and Buine in their company. -As for Fergus, he cursed his bond, but nevertheless assured himself, -for, as he said over and over, if the whole five provinces of Erin -were assembled on one spot, they would not be able to break the solemn -pledge of his guaranty. - -But on the way Darthool urged advice upon Nathos and his brothers. - -“Let us go,” she said, “to the isle of Cullen, between Erin and Alba, -and there await the day when Fergus will fulfil his bond. In that way -he shall still keep the obligation of his _geas_, and yet we shall -escape the evil that I know well awaiteth us.” - -“That we cannot do,” answered the sons of Usna, “for we are in honour -bound now to the king. Moreover, we have the guaranty of Fergus -MacRossa.” - -“It was an ill day when we came here trusting to that word,” Darthool -replied: but said no more then. - -At dusk they reached the White Cairn on Sliav-Fuad, and it was not till -after they had left the watch-tower behind them that Nathos saw that -Darthool was no longer of their company. So he retraced his way, and -came upon her sleeping a deep sleep, though she awoke suddenly as he -drew near. - -“Is sleep so heavy upon thee, fair queen?” he asked, when he saw her -startled eyes and pale face. - -“I was weary, Nathos. Yet it is not weariness that has done this, but a -dream. I dreamed a terrifying and dreadful thing. I saw thee and Ailne -and Ardan and Illann the Fair, but on not one of these was the head -remaining, but only on Buine the Fiery.” - -“And what will be the meaning of that, Darthool?” - -“That Buine will leave ye ere death comes, and that a bloody death will -be upon each. Nathos, I pray of thee that thou wilt go straightway to -Dun Delgan, where the great and noble lord Cuchulain is, and abide with -him for a while. There we shall be safe. Listen, I pray thee: I see -thine own shadow creeping up thee, and a dark cloud overhead, and a -cloud of clotted blood it is by the same token.” - -“Fair woman, there is some guile upon thy delicate thin lips. Why -shouldst thou see evil everywhere? Be assured that neither I nor Ailne -nor Ardan will turn aside from our quest of Concobar the king.” - -Darthool sighed, and remembered some old wisdom she had heard from -Lavarcam: that if misfortune will not come to a man swiftly, he will -seek it and take it by the great boar-fangs and compel it to come -against him. - -But on the morrow, as they came within sight of Emain Macha, once more -she gave counsel. - -“Ye know well, Nathos and Ailne and Ardan, that in Emain Macha are -three fair great houses of the king: that in one he himself is, with -the nobles of Uladh who are his own following, and that in another are -the wayfarers of the Red Branch, and that in a third are the women. Now -I warn ye of this thing: that if Concobar welcome us into his own house -and among the nobles of Uladh, all will be well: but that if he send -us to the house of the Red Branch, that will mean a disastrous end to -thee and to me.” - -They said nothing to that, and when they came late into Emain Macha -they knocked at the gates of Concobar’s house. - -The messengers told the king that the sons of Usna, and Darthool, and -the two sons of Fergus MacRossa, were without: whereupon he asked of -those about him in what state of provision and comfort was the house -of the Red Branch, and on hearing that there was abundance of food -and drink and comfort, he bade the messengers return and conduct the -newcomers to that place. - -When that message was given, Darthool again gave counsel: but Illann -the Fair was wroth thereat, and the others yielded. As for Nathos, he -said only: - -“Great is thy love, Darthool, queen of women: but great also is thy -fearfulness.” - -At that Darthool smiled gravely, but said no more. Only in her heart -she remembered what Lavarcam, in bitter irony, had told her once, that -when a man foresaw evil and fore-fended it he was wise and strong in -his courage, but that if a woman did the same she was timorous and -whim-borne. - -In the house of the Red Branch the strangers were rendered all honour. -Generous and pleasant foods and bitter cheering drinks were supplied to -them, so that the whole company was joyful and merry, save the sons of -Usna, and Darthool, who were weary with their journeying.[24] - -Thus after they had eaten and drunken, Nathos and Darthool lay down -upon high couches of white and dappled fawn-skins, and played upon the -gold and ivory chessboard. - -It was at this time that a secret messenger came from Concobar to tell -him if Darthool were as beautiful as when she fled from Erin. This -messenger was no other than Lavarcam. The woman embraced Darthool -tenderly, and kissed the hands and brow of Nathos. Then, looking upon -them through her tears, she said: - -“Of a surety it is not well for ye twain to be playing thus upon the -second dearest thing in all the world to Concobar, Darthool being the -dearest, and ye having taken both from him, Nathos, and now ye twain -being in his house and in his power. And this I tell you now, that I am -sent hither by Concobar to see if Darthool has her form and beauty as -it was of old. Thy beauty then was a flame before his eyes, Darthool, -and now it will be as a torch at his heart.” - -Suddenly Darthool thrust the chessboard from her. - -“I have the sight upon me,” she said in a strange voice with a sob in -it. - -“And what is that sight, my queen?” asked Nathos. - -“I see three torches quenched this night. And these three torches -are the three Torches of Valour among the Gael, and their names are -the names of the sons of Usna. And more bitter still is this sorrow, -because that the Red Branch shall ultimately perish through it, and -Uladh itself be overthrown, and blood fall this way and that as the -whirled rains of winter.” - -Then taking the small harp by her side, she struck the strings and sang: - - - A bitter, bitter deed shall be done in Emain to-night, - And for ages men will speak of the fratricidal fight; - And because of the evil done, and the troth unsaid, - Emain of dust and ashes shall cover Emain the White. - - Of a surety a bitter thing it is thus to be led - Into the Red Branch house, there to be rested and fed, - And then to be feasted with blood and drunken with flame, - And left on the threshold of peace silent and cold and dead. - - The three best, fairest, and noblest of any name, - Are they all to be slain because of a woman’s fame? - Alas! it were better far there were dust upon my head, - And that I, and I only, bore the heavy crown of shame. - - -At that Nathos was silent awhile. He knew now that Darthool was right. -He looked at his brothers: Ailne frowned against the floor, Ardan -stared at the door, with a proud and perilous smile. He looked at -Illann the Fair and at Buine the Fiery: Buine drank heavily from a horn -of ale, with sidelong eyes, Illann muttered between his set teeth. - -“This only I will say, Darthool,” Nathos uttered at last, “that it were -better to die for thee, because of thy deathless beauty, than to live -for aught else. As for what else may betide, what has to be will be.” - -“I will go now,” said Lavarcam, “for Concobar awaits me. But, sons of -Usna and sons of Fergus, see ye that the doors and windows be closed, -and if Concobar come against ye treacherously may ye win victory, and -that with life to ye all.” - -With that Lavarcam left. Swiftly she sought Concobar, and told the -king that it was for joy she knew now that the three heroes, the sons -of Usna, had come back to Erin to dwell in fellowship with the Ardree -and the Red Branch, but that it was for sorrow she had to tell that -Darthool the Beautiful was no longer fair and comely in form and face, -but had lost her exceeding loveliness, and was now no more than any -other woman. - -At first Concobar laughed at that; then as his jealousy waned he -thought with sorrow of the loss of so great beauty; and then again his -spirit was perturbed. So he sent yet another messenger on the same -errand. - -This was a man named Treandhorn. Before Concobar sent him to the house -of the Red Branch he said: - -“Treandhorn, who was it that slew thy father and thy brother?” - -“Thou knowest, O King, that it was Nathos, son of Usna, who slew them.” - -Concobar smiled. “Now,” he said, “go and do my behest.” - -When Treandhorn reached the house, he found all the doors and windows -closed and barred. Then fear seized him, for he knew that the sons of -Usna were on guard, and would have wrath upon them. - -Nevertheless, still more did he fear to go back to Concobar with nought -to tell him. - -So the man, descrying a narrow window at one side, climbed to it -from an unyoked chariot that was near, and looked in. He saw Nathos -and Darthool talking each to each in low voices, where they lay upon -the white and dappled fawn-skins, with the gold and ivory chessboard -between them. He smiled grimly, when he saw how great and noble and -kingly Nathos seemed, and how more wonderful and beautiful than ever -were the wonder and beauty of the eyes and face and form of Darthool. - -It was the last time he smiled. At that moment Nathos glanced upward. -Swift as thought he lifted a spiked and barbed chessman and hurled it -at the man’s eye. Treandhorn fell backward, but rose at once and fled, -with his right eye torn and blind for evermore. - -When he came to the king and told his tale, and how Nathos was like -a king indeed, and Darthool more beautiful by far than she had been -of old, Concobar sprang to his feet. A red light came into his eyes, -and he threw back his head and laughed; and at that laughing every -man there knew that his madness was come upon him, and that the -blood-thirst was already sweating upon many swords. - -“Ultonians,” he cried, “will ye do the will of your king?” - -“That will we!” they answered with a great shout. - -“Then come ye, and all your followers and vassals, and surround the -house of the Red Branch, and set it in a forest of red flames, and if -any run from out thereof put them to the sword.” As all ran swiftly -from the king’s fort, a high terrible voice was heard. It was that of -the dying Cathba the ancient Druid, and what he cried thrice was: “The -Red Branch perisheth! Uladh passeth! Uladh passeth!” - -But none heard him or paid heed, save only Lavarcam, who in that bitter -crying knew well that the end was come. - -In a brief while thrice three hundred men surrounded the fort of the -Red Branch, and set red flames about it; and thrice three hundred more -made haste to join them. - -There was a mighty onset at the first led by Buine the Fiery, who slew -many, and quenched the fires, and threw the Ultonians into confusion. - -“Who is the hero who has done this?” cried Concobar. - -“It is I, Buine Borbruay, the son of Fergus MacRossa.” - -“I will give thee great bribes, Buine, if thou wilt forsake these -robbers of my wife that was to be.” - -“What are thy bribes?” - -“I will give thee a cantred of land at thine own choice, and I will -make thee my chosen comrade, and thou shalt be as next to the king.” - -Then Buine the Faithless laughed and said: “Better the honours of a -king than the thanks of dead men,” and with that, for all the pledged -guaranty of Fergus and the troth of his own word, he went over unto -Concobar. - -But when Illann the Fair heard of this he was wroth. He saw the bitter -smile on the lips of Darthool, and he swore that he would not desert -those upon whom lay the protection of his father’s guaranty. - -Meanwhile Ardan lay, dreaming with a proud smile against the fire; and, -upon the deerskins near the couch of Darthool, Ailne and Nathos played -at chess, for little did they care to heed the treacherous valour of -the Ultonians. They knew, too, that their hour was come; and being -kingly, gave no thought to that little thing. - -But Illann called the troops together and fared forth, and made so -deadly an onslaught that he slew three hundred of Concobar’s men. Then -he quenched the fires, and went back to the fort and to where Ailne and -Ardan were playing together. - -“Is that rain that is making a noise without?” said Ailne to Nathos. - -“No; it is a humming of gnats,” answered Nathos. “Let us play on.” - -“My fate is heavy upon me, Nathos and Ailne,” said Illann the Fair. “I -have done well by thee, but I feel the heavy hand of fate is against -me, and who can withstand fate?” - -“No one,” Nathos answered later, when he had thought upon his play. At -that Illann the Fair drank a drink,[25] and went out again. The fires -had been quenched, and there was a deep darkness. So he bade each man -take a torch, and then all set furiously again upon the Ultonians. - -It was then that Concobar bethought him of his son Fiacha the Fair, who -was born on the same night as Illann the Fair. There was life to the -life, or death to the death, in that. - -So he called Fiacha, and bade him strive with Illann, and gave him the -three famous weapons of the royalty of Uladh--the moaning Orchaoin, and -the terrible Corrthach, and the Notched-Bow. - -But for all his enchanted weapons Fiacha did not prevail, and after a -great and wonderful fight, which was girt about by a strange sighing, -the sighing being the breath of the pulses of the watching host, Illann -drove him to the ground where he crouched behind the shelter of his -shield. Easily then he might have slain him but for this:-- - -The moaning Orchaoin made so great and terrible a voice that it was -heard afar off. The Three Ceaseless Waves of Erin heard it, and roared -responsive, so that all the coasts shook with their thunder: the Wave -of Toth (_Tuaithe_), the Wave of Clidna (_Cliodhna_), and the Wave of -Rudhraya (_Rudhraighe_). There was a great dun on these coasts, named -Dun Tobairce, and there Conall Cernach the son of Amergin lived: and -when he heard the roaring of the Three Waves of Erin, he knew that -Concobar was in dire distress. - -And that moaning of Orchaoin brought Conall Cernach on his magic steed -that could fly through the night. He had with him his great sword “Blue -Blade,” and when he came to the place of the strife he moved swiftly -up behind Illann the Fair, and plunged “Blue Blade” into the back, and -through the heart, and out at the breast of the hero. - -But when Conall Cernach heard from Illann’s own lips what he had done, -he was filled with wrath and grief. - -“Thy faithless summons shall avail nought,” he cried into the torchlit -darkness where Concobar was; and with that he took his sword, and -severed from its body the head of Fiacha the son of Concobar, and -tossed it towards the king. Then, turning his back upon the host, he -departed as he had come. - -With the death of Illann the Fair, the Ultonians once more took heart. -They surrounded the Red Branch fort, and again set red flames leaping -against it. - -Then Ardan came forth: laughing lightly, and with a proud joy. - -The Ultonians saw then what it was to perish as mown grass. And when he -had slain five times fifty, his arms grew weary. - -“How many did Illann the Fair slay in that onslaught of his?” he asked. - -“Thrice five score,” he was told. - -So Ardan slew two score and ten more, and then another score, for it -did not befit so great a hero to slay less than an Ultonian champion, -noble as Illann the Fair was. - -When he was tired, he went into the fort, and told Ailne that there was -still fresh carrion enough for a wild-hawk to glut its thirst with. - -So Ailne rose from the chessboard and drank a drink, and went out, and -did among the Ultonians even as Ardan had done, although he slew a -score more, for he was older than Ardan, and so it did not befit him to -put the stiffness and the silence upon fewer men. - -Two-thirds of the night were now gone, yet Concobar did not withstay -his wrath. For now the whole host of the Ultonians was gathered -together, and he thought to have victory at the last. - -But at their great shouting and the higher leaping of the flames Nathos -rose. He kissed Darthool, then he drank a drink, and went out against -the Ultonians. - -In that hour thrice three hundred men grew cold and stiff. - -Then he slew five score more. - -“Go to Concobar,” he said to a man, “and tell him that he has lost a -thousand men over and above the hundreds slain by Illann the Fair and -Ailne and Ardan. And now let him come to me himself.” - -But when Concobar heard that, he sent a messenger to Lavarcam to ask if -Cathba the Druid were yet dead; and when he heard that he was not, he -bade that the old man should be brought to him on a litter. - -When Cathba was brought, he asked if the king meant death to the sons. - -“I swear I mean no death,” said Concobar; “but only honourably to -subdue them and to obtain Darthool. And so I pray of thee to put an -enchantment upon them, otherwise they will slay every Ultonian in the -land.” - -So Cathba raised himself, and put an enchantment between the sons of -Usna and the host of the Ultonians. That enchantment was a hedge of -spears, taller than the tallest spear-reach, and more thickset than -thorns on a bramble-bush. - -But Nathos and Ailne and Ardan put their shields about Darthool, and -came forth from the blazing house, and cleft a way through the hedge of -spears, and, laughing loud, garnered a red harvest among the swaying -corn of the Ultonian host. - -Then there was a strange roaring heard, and a vast and terrible flood -came pouring from the hills. The Ultonians fled to the high ground, but -Darthool and the sons of Usna were cut off by the rushing waters. - -Soon the flood rose to their waists, but then it ceased rising. - -“The wind will soon blow,” whispered Darthool, “and then the flood will -rise, and we shall be drowned.” - -Nathos answered nothing, but raised her in his arms, and kissed her -thrice upon the lips. Then he put her upon his left shoulder, where she -sat with her white arms round his neck. - -There was a smile in the blue eyes of Nathos. - -The flood now subsided, but the sons of Usna could not move, for their -feet were in a morass. On a dry spit of land close to them a man -walked. This man was Maine of the Red Hand, a man of Lochlin,[26] in -the train of Concobar. - -Concobar had bidden some hero go forth and slay the sons of Usna. But -none would stir. A deep shame burned in all. But Maine’s father and two -brothers had been slain by Nathos, and he said he would do likewise -unto the sons of Usna. - -When he drew near, Ardan spoke. - -“Slay me first,” he said, “for I am the youngest of the sons of Usna: -and it may be that with my death the tides of fortune may flow again.” - -“That cannot be,” said Nathos. “Here is the sword which Manannan, -the son of Lir, gave me, and that cannot leave any remains of blow -or stroke. Let this man Maine take it, and strike at us at one and -the same time, so that not one of us may have the shame and sorrow of -seeing the other beheaded.” - -And so it was. But while the man reached for the sword, Darthool sprang -from the shoulder of Nathos, and strove to kill Maine of the Red Hand. -With a blow he reeled her aside, and then whirled the great sword of -Manannan on high. - -There was a flash in the air, and then the heads of the three fairest -and noblest heroes of Alba fell. There was a long and terrible silence, -till suddenly the whole host of Uladh broke into lamentation. Only -Concobar stood leaning on his sword, and stared at the stillness that -was now fallen upon the House of Usna. - -But already afar off Darthool had descried the champion Cuchulain, and -she fled towards him. - -“Thou shalt be safe with me, beautiful one,” he said. “Tell me what -thou wantest me to do.” - -“I do not wish to live, but I wish to live yet a brief hour, and not to -be taken in shameful life before the eyes of Concobar.” So the twain -returned to where the dead lay. Darthool fell upon her knees, and -spread out the glory of her hair, and put her lips to the blood-wet -lips of Nathos. - -Then she rose, and looking upon the silent Ultonians, chanted this -chant: - - Is it honour that ye love, brave and chivalrous Ultonians? - Or is the word of a base king better than noble truth? - Of a surety ye must be glad, who have basely slain honour - In slaying the three noblest and best of your brotherhood. - - Ardan the Proud, where now lies his yellow hair? - Ailne the Comely, where now stare his sightless eyes? - Nathos, the king of men, where now is his might, his glory? - Where are the sons of Usna whom ye swore to honour? - - Let now my beauty that set all this warring aflame, - Let now my beauty be quenched as a torch that is spent-- - For here shall I quench it, here, where my loved one lies, - A torch shall it be for him still through the darkness of death. - -And with that Darthool stooped, and lifted the head of Nathos, and -cleaned it of blood and foam, and the sweats of death, and kissed the -eyes and the lips, and put her love upon the dear face, and her sorrow -upon it, and her grief upon it, and put it to her white breast, and to -her lips again, and gave it again her grief and her love. - -Then at the bidding of Cuchulain three graves were digged. In each -grave a son of Usna was placed, and as each stood there his head was -placed upon his shoulders. - -But the grave of Nathos was made wider. Darthool stood therein and -held his hands in hers, and put her lips often to his lips, and often -whispered to him. - -One other death there was in that hour, and in that place. - -Cathba the Druid died there: and again he cried: “The Red Branch -perisheth! Uladh passeth! Uladh passeth!” - -And so it was. On the morrow Emain Macha fell before a great host, and -was thenceforth a place of ruin and wind-eddied dust. The Red Branch -became as scattered leaves, and were no more. And Uladh was given over -to blood and rapine, and Concobar died in a madness of grief, and -throughout Erin for many years the tides of death rose and fell. - -But the sons of Usna slept, and the world dreams still of the beauty of -Darthool. - - - - -Notes - - -I - -IN my renderings of the three famous ancient Gaelic tales, collectively -known as “The Three Sorrows of Story-Telling” (_Tri Thruaighe na -Scéalaigheachta_), I have followed Professor Eugene O’Curry (_In -Atlantis_, _Manners and Customs_, and _MS. Materials_); Dr. Douglas -Hyde (_The Three Sorrows of Story-Telling_, translated into English -verse); Dr. Joyce (_Old Celtic Romances_); Dr. Cameron (_Reliquiæ -Celticæ_); Alexander Carmichael (_Trs. Gael. Socy. of Inverness_); Dr. -Angus Smith (_Loch Etive and the Sons of Uisnach_). - -These tales have often been retold in prose and verse; and particular -intention should be made of the metrical versions of Dr. Douglas Hyde, -Dr. Robert Joyce (_Deirdre_), and, I believe, of Dr. John Todhunter. - -In “The Children of Lir” I have closely followed the version of the -original, as translated by Dr. P. W. Joyce (_Old Celtic Romances_), -and in “The Sons of Usna” the literal prose rendering by Dr. Cameron -and the metrical translation of Dr. Douglas Hyde. These two stories -are told more completely than that of “The Sons of Turenn,” which in -the original extends to great length, as there the narrative of the -world-wide quest of the Sons of Turenn is given with great detail. - -Naturally in these retold ancient tales I have often followed the -Scoto-Gaelic variants, both because of familiarity and by preference, -and this particularly in the tale of “Darthool and the Sons of Usna.” - -Much the most ancient of the “Three Sorrows” is the tale of the Sons -of Turenn. Professor O’Curry’s version in _Atlantis_ is the basis -of all other modern renderings. The period of this tale belongs to -mythological times. “The Children of Lir” may be taken as a connecting -link between the mythological and prehistoric and Christian periods. -The tale of “Deirdre,” or “Darthool,” is by far the best known in -Gaelic Scotland, and is still the favourite ancient tale throughout all -Gaeldom. - -The reader who wishes further information should consult in particular -Professor Eugene O’Curry; Dr. Cameron, in _Reliquiæ Celticæ_; Dr. -Joyce, in _Old Celtic Romances_; and Dr. Douglas Hyde, in his -delightful and deservedly popular little volume. - - -II - -The quatrains and other metrical pieces interpolated here, and those -in the text of the first and third of these tales, are generally free -renderings of the originals. Occasionally they are almost literal. -But, both in the matter of selection and rejection, I have taken -certain slight advisable liberties with the original versions. It -may be as well to add, although already explained in the footnote at -page 122, that the “Song to Macha” is here adapted from another poem -known as “Crede’s Lament” (_vide Silva Godelica_, Professor Sullivan’s -translation, etc.). - - -III - -“Darthool and the Sons of Usna.” Readers familiar only with the Irish -versions of this beautiful old tale should also consult the important -variants given by Dr. Cameron and Mr. Alexander Carmichael. Dr. Angus -Smith also gives a good digest, and readers interested in the Scottish -wayfarings of Darthool and Nathos will find the details given there -more or less specifically. - - -IV - -In the story of “The Sons of Turenn” it is possible that some injustice -has been done to the character of Lugh, the foremost personage in it, -best known in all the Gaelic chronicles as Lu-Lamfada--Lugh of the Long -Hand. In this version he is represented uniformly as sternly cruel; but -it must be borne in mind that his inveterate hostility to the Sons of -Turenn was not due to insatiable revenge alone, but to his belief (as -prophesied by his father) that any clemency in the fulfilment of the -great eric demanded would result in terrible disaster to Erin itself. -Throughout this ancient tale, indeed, we recognise Lu-Lamfada as an -impersonation of Destiny or Nemesis. It may at the same time be added -that in the story of “Darthool” Fergus is shown more obviously culpable -than the old chronicles indicate, where he appears rather as a too -innocent and trustful tool of King Concobar. - - -V - -A few notes as to the less familiar of the Gaelic names introduced in -the foregoing pages may aptly be given here, and the more conveniently -in alphabetical order. - -AÉ. Pronounced as rhyming to day: equivalent to Hugh. - -AILNE. The older forms are _Ailna_ and _Ainlé_. The latter (pronounced -Anlă) is probably the right name. It is said to signify beauty. - -ALBA. The Gaelic for Scotland. The genitive of this word is Alban, -whence the familiar English word for Scotland, Albyn. - -BANBA. This was one of the three ancient names of Ireland--Banba, Fola, -and Eiré--the names of three famous queens of antiquity. It is from the -last that Ireland derives its best known Gaelic name. - -BOVE DERG (_Bodbh Dearg_). This semi-mythical king was one of the old -Dedannan race, and stands, as it were, midway between the elder gods -and the historic heroes. His name in Ireland is commonly pronounced -Bove-d’Yarrag; and in Scotland as Bove Derg. - -CONOR (_Connachar_). The oldest form of this famous Gaelic name, so -common in Ireland, is Concubair, or Concobar. Dr. Hyde says that -Concubair is properly pronounced Cunnhoor, but doubtless Concobar is -closer to the ancient usage. - -CUCHULAIN. The oldest form of the name of this great Gaelic hero -is Cuchulaind. The name is pronounced Coo-hoolin, whether spelled -according to any of the Irish-Gaelic variants or as to the Scottish -Cuthullin--but sometimes, as in Skye, Coolin. It is not the real name -of the hero in question. The word signifies the hound of Culainn, and -innumerable references to Cuchulain are found throughout early Irish -literature simply as The Hound. He was a native prince of Ulster, -and lord of the district of Muirthemne, lying between and including -the present towns of Dundalk and Drogheda, now called the County of -Louth, where his chief residence was named Dun Delga (Dundalk). This -celebrated hero, the champion of the knights of the great order of -Gaelic chivalry, known as the Red Branch, was the son of Soalte, or -Sualtam, and of Decteré, sister of the celebrated Irish king, Concobar -mac Nessa (a contemporary of Christ). His name was Setanta, but he -was commonly known as Cu-Culainn, the Hound of Culaan, who was his -instructor and war-smith to King Concobar. The most famous of the -Knights of the Red Branch at this time were the heroes known as Fergus -mac Róigh, Conall Cearnach, Fergus mac Leité, Curoi mac Dairé, and -Cuchulain mac Soalte. - -DAGDA, or THE DAGDA. This is a purely mythical personage, and is one of -the ancient Gaelic divinities, among whom he occupies a place somewhat -akin to that of Jupiter in the Latin Pantheon. - -DEDANNAN. Pronounced Day-Donnan. This is the colloquial form of the -Tuatha-De-Danann; that is, the elder semi-divine inhabitants of -Ireland, mostly mythical, and in some cases euhemerised. They became -the Hidden People, or People of the Hills, of ancient Gaelic legend, -and later the Fairies of popular tradition, though now the drift -of poetic thought is towards a restoration of the Tuatha-De-Danann -to their old spiritual significance and empery. The term signifies -the Divine Progeny of Ana, a mysterious and perhaps supreme ancient -goddess. The Dedannans were also called The Deena-Shee (Daoine-Sidhe), -or Fairy Folk; the Aes-She, or People of the Hills; the Marcra-Shee, or -Fairy Cavalcade; and the Sloo-She (Sluagh-Sidhe), or Fairy Host. - -DUN. This word is properly pronounced Doon, though in Gaelic Scotland -generally Dun. It signifies a fortress or great fortified dwelling or -encampment, and should not be confused with Rath, which is more what -we would call the homestead, hamlet, village, or township, according -to circumstances; or, with Lis, or Lios, a smaller fort probably -corresponding to what we call a keep. - -EILIDH. The name Eilidh is pronounced Eily (_Isle-ih_), and is said to -be the Gaelic equivalent of Helen. - -EMANIA. This is simply the Latinized form of _Emhain_, or _Emain_, the -capital of North Ireland in the ancient days. The name is variously -pronounced as Emain, Avvin, and Yew-an or Yow-an. - -ERIC. Originally eiric, pronounced ay-ric. Signifies literally a fine -or blood-money, and is perhaps best rendered in English by the word -ransom. - -FELIM. This name is more familiar as Phelim. The modern Gaelic is -Phelimy, and the older, Pedlimid. - -GEASA. Pronounced Gassa. It is the plural of _geis_ (often written -_geas_), and signifies oath-bound injunctions or undertakings. In the -old days for a man to be under _geasa_ meant that he was solemnly bound -to do such and such a thing, or, as it might be, to refrain; and the -bond once taken could not be broken without loss of honour. - -ILDANNA. The old Irish word is best represented by Il-danach, that is, -the Master of Craft, or Master of the Many Arts, and is a name which is -specifically given to Lugh Lamfada, Lugh the Long-Handed. - -ILLANN. This frequent name of Illann, or Illan, is identical with -Ullin, so familiar in Scotland through the famous poem of “Lord Ullin’s -Daughter.” - -LIR. Pronounced sometimes Lirr, but generally Lear. - -LOCHLANN. A general name for the whole of Scandinavia, including, of -course, Denmark, and not, as sometimes stated, of Norway only. - -LUGH. This name is pronounced Lu, or Loo, and I have so given it in the -text. - -MANANNAN. Pronounced Mon-on-awn. He is the Neptune of Gaelic mythology, -but holds a more mysterious and more potent position in the Gaelic -Pantheon than his classical congener. - -MAEV. The name of this most famous queen of antiquity is variously -spelt. The original is Meadb, or Medbh, and is properly pronounced Mave -(rhyming with wave). - -MURHEMNE. The original of this is Magh Muirteimne, pronounced -Moy-mwir-hev-na. It is the plain from the Boyne to near Carlingford. - -MOYLE. This is the commonest pronunciation of the old Gaelic Maol, -though the word is best known in Scotland as Mull (from the Mull of -Cantyre). It is applied to the sea between Cantyre and Ulster. - -MEKWEEN. The original of this difficult name is Miodcaoin. I do not -know what it means. - -NATHOS. Originally Naisi; later Naoise; and commonly pronounced Neeshă. - -NUADH. Pronounced Noo-ă. - -OGAM, or OGHAM. The ancient Cryptic method of writing, like the -Northern Runes, chiefly graven on funeral stones or monuments. The word -is sometimes pronounced _Oo-am_, or _oom_, but Ogam is probably right -according to ancient usage. - -SHEE FINNAHA. The old Gaelic is Fhionncaid, and is properly pronounced -Sheeh-Innăchee. - -TAILKENN, or TAILCINN. This name for St. Patrick signifies Adze-Head -(probably from his monkish tonsure). - -TURENN. The old form is Tuireann, and is pronounced Tirran or Toorenn. - -ULAD, or ULADH. The old name of Ulster, of which Ultonia is the -Latinized form. Ulad is properly pronounced Ulla. - -UR. This name is pronounced _oo-ar_ (Gaelic, Uar). The name in its old -form is Iuchar, as that of his brother is Iucharba, which I have given -as Urba. It is probable, however, that Ur is the modern equivalent of -Iucharba, and Yukar, or Yooch-ar (which I have given as Urba), of the -third of the Sons of Turenn. 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NESBIT. - _Crown 8vo, cloth gilt._ - - - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] In Gaelic, the name of Lir’s daughter is _Fionnghuala_, and is -variously given in English as Fionula, Fionnuola, Finoola, and Finola. - -[2] Now Loch Derravaragh, in West Meath. - -[3] That is, between the north-east of Ireland (the Giant’s Causeway) -and the south-west of the Scottish Highlands (the Mull of Cantire). - -[4] The Tailcen: a name given by the early Irish to St. Patrick. - -[5] Coineag, Gaelic for “rabbit.” The common English equivalent, Bunny, -is a Gaelic derivative, from _Bun_, a stump or tail. - -[6] St. Patrick. (Druidic name.) - -[7] With the advent of St. Kemoc, the story comes within historical -times. Lairgnen and Finghin were kings of Connaught and Munster, who -flourished in the seventh century A.D. - -[8] It was the wont among the early Celtic peoples to bury their dead -erect, particularly in the case of kings, and great warriors, and sons -and daughters of kings. - -[9] _i.e._, from the north of Norway to the coasts of Denmark. - -[10] Probably Isberna is Hispania (Spain), and the apples the golden -apples of the Hesperides. - -[11] _Alba._ That is, Gaelic Scotland, and in particular Argyll. - -[12] _Naois_ in the old Irish Gaelic. - -[13] Ulster. - -[14] This song, adapted to Macha, is founded upon a portion of the poem -by Coel O’Neamhain, in honour of a beautiful queen named Crede, as -translated by Professor Sullivan and others. - -[15] Given as in the Gaelic: _ciugear agus tri fichead agus tri chead_. -Large numbers are in Gaelic invariably built up thus (instead of, for -example, as here, four hundred and sixty). In an old Irish-Gaelic -version the particular number here is given as “five and three score -above six hundred and one thousand” (_i.e._, 1,760). - -[16] In old Irish Gaelic, _Derdriu_, then _Deirdrê_, sometimes -_Darethra_. In Scotland, _Dearduil_ (pronounced Dart’weel, Darth-uil, -or “Darthool,” whence Macpherson’s “Darthula,” who rather loosely says -the name is _Dart’huile_, a woman of beautiful eyes). The oldest name -is said to signify alarm. - -[17] The Gaelic original is _Beanchaointeach (Banchainte) Conchubhar -fein_, etc., and means literally Concobar’s Conversation-woman, which -perhaps might be rendered as “gossip.” - -[18] I have adopted here, as more euphonious, the name given to the -eldest of the sons of Usna (Uisneach) by Macpherson in “Darthula.” The -old spelling is _Naoise_. _Ainnle_ (Ailne, Ailthos) means “beautiful,” -and _Ardan_, “pride.” - -[19] The Cruithne, or Picts, had their chief stronghold at Beregonium, -overlooking the Bay of Selma, not far from the mouth of Loch Etive, -below the Falls of Lora, in West Argyll. - -[20] To this day, the Highlander of Western Argyll and of -Inverness-shire is familiar with the Fort of the Sons of Usna, above -one of the lochs which constitute what is now known as the Caledonian -Canal. - -[21] Western India. - -[22] This is a free paraphrase of the original as given by Dr. Cameron -in the _Reliquiæ Celticæ_. The original consists of nine short -quatrains. In the second, the names mentioned are Dun Fiodha, Dun -Fionn, Innis Droighin, and Dun Suibhne. In the following quatrains the -old and modern names are practically identical. The modern Glendaruel -was formerly Glendaruay (Gleann da Ruadh), the Glen of the Two Roes, or -Glennaruay (Gleann na Ruadh), the Glen of the Roes. Innis Droighin is -again alluded to in the last verse. It is now called Innis Draighneach, -meaning the Island of Thorns, and is situate in Loch Awe. - -[23] Literally “O d’chuala Feargus sin, do rinneadh rothnuall corcra -dhe O bhonn go bathas.” (When Fergus heard this, he became a crimson -mass from the foot-sole to the face.) - -[24] This sentence is literal after the old Gaelic as translated by Dr. -Cameron. Apropos of the mention of the chessboard in the next sentence -(as once before), it may be added that the ancient Celtic kings and -lords had a passion for chess. - -[25] _Agus d’ibh deoch, agus tainigh amach aris_, etc., “and he drank a -drink,” etc. - -[26] Scandinavia. - - - - -TRANSCRIBER NOTES: - -There are a number of blank pages in the original text of this book. -To conserve space, especially for handheld devices, blank pages have -been left out of this ebook. - -This book contains Scoto-Gaelic variants. To retain the intended flavor -of the book, spelling and punctuation in dialect text have not been -altered. - -Spelling of non-dialect wording in the text was made consistent when -a predominant preference was found in this book; if no predominant -preference was found, or if there is only one occurrence of the word, -spelling was not changed, unless noted below. - -Single, oddly spelled words that could not be confirmed as -typographical errors were left unchanged. On page 159, “slao” was -considered to be a typographical error and changed to “slay”, which -fits the context. - -Original punctuation has been retained. - -Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved -with the following exception: Page 247 -- chess-board was changed to -chessboard. All seven other occurrences of the word chessboard that -were not end-of-line hyphens did not have a hyphen. - -The name “Ae” is used twice and “Aé” used once within the text. The -name “Taillken” was used once in the text and “Taillkenn” used twice. -No change was made in either because it could not be confirmed that they -were typographical errors. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Laughter of Peterkin, by Fiona Macleod - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LAUGHTER OF PETERKIN *** - -***** This file should be named 50292-0.txt or 50292-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/2/9/50292/ - -Produced by Shirley McAleer, Shaun Pinder and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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- page-break-inside: avoid; - max-width: 70%; - margin-left: 15%; - margin-right: 15%;} - - .caption { - text-align: center; - margin-left: 0em; - max-width: 80%; - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%;} - - .caption p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - margin-left: 0em; - margin-right: 0em;} - - .transnote { - page-break-inside: avoid; - margin-left: 2%; - margin-right: 2%; - margin-top: 1em; - margin-bottom: 1em; - padding: .5em;} - - .hidepub {display: none;} - - .nobreakin {page-break-inside: avoid; } -} - </style> -</head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Laughter of Peterkin, by Fiona Macleod - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Laughter of Peterkin - A retelling of old tales of the Celtic Wonderworld - -Author: Fiona Macleod - -Illustrator: Sunderland Rollinson - -Release Date: October 23, 2015 [EBook #50292] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LAUGHTER OF PETERKIN *** - - - - -Produced by Shirley McAleer, Shaun Pinder and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter hidepub"> -<img src="images/i_000b.jpg" width="344" height="500" alt="Book cover" /> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<p class="center in0 large">THE LAUGHTER OF PETERKIN</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/i_004m.jpg" width="320" height="500" alt="The king saw a fountain of exceeding beauty." /> - <div class="caption"> - <p class="center in0 smaller"><a name="Illustration_a_fountain" id="Illustration_a_fountain"></a>The king saw a fountain of exceeding beauty.</p> - <p class="xsmall left"><i>Frontis.</i>]</p> - </div> -</div> -<hr class="hidepub" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/title_pagem.png" width="329" height="550" alt="Title Page" /> -</div> - -<hr class="hidepub" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> -<h1><span class="smcap">THE LAUGHTER of PETERKIN.</span></h1> - -<p class="center in0 p1 bm2">“<span class="smcap">A RETELLING oF oLD TALES oF<br /> -the Celtic Wonderworld</span>.” by</p> - -<p class="center in0 large">⋅ <span class="smcap">Fiona Macleod</span> ⋅</p> - -<p class="center in0">⋅DRAWINGS⋯BY⋯SUNDERLAND⋯ROLLINSON⋅§⋅</p> - -<p class="center in0 larger">⋅<span class="smcap">London</span>⋅</p> -<p class="center in0">⋅<span class="smcap">Archibald⋅Constable⋅&⋅Co</span>⋅</p> -<p class="center in0">⋅1897⋅</p> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<div class="figcontainer nobreakin"> - -<p class="smaller in6 p4">TO</p> -<p class="smaller in8">ISLA,</p> -<p class="smaller in10">EILIDH,</p> -<p class="smaller in12">FIONA,</p> -<p class="xxsmall in23 p1 bm1"><span class="smcap">AND</span></p> -<p class="smaller in16 bm4">IVOR</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcentersm pr8"> - <img src="images/i_007d.png" width="100" height="72" alt="Water Lily" /> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">4</a></span></p> - -<h2 class="newpage nobreakin"><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a>CONTENTS</h2> - -<table id="toc" summary="Contents"> - <tr> - <th> </th> - <th> </th> - <th class="xxsmall">PAGE</th> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="smcap"><i>Prologue.</i> The Laughter of Peterkin</td> - <td> </td> - <td class="right"><a href="#Page_9">9</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="smcap">The Four White Swans</td> - <td> </td> - <td class="right"><a href="#Page_33">33</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Fate of the Sons of Turenn</span></td> - <td> </td> - <td class="right"><a href="#Page_117">117</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Darthool and the Sons of Usna</span></td> - <td> </td> - <td class="right"><a href="#Page_177">177</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap"><i>Notes</i></span></td> - <td> </td> - <td class="right"><a href="#Page_281">281</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">5</a></span></p> - -<h2 class="newpage nobreakin"><a name="ILLUSTRATIONS" id="ILLUSTRATIONS"></a>ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> - -<p class="center in0"><span class="smcap">By</span> SUNDERLAND ROLLINSON</p> - -<table id="loi" summary="Illustrations"> - <tr> - <td class="left smcap">The King saw a Fountain of Exceeding Beauty</td> - <td> </td> - <td class="right"><a href="#Illustration_a_fountain"><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left smcap">As she Touched Fionula, Lir’s Fair Young Daughter Became a Beautiful Snow-white Swan</td> - <td> </td> - <td class="right"><a href="#Illustration_As_she_touched_Fionula"><i>To face page</i> 33</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left smcap">Turenn Interceding for his Sons</td> - <td> </td> - <td class="right"><a href="#Illustration_Turenn_interceding">" 117</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="left smcap">A Great Raven, Glossy Black, and Burnished in the Sun Rays</td> - <td> </td> - <td class="right"><a href="#Illustration_A_great_raven"><i>To face page</i> 177</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">7</a></span></p> - - -<div class="figcenter pr16"> - <img src="images/i_011ae.png" width="100" height="84" alt="Frog." /> -</div> - -<p class="center in0 large p4 bm4">The Laughter of Peterkin</p> - -<div class="figcenter in14"> - <img src="images/i_011be.png" width="103" height="101" alt="Girl." /> -</div> - - -<hr class="hidepub" /> - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">9</a></span></p> - -<h2 class="newpage nobreakin"><a name="The_Laughter_of_Peterkin" id="The_Laughter_of_Peterkin"></a>The Laughter of Peterkin</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap3"><span class="smcap1">At</span> the rising of the moon, Peterkin awoke, -and laughed. He was in his little white -bed near the open window, so that when a -moonbeam wavered from amid the branches -of the great poplar, falling suddenly upon his -tangled curls and yellowing them with a ripple -of pale gold, it was as though a living thing -stole in out of the June night.</p> - -<p>He had not awaked at first. The moonbeam -seemed caught in a tangle: then it -glanced along a crescent tress on the pillow: -sprang back like a startled bird: flickered -hither and thither above the little sleeping -face: and at last played idly on the closed -eyelids with their long dark eyelashes. It was -then that Peterkin awoke.</p> - -<p>When he opened his eyes he sat up, and -so the moonbeam fell into the two white cups<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">10</a></span> -of his tiny hands. He held it, but like a -yellow eel it wriggled away, and danced mockingly -upon the counterpane.</p> - -<p>With a sleepy smile he turned and looked -out of the window. How dark it was out -there! That white moth which wavered to -and fro made the twilight like a shadowy wall. -Then upon this wall Peterkin saw a great -fantastic shape. It grew and grew, and spread -out huge arms and innumerable little hands: -and in its shadow-face it had seven shining -eyes. Peterkin stared, awe-struck. Then there -was a dance of moonshine, a cascade of trickling, -rippling yellow, and he saw that the shape -in the night was the familiar poplar, and that -its arms were the big boughs and branches -where the spotted mavis and the black merle -sang each morning, and that the innumerable -little hands were the ever-tremulous, ever-dancing, -round little leaves, and that the seven -glittering eyes were only seven stars that had -caught among the topmost twigs.</p> - -<p class="secthead">II</p> - -<p>Peterkin was very sleepy, but before his -head sank back to the pillow he saw something<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">11</a></span> -which caused him to hold his breath, and made -his eyes grow so round and large that they -were like the little pools one sees on the hill-side.</p> - -<p>Every here and there he saw tiny yellow -and green lives slipping and sliding along and -in and out of the branches of the poplar. -Sometimes they were all pale yellow, like gold; -sometimes of a shimmering green; sometimes -so dusky that only by their shining eyes were -they visible. At first he could not clearly distinguish -these unfamiliar denizens of the great -poplar. The vast green pyramid seemed innumerously -alive. Then gradually he saw that -each delicate shape was like a human being: -little men and women, but smaller than the -smallest children, smaller even than dolls. -They were all laughing and chasing each other -to and fro. Some slid swiftly down an outspread -branch, and then dropped on to a green -leafy billow or plunged into an inscrutable -maze: others swung by the little crook at the -end of each leaf, and laughed as they were -blown this way and that by puffs of air: and -a few daring ones climbed to the topmost -sprays of the topmost boughs and held up tiny -white hands like daisies. These wished to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">12</a></span> -clasp the moonshine. As well might a fish -try to catch the moon-dazzle on the water! -No wonder Peterkin laughed.</p> - -<p>Ever and again a delicate sweet singing came -from the moonshine-folk. Peterkin listened, -but could hear no words he knew. Perhaps -there were no words at all, or mayhap he -himself knew too few. But the singing was -strangely familiar. Sometimes when mother -sang, surely he had heard it: as far back, -farther back, than memory could take him, he -had heard some echo of it. Cradle-sweet it -was, that dim snatch of a fugitive strain. And, -too, had he not heard something of it in the -wind, when that went whispering through the -grass and in and out of the wild-rose thicket, -or when it lifted and waved a great wing and -fanned the trees into vast swaying flames of -green? Yes, even in the fire he had heard -it. When the orange and red flames flickered -among the coals, or caught the sap in the -pine-logs and grew into yellow and blue with -hearts of purple, he had heard a faint far-off -music.</p> - -<p>Peterkin gave a little gasp when a sudden -wave of shadow, trailed across the poplar by -a long slow-travelling cloud, swept from bough<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">13</a></span> -to bough. It was as though all the singing, -laughing, dancing folk had been drowned.</p> - -<p>He stared through the darkness, but there -was nothing to be seen. He shivered. It -was lonely out there. Again he heard a -sound as of a remote singing. As before, he -could not hear what the words were. But, -once more, it was not all unfamiliar. It was -sadder than anything that dimly he remembered, -save the long mournful crooning of a -Gaelic cradle-song, sadder than any flame-whisper -in a waning fire, or than any cadence -of the wind in the grass, or among the thickets -of wild rose.</p> - -<p class="secthead">III</p> - -<p>Next night Peterkin lay awake a long time, -hoping to see the moonshine-folk again. He -had spoken of them, but was told that there -were no little people in the poplar. At first this -was the more strange to him, for had he not -seen them? Then, after he had scrupulously -examined the branches from beneath as well -as at a distance, he comforted himself with -the thought that, while there might be no little<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">14</a></span> -people actually living in the poplar, they came -into the tree on the flood of the moonshine.</p> - -<p>But that night there was no moon-flood. A -south wind had arisen at sundown, and had -shepherded from beyond the hills a medley of -strayed clouds: these, intricately interwoven, -now spread from horizon to horizon, obliterating -the stars and obscuring even the radiance -of the new-risen moon.</p> - -<p>If there were no moonlight, and therefore -no little yellow and green lives with bright -shining eyes, there was a strange exquisite -whispering that grew into music sweeter than -any which Peterkin had ever heard.</p> - -<p>He rose and crept stealthily from his bed -to the door. It was ajar, and he looked, half-fearfully, -half-wonderingly, into the open passage. -How long and dark it was, and haunted -by unfamiliar shadows: but, clasping the skirts -of his nightgown close to him, he ran swiftly -to the balustrade at the far end.</p> - -<p>There the stair lamp shed a comfortable -glow. Peterkin looked warily down the stairs, -into the hall, along the closed or opened rooms. -There was no one stirring. The front door too -was open, for the night was warm, or perhaps -some one had strayed without.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">15</a></span></p> - -<p>The child stood awhile, hesitating. Then -he slipped down the stairway like a swift moonbeam. -For the first time he realized he was -only a little child, when he passed the great -antlered stag’s-head in the hall, and the high -stand hung with coats and hats, the raiment -of giants as they seemed, and mysteriously -life-like.</p> - -<p>But once in the open air he lost all fear. -True, a great mass of rhododendrons ran close -to the avenue to the right, and through this -the path meandered to the gardens behind -the house: but there was nothing unfamiliar -about their gloom, for Peterkin loved their -green shadowy depths at noon, and their fragrant -dusk when the long shadows on the lawn -slept longer and bluer, till they sank invisibly -into the grass.</p> - -<p>Old Donal McDonal the gardener, on his -way through the shrubberies, rubbed his eyes: -for he thought he saw a sprite. He could have -sworn, he said to Mairgred Cameron the cook, -after he entered the house, that he had seen -a small white ghost flitting from bush to bush. -Both shook their heads, and wondered if the -White Lady were come again, that apparition -which legend averred was to be seen by mortal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">16</a></span> -eyes once in every generation, and always -before some tragic event or death itself.</p> - -<p>But as for Peterkin he had no thought of -such things. He was now in the garden, eager -in his quest of the little people who hide -among leaves and grass, and love the dusk -and the moonlit dark.</p> - -<p>He had no fear as he ran to and fro along -the grassy ways. Why should he be afraid -of the dark? There was nothing there to -frighten him, or any child.</p> - -<p>For a time he ran to and fro, or crept warily -among the lilac bushes. His little white figure -drifted hither and thither like a moth. Once -he was still, when he stood, shimmering white, -among the lilies of the valley, which clustered -among their green sheaths at the far end of -the garden. Here, a few days ago, he had -buried a dead bird he had found under a net. -It was a thrush, the gardener had told him, -puzzled at the slow tears which welled from -the eyes of the little lad. And now Peterkin -wondered if the bird were awake.</p> - -<p>He had gone to Ian Mor, who was staying -with his father and mother, and told him about -the buried bird: and Ian had comforted him -with this tale:—<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">17</a></span></p> - -<p>“Long ago there was a great king. He had -the wisdom of wisdom, as the saying is. One -day the plague came to his kingdom, and he -lost the three lives which were dearest to him -in all the world. These were his mother, his -wife, and his little son.</p> - -<p>“This king was a poet and dreamer, as well -as a great warrior and prince, and he had ever -been wont to have communion with the powers -and sweet influences which are behind the innumerable -veils of the world. Through these -he had come to know the mystery of the Spirit -of Life.</p> - -<p>“With this Eternal Spirit he held communion -in his deep sorrow. It was then that he -learned how what is beautiful cannot pass, for -beauty is like life that is mortal, but whose -essence does not perish. In fragrance, in -colour, in sweet sound, somehow and somewhere, -that which is beautiful is transmuted -when suddenly changed or slain.</p> - -<p>“So he prayed to the Spirit of Life that his -dear ones might not pass from him utterly.</p> - -<p>“On the morrow, when he rose and went into -his favourite place in the royal gardens, a -secret hollow in a glade of ilex and pine, he -saw a fountain of exceeding beauty. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">18</a></span> -spray rose dazzling white against the sombre -green of the old trees, and seemed to be alive -with a myriad rainbow-spirits, who ceaselessly -flashed their wings as they darted hither and -thither. The king was looking upon this, -entranced by its sunny loveliness, when he -noticed a white dove flying round the high -sunlit fount, and at the hither margin of the -water a cream-white dappled fawn, which -stooped its graceful neck and drank.</p> - -<p>“The king marvelled; for not only had there -never been any fountain in that place, but he -knew that no wild fawn could wander there -from the distant forests, and no dove had he -ever seen so snowy white and with wings -radiant as though stained by the rainbow-hues -of the flying spray.</p> - -<p>“Suddenly it was as though a mist fell from -his eyes. He saw and understood. His old -mother, his wife, his little son, had not passed -away, although they were dead. His mother -had been fair and beautiful even in her -white-hair years; and of the beauty of his wife, -whom he loved so passing well, the poets had -sung from one end of the land to another; -while his little son had been held to be so -perfect that there was none like him.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">19</a></span></p> - -<p>“And now the king saw that the beauty of -his mother had passed into a living fount of -waters, whose spray cooled the air and made a -sound of aerial music and a laughing radiance -everywhere; and that the beauty of the woman -whom he had loved so passing well was transmuted -into the wild fawn which drank at the -water’s edge; and that the beauty of his little -son was now the white dove which beat its -wings in the rainbow spray.</p> - -<p>“The king rejoiced therein with a great joy. -Many of his people thought him mad, but he -smiled at that saying, and with grave eyes -prayed that that madness would come to all -true and noble souls in his kingdom.</p> - -<p>“For a year and a day this joy was his. -Then the fountain ceased to rise, and the dove -to beat its pinions in the spray, and the wild -fawn to drink at the water’s edge. The -rumour went from mouth to mouth that this -was because the plague had come again. The -king was heavy with sorrow, for he had taken -his deepest happiness in the beauty of these -three lovely things, as, of yore, in the beauty -of his aged mother, and in the beauty of the -woman whom he loved, and in the beauty of -his little son. So once again he remembered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">20</a></span> -how he had been helped. With shame at his -heart he upbraided himself because he had -lived too much to the things of the moment -and so had lost touch with those which -were of the enduring life. That night he -spent in unspoken prayer and prolonged -meditation; and at dawn on the morrow he -went slowly and sadly forth, hoping against -hope that his life might be gladdened again.</p> - -<p>“The sun rose as he crossed the glade of ilex -and pine. There was no fountain, as he well -knew; but where the fountain had been he -saw a garth of wild hyacinths, of a blue so -wonderful that no Maytide sky was ever more -delicately wrought of azure and purple. And -above this were two little brown birds, which -sang with so sweet voice and bewildered rapture -that his heart melted within him.</p> - -<p>“Then he knew that in these new joys he -had found again the beauty he had lost.</p> - -<p>“When, in the change of the days, the -hyacinths spilt their blue wave into the rising -green of the fern, and the birds ceased singing -their lovely aerial songs, the king no longer -grieved, for now he knew that what was -beautiful would not perish but drift from change -to change.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">21</a></span></p> - -<p>“And so it was. For when, weary of his -pain, he went forth one night to the lovely -glade of ilex and pine, he saw the ground -white with the little blooms we call Stars of -Bethlehem, and among these a glow-worm lay -and glowed like a lamp in a white wilderness, -and from an ancient ilex came the voice of a -nightingale.</p> - -<p>“Thus the king was comforted.</p> - -<p>“And so you too, Peterkin,” added Ian -Mor, “need not sorrow too much for your -little dead bird. It will live again mayhap in -the fragrance of a lily or in the beauty of a -rose. It will rise again, Peterkin.”</p> - -<p>This tale had sunk deeply into the child’s -mind, and perhaps all the more so because -the words, and the meaning behind the words, -were sometimes beyond him. But he understood -well the drift of what Ian Mor had -told him.</p> - -<p>He was prepared for any miracle. If his -little bird should rise through the brown earth -and ascend singing towards the stars; or if he -should hear a song and see no bird; or if a -fount should well from where its body lay; -or if a rare bloom should spring from the earth; -or if a fragrance, new and sweet, should reach<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">22</a></span> -him—if one of these things should happen, or -anything akin, it would be no surprise to -him.</p> - -<p>But while he was still wondering, he heard -voices.</p> - -<p>“Peterkin! Peterkin!”</p> - -<p>He did not answer, but laughing low to -himself, crept in among the lilies-of-the-valley, -and lay there, himself like a white bloom. The -voices came near, nearer, and passed by. -Peterkin’s heart smote him, for he heard the -pain in the calling voices; but it was so cool -and quiet there among the lilies, and it was -so sweet to be out of sight of every one and -lost, that he could not break the spell.</p> - -<p>What if he were to be found by the elfin-folk -and led into fairyland? He thrilled both with -fear and eager delight at the thought. Surely -even now he heard the delicate music of the -lily-bells?</p> - -<p>Peterkin did not know that he had a neighbour. -Suddenly, he heard a faint rustle. Ah, -it was one of the Shee—one of the little -people! Mayhap it was the green Harper, -of whom Ian Mor had told him, or one of the -seven star-crowned queens, or the haughty -Midir, with a peacock’s feather in his moon-gold<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">23</a></span> -hair, or Fand, who walked in fairy dew, -or—or——</p> - -<p>And then Peterkin saw who his neighbour -was. From under a stone, beset by lily-sheaths, -a small toad crawled. Its strange -bright eyes were fixed upon the staring child, -whom, however, it did not seem to heed after -it had once examined this strange white creature -who lay among the lilies.</p> - -<p>Suddenly Peterkin began to laugh. The -toad sat still, solemnly regarding him. Peterkin -laughed the more. Once the toad gave -a short jump, though this was not from fear, or -even from lack of interest in his unfamiliar -neighbour, but because a gnat had come temptingly -almost within reach of his long, thin, -serpentine tongue.</p> - -<p>“Tell me, toad,” Peterkin said at last, “why -are you so funny?”</p> - -<p>Whether it was because the toad was not -given to gaiety, or whether his disappointment -about the gnat had soured him, he did not -respond save by an unwinking stare. After a -while it shot out its tongue, as though it were -speculating as to Peterkin’s flavour as a -pleasant morsel, or perhaps only to find if he -were within reach.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">24</a></span></p> - -<p>This was too much for Peterkin, who rolled -back among the lilies, crushing the little white -bells into a floating fragrance. But, alas, that -betraying laughter!</p> - -<p>Peterkin was still in its throes when he heard -a voice falling upon him as though out of the -skies.</p> - -<p>“Ah, there you are, you little rascal! How -you frightened us all, and what a hunt we have -had!”</p> - -<p>Almost before he recognised the voice of -Ian Mor, Peterkin was seized and lifted high -into the air.</p> - -<p>“Don’t be angry, Ian,” the child whispered. -“I came out to see the fairies. And then I -ran on here to see if the little dead bird had -come out of the earth again.”</p> - -<p>“And have you seen a fairy, Peterkin?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know. I saw a toad.”</p> - -<p>“What did the toad do?”</p> - -<p>“It looked at me till I laughed. Then it -put out its tongue, and I laughed and laughed -and laughed.”</p> - -<p>“I’m thinking that toad must have been a -fairy in disguise, Peterkin. But now come: -I am going to carry you back to your bed.”</p> - -<p>And whether it was because of Peterkin’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">25</a></span> -escape into the garden, or what vaguely came -to him there, or what Ian Mor told him as he -carried him homeward in his arms, he did hear -the horns of elf-land that night, and did see the -gathering of the Shee in the moonshine. But -it was in a drowsy hollow in the dim wood -of sleep, wherein the birds were white soft-pinioned -dreams, and the moon waxed and -waned like the lily that sinks and rises in dark -pools.</p> - -<p class="secthead">IV</p> - -<p>In those first fragments of Peterkin’s experiences, -all his life was foreshadowed. Wonder, -delight, longing, laughter—the four winds of -childhood—these blew for him through his first -few years, through childhood and boyhood and -youth. He is a man now; but though the -laughter is rarer and the longing deeper and -more constant, there still blow through the -dark glens and wide sunlit moors of his mind -the four winds of Laughter, Longing, Wonder, -and Delight.</p> - -<p>As year after year went by, his mind became -a storehouse of all that was most beautiful and -marvellous in the Celtic wonder-world. It is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">26</a></span> -no wonder this, since he had for story-teller -Ian Mor, and Eilidh whom Ian loved; and -knew every shepherd on the hillsides of -Strachurmore, and every fisherman on the -shores of Loch Fyne. The old ballads, the -old romances, the strange fragments of the -Ossianic tales, the lore of fairydom, fantastic -folk-lore, craft of the woodlands, all of the -outer and inner life grew into and became -interwrought with the fibre of his most intimate -being.</p> - -<p>I am not here telling the story of Peterkin -himself. He stands, indeed, for many children -rather than for one, for many lives and not an -individual merely.</p> - -<p>In a sense, therefore, Peterkin is not merely -a little child, a boy, a youth, who went through -his years gladly laughing, mysteriously wondering, -wrought to pain and joy, to suffering and -delight, by all he saw and heard and inwardly -learned; but a type of the Wonder-Child, -and so a brother to all children, to poets, and -dreamers.</p> - -<p>Of the many tales of old times which Peterkin -loved, none did he dwell upon with so -much delight as those three which are familiar -throughout Ireland and Gaelic Scotland as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">27</a></span> -“The Three Sorrows of Story-Telling.” In -“The Children of Lir,” in “Deirdre and -the Sons of Usna,” in “The Children of -Turenn,” he found pre-eminently the haunting -charm and sad exquisite beauty which are the -colour and fragrance of the Celtic genius. -And though in his manhood he turned with -deeper emotion to tales such as “Dermid and -Grainne,” or “The Amadan Mor,” it was of -these early favourites that he loved to think, -that he loved to re-read, to hear again, to re-tell.</p> - -<p>That is why, therefore, I have chosen to -make this book essentially a re-telling of the -beautiful old tales of “The Three Sorrows,” -so familiar once to our Gaelic ancestors, and -still, in however crude a form, the most popular -of all the tales of the Gael. They are sad, it -is true, because all the old beautiful tales are -sad; but it is a sadness which is a fragrance -about an exquisite bloom, and that bloom -wrought of joy and keen delight. They were -not sad, they who lived the old, joyous, heroic -life; in some poignant vicissitude, some sudden -slaying, some passing of a bright flame -into a melancholy wane, we see a sad gleam -about the end of their days, and, seeing thus -the fortuitous coming and going of life and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">28</a></span> -death, read into the old chronicles a melancholy -which often is not there.</p> - -<p>Of course, a tale such as “The Fate of the -Children of Lir”—probably the story known -above all others among the children of Western -Scotland and Ireland—is sad with another -sadness, that of prolonged and unmerited -suffering. But to the Gaelic mind, at least, this -is redeemed by the sense of heroic endurance, -of the deep unselfish devotion of a lovely -womanly type such as is represented by Fionula, -and perhaps, above all, by the music and -beauty which were the sweet doom of Fionula -and her brothers.</p> - -<p>But to me not one of them is sad, save with -beauty. For through all I hear the sound of -Peterkin’s laughter. Sometimes it was aroused -by an episode; sometimes it leapt like a hound -along the trail of vagrant thoughts; sometimes -it came and went as an eddying wind, none -knowing whence or whither.</p> - -<p>This laughter of Peterkin has become for me -one of the sweet wonderful voices of nature—the -four winds of Childhood: Wonder, Delight, -Longing, and Laughter. Ah, children, -children, to one and all I wish the golden -fortune of Peterkin.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">29</a></span></p> - -<p class="secthead">V</p> - -<p>When Peterkin was still a child he was -familiar with tales of the old world which now-a-days -we keep from children, because they are -not old enough to understand. That, I fear, -is more because we ourselves do not understand, -or are out of sympathy. Is a child more -likely to be hurt, or to be nobly attuned to the -chant-royal of life, by acquaintance with stories -of vivid and beautiful human love such as -that of Nathos and Darthool, or Dermid and -Grainne? Surely, what is beautiful is not a -thing to be feared; and though, alas! so many -of us do now indeed dread beauty and feel -toward it a strange baffled aversion, there are -others who know it to be the profoundest and -most exquisite mystery in life.</p> - -<p>To Peterkin at any rate there was never -anything but what was stirring and heroic and -full of charm and beauty in these old tales: and -through all his days their atmosphere was in -his mind, so that he made life fairer for himself -and others.</p> - -<p>Few stories delighted him more than the -wild folk-lore tales which he heard from the -shepherds and fishermen, or than those which -he was told on Iona. It was to that island he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">30</a></span> -was taken when he was still a child, at a time -when the shadow of death darkened his young -life. But there, staying with Ian Mor and with -Eilidh, his wife, he lived the happiest months of -his early years, and came closer to the beauty -of the past and to the beauty of the present -than ever before or after.</p> - -<p>It was on Iona that he first heard the -“Three Sorrows of Story-Telling,” though -that of Nathos and Darthool—or of “The -Sons of Usna,” as it is generally called—was -rather overheard by him as Ian related it to -Eilidh, than told to him direct.</p> - -<p>Throughout the first months of his stay in -Iona, Peterkin was told something daily by -Ian Mor, so that, child as he was, he became -familiar with strange names and peoples of the -past, as well as with all the wonders of the -living world. True, there was thus in his -mind a jumble of the past and the present, and -Columba was more real to him than McCailin -Mor himself, and Finn and Cuchulain, Ossian -and Oscar and Dermid as vivid and actual as -any fisherman of Iona.</p> - -<p>When he was old enough to follow aright, -Ian Mor told him, anew and in his own way, -the three famous tales which follow.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">31</a></span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="newpage center in0 large">The Tale of the Four<br /> -White Swans</p> - -<hr class="hidepub" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">32</a></span></p> - -<div class="poem-container"> - <div class="poem"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse quote">“The cold and cruel fate that overtook</div> - <div class="verse">The children of the great De Danann, Lir,</div> - <div class="verse">Is of the Sorrow-stories of our isle.</div> - <div class="verse">This sorrow-tale indeed is old and young;</div> - <div class="verse">Old, for so many hundred years have gone</div> - <div class="verse">Since last beneath the midnight shimmering star</div> - <div class="verse">Was heard the music of the birds of snow:</div> - <div class="verse">Young, for amid the bright-eyed tuneful Gael</div> - <div class="verse">The sorrows of the snowy-breasted four</div> - <div class="verse">Are told again to-day, and shall be told</div> - <div class="verse">Long as the children of Milesius last</div> - <div class="verse">To people Banba’s hills and pleasant vales.”</div> - </div> - </div> - <div class="signature"> - <p class="sigmiddle pr4"><i>The Three Sorrows of Story-Telling</i>:</p> - <p class="sigright1 pr6">“The Children of Lir,”</p> - <p class="sigright2"><i>trs. by Dr. Douglas Hyde</i>.</p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="hidepub" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/i_038m.jpg" width="320" height="500" alt="As she touched Fionula, Lir’s fair young daughter became a beautiful snow-white swan." /> - <div class="caption"> - <p class="center in0 smaller"><a name="Illustration_As_she_touched_Fionula" id="Illustration_As_she_touched_Fionula"></a>As she touched Fionula, Lir’s fair young daughter became a beautiful snow-white swan.</p> - <p class="xsmall left"><i>To face p. 33.</i>]</p> - </div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">33</a></span></p> - -<hr class="hidepub" /> - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<h2 class="newpage nobreakin"><a name="The_Tale_of_the_Four" id="The_Tale_of_the_Four"></a>The Tale of the Four<br /> -White Swans</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap3"><span class="smcap1">The</span> story that I will tell you now is one -of the most famous among all the peoples -of the Gael. It is called sometimes “The -Tale of the Four White Swans,” sometimes -“The Fate of the Children of Lir,” sometimes -simply “Fionula,”<a name="FNanchor_1" id="FNanchor_1" href="#Footnote_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> because of the beauty and -tenderness of Lir’s daughter.</p> - -<p>The tale is of the old far-off days. It was -old when Ossian was a youth, and Fionn heard -it as a child from the lips of grey-beards. -Often I have spoken to you, Peterkin, of the -Danann folk, the Tuatha-De-Danann who lived -in the lands of our race before the foreign -peoples came and drove the ancient dwellers in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">34</a></span> -Ireland and Scotland to the hills and remote -places. When men allude to them now in this -late day, they speak of the Dedannans (as they -are often called) as the Hidden Folk, the Quiet -People, the Hill Folk, and even as the Fairies. -It is natural, therefore, that years are as dust in -the chronicles of this lost race. They live for -hundreds of years where we live for ten; and -so it is that the foam of time is white against -the brief wave of our life, when against the -mighty and long reach of theirs it is but flying -spray.</p> - -<p>You have heard Eilidh singing the song of -the Four White Swans. It is a music that -hundreds of tired ears have heard. It is so -sweet, Peterkin, that old men grow young, and -old women are girls again, and weary hearts -ache no more, and dreams and hopes become -real, and peace puts out her white healing -hand.</p> - -<p>“Have you heard that singing, Ian?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, my boykin, often. And you, too, -shall often hear it. It is in lonely places, in -lonely hours, that you shall hear it. It is a -beautiful strange sound, and so old and so -wonderful that in it you will hear the beating of -the heart of the world thousands of years ago.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">35</a></span> -But first I will tell you the story of the Four -Swans, and then we can speak again of the -strange singing I have heard at times, and that -you often shall hear.”</p> - -<p>The Dedannans were the most wonderful -and happy people in the world till they became -discontented with what the unknown and beautiful -gods had given them. Then they split -into sections, and some sought one vain thing -and some another, and in the end all found -weariness. Their wise men knew that as long -as they were at one no enemy could prevail -against them; but it has never been the way of -the unquiet to believe in the old wisdom, and -so feuds arose, and the Fairy Host itself—as -the great array of the warriors of the Tuatha-De-Danann -was called—ceased to be invincible, -because the banners blew to the four winds.</p> - -<p>Not all their ancestral sojournings in the dim -lands of the East, nor in the ages of their -migration to the country of fjords which has its -whole length in the sea, nor in Alba, that is -now Scotland, nor Eiré, that is now Ireland, not -all they had learned in their remote past helped -them against the undoing of their own folly.</p> - -<p>It has been said that the Dedannans never -fought against men till the Milesians, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">36</a></span> -warriors of Miled out of some land in the -south—the land, mayhap, we know as Spain—came -against them upon the banks of a river -then as now called the Blackwater, in the heart -of Meath.</p> - -<p>But before the Dedannans themselves ever -saw it, the Green Isle was held by the Firbolgs, -a terrible, heroic race, but allied to the -dark powers. Some say they became demons, -after they were defeated in many battles by the -Tuatha-De-Danann, and at last wholly conquered. -But so old is this ancient tired world, -that long before the Dedannans and the Firbolg -people fought for sovereignty, the Firbolg had -striven with and overcome an earlier race—the -Nemedians—which had come to Ireland under -a mysterious king, Nemed. None knows who -Nemed was, though he may have been a god, -seeing that he overcame that most ancient -people who were the first to set foot in the Isle -of Destiny, under Partholan, a son of him who -was called the Most High God.</p> - -<p>Whether it be true or not that the overlordship -of the world was meant for man, -certain it is that man has thought so. Therefore -are all stories of his cosmic strife coloured -by this destiny. Terrible and mighty<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">37</a></span> -were the Firbolgs, fierce and terrible and beautiful -were the Dedannans, but now there is no -rumour of either, save in the wail of the wind, -or in the stirring of swift, stealthy feet in the -moonshine.</p> - -<p>But now, Peterkin, I will tell you about -the children of Lir, who was one of the great -princes of the Dedannans.</p> - -<p>The first great battle between the Milesians -and the Dedannans had been fought, and -the ancient people, for all their secret powers -of wonders and enchantment, had been defeated. -Throughout all Erin—for Ireland at -that time was called either Eiré (Erin), or -Fola, or Banba, after three great queens—there -was a rumour of lamentation. It was the -beginning of the end, though few save the -wisest Druids foresaw it.</p> - -<p>But the people knew that their dissensions -were the cause of their sorrow. They -clamoured for one king to be overlord, so that -the whole Dedannan race might be united.</p> - -<p>There were five great princes who claimed -to be king by right. Of these two were -greater than the others—Bove Derg, son of -Dagda, one of the divine race (and some say a -mighty god), and Lir of Shee Finnaha. In<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">38</a></span> -the end Bove Derg was elected Ardree, or -High King. Even Midir the Haughty acquiesced -in this judgment of the people, but Lir -was wroth and held aloof. All the princes and -warriors were fierce with Lir because he had -left the assembly in anger, paying heed to no -one, and scornfully ignoring the majesty of the -king. A hundred swords of proven heroes -leapt before Bove Derg, for all were eager to -follow Lir and destroy him and his, because of -the insult to the king and to the voice and -freewill of the people. But Bove Derg was a -wise and generous prince, and forbore. This -was well. For in time a great sorrow came -upon Lir. When the rumour of this sorrow -reached Bove Derg, he saw how he might win -over Lir.</p> - -<p>“In my house,” he said, “are my three -foster-children, the daughters of Aileel of Ara. -Each is beautiful, all are wise and sweet and -noble. Let messengers go to Lir, and tell him -that my friendship is his if he will have it. -Surely now he will submit to the will of the -people. And he can have to wife whomsoever -of the three daughters of Aileel he may choose, -if so be that she will gladly and freely go with -him.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">39</a></span></p> - -<p>Lir was glad at this message. He called -his warriors together, and in fifty chariots he -and they set forth. They rested not till they -came to the palace of Bove Derg, by the Great -Lake, nigh to the place now called Killaloe. -Great were the rejoicings, and again at the -alliance which after many days was made -between the king and Lir.</p> - -<p>When Lir saw the three daughters of -Aileel, he could not say who was the most -beautiful.</p> - -<p>“Each is alike beautiful, O king,” he said; -“and I cannot tell which is best. But surely -the eldest must be the noblest of the three, and -so I will choose her, if so be that she gladly -and freely come with me as my wife.”</p> - -<p>And so it was. When Lir returned to his -own place, he took with him as his wife the -beautiful Aev, who was the eldest of the -daughters of Aileel of Ara, and was foster-child -of Bove Derg the king. From that day, too, -a deep and true friendship lived between Bove -Derg and Lir.</p> - -<p>In the course of time Aev bore him twin -children, a son and a daughter. The daughter -was named Fionula, because of her lovely -whiteness, and the son was named Aed, for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">40</a></span> -that his eyes, and the mind behind his eyes, -were bright and wonderful as a flame of fire.</p> - -<p>And at the end of the second year Aev -again bore twin children. Both were sons, and -they were named Fiachra and Conn. But in -giving them life she lost her own.</p> - -<p>Lir was in bitter distress because of her -death, and for the reason that his four little -children were now motherless. He was comforted -by Bove Derg, who not only gave -him friendship and kingly aid and counsel, but -said that he should not be left alone to mourn, -and that his little ones should not go motherless.</p> - -<p>Thus it was that Aeifa, the second of the -daughters of Aileel of Ara and foster-child of -Bove Derg the king, came to Shee Finnaha -and espoused Lir.</p> - -<p>For some years all went well. Aeifa -nursed the children, and tended them. They -were so fair and beautiful that the poets sang -of them far and wide. Even Bove Derg loved -them as though they were his own. As for -Lir, so great was his love, that he could not -bear to be long apart from them. His sleeping-room -was separated from them only by a deerskin, -and this often he pulled aside at dawn, so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">41</a></span> -that he might see his dear ones, and perchance -go to them to talk lightly and happily, or to -caress them with loving laughter and joy.</p> - -<p>Lir was never sad save when the four -children went south to the Great Lake to -stay awhile with Bove Derg, who in his turn -was filled with melancholy when the time -came for them to go home again. Nor was -Lir ever so proud as when, at the Feast of -Age, whenever that festival came to be held -at Shee Finnaha, the king and the nobles and -the warriors delighted in the beauty and marvellous -sweet charm of Fionula and Aed and -Fiachra and Conn. Thus it was that the saying -grew: “Fair as the four children of -Lir.”</p> - -<p>But there was a deep shadow behind all this -joy. This shadow came out of the heart of -Aeifa. In love there is sometimes a poisonous -mist. It is what we call Jealousy. At first -Aeifa truly loved her step-children. But as -the years lapsed, and when Fionula was passing -from girlhood into maidenhood, the wife of -Lir was filled with anger against the four children. -She was bitter at heart because their -father loved them with so great a tenderness, -and that even the king himself cared for them<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">42</a></span> -above all else, and because all the Dedannans -had joy of them.</p> - -<p>The time came when this dull smouldering -fire, which she might have overcome had she -loved nobly and not ignobly, burst into flame. -This flame withered her heart, and rose thence -till it obscured her mind.</p> - -<p>She had something of the old druidical -wisdom, but she feared the counter-spells of -others wiser than herself. Nevertheless she -set herself to learn one or other of the ancient -incantations against which even the gods are -powerless to avert evil from men and women.</p> - -<p>While she was brooding thus—and for -weeks and even months she lay in the house -of Lir as one stricken with some terrible ill—her -rage grew till she could no longer endure -the sight of her husband or of her step-children.</p> - -<p>One day she arose and ordered the horses -to be yoked to her chariot, and bade a small -chosen company to be ready to go with her -and the four children to the Great Lake: for, -she said, she wished to see Bove Derg, her -foster-father, and to take the children to gladden -his heart. Lir was sad, and sadder still -when he saw the tears in Fionula’s eyes. In -vain he asked her why this drifting dew was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">43</a></span> -there instead of the sun-bright laughing glancings -he joyed so much to see. She would not -answer: for all she could have said was that -in a dream she had fore-knowledge of the evil -desire of Aeifa to kill her and her brothers. -Perhaps, she thought, it was but a dream. -She loved honour, too, and would not put her -father against his wife because of a visionary -thing that came to her in the night.</p> - -<p>It was when they were in a deep gorge of the -hills that Aeifa was overcome by her hatred. -Turning to her attendants, she offered them -wealth and whatsoever they desired if only -they would slay the four children of Lir then -and there, inasmuch as these had come between -her and her husband, and had therein and in -all else made her life a burden to her.</p> - -<p>The attendants listened with horror. Not -one there would lift a hand against Lir’s children. -What was wealth, or any fruit of desire, -compared with so foul a treachery, so terrible a -crime! The oldest among them even warned -Lir’s wife that the very thought of such evil -would surely work a dreadful punishment -against her.</p> - -<p>At this, Aeifa laughed wildly. Then, -seizing a sword, she strove to wield it herself<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">44</a></span> -against the defenceless children. The three -boys stood, wondering. In the blue eyes of -Fionula there was something the wife of Lir -dreaded more than the wrath of husband or -king. Dashing the sword to the ground, she -cried to the chariot-driver to make haste onward.</p> - -<p>No word was spoken among them till they -reached the hither end of the Lake of Darvra.<a name="FNanchor_2" id="FNanchor_2" href="#Footnote_2" class="fnanchor">2</a> -There Aeifa called a halt, and the horses were -unyoked for rest. It was a fair and warm day, -so when she bade the children undress and go -into the water, they did so gladly.</p> - -<p>While their white sunlit bodies were splashing -in the lake, she took from beneath the rim -of the chariot, where she had secreted it, a -druidical fairy wand. This had been given -her by a Dedannan druid, and was a dreadful -thing to possess, for its power was of the black -magic, against which nothing might prevail. -Going to the side of the clear water, she struck -lightly with the wand the shoulder of each of -the four children; and, as she touched Fionula, -Lir’s fair young daughter became a beautiful -snow-white swan, and as she touched Aed and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">45</a></span> -Fiachra and Conn, Lir’s three young sons -were changed like unto Fionula.</p> - -<p>A cry of lamentation arose from the witnesses -of this deed, though none guessed that -the ill was so dreadful and beyond the reach -of druidic skill, nor did the children know at -first what evil had befallen them, but swam to -and fro laughing in their hearts, and rejoicing -in their white feathers and in their swift joy -in the water. But when Fionula heard the -lamentation, and looked upon the evil face of -Aeifa her stepmother, she knew that the hour -of doom had come.</p> - -<p>Then Aeifa stretched out her arms, and -chanted these words:</p> - -<div class="poem-container"> - <div class="poem"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse quote">“Lost far and wide on Darvra’s gloomy water,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">With other lonely birds tost far and wide.</div> - <div class="verse">For nevermore shall Lir behold his daughter,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And never shall his sons lie by his side.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class="in0">Then while all on the shore stood in deep -grief, Fionula swam close, and looked up into -the white face of Aeifa, which was whiter then -than the whitest breast-feathers of these poor -bewildered swans.</p> - -<p>“This is an evil deed thou hast done, O -Aeifa,” she said. “Out of a bitter heart thou -hast wrought this cruel wrong upon us who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">46</a></span> -love thee, and have never done or wished thee -ill. Nevertheless it is not our ill that shall -endure for ever, but thine own evil. There -shall be an avenging terrible for thee, whensoever -it come.”</p> - -<p>It was then that Fionula for the first time -sang as a swan, and even then the marvellous -sweet singing brought both gladness and tears -into the hearts of those who heard.</p> - -<div class="poem-container"> - <div class="poem"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse quote">“In the years long ago, long ago now, long ago,</div> - <div class="verse">We were loved by her who dooms us to this evil cruel woe:</div> - <div class="verse indent8">Who with magic wand and words</div> - <div class="verse indent8">Hath changed us into birds—</div> - <div class="verse">Snow-white swans to drift and drift for evermore</div> - <div class="verse">Homeless, weary, tempest-baffled hence from shore to shore.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class="in0">A silence followed this melancholy singing. -Then at last Fionula spoke again.</p> - -<p>“Tell us, O Aeifa, how long this doom is to -be upon us, so that we may know when death -shall come to take away our suffering?”</p> - -<p>Then because in that day it was not honourable -to refuse the truth when asked, Aeifa did -as Fionula prayed of her.</p> - -<p>“Better would it be for thee and thy brothers -to know nothing and to hope much. But<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">47</a></span> -since thou hast asked this thing I will tell it:</p> - -<p>“Three hundred years shall ye, Fionula, -and Aed and Fiachra and Conn, who are now -four white swans, abide here on this great -lonely, desolate lake of Darvra. For three -hundred years thereafter shall ye inhabit the -wild sea of Moyle, which lies between the Stairway -of the Giants, and the bleak shores of -the great headland of Alba.<a name="FNanchor_3" id="FNanchor_3" href="#Footnote_3" class="fnanchor">3</a> And for yet -another three hundred years ye shall drift to -and fro among the storm-swept seas off the -rocky isles to the west of Erin.</p> - -<p>“Furthermore, ye shall be idle sport for the -storms until Lairgnen, a great prince of the -north, has union with Decca, in the south: -until the Taillkenn,<a name="FNanchor_4" id="FNanchor_4" href="#Footnote_4" class="fnanchor">4</a> the new prophet, shall -come to Erin and preach a new faith that shall -chase away the old gods: and until ye shall be -filled with fear and wonder at a strange sound, -that shall be the ringing of the first Christian -bell. All this I tell ye because of the prophetic -sight I have, and that has come to me<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">48</a></span> -through the druidic wand wherewith I have -changed ye into four wild white swans. And -this too, I say unto ye, Fionula and Aed and -Fiachra and Conn, that neither by your own -power nor by your prayers, nor by mine, nor -by the power of Lir and Bove Derg, nor by -that of all kings and princes and druids whatsoever; -no, nor by any god, nor by any power -in heaven or earth, can ye be freed from this -spell I have put upon ye, until the times and -events I have spoken of shall be fulfilled.”</p> - -<p>When Aeifa had ceased speaking, there was -no sound to be heard, save the lap-lapping of -the lake-water upon the shore. Of the company -of those with her none spake a word, each -dreading the evil that was sure to come. At -last a faint sobbing came from amid the sedges, -where the young brothers nestled by the side -of Fionula, who had already begun to mother -these dear ones whom she loved.</p> - -<p>When she heard these sobs, Aeifa’s heart -smote her. Even if she would, she could not -now undo the age-long spell she had set -upon the children of Lir. But one thing was -left to her that she might do with the fairy -wand, which could be moved once again if -stirred by the breath of her will.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">49</a></span></p> - -<p>“Hearken, O children of Lir,” she cried, -“for I have yet one thing to say: and that -out of the sorrow in my heart because of -the doom I have put upon ye. Although -ye are turned into wild swans, ye shall not -become as the desert birds, and have no -speech but the savage screams and cries of -the wilderness. Ye shall keep for ever your -own sweet Gaelic speech, and so be able to -talk each with the other, and with any of the -human kind whom ye may meet. And more -than this, ye shall be able to sing the most -sweet, plaintive songs, and the most wild, -haunting music that ever man has heard; so -that all whose ears list shall be lulled into -deep sleep, or into a peace sweeter than slumber -itself. Nor shall the law of the soulless -brutes be upon you, but ye shall be Fionula -and Aed and Fiachra and Conn, the children -of Lir.”</p> - -<p>Having said these words, Aeifa raised her -arms and chanted this song:</p> - -<div class="poem-container"> - <div class="poem"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse quote">“Speed hence, speed hence, O lone white swans,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Across the wind-sprent foam;</div> - <div class="verse">The wave shall be your father now,</div> - <div class="verse">And the wind alone shall kiss your brow,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And the waste be your home.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">50</a></span></div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Speed hence, speed hence, O lone white swans,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Your age-long quest to make;</div> - <div class="verse">Three hundred years on Moyle’s wild breast,</div> - <div class="verse">Three hundred years on the wilder west,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Three hundred on this lake.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Speed hence, speed hence, O lone white swans,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And Lir shall call in vain;</div> - <div class="verse">For all his aching heart and tears,</div> - <div class="verse">For all the weariness of his years,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Ye shall not come again.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Speed hence, speed hence, O lone white swans,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Till the ringing of Christ’s bell;</div> - <div class="verse">Then at the last ye shall have rest,</div> - <div class="verse">And Death shall take ye to his breast</div> - <div class="verse indent2">At the ringing of Christ’s bell.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>Having sung this farewell song, Aeifa ordered -the horses to be yoked again to her -chariot.</p> - -<p>This done, she drove away westward, nor -was there a single heart in those who accompanied -her but was filled with sorrow and -foreboding.</p> - -<p>When the lake was no longer visible, and -the gloom of the mountains came down upon -the pass which led towards the westlands -where Bove Derg dwelled, a faint wild aerial -singing was heard, delicate as tinkling cowbells -on far hill-pastures.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">51</a></span></p> - -<p>Before Aeifa drew near to the great dun -of Bove Derg, she put each of her company -under a solemn bond of silence as to what -she had meant to do and not done, and as to -what later she had done; and because of the -lealty of the bond to a woman, and also because -of the fear of each towards the druidical -fairy wand that she still carried, the oath was -taken by one and all.</p> - -<p>Therefore it was easy for Aeifa to mislead -Bove Derg as to the reason why she had not -brought the children of Lir with her. Nevertheless -he doubted greatly that his foster-daughter -deceived him, for he could not think -that Lir his friend would so mistrust him as -to refuse to let Fionula and her brothers -accompany their stepmother.</p> - -<p>So, secretly, he sent a swift messenger -across the hills and straths to the dun of -Lir.</p> - -<p>Lir was at once wroth and filled with fear -when he heard that Aeifa had reached the -dun of Bove Derg without the children. -Some treachery surely had been done, he -cried.</p> - -<p>Then, calling together a company, he set -forth with all speed. Towards sundown, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">52</a></span> -cavalcade came upon the wide desolate shores -of the great lake of Darvra.</p> - -<p>“What is that sound?” cried Lir.</p> - -<p>“It is the wind in the reeds, O Lir,” -answered a spearman by his side.</p> - -<p>“The wind in the reeds is a sweet sound -to hear, Coran, but never have I heard any -wind that could make so sweet a music.”</p> - -<p>“It is the little gentle lapping of the wavelets -by the west wind, O Lir.”</p> - -<p>“It is no gentle lapping of the wavelets by -the west wind, Coran, nor yet is it the wind -in the reeds; but that is the voice of Fionula -singing.”</p> - -<p>And as the sound grew clearer, all heard -it, and soon the words were audible:</p> - -<div class="poem-container"> - <div class="poem"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse quote">“Behold the Danann host is on the shore,</div> - <div class="verse">Seeking for those now lost for evermore;</div> - <div class="verse">But let us haste towards that proud array</div> - <div class="verse">And tell the tidings of this fatal day.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>And while the song was still in the ears -of all there, Lir gave a great cry and pointed -to where above the midmost of the lake four -wild swans were winging swiftly towards the -eastern shore.</p> - -<p>When he heard from Fionula—and he knew<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">53</a></span> -her voice, which was sweeter than any other -he had ever heard—of all that had happened, -and of the strange and dreadful doom that -was put upon her and her brothers, he fell -sobbing to the ground. From all his company -the keening of a bitter lamentation -arose.</p> - -<p>Alas, as he knew well, not even the great -length of years which the Dedannan folk lived—and -a score of years is to them what one -year is to us—would enable him to see his -dear ones again. Three hundred years on -Darvra, these he might mayhap live to see; -but not the three hundred years on the bleak -and wild region of the Moyle, nor the three -hundred on the wild tempestuous western seas, -nor the far-off day when a prophet called -Taillken would come to Erin with a new faith, -and in the glens and across the plains would -be heard the strange chiming of Christ’s -bell.</p> - -<p>Yet was he comforted when he heard that -his children were to keep their Gaelic speech, -and to be human in all things save only in -their outward shape. And glad he was that -they were to be able to chant music so wild -and sweet that all who should hear it would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">54</a></span> -be filled with joy and peace. For music is -the most beautiful and wonderful thing in -the world, and is the oldest, as it will be -the latest speech.</p> - -<p>“Remain with us this night, here by the -lake,” said Fionula, “and we shall sing to you -our fairy music.”</p> - -<p>So all abode there, and so sweet was the -song of the children of Lir, that he himself -and all his company fell into a deep, restful -slumber. All night long they sang their sweet -sad song, and were glad because of the quiet -dark figures by the lake-side lying drowned -in shadow. Slowly the moon sank behind the -hills. Then the stars glistened whitelier and -smaller, and a soft rosy flush came over the -mountain crest in the east. Then Lir awoke, -and Fionula and Aed and Fiachra and Conn -ceased their singing, and spread out their -white pinions to the light of a new day, and -ruffled their snowy breasts against the frothing -that the dawn-wind made upon the lake.</p> - -<p>Lir took a harp from one of his followers, -and sang a song of farewell to his children. -At that singing all awoke, and the heart of -each man was heavy because of the doom that -had fallen upon the children of Lir.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">55</a></span></p> - -<p>He sang of the fateful hour when he had -taken Aeifa to wife, and of the cruel hardness -of her heart, that thus out of jealous rage she -could work so great and unmerited evil. And -what rest could there be for him, he chanted, -since whenever he lay down in the dark he -would see his loved ones pictured plain before -him: Fionula, his pride and joy; Aed, so agile -and adventurous; the laughing Fiachra; and -little Conn, with his curls of gold.</p> - -<p>Then with a heavy heart indeed Lir went -on his way. Before he and his company -entered the great pass at the western end of -Lough Darvra, he looked back longingly. In -the blue space of heaven he saw four white -cloudlets drifting idly in a slow circling -flight.</p> - -<p>“O Fionula,” he cried, “O Aed, O Fiachra, -O Conn, farewell, my little ones! Well do -I know that you have risen thus in high flight -so that my eyes may have this last glimpse -of you. Nevertheless I will come again -soon.”</p> - -<p>It was a weary journey thence to the dun -of Bove Derg, but all weariness was forgotten -in wrath against Aeifa.</p> - -<p>No sooner had Lir spoken to the king,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">56</a></span> -no sooner had the king looked at the face -of Aeifa as she heard the accusation, than -Bove Derg knew that the truth had been told, -and that Aeifa was guilty of this cruel wrong. -Turning to his foster-daughter, he exclaimed, -in the hearing of all:</p> - -<p>“This ill deed that thou hast wrought, Aeifa, -will be worse for thee than all thou hast put -upon the children of Lir. For in the end they -shall know joy and peace, while as long as the -world lasts thou shalt know what it is to be -lonely and accursed and abhorred.” Then for -a brief time Bove Derg brooded. There was -naught in all the world so dreaded in the dim -ancient days as the demons of the air, and -no doom could be more dreadful than to be -transformed into one of those dark and lonely -and desperate spirits that make night and desolate -places so full of terror. At last the king -rose. Taking his druidical magic wand, he -struck Aeifa with it, and therewith turned her -into a demon of the air. A great cry went up -from the whole assemblage as they saw Aeifa -spread out gaunt shadowy wings, and struggle -as in a sudden anguish of new birth. The -next moment she gave a terrible scream, and -flew upward like a swirling eagle, and disappeared<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">57</a></span> -among the dark lowering clouds -which hung over the land that day.</p> - -<p>Thus was it that Aeifa became a demon o -the air. Even now her screaming voice may -be heard among the wild hills of her own land, -on dark windy nights, when tempests break, or -in disastrous hours.</p> - -<p>But out of a wrong done the gods may -work good. So was it with the Dedannans.</p> - -<p>For not only Lir, and all his people, but -Bove Derg and a great part of the nation assembled -by the shores of Lake Darvra, and -there pitched their tents, which afterwards -grew into a vast rath, wherein the king builded -a mighty dun.</p> - -<p>For Lir and Bove Derg had vowed that -henceforth they would live their years by the -shores of Darvra, where they might converse -with their dear ones, and where they might -listen to the sweet oblivious songs which -Fionula and her brothers sang to the easing -of the heart, and the silence of all pain and -weariness.</p> - -<p>But so great was the rumour of this marvel -that all Erin heard of it. The Milesians in -the south agreed to a long truce of three<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">58</a></span> -hundred years; and came and dwelt in amity -with the Dedannans, for they too loved the -sweet and wonderful music of the white swans -that were the children of Lir.</p> - -<p>“Three hundred years yet may we live,” -said Bove Derg to Lir, “and as I am a king, -I swear never to leave the lough of Darvra -while the four swans that are thy sons and -daughter inhabit it. The heavy years shall -pass for us, listening to their beautiful sweet -singing; and therein we shall know peace and -joy.”</p> - -<p>“So be it,” said Lir, and he spoke the truth, -for in that day the Dedannans lived to a great -age; some say to three hundred, some to five, -some to seven hundred years.</p> - -<p>The years went by, one after the other, and -by tens and by scores, and still Lir and Bove -Derg and the Dedannans and Milesians -dwelled by the shores of Lake Darvra. For -never in the world’s history has there been -chronicle of so sweet a singing as that of the -four children of Lir. All day the swans discoursed -lovingly with their father and Bove -Derg, and their kith and kin, and all who -sought them; and each night they sang their -slow, sweet, fairy music—a music so wonderful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">59</a></span> -and passing sweet, that all who listed to it -forgot weariness and pain and bitter memories -and the burden of years, and fell into a deep -restful slumber, whence they awoke each morrow -as though they had drunken overnight of -the Fountain of Youth.</p> - -<p>The hair of Lir and Bove Derg was long -and white, and almost had the Dedannans and -the Milesians forgotten their ancient enmity, -when a day of the days came whereon Fionula -called aside her three brothers.</p> - -<p>“Dear brothers,” she said, as she looked -sadly at the three beautiful white swans, and -at the four drifting shadow-swans in the depths -of the lake, “dear brothers, do you know that -the time has come when we must put away our -happiness as a dream that has been dreamed? -For now the three hundred years of our sojourn -here are at an end, and at dawn to-morrow we -must arise and wing our sad flight across the -dear lands of Erin, till we come to the wild -and stormy waters of the sea-stream of the -Moyle.”</p> - -<p>Aed and Fiachra and Conn made so loud -and bitter lamentation at this that all heard, -and soon the whole host that was encamped -there filled the region with long keening cries<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">60</a></span> -of grief, and a sorrowful mourning strain as of -the melancholy wind among the hills.</p> - -<p>But once more all were soothed that night -into deep slumber and happy peace, because of -the slow, sweet, fairy music of the chanting -swans.</p> - -<p>At dawn, the four swans arose, and with -their white pinions circled high above the -lake, glittering as they soared into the sunflood -as it swept across the summits of the eastern -hills.</p> - -<p>“Farewell! farewell! farewell!” they chanted, -and at that sad sound all the Dedannan host -and all the Milesians, headed by Lir and Bove -Derg, kneeled along the lake pastures and -amid the reeds and sedges.</p> - -<p>Then Fionula, as she and her brothers slowly -descended in wide-sweeping curves, sang this -song:</p> - -<div class="poem-container"> - <div class="poem"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse quote">“Farewell! Farewell! Farewell!</div> - <div class="verse">Far hence we lost ones go:</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Hearken our knell,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Hearken our woe!</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Farewell! Farewell! Farewell!</div> - <div class="verse">With breaking hearts we flee:</div> - <div class="verse indent2">For none can tell</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Our wild home on the sea.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">61</a></span></div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">For ages on the Moyle,</div> - <div class="verse">In loneliness and pain,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Our feet shall tread no soil,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Wild wave, wild wind, wild rain.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">For ages in the west,</div> - <div class="verse">Fierce storms and fiercer cold</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Shall be alone our rest,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">While ye grow old.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Let not our memories pass,</div> - <div class="verse">O ye who stay behind—</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Who are as the grass</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And we the wind.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Farewell! Farewell! Farewell!</div> - <div class="verse">Far hence we lost ones go:</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Hearken our knell,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Hearken our woe!”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>As Fionula ceased this song, she and her -brothers swept so close to the water’s edge -that their white wings made a little dazzle of -spray. Then with swift pinions they rose -again, and soared in great spirals of flight, till -they gleamed against the morning blue like -four white banners adrift before a skiey -wind.</p> - -<p>Then for a brief while they suspended on -outspread wings, and looked longingly down -upon the dear ones and all their kith and kin,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">62</a></span> -who on their part could scarce see the four -white swans for the mist of tears that was before -all faces.</p> - -<p>Suddenly they swung hither and thither, like -foam tossed by a tidal wind, and then flew -straight to the northward. Soon they were -but white specks; then the blue closed in upon -them, as the wastes of the sea close at last -behind the hulls of drifting ships.</p> - -<p>Before the torch of a stormy sun sank that -night amid the tossed green billows of the -Moyle, there where the sea flows to and fro -betwixt Erin and Alba, the children of Lir -drooped their weary wings. Their home now -was the running wave. In darkness and loneliness -and sorrow, they floated close to each -other, waiting for the dawn to steal into that -first night of bitter exile.</p> - -<p>From that day they were severed from those -who loved them. Of a truth, there was keening -and lamentation and sorrow by the shores -of the lough of Darvra. At the last, as the -snow melts, the great host of the Dedannans -and Milesians passed away: to the westward, -some; others, to the south.</p> - -<p>As for Bove Derg and Lir, their white hairs -and the grey ashes of their lives were the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">63</a></span> -mournful refrain of many a song on the lips of -wandering bards.</p> - -<div class="tb">* <span class="in2">* </span><span class="in2">* </span><span class="in2">* </span><span class="in2">*</span></div> - -<p>There were tears in the eyes of Peterkin -when Ian Mor ceased speaking. His heart -was sore because of Fionula and Aed and -Fiachra and Conn.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, he too would be glad to be a -swan for a time, if only so as to be able to -soar into the blue spaces of the sky, and to -spread white wings over the dancing waters, -and to move through them swifter than any -boat. With what joy he had once climbed on -to the fan of an old windmill, and slowly revolved -through the hot August air, which -winnowed around him a coolness like the flowing -of wind over the summit of a hill.</p> - -<p>A bright shining came into his eyes, then -laughter bubbled to his lips.</p> - -<p>Eilidh looked at him, half in mock reproof, -half rejoicingly.</p> - -<p>“Peterkin, why do you laugh?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, for sure, dear, it’s not laughing I am -at the poor swans, but at the face of Old Nanny, -my nurse, when she came out of the cottage in -the glen and saw me lying flat and holding on -to the fan of the windmill, with my hair all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">64</a></span> -blown back, and both my legs hanging in the -air.”</p> - -<p>“Some day you will kill yourself, Peterkin,” -said Eilidh gravely.</p> - -<p>“Then I’ll be a swan! and I’ll fly round and -round Iona, and whenever you or Ian want -to go to the mainland, I’ll take you on my -back.”</p> - -<p>Suddenly Peterkin sprang to his feet, and -jumped to and fro, clapping his hands.</p> - -<p>“Ah, how I would love it!” he exclaimed.</p> - -<p>“Love what, dearie?”</p> - -<p>“Love to see Ian fall off my back and go -plump in among the herrings in the Sound! -<em>What</em> a splash he would make!”</p> - -<p>“And poor Ian—— Why, he might be -drowned, Peterkin!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, no; I would swoop down the way a -gannet does when it sees a fish, and would -scoop him up with my bill.”</p> - -<p>The picture was too much for Peterkin. -The thought of grabbing the dripping half-drowned -Ian in his bill, and of soaring away -with him to the white dry sands, was better -than any dream of the fairies he had ever had, -even than that when he rode a fairy horse in -the guise of a white mouse, with grasshoppers<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">65</a></span> -for hounds, and a great bumble-bee as a wild -boar for the occasion. He threw himself on -the floor in front of the hearth, and rolled -over and over, contorting his small body into -alarming convulsions, clapping his hands, and -laughing, laughing, laughing.</p> - -<p>Eilidh, too, let the laughter take her, and -then Ian found it sweet; and soon the little -room was full of joyous laughter upon laughter, -and of the leaping flame-light from the blazing -log on the peats, and of the dancing of the -shadow-men in the corners and up and down -the walls.</p> - -<p>“The swans! The swans!” cried Peterkin -suddenly, as he grabbed wildly at some shadowy -shapes which slid along the floor. But these -swans proved as tantalising as the wind-shadows -on the grass which so often he chased, -and suddenly in a flash they disappeared altogether. -They seemed to spring right into Ian -Mor; at any rate it was in his arms that Peterkin -found himself.</p> - -<p>“Where are the shadows? Where are the -shadows, Ian?” he cried: “I believe you are -hiding them inside yourself! Where are they? -Where are they?”</p> - -<p>“Why, you boykin, where could they be?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">66</a></span></p> - -<p>“They are in your heart, Ian! I know they -are! I see them! I see them!”</p> - -<p>Ian glanced at Eilidh. Then, putting his -arm round Peterkin, he laid his lips against his -downy cheek and whispered:</p> - -<p>“Yes, my little lad, you’ve guessed right.”</p> - -<p>“Then why don’t you chase them out, Ian?”</p> - -<p>Again Ian Mor glanced at Eilidh.</p> - -<p>“They live there, lennavan-mo. They -jumped out because of your laughter, but they -are back now.”</p> - -<p>“Then I’ll be laughing often, Ian dear, and -some day I’ll catch them and drive them out -into the sunshine, and then they’ll melt—ay, -ay, they’ll melt for sure, Ian, and what will you -be after doing then?”</p> - -<p>“Well, like Fionula and the wild swans, -Peterkin, I’ll rise up and soar away on the -great flood of the sun across the sea till I come -to Hy Brásil, the Isle of Youth far away in -the West.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I know,” Peterkin said gravely: “Hy -Brásil: Eilidh told me that is where she and -you are going to live. Will you take me there -too?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, you will come there too, mochree, -some day.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">67</a></span></p> - -<p>“But with you — when you and Eilidh -go?”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps we’ll not be going there together, -Peterkin. But we won’t be forgetting our dear -little Peterkin. We’ll be on the shore looking -out for you when you come.”</p> - -<p>“Why are your eyes wet, Ian, and Eilidh’s -too?”</p> - -<p>“Why, you unfeeling little wretch, it’s because -we have left the poor swans, Fionula, and Aed, -and Fiachra, and Conn, alone on the rough -seas of the Moyle all this while.”</p> - -<p>“Tell me, tell me now about the children of -Lir. Did they see any one up there? Were -they ever happy?”</p> - -<p>“Eilidh knows the rest of the story as well -as I do, Peterkin, so go and sit in her lap while -she tells it to you and to me.”</p> - -<p>With that, Ian Mor rose and put another log -on the red peats. A shower of sparks shot up -into the dark hollow of the chimney. Peterkin -laughed.</p> - -<p>“Hush!” whispered Eilidh, with smiling -eyes: and then in her sweet, low voice resumed -the tale of the Children of Lir, from where Ian -had stopped.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">68</a></span></p> - -<p>It was at the edge of winter when Fionula -and her brothers reached the wild bleak seas of -the Moyle.</p> - -<p>At first there was no too bitter cold or too -fierce tempestuousness to make their evil lot -still more hard to bear; but sad indeed were -their hearts as day after day they saw nothing -but the same grey skies, the same grey wastes -and dark sullen waves, the same bleak, rocky -coasts inhabited only by the cormorant and the -sea-mew. Never to see a familiar face, never -to hear a familiar voice: to dwell from morning -dusk till evening dark in loneliness and sorrow—that, -indeed, was a hard fate upon the four -children of Lir. From hunger and cold, too, -they suffered much. No longer could they be -cheered as they were on Lough Darvra, and -often and often they lamented that their doom -could not have permitted them to remain as -swans indeed, but as swans on that now dear -and home-sweet inland sea of Darvra.</p> - -<p>Day after day passed, but while their misery -and want did not grow less they were not yet -tortured by wintry storms and bitter frosts.</p> - -<p>But one forlorn afternoon a terrible congregation -of clouds, black and heavy and flanked -with livid gleams, appeared above the horizon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">69</a></span> -and slowly invaded the whole west, and then -all the sky northward and all southward.</p> - -<p>Fionula saw that a great tempest was nigh, -so she called Aed, and Fiachra, and Conn, to -come to her side.</p> - -<p>“Dear brothers,” she exclaimed, “the storm -that will soon be upon us will be worse than -any we have yet known. Hardly can we hope -not to be driven far apart. Let us agree, -therefore, to meet somewhere, if so be that we -are not utterly destroyed. For though Aeifa, -our cruel stepmother, doomed us to these long -ages of suffering, it may well be that even her -potent spell is not strong enough against death: -and death may come to us through famine, or -cold, or in the drowning wave.”</p> - -<p>At first the brothers could answer nothing. -Then Aed spoke. “Thou art wise, dear -Fionula. Let us, then, fix upon the rocky isle -of Carrick-na-ron, as that place is well known -to each of us, and can be descried from a great -way off.”</p> - -<p>Thus it was that Carrick-na-ron was made -their place of meeting, if so be that in the blind -fury and confusion of the tempest they should -be driven the one from the other.</p> - -<p>This was well: for that night, with the darkening<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">70</a></span> -of the night into a hollow of starless -blackness, a terrible tempest swept over the -seas, and lashed them into foam and into vast -heaving, rolling, swaying billows. Amid the -noise of the waves, and behind the screaming -of the wind, the four weary rain-drenched bewildered -swans could hear the crashing of the -thunder and see the wild fitful blue glare of -savage lightnings.</p> - -<p>Before midnight they were whirled this way -and that by the fierce paws of the gale. Soon -they were separated, and with despairing cries, -each swept solitary through the night. In the -heart of each of the children of Lir there was -little hope of any morrow. All nearly died of -weariness and despair. Nevertheless dawn -broke at last, and with the first coming of light -the tempest passed away.</p> - -<p>When the sun rose the waters were almost -smooth again. A sparkling came into the crest -of every wave. The sea blued.</p> - -<p>Fionula was the first to descry the rocky isle -of Carrick-na-ron, and gladly she swam towards -it, for she was now too weary to fly. Eagerly -she hoped to find her brothers there, safe-havened. -Alas, there was not a sign of any, -not even when she flew to the summit of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">71</a></span> -highest rock and looked far and wide across -the wilderness of waters.</p> - -<p>Great sorrow was hers, for sure, when she -beheld nothing but wave upon wave, wave -upon wave, till on the far horizon the long low -line of sea climbed into the sky.</p> - -<p>A song of mourning broke from Fionula, so -sad and sweet and despairing that the gannets -and sea-mews and dark fierce cormorants -wheeled around Carrick-na-ron, wondering at -the marvel of this wild swan, with the strange -remote voice of the human kind. It was a -song of farewell.</p> - -<p>When Fionula ceased her lament she looked -once more across the wastes of the sea. Suddenly -she uttered a glad cry, for she descried -Conn swimming slowly towards the rocky isle, -slowly, and with drooping head, for he was -drenched with the salt brine, and so weary that -he could scarce move.</p> - -<p>Hardly had she welcomed him with joy, and -helped him to reach a flat ledge of rock -whereon the sunlight poured with healing -warmth, than she saw Fiachra desperately -striving to make his way towards them, but so -far spent that it seemed as though death would -overtake him before he reached the foam-edged<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">72</a></span> -rocks. Fionula sprang into the running wave, -and soon was beside Fiachra, aiding him to her -utmost. With difficulty she helped him to the -ledge where Conn crouched in the sun, but so -weak was he that when he was spoken to he -could utter no word in reply. Fionula looked -with pity upon her two young brothers. It -was hard for her to see their unmothered pain -and weariness. So she spread out her broad -white pinions, and gave the warmth of her -body to the two drenched and shivering swans.</p> - -<p>“Ah!” she exclaimed, as she crouched on -the ledge, with Fiachra nestling by her right -side and Conn by her left; “ah! if only Aed -were here too, all might yet be well. And -even if it be death, sweeter far that we might -all perish together.” It was as though her -loving prayer were answered, for before long -she descried Aed swimming swiftly through the -sunny foam-splashed seas. He, at least, she -saw with joy, had not suffered as his younger -brothers had done, for he came on with head -erect and his white plumage all unruffled and -dazzlingly ashine.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, Aed, too, was glad to rest in -the sunshine, so Fionula placed him under her -breast.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">73</a></span></p> - -<p>Noon found them thus: Fionula with sad -eyes staring out across the wastes of windy -seas; under the warm feathers of her breast, -Aed; and close nestled to the warm down of -her sides, Fiachra and Conn. She heard their -low breathing as they slept, and that they -might sleep the deeper and longer she sang -her low, sweet, fairy music:</p> - -<div class="poem-container"> - <div class="poem"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Sleep, sleep, brothers dear, sleep and dream,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Nothing so sweet lies hid in all your years.</div> - <div class="verse indent8">Life is a storm-swept gleam</div> - <div class="verse indent8">In a rain of tears:</div> - <div class="verse">Why wake to a bitter hour, to sigh, to weep?</div> - <div class="verse indent2">How better far to sleep——</div> - <div class="verse indent8">To sleep and dream.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">To sleep and dream, ah, that is well indeed:</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Better than sighs, better than tears;</div> - <div class="verse">Ye can have nothing better for your meed</div> - <div class="verse indent8">In all the years.</div> - <div class="verse">Why wake to a bitter hour, to sigh, to weep?</div> - <div class="verse indent8">How better far to sleep——</div> - <div class="verse">To sleep and dream, ah, that is well indeed!</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>This and other songs Fionula chanted low -throughout the day, till at last she too was -overcome by her weariness; and she slept.</p> - -<p>At the rising of the moon, all awoke. Full -glad were Aed and Fiachra and Conn that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">74</a></span> -their tribulation was over; only Fionula knew -that the doom which Aeifa had put upon them -held worse things, and many, in store for them.</p> - -<p>For some days thereafter there was peace. -Then a snow-whisper came, and the inland hills -and the peaked summits of the isles were -white. The cold grew deeper day by day; at -each dawn the frost bit with a keener grip. -The bitter hardships of the children of Lir were -now more almost than they could bear. Nevertheless, -they had a yet more dreadful trial to -endure: for at mid-winter there came a tempest -of whirling snow and icy wind so fierce and -terrible, that for a day and a night the waves -were strewn with the dead bodies of sea-mews -and terns. Nothing the four swans had ever -suffered was like unto what they suffered at -this time.</p> - -<p>But when Fionula had again found and sheltered -her dear ones, and mothered them with -her great love, she knew that whatever their -sufferings they would now surely endure until -the end. Had they been subject to the mortal -law, they could not have survived that dreadful -day, and still more awful night.</p> - -<p>And so another year passed. The worst -sorrow of the children of Lir was their great<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">75</a></span> -loneliness, a thing more bitter than hunger or -thirst or any privation. They longed for their -kind as the first white flowers of the year long -for the sun. When mid-winter came again a -terrible frost arose. All the north isles were -like black bosses in a gleaming shield, for -sheets of ice covered the seas, and each island -was gripped as in an iron vice. Day by day -the cold grew more terrible. On the morrow of -the ninth day the four children of Lir thought -that the end of their misery was at hand. The -whole sea was one solid floor of ice; the isle of -Carrick-na-ron, where they were, was like a -black iceberg; into ice lapsed each faint failing -breath that they drew with ever greater pain.</p> - -<p>Each morning they had waked to find their -feet frozen to the rock, and even the edges of -their wings; and a bitter thing it was to tear -themselves free, and to leave clinging to the -rock the soft feathers of their breasts and the -outer quills of their wings and the skin of their -feet.</p> - -<p>How fain each was of death! How gladly -they would have passed away from the world -of the living, though in exile, and longing with -aching hearts to see once more their own dear -land and the faces of those whom they loved!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">76</a></span> -But their doom was on them, and they could -not leave the sea of Moyle, nor could they win -death.</p> - -<p>The brave heart of Fionula knew this. She -knew too what cruel pain it would give her and -her brothers to swim through the salt seas with -their bleeding wounds, for the brine would -enter them and cause agony. Nevertheless, -she led them forth towards the coast of the -mainland. There they found a fjord and a -haven amid the pine-clad shores, and before -long their wounds were healed, and the feathers -on their wings and breasts grew again.</p> - -<p>But of what avail to tell the tale of all their -years? Fionula saw that while they must ever -return each night to the sea of Moyle till the -three hundred years were over and done, they -might fly as far and wide as they could between -dawn and dusk. Mighty and strong were they -now upon the wing, and fit to endure the slashing -of rains, the buffetings of wild winds, the -whirling briny sleet of the seas, and the cold -of the high forlorn spaces of the lonely sky.</p> - -<p>Far and wide therefore they roamed, sometimes -along the foam-swept headlands of Alba, -sometimes by the stormy coasts of Erin, sometimes -for leagues and leagues out into the vast<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">77</a></span> -dim wilderness, wherein, so men said, Hy -Brásil lay—Hy Brásil, the Isle of Rest, the -Isle of Joy, the Isle of Youth Eternal.</p> - -<p>One day, far in the oblivion of these selfsame -years, they chanced to be flying past the -mouth of the Bann, on the north coast of -Erin: and Aed gave a cry of joy, and bade -Fionula and his brothers look inland, for there, -coming out of the south-west, was a stately -cavalcade, the horsemen mounted on white -steeds, beautifully apparelled, and with weapons -gleaming in the sun.</p> - -<p>How joyous it was to see their own kind -again! All gave a cry of rapture, their hearts -aching the while that they could not set foot -upon the land, as that was forbidden to them, -though they might adventure to the shore.</p> - -<p>Long and earnestly Fionula looked, but -she could not tell who the strangers were.</p> - -<p>“Keen are your eyes, Aed,” she said; “can -you discern who the men of yonder cavalcade -are?”</p> - -<p>“I know them not as men: but it seems to -me that they are a troop of our own Dedannan -folk, or perchance they may be of the Milesians.”</p> - -<p>But while they were still wondering and discussing,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">78</a></span> -the cavalcade drew nearer, and the -men of it saw the four swans, and, recognising -them as the children of Lir, made signs to -Fionula and her brothers to alight on the -shore.</p> - -<p>With joy the Dedannans, for so they were, -hailed the poor exiles, for whom indeed they -had long been seeking along the north coasts -of Erin. As for the children of Lir they -could scarce speak, so great was their happiness -to hear their dear familiar speech once -more and to see the faces of their own -people.</p> - -<p>Again and again they were embraced by -the two chiefs of the Fairy Host, as the -Dedannan warriors were called—Aed the -keen-witted, and Fergus the chess-player, -the two sons of Bove Derg, king of the -Tuatha-De-Danann.</p> - -<p>With joy the children of Lir learned that -their father was still alive, and was even then -celebrating at his house at Shee Finnaha, -along with Bove Derg and the chiefs of the -Dedannans, the Feast of Age. As for -Aed and Fergus and all their following, they -wept when they heard the tale of the misery -of these lost years, when Fionula and Aed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">79</a></span> -and Fiachra and Conn were the sport of the -winds.</p> - -<p>While eagerly and lovingly they were conversing, -none noticed that the sun was sinking -upon the low wavering line of the ultimate -wave. But when at last Fionula saw this, -she uttered a sad cry of warning to her -brothers, and all four rose on their white -wings and made ready to fly back to the bleak -and desolate sea of Moyle. And sad, sadder -than ever, was the heart of Fionula, for she -knew that they could not be there till nightfall, -and that the penalty of this would be that -they should not again see the face of their -kind, either on the shores of Erin or Alba, -until the end of the three hundred years on the -wastes of the Moyle.</p> - -<p>As they circled in the air, she sang this -song, the last of the swan-songs heard of any -of the Dedannans who were in that company:</p> - -<div class="poem-container"> - <div class="poem"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Happy our father Lir afar,</div> - <div class="verse">With mead, and songs of love and war:</div> - <div class="verse">The salt brine, and the white foam,</div> - <div class="verse">With these his children have their home.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">In the sweet days of long ago</div> - <div class="verse">Soft-clad we wandered to and fro:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">80</a></span></div> - <div class="verse">But now cold winds of dawn and night</div> - <div class="verse">Pierce deep our feathers thin and light.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">The hazel mead in cups of gold</div> - <div class="verse">We feasted from in days of old:</div> - <div class="verse">The sea-weed now our food, our wine</div> - <div class="verse">The salt, keen, bitter, barren brine.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">On soft warm couches once we pressed</div> - <div class="verse">While harpers lulled us to our rest:</div> - <div class="verse">Our beds are now where the sea raves,</div> - <div class="verse">Our lullaby the clash of waves.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Alas! the fair sweet days are gone</div> - <div class="verse">When love was ours from dawn to dawn:</div> - <div class="verse">Our sole companion now is pain,</div> - <div class="verse">Through frost and snow, through storm and rain.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Beneath my wings my brothers lie</div> - <div class="verse">When fierce the ice-winds hurtle by:</div> - <div class="verse">On either side and ’neath my breast</div> - <div class="verse">Lir’s sons have known no other rest.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Ah, kisses we shall no more know,</div> - <div class="verse">Ah, love so dear exchanged for woe,</div> - <div class="verse">All that is sweet for us is o’er,</div> - <div class="verse">Homeless for aye from shore to shore.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>A great lamentation went up from the cavalcade -of the Fairy Host when Fionula ended -this song, and she and her brothers flew -swiftly northward athwart the waves, red and -wild because of the stormy setting of the sun.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">81</a></span></p> - -<p>Sad was the tale the Dedannans had to -relate when they returned to Shee Finnaha.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, Bove Derg, the aged king, -and white-haired Lir himself, took comfort in -this, that Fionula and her brothers were still -alive. Moreover, they knew that in the end -the spell of Aeifa would be broken and that -the exiles would be freed from their sufferings.</p> - -<p>But often, often, they thought with tears, as -the slow revolving seasons lapsed one into the -other, of the children of Lir upon the desolate -far seas of the Moyle.</p> - -<div class="tb">* <span class="in2">* </span><span class="in2">* </span><span class="in2">* </span><span class="in2">*</span></div> - -<p>Here Eilidh’s voice lapsed into silence. -Then, looking no longer at Peterkin, but -staring into the red heart of the peats, she -sang a Gaelic song, called the Sorrow of the -Grey Hairs of Lir.</p> - -<p>Peterkin never loved Eilidh so well as when -she sang; but he was sorrowful to-night when -he saw that the song brought tears into her -eyes.</p> - -<p>“Eilidh,” he whispered.</p> - -<p>“Yes, Peterkin, dear.”</p> - -<p>“Wouldn’t you be liking to kiss Ian?”</p> - -<p>Eilidh laughed low, a faint flush coming and -going upon her face.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">82</a></span></p> - -<p>“For why, boykin?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I know that whenever you have tears -in your eyes Ian can chase them away. I have -seen him kiss you when you are tired.”</p> - -<p>At this Ian Mor rose and lifted Peterkin in -his arms.</p> - -<p>“Eilidh is thinking of something sad, Peterkin; -that is all. See, she is smiling now, and -laughing too by the same token.” The boy -tossed his curls, and with a roguish smile -added:</p> - -<p>“Ah, that is just because I said she wanted -to kiss you.”</p> - -<p>“You’re much too wise, Peterkin. But -there, down with you! Now run to the door, -and tell me if it is still raining.”</p> - -<p>Peterkin never could go straight anywhere, -for his progress was ever like that of a kid or -lambkin, a series of jumps and little sudden -runs. No sooner was he gone, than Ian turned -to Eilidh, and took her in his arms.</p> - -<p>“Sweetheart,” he whispered, “that little -burst o’ sunshine is right. A kiss from your -lips is the best thing to chase away the tears. -But why are you sad, mochree?”</p> - -<p>“I was thinking of the sorrow of old Lir; -and how little it matters whether one live fifty<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">83</a></span> -years or five hundred, as these old Dedannans -did. Then suddenly the thought flashed -across me that some day soon we should lose -Peterkin: he too will become a wild swan, and -it will be we who shall hear the far-off singing -of his laughing childhood.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps he will take his childhood with -him into manhood, dear. Let him look often -into your beautiful eyes, Eilidh, and the little -one will learn much without knowing that he -is learning. And then, too, to be near you: -why, that is to be a child always deep down, -and to have sunshine in the heart and mind—for -have you forgotten your name, ‘Sunshine’?”</p> - -<p>As he spoke, Ian Mor leaned and kissed -her. Puzzled at the sudden radiant smile on -her face, he looked round. There was Peterkin, -sitting squatted on the hearth, with an -impish smile in his blue eyes. He had crawled -behind the hanging curtain at the door, and -unseen and unheard gained the fireside.</p> - -<p>With a joyous laugh he sprang to his feet.</p> - -<p>“Ah, Ian, you and your rain! Is it not -hearing you are? It’s on the window as if -the brownies were throwing little wee stones. -It was not the rain you were wanting, but only<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">84</a></span> -a kiss from Eilidh! Now, Eilidh, tell me -true?”</p> - -<p>“Tell you true, Blumpits. Why——”</p> - -<p>But here Peterkin, overcome by some -sudden memory suggested by the pet name -which Eilidh sometimes gave him, went dancing -round the room, laughing and chuckling by -turns, and once and again clapping his hands -in elfin glee.</p> - -<p>“Eilidh, Eilidh,” he cried, “do tell me again -that story of Blumpits and the Bunnywig.”</p> - -<p>Ian looked puzzled.</p> - -<p>“What’s a bunnywig, Blumpits?”</p> - -<p>“A bunnywig—you’re not for knowing what -a bunnywig is—and you, Ian Mor, too! A -bunnywig is a <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">kunak</i>.”<a name="FNanchor_5" id="FNanchor_5" href="#Footnote_5" class="fnanchor">5</a></p> - -<p>“And what did Blumpits do?”</p> - -<p>“He got on the bunnywig, in the green fern, -and rode on it into fairyland, and no one saw -him go but a squirrel. But no, Eilidh, I am -not wanting to hear about that now; and don’t -be looking at my bed there, for I haven’t got -the sleep upon me yet. Tell me the rest of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">85</a></span> -the tale about Fionula and Aed and Fiachra -and Conn.”</p> - -<p>“I wonder, now, if that’s because you really -want to hear, or if it’s because you don’t want -to be sent to bed?”</p> - -<p>Peterkin had kicked aside his shoes, and -taken off his socks, and was warming his feet -at the fire. His body was bent nearly double, -as he looked round, clutching the while his big -toe in the hollow of his tiny fist.</p> - -<p>“O Eilidh,” he said reproachfully, but with -a light of such mischief in his eyes that Eilidh -laughed. Then stooping, she took him on her -lap, and after a few seconds, when all three -looked idly and dreamily into the red fanwave -in the heart of the peats, her lips moved again -to the sorrowful sweet tale of the Children of -Lir.</p> - -<div class="tb">* <span class="in2">* </span><span class="in2">* </span><span class="in2">* </span><span class="in2">*</span></div> - -<p>Year after year passed for the four swans -that were the children of Lir. On that bleak -and lonely sea of the Moyle they saw none of -their own kind from year’s end to year’s end: -only the sea-mew and the cormorant, the -gannet and the tern, the slow droves of the -pollack, the travelling schools of mackerel and -herring, the swift seals migrating from isle to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">86</a></span> -isle. With each Spring they saw the great -solanders and wild swans flying northward -towards the polar seas: thence, at the first -days of winter, they saw them again flying -southward, athirst for the thin blue wine of -unfrozen seas.</p> - -<p>There was no change save the changefulness -of the seasons; the grey-black wave of winter -lapsed into the grey-blue wave of spring, and -out of the dark-blue wave of summer grew the -grey-green wave of autumn.</p> - -<p>Cold and hunger and weariness: these only -did not vary.</p> - -<p>But at last the long weary exile on the Sea of -Moyle came to an end. One day Fionula told -her brothers that on the morrow they would -have to fly far westward, for the three hundred -years on the sea-stream of the Moyle were -over, and now they had to begin their long and -mayhap still more bitter, bleak, and mournful -exile on the wild western ocean beyond Erin.</p> - -<p>“We must fly straight to the bleak headland -of Irros Domnann,” she said, “and then -must remain on the wild and desolate seas off -the isle of Glora, the island that is farthest -away from the mainland of our beloved -Erin.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">87</a></span></p> - -<p>Thither, accordingly, the four swans flew on -the morrow. It was with joy that they left the -sea of the Moyle, where they had known so -much privation and misery; but little cause had -they for joy, for not less bleak were the skies, -not less desolate the coasts, not less wild the -storm-lashed, rain-swept seas, off the lifeless, -barren isle of Glora. The great waves of the -shoreless western ocean beat upon it for ever, -and their thunder often filled the darkness for -countless leagues with a sound most dreadful -to hear.</p> - -<p>But after many years it chanced that a young -man, named Ebric, the son of a Dedannan lord, -came to farm a tract of land lying along the -shore of Irros Domnann. This youth, who -was a poet, and loved all beautiful things, soon -cared more for the sweet, wonderful singing of -the four swans, which often he heard, and to -see their white bodies glistening in the sun, -than to till his land.</p> - -<p>One day Fionula and her brothers descried -him. Flying to the shore, they called, and -great was his wonder to hear the dear familiar -Gaelic speech in the mouths of wild swans.</p> - -<p>From that time he walked daily down to the -extreme rocks on the shore, that he might<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">88</a></span> -converse with the children of Lir, and hear -all they had to tell of their sad story; though -he, on his part, could relate little to them of -what had happened, or was happening further -inland in Erin, though they heard from him -with sorrow that the Milesians were now -mightier than the Dedannans, and that the -Fairy Host was no longer able to withstand -the might of these enemies who long since had -come out of the south.</p> - -<p>“For,” he said, “it is the way of what is -beautiful and wonderful; that the wonder -passes and the beauty fades.”</p> - -<p>That night he heard Fionula singing, and -knew that the burden of her song was no other -than the saying he had uttered:</p> - -<div class="poem-container"> - <div class="poem"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Dim face of Beauty haunting all the world,</div> - <div class="verse">Fair face of Beauty all too fair to see,</div> - <div class="verse">Where the lost stars adown the heavens are hurled,</div> - <div class="verse indent8">There, there alone for thee</div> - <div class="verse indent8">May white peace be.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">For here where all the dreams of men are whirled</div> - <div class="verse">Like sere torn leaves of autumn to and fro,</div> - <div class="verse">There is no place for thee in all the world,</div> - <div class="verse indent8">Who driftest as a star,</div> - <div class="verse indent8">Beyond, afar.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">89</a></span></div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Beauty, sad face of Beauty, Mystery, Wonder,</div> - <div class="verse">What are these dreams to foolish babbling men —</div> - <div class="verse">Who cry with little noises ’neath the thunder</div> - <div class="verse indent8">Of ages ground to sand,</div> - <div class="verse indent8">To a little sand.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>Ebric moved homeward through the moonlight -wondering much at that song of Fionula. -But because he was a poet, he understood.</p> - -<p>From him the people of the hills, and the -valleys round about Irros Domnann, heard the -story of the speaking swans; and soon the -wonder of it, and the whole sorrowful tale of -the Children of Lir became as well known in -that region as, long, long ago, to the Dedannans -and Milesians on the shores of Lough -Darvra, when they encamped by its shores -because of the slow, sweet, fairy music of the -four swans.</p> - -<p>Then once again it chanced that the four children -of Lir unwittingly transgressed their doom, -and so had to leave the shores where they could -converse with the people who loved them. -But Ebric, to whom they had told everything, -was a poet, and wrought of their story a tale -so sweet and marvellous that it has lasted all -these ages, and is heard to this day on the lips -of peasants in the west of Erin.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">90</a></span></p> - -<p>From that time onward the sufferings of -Fionula and her brothers were no less than -they had been on the sea of the Moyle. Yet -even the worst they had there known was -surpassed midway in the heart of a terrible -winter, a winter when cattle died in covered -sheds, and men and women in their houses, -and the wild creatures of the forest under their -branches, and the storm-inured seabirds in the -hollows of their ocean-fronting cliffs.</p> - -<p>On that day the whole surface of the sea -from Irros Domnann to Achill was frozen into -one solid mass of ice. Across this a polar wind -drove sheets of hail and sleet. By nightfall, -Aed and Fiachra and Conn were so far spent -that they despaired of any morrow; and at the -last Fionula herself, who had striven to comfort -them, was herself in so pitiful a misery that she -could only lament with them that death was so -long in coming.</p> - -<p>But in the full horror of midnight, while they -clung nigh-frozen to the rock of Glora, Fionula -had a vision. It was of that God, that new -faith, that great wonder and beauty which was -even then coming towards Erin, though St. -Patrick had not yet set foot upon its shores.</p> - -<p>“Brothers,” she cried, “take heart. I have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">91</a></span> -had a vision. Of a truth our ancient gods -are but the children of a greater than they. -Aed, dear Aed and Fiachra and Conn, believe -now in this great and loving God, the most -splendid God of the living truth: for it is -He who has made all things, the pleasant, -fruitful land and the wild barren sea; and -it has been revealed to me that if we put our -trust in Him, He will comfort us and send us -help.”</p> - -<p>“That we now do, O Fionula!” cried Aed -and Fiachra and Conn.</p> - -<p>Thereupon they fell into a deep slumber. -When they awoke the sun was shining; the -fierce wind no longer blew; the waves danced -joyously, tossing little sheets of spray from one -to another. The bitter cold was gone, and -they rejoiced exceedingly.</p> - -<p>“It is Spring!” Aed cried, with joy.</p> - -<p>“It is the answer of God,” said Fionula -gravely.</p> - -<p>From that hour they had peace. Thenceforth -they suffered no more from cold or -hunger. When the savage frosts of winter, or -the wild rains of autumn, came over the western -sea, the four swans alighted on Innis -Glora, and sang their wild, sweet, beautiful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">92</a></span> -music, and then fell asleep, nestling side by -side, till they awoke to warmth and joy.</p> - -<p>So was it till the end of the three hundred -years. Three hundred years on the lough of -Darvra; three hundred on the sea-stream of -the Moyle; three hundred on the sea of Glora, -to the west of Erin. All these ages had -they endured, and now their exile was at an -end.</p> - -<p>“On the morrow, dear brothers,” Fionula -sang rejoicingly, “on the morrow we shall -wing our way inland; for our hearts ache to -see again our own country and our kindred, -and the faces of Lir our father, and Bove Derg -the king, and all whom we love. Great shall -be the joy at Shee Finnaha when they behold -us once more; but not more joyous shall their -delight be than it will be for us to see the -smoke rising from the fires of our people, and -to see the greatness and beauty of Shee Finnaha.”</p> - -<p>They could not sleep that night for eagerness. -At dawn they rose on white wings, -circling through the wide blue spaces of the -air. When the yellow stream of the sun -poured westward out of the mountain-ridges -of Achill, they chanted a farewell song, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">93</a></span> -then stretched their wide pinions and flew -homeward with beating hearts.</p> - -<p>Sweet it was to see below them the green -grass instead of the cold, running wave; and -the hollows of the meadows, how much dearer -were they than the troughs of the drowning -billows!</p> - -<p>When they came to the great hill above -Shee Finnaha, their wings were seized with so -great a trembling that scarcely could they reach -into view of Lir’s high shining house.</p> - -<p>Descending, therefore, they alit on a rock -and rested awhile. A deep sadness oppressed -Fionula. There was so great a silence on -every rock, on every tree. Moreover, she had -seen a stag stand staring inland with idle eyes, -and had seen the hill-fox and the wolf prowling -in the glen where as a child she had often -played.</p> - -<p>“What is the fear that is in your eyes, -Fionula?” asked one of her brothers with -sudden dread.</p> - -<p>“Alas! Aed, if Lir and the Dedannans were -still here, would a stag stand staring inland, -where Shee Finnaha is, with heedless eyes and -no hoof lifted, and nostrils idly sniffing the -unfrequented wind?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">94</a></span></p> - -<p>“Of a surety no, Fionula.”</p> - -<p>“Yet that have I seen, Aed. And if in -Shee Finnaha still dwelled our Dedannan folk, -would the hill-fox and the wolf prowl in the -Glen of the White Water, there where we -were wont to play and bathe, we and all the -little children?”</p> - -<p>“Of a surety no, Fionula.”</p> - -<p>“Yet that have I seen, O Aed and Fiachra -and Conn. Come! we are rested now. Let -us hasten homeward to Shee Finnaha, that we -have longed for all these years, and to our -father Lir, who awaiteth us.”</p> - -<p>Onward they flew.</p> - -<p>But just as they soared over the shoulder of -Knoc-na-Shee, Fionula uttered a piercing cry.</p> - -<p>There indeed was the valley where Lir long, -long ago had made his home. But now there -was not a single wreath of smoke rising to the -sky, not a single cow lowed in the pastures, -neither man nor woman nor child moved to -and fro. Nay, there were not even any houses. -All had gone. Amid the desolate place rose -the gaunt, dishevelled ruins of Lir’s great dun; -its halls empty and roofless, or tenanted only -by the rank grass and tall companies of nettles.</p> - -<p>“Alas!” cried Aed, “for the omen of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">95</a></span> -stag staring idly on Shee Finnaha, and for -that of the hill-fox and the wolf prowling in -the Glen of the White Water.”</p> - -<p>But Fionula could speak no word, for her -heart was breaking.</p> - -<p>For long they crouched silent amid the -desolation of that ruined place. Thrice three -hundred years had passed since they had -played in front of the house of Lir: beneath -yonder ruined wooden arch they had set forth -with Aeifa on that ill-fated journey.</p> - -<p>The dusk came. Still the four children of -Lir crouched silent amid the ruined desolation -which was all that remained of lordly Shee -Finnaha.</p> - -<p>The wolf prowled near, but turned away the -flame of his yellow eyes, for he feared those -who crouched there and had the voices of the -human kind. The bats and owls alone paid no -heed.</p> - -<p>When the stars glistened in the sky, and the -moon rose, and on the night wind there was -not the lowing of a cow or the barking of a -dog, or any sound whatsoever, save from the -rustling forest and the murmuring stream, -Fionula and Aed and Fiachra and Conn fell -into a bitter sobbing and a long, mournful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">96</a></span> -keen, that rose into the hills with plaintive -echoes.</p> - -<p>When the day broke, each told the other -that they could no longer stay in Shee Finnaha. -That desolation was now to them more -bitter than the wilderness of the bleak seas of -the Moyle. While they were still speaking -thus sorrowfully, Conn descried an old man—so -old and worn that his hair hung about his -wrinkled face like thistledown, so white and -bleached was it. He carried a small harp, but -in his eyes was the look of one who saw only -far into the mind and never from the mind -outward.</p> - -<p>“Who art thou, O stranger?” Conn asked.</p> - -<p>The man looked at the swan that spoke to -him in human speech, and in the sweet, familiar -tongue of the Gael.</p> - -<p>“I have heard strange things,” he muttered, -“and in my madness have come to learn of -the beasts. Have not the hawks and eagles -of Shee Finnaha told me bitter tidings, and has -not the hill-fox barked to me of the graves of -dead hopes, and has not the she-wolf whined -to me in the dusk of the sorrows that flit -through the woods—the old ancient sorrows of -the wise and the beautiful and the brave that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">97</a></span> -are now no more? Why then should not a -wild swan speak? Have I forgotten that, -ages ago, the children of Lir were changed -into swans, and that they spoke with the -human tongue, and sang songs so passing -sweet that life and death became as the selfsame -dream? Ah! that dream of dreams: -fragrant it was as the breath of Moy Mell, the -honey-sweet plain of Heaven; restful as the -sound of the waves beating on the shores of -Tir-fa-Tonn, where the dead dwell in youth -and joy; strange and wild as the noise of invisible -wings over the blessed isle that is Hy -Brásil in the west.”</p> - -<p>Conn spake again:</p> - -<p>“Art thou a Dedannan, old man?”</p> - -<p>“A Dedannan I am, O Swan, that speakest -with the tongue of man; yea, a Dedannan I -am, if a sere and fallen leaf can be called a -child of the green tree. Say, rather, a Dedannan -I was.”</p> - -<p>“Dost thou know aught of Bove Derg, the -King of the Dedannans, or of Lir, the lord -of Shee Finnaha?”</p> - -<p>The stranger sighed, and by the veiling of -his eyes Conn knew that the old harper was -with the past.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">98</a></span></p> - -<p>“Ay,” he muttered at last, “but who can -note the passage of the years when one is old -and broken and sick unto death? A hundred -years have trodden the red leaves again, or it -may be thrice a hundred, since I chanted the -death-song of Bove Derg, the King of the -Dedannans; since I looked on the white face -of Lir, as he lay grey and ashy among the -ashy-grey thistles.”</p> - -<p>Conn uttered a cry of sorrow, and a bitter -keen of lament came from his two brothers and -from Fionula.</p> - -<p>“Then these also speak,” muttered the old -harper: “almost can I persuade myself that -I look on the wild swans that are the four -children of Lir—Fionula and Aed and Fiachra -and Conn. Ages ago I thought they had -lapsed in death. All are gone now, save only -Aeifa, who is a demon of the air, and wails -among the hills and in desolate places.”</p> - -<p>All this time Fionula had been looking -earnestly at the old man. Now she spoke.</p> - -<p>“Tell me, art thou not Irbir the Harper?”</p> - -<p>“It is Irbir the Harper I am, the chief -harper of Bove Derg, that was King of the -Dedannans before the Fairy Host faded away<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">99</a></span> -from the meadows and pastures of Erin. -And if indeed ye be the children of Lir, know -I am that Irbir who sang the birth-song at -the birthing of ye, Fionula and Aed, and at the -birthing of ye, Fiachra and Conn.”</p> - -<p>Thereupon the old harper embraced the -four swans, tears running down his face the -while.</p> - -<p>While he was yet embracing them, his -wildered mind began to wander, and he talked -idly of vain things.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, they learned from him that -more than a hundred years back, and maybe -thrice a hundred, the Tuatha-De-Danann had -fought a last great battle with the Milesians -and had been utterly defeated. They were -now a dispersed and hidden people, some -deathless, others living to the thousand and -one years of the old-world folk, and some with -a new and terrible mortality upon them. As -for Bove Derg and all the Fairy Host, the -wild thistle waved over their nameless graves. -Lir lay beneath the grass outside his great dun -of Shee Finnaha. His last words had been: -“I hear the beating of wings. O wild swans, -I hear the beating of thy wings.”</p> - -<p>Thereafter Irbir the Harper moved aimlessly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">100</a></span> -away, and with him passed the shadow -of the greatness that was gone.</p> - -<p>The children of Lir now spoke wearily -among themselves of what they should do. -At the last they decided to go back to the -Isle of Glora, and there await the fulfilment -of their doom.</p> - -<p>One more night they spent at Shee Finnaha, -mourning over the grey sorrow of Lir, and -over the desolation of that noble place, and -over the ruin of the Dedannan folk. So wild -and mournful was their singing that night -that the beasts of the forest congregated round -the ruined dun, and from the crags of the -hills thronged the cliff-hawks and the eagles. -In the heart of the woods Irbir, the old harper, -died, dreaming that he was in Tir-nan-Og, -the Land of Youth, and was listening again -to the voices of Love.</p> - -<p>On the morrow the children of Lir flew -sorrowfully away from Shee Finnaha and -returned to Innis Glora. They alit at a small -lake in the heart of that isle, and there began -once more to sing their slow, sweet, fairy -music.</p> - -<p>So wonderful was their singing, with all its -added pain and the mystery of years, that the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">101</a></span> -birds of all the regions round were wont to -collect daily, and gather in flocks round about -the singing swans. Thus it was that the little -lake came to be called the Lake of the Bird -Flocks.</p> - -<p>At sunrise these innumerable birds would -disperse far and wide; some seaward, some -inland, some northward to Achill, some as far -south as the three rocks known as Donn’s -Sea-Rest, some to Inniskea—to this day called -the Isle of the Lonely Crane, for there dwells, -and has dwelled since the beginning of the -world, and shall dwell till the day of flame, a -solitary brooding crane. But at night every -bird returned to Innis Glora, to hear the slow, -sweet, fairy music of the children of Lir.</p> - -<p>In this way the years went past.</p> - -<p>On a day of the days Fionula called her -brothers to listen to her, because of a dream -that she had dreamed.</p> - -<p>“The Taillkenn<a name="FNanchor_6" id="FNanchor_6" href="#Footnote_6" class="fnanchor">6</a> has come at last,” she said. -“I saw a strange light in the East at midnight. -A star rose out of it, and travelled through -the gulfs of the sky, and rested over Erin, -and sank slowly over this our dear land.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">102</a></span> -Then I heard a smoke of voices rising to the -stars, and thence, too, came a chiming sweeter -than any chants we have sung in all these -thrice three hundred years.”</p> - -<p>On the eve of that day a man came forth -from the mainland in a coracle. He came -to Innis Glora, and alighted there, and kneeled -in a strange fashion, and supplicated some -god.</p> - -<p>It was St. Kemoc.</p> - -<p>After nightfall the wild swans were silent, -for all were heavy with the strangeness of this -man, who was not like unto any Dedannan -or even a Milesian, and who prayed on his -knees, and supplicated a god set beyond the -stars.</p> - -<p>In the grey dawn they awoke, trembling. -Trembling still, they started and ran bewilderedly -to and fro, for strange and dreadful to -them was the sound that they heard. It was -but a little sound, and faint and afar; but -it was the chiming of a bell, and in all the -thrice three hundred years and more they had -lived they had heard nought like it. The -bell was the matin-bell of St. Kemoc, but they -knew it not, nor what it meant. Aed and -Fiachra and Conn ran wildly and far, but at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">103</a></span> -last when the bell ceased, they returned to -Fionula.</p> - -<p>“Do you know what this sound is, this -faint, fearful sound that has terrified us, dear -brothers?”</p> - -<p>“No, we have heard the faint, fearful voice, -but know not what it is. Is it the voice of the -strange man who has come among us, and is he -a god?”</p> - -<p>“No,” answered Fionula, with grave joy, -“but it is the voice of the Christians’ bell. -Soon we shall be free of our spell; soon we -shall have peace. It is the bell we have -dreamed of for so many years.”</p> - -<p>All were glad at that. Kemoc had again -begun to ring his matin-bell, and the four -swans crouched low, listening to its strange -music. When it ceased, Fionula spoke:</p> - -<p>“Let us now sing our music.”</p> - -<p>Therewith they sang their slow, sweet, fairy -music.</p> - -<p>Kemoc rose in his place, amazed with great -wonder. At first he thought it was the voices -of the angels singing in Paradise. Then suddenly -it was revealed to him that it was the slow, -sweet, fairy music of the children of Lir, whereat -he rejoiced exceedingly, for he had fared<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">104</a></span> -westward in the hope to find and save Fionula -and Aed and Fiachra and Conn, of whom he -had heard soon after he came to Erin with -tidings of Christ and the Christian faith.</p> - -<p>So when his prayers were done, and sunrise -put a shine of gold upon the sea, Kemoc rose -and went to the lake, and hailed the four white -swans. And when they answered and told -him who they were, he gave thanks to God.</p> - -<p>“Come now to land,” he added, “and -sojourn with me, for it is in this place that ye -are destined to be freed from your enchantment.”</p> - -<p>Filled with a great joy on hearing the words -of the Christian saint, they came ashore, -and went with him to where he had builded -his cell against the forefront of a cave.</p> - -<p>Three days later a skilled craftsman for -whom he had sent came to Innis Glora, and -wrought two slender shining chains of silver. -These St. Kemoc put upon Fionula and Aed -and upon Fiachra and Conn, to show that they -were now bondagers to Christ, for all that they -were still swans and under the doom of the -spell of Aeifa.</p> - -<p>Thereafter the time passed with joy and -peace. Kemoc taught them the holy faith, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">105</a></span> -came to love them with his whole heart. As -for the children of Lir they were glad with -so great a gladness that they remembered no -more their long misery, and even loved better -to hear the hymns and litanies of St. Kemoc -than the lifesweet war-chants and love-songs -they had heard in their childhood from Irbir -and other bards and minstrels.</p> - -<p>But at that time<a name="FNanchor_7" id="FNanchor_7" href="#Footnote_7" class="fnanchor">7</a> there was a queen in Erin -who above all other things desired the glory of -having these marvellous singing swans as her -own. In the olden days men and women -were wont to hold the decrees of the gods and -of fate in reverence; and more thought was -taken of the inner meanings of dreams, marvels, -and the strange vicissitudes of life. Has not a -wise poet declared that the smaller the soul the -greater the tyranny? This queen was Decca, -daughter of Finghin, king of Munster, and -wife of Lairgnen, the king of Connaught.</p> - -<p>It was of these two that Aeifa, long, long -ago, had spoken prophetically, but none remembered -this save only Fionula, in whose<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">106</a></span> -mind dreams and memories floated as water-blooms -on a mountain lake—the blooms that -float and sink and rise as though a breath -sustained or swayed them, the breath out of -still, pellucid depths.</p> - -<p>At last the desire of Decca overmastered -her. She begged Lairgnen to fare westward -to Kemoc, and obtain the swans from the saint -and bring them to her. But this the king -feared to do, nor held it a kingly act. Then -Decca gave way to her anger, and left the -great house of the king and vowed that she -would not sleep there another night till Lairgnen -brought her the singing swans.</p> - -<p>So the woman fled southward into Munster, -her father’s realm.</p> - -<p>Lairgnen the Connaught king loved his wife -to weakness. He was the slave of her dark -eyes and her smiling lips and her selfish heart -and her poor will: so he came to evil then, -and later. For according as a man’s love is, -and as he loves to strength, so shall his life -be abased or uplifted.</p> - -<p>So Lairgnen sent messengers after Decca, -and sought her in the south. Thus was the -prophecy fulfilled.</p> - -<p>The woman returned, but put a bond upon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">107</a></span> -the king. He was weak, and she made a -sport of him as women do who are loved to -weakness and not to strength: as with men -also, when women love them ignobly, and not -as high mate with high mate.</p> - -<p>Thus it came about that Lairgnen gave the -word to St. Kemoc that he desired the four -swans to be sent to him at his royal house -in Connaught. Kemoc, however, refused. He -served the King of kings, not the king of Connaught.</p> - -<p>Full of wrath, Lairgnen set out for the -western coast, and at last reached Innis Glora. -When he asked Kemoc if he had indeed refused -to give up the swans at his command, -and was told that this was so, he swore the -old pagan oath by the sun and the moon and -the wind, and vowed that he would not leave -that place without them.</p> - -<p>“Doom must be fulfilled, O king,” said -Kemoc, “but woe unto that man by whom -the evil of a day of the days is wrought.”</p> - -<p>Lairgnen laughed, and followed the saint -into the little chapel where the four swans stood -before the altar, singing a sweet wonderful -song that was a hymn of peace and joy. Seizing -the silver chain of Fionula and Aed in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">108</a></span> -one hand, and that of Fiachra and Conn in -the other, he forced them to follow him.</p> - -<p>“Do not do this thing, Lairgnen, son of -Colman,” said St. Kemoc.</p> - -<p>“And for why not?” asked the king, smiling -grimly, as he neared the door of the wattle-church. -“Am I not the king, and can I not -do as I will in mine own lands?”</p> - -<p>“There is another King. If thou doest a -wrong against Him, thou shalt have neither -the desire of thine heart nor yet go free of -the penalty of lifelong sorrow and a bitter -end.”</p> - -<p>For a moment Lairgnen quailed. The -angry voice of a cleric was a perilous omen -in those days. Then he strode forward, dragging -after him the four swans.</p> - -<p>Suddenly a wild, strange cry resounded over -the church. All stood silent, appalled. To -Fionula only was it revealed that it was neither -the screaming of the wind, nor the thin shrewd -wail of the sea, nor the savage cry of a sea-mew—but -that it was the voice of Aeifa, that lost -forlorn demon of the air for whom there might -be no rest now till the day of the flame of -which St. Kemoc spoke.</p> - -<p>“Come!” said Lairgnen, with a great effort.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">109</a></span></p> - -<p>But when he strove with the chains, lo! a -strange thing happened. These fell apart, and -at the same moment the great wings of the -swans contracted, and the white feathers that -were the beauty of their bodies shrivelled. A -mist of blown feathers was about them: and -when Lairgnen and Kemoc looked through -this as it settled upon the ground like dust, -they beheld a wonderful and a terrible thing.</p> - -<p>For as the feathers fell away from the children -of Lir, Fionula and her brothers once -more regained their human shape. But now -they were no longer fair and sweet and young, -as they were when Aeifa put her enchantment -upon them. They stood there, worn with -intolerable age. Grey and ashy were their -bodies, and long and sere and white their thin, -blanched hair: and they were tremulous as -reeds, and their wan hands were as the shaking -wan leaves of the poplar when autumn is -dead.</p> - -<p>The children of Lir looked one upon the -other with dim, forlorn eyes. It was a bitter -thing to live so many ages only to find that -their own kith and kin were as dust, and that -their habitation was a wilderness, and that their -very race had passed away: to see each other<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">110</a></span> -in human form again, but Fionula an aged -ancient woman, grey as old hanging moss and -wrinkled as the wave-rippled sand, and tall -Aed and swift Fiachra and laughing Conn as -three feeble old men, wavering as their own -shadows.</p> - -<p>When Lairgnen saw this he was overcome -with dread. He uttered a strange cry, and, -averting his face, fled from the little chapel, -nor looked back once upon Innis Glora; and -feared the following flight of his own shadow -till once more he reached his great house in -Connaught, over which he heard a demon of -the air wailing and laughing, and knew that -it was Aeifa, and that the terror of this banshee -would be with him and his for ever.</p> - -<p>As he fled, he heard the bitter execrations -of St. Kemoc, but these he heeded less than -the thin, inarticulate murmur of the voices -of the children of Lir, like the hum of gnats -in a well.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless Kemoc himself was able to -hear the whisper of Fionula. So one may -hear the faint rustle of leaves in the heart of -a forest where there is no wind.</p> - -<p>“Be swift, holy one, and give us baptism, -here before the altar. We have but a brief<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">111</a></span> -while wherein to draw breath. Great is thy -sorrow at this parting, but not more great than -is ours. Nevertheless the end is always in the -beginning, and we are but the dry thistledown -of the young sprays of green. For thee, too, -O Kemoc, the vial of silence shall be broken, -but not until thy hair is like the foam of the -sea, and thine eyes dim as the light beneath -a wave.”</p> - -<p>Thereupon St. Kemoc led them slowly towards -the altar, and bade farewell to each, for -he saw that the shadow of death had covered -them from the soles of the feet to the chin -of the head, and was rising to the eyes.</p> - -<p>Once more Fionula spoke.</p> - -<p>“Farewell, dear brothers,” she said. “We -are so old that we have forgotten age. Very -weary should we be were it not for sweet -death. We go far hence, and it may well be -that we visit Hy Brásil before we see the -shining of the gates of Paradise. There we -shall greet our father Lir, and he shall come -with us. And if he come not, we shall abide -with him, for love is stronger than death.”</p> - -<p>“Even so,” whispered Aed and Fiachra and -Conn.</p> - -<p>“And to thee, Kemoc, thou holy one,” she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">112</a></span> -murmured, “I have this thing for the saying. -We are of our people, and would fain be in -the darkness as our ancient forgotten dead -before us. It is not fitting that we lie in the -earth who are of the old race, and have the -blood of kings, and have lived in no dishonour, -and die as we have lived.”</p> - -<p>“Speak, Fionula.”</p> - -<p>“When we fail utterly and perish, as we -shall do within this hour that is upon us, O -Kemoc, remember that as in life I so often -sheltered my brothers against my breast and -sides when we were swans, we must not be -apart in death. Therefore bury us on this -spot and in one grave.<a name="FNanchor_8" id="FNanchor_8" href="#Footnote_8" class="fnanchor">8</a> And in that grave -let Conn stand near me at my right side, and -Fiachra at my left, and let Aed my twin-brother -be before my face.”</p> - -<p>With that she sighed. So sighs a wan, drifting -leaf wind-slidden over sere grass.</p> - -<p>Then Kemoc baptized Fionula and Aed and -Fiachra and Conn: and when he had given -them eternity and the company of saints, they -died. They did not fall, but wavered as dry<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">113</a></span> -reeds, and were suddenly at one with their -own shadows, and were no more.</p> - -<p>When the saint rose from his knees, he put -the tears from his face and stared into the -deeps of heaven. Then he had the joy of a -glad vision. Overhead he beheld four children -with light silver-shining wings, their faces -radiant: yet knew not whether they were little -ones or were youthful with new life, for the -glory dazzled him. A moment, as the foam-bells -on a falling wave, they were there: then -they vanished, and passed westward, and were -in Hy Brásil with Lir and their own people -even while Kemoc bent lamenting over the -frail ancient bodies that had been the children -of Lir.</p> - -<p>So in that place a grave was digged, and -Fionula was placed standing therein: and by -her right side, Conn; and by her left, Fiachra; -and before her face, Aed. Over this grave -Kemoc raised a mound, and put a great stone -upon it. Then he made a lament over the -dead.</p> - -<p>When all the people were gone, there remained -only Kemoc, and a young poet and -cleric named Ebric the son of Ebric, the son -of Ebric of Irros Domnann. And when St.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">114</a></span> -Kemoc went to his cell, and knew the dark -hour, because of his sorrow, Ebric stood by -the great stone at the mound and graved in -Ogham the names of Fionula and Aed and -Fiachra and Conn.</p> - -<p>The salt grasses wave out of the dust, the -dust of the powder of that stone which Ebric -graved with cunning hand: but out of the -hearts of men who shall take the sorrowful -tale of the Children of Lir, or against it shall -prevail what frost of age, what breath of -time?</p> - -<p>The stone perisheth, but the winged word -on the breath of the lips endureth for ever.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/i_120d.png" width="99" height="103" alt="Flowers" /> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">115</a></span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="newpage center in0 large">The Fate of<br /> -the Sons of Turenn</p> - -<hr class="hidepub" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">116</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/i_124m.jpg" width="321" height="500" alt="Turenn interceding for his sons." /> - <div class="caption"> - <p class="center in0 smaller"><a name="Illustration_Turenn_interceding" id="Illustration_Turenn_interceding"></a>Turenn interceding for his sons.</p> - <p class="xsmall left"><i>To face p. 117.</i>]</p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="hidepub" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">117</a></span></p> - - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<h2 class="newpage nobreakin"><a name="The_Fate_of" id="The_Fate_of"></a>The Fate of<br /> -the Sons of Turenn</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap1"><span class="smcap1">I will</span> tell you now the old heroic saga of -the Fate of the Sons of Turenn: how they -paid the great eric laid upon them by Lu the -Long-Handed, called the Ildanna because of -his great wisdom in all magic craft and Dedannan -lore; and how at the last their dauntless -bravery was as sand before the wind, as -mist before the sun, as dew upon the grass.</p> - -<p>It is one of the most ancient of tales. Brian, -Ur, and Urba, the sons of Turenn, did their -great wrong upon Kian, the father of Lu of -the Long Hand, and paid their unheard-of and -heroic eric, when Bove Derg, the last king of -the Dedannans, was still a youth—and that was -long before the Children of Lir were changed -into four white swans.</p> - -<p>No Milesian had been seen in Erin in those<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">118</a></span> -days. Nevertheless the power of the -Dedannans was already broken, though they -were still foremost in green Banba, as the -bards loved to call Erin, after a great queen -who had reigned there, when the Fairy Host -was supreme: for the fierce Fomorian pirates -of the north had descended upon them again -and again like a devastating plague, and at last -their High King, the King of Lochlin, Balor -of the Evil Eye, had subdued them into bondage.</p> - -<p>Year by year, and that for the fourth part -of a year, Balor sent his emissaries to collect -tribute. The men were of the greatest and -fiercest of the black Fomorians, so called because -they were black-haired and black-bearded, -with fells as coarse and thick as those of -wild boars. These men were dreaded by the -Dedannans, for they appeared to be beyond -all reach of magic spells, and to have more -terrible arms and an invincible power in warfare.</p> - -<p>At that time Nuadh of the Silver Hand was -High King of Erin. He was the most prudent -of all the Dedannan kings, but there were many -of the wisest druids and bards even in his own -day who lamented that he was over-prudent,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">119</a></span> -and that it would be wiser to risk all in order -to regain honour and freedom than to lose all -for the sake of an inglorious peace. Nevertheless, -so great was the love of life among the -people at large, and so keen was their desire -to be left at peace by the Fomorians, that -Nuadh of the Silver Hand put aside his kinglihood, -and agreed to pay both tribute and -homage.</p> - -<p>The yearly tax laid by Balor of the Evil -Eye upon Nuadh of the Silver Hand and all -the Dedannan folk, was this: a tax separately -upon querns, kneading-troughs, and -baking-flags, the three things which every -Dedannan had to use. Besides this, there was -a tax of one gold ounce for every man and -woman of the Tuatha-De-Danann. Every year -the people had to assemble at the Hill of Tara, -where the High King had his palace, and there -submit their tribute with many obeisances to -the dark, scowling emissaries of Balor of the -Evil Eye.</p> - -<p>In one year of the years this happened as -before. But after Nuadh of the Silver Hand -and all his nobles and druids and all the -Dedannans had made humble obeisance before -the Fomorians, and while the tribute was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">120</a></span> -being put together, a strange sight was descried.</p> - -<p>Coming from the east was a company of -lordly men, splendidly arrayed in white with -gleaming helmets and shields, and riding tall -white horses. These were headed by a youthful -champion of so great a stature and so -warlike a mien, that all men knew he could be -none other than Lu the Long-Handed, son -of Kian the Noble. All the northlands and -eastlands of Erin were aware of the rumour of -his great valour and worth, and there was at -that day no champion so feared between the -two seas.</p> - -<p>Lu, son of Kian, was also of the Dedannans, -but he was of the older and rarer -branch, and he and his claimed that the Fairy -Host, of which they formed the chief ornament, -rose or fell by their support. Among the -splendid company were the sons of Manannan, -son of Lir, the lord of the sea, and other -chieftains and brave knights. Yet, as they -approached, it was Lu of the Long Hand -who held all eyes. Upon his head was a -golden helmet, wherefrom gleamed two great -shining stones—the eyes of strange gods they -seemed to the people. His body was covered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">121</a></span> -with shining armour that was no other than the -famous coat of armour of Manannan, through -which no weapon might pierce; and by his -side hung the terrible sword, the “Answerer,” -which had but one answer for every one against -whom it was raised—death. The horse, too, -that Lu rode was the far-famed stallion of -Manannan, so swift that the March wind could -not overtake him, nor could water, air, or -land offer any obstacles to his progress.</p> - -<p>A great shout welcomed these champions of -the Fairy Host as they drew near, but this -shout came from the assemblage outside of -Tara; and neither the king nor his lords rose -at their approach. The Fomorians scowled -and stood apart, and then scornfully resumed -their tax-gathering.</p> - -<p>When they had finished their task the -Fomorians rose and together approached the -place where the king sat high among his people.</p> - -<p>As they drew near, Nuadh of the Silver -Hand and all his lords rose and made humble -obeisance.</p> - -<p>At this, Lu the Ildanna frowned, and when -Lu of the Long Hand frowned his company -knew that evil was like to come.</p> - -<p>“Tell me, O King,” he said haughtily: “why<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">122</a></span> -do you make obeisance to these rude, ungainly -folk, and did none to us when we approached, -to us who are of the old Dedannan race?”</p> - -<p>Thereupon Nuadh of the Silver Hand spake -the bitterness of truth, and how it was that in -order to save the land from devastation, and his -people from rapine and outrage, he submitted to -the Fomorian yoke. And for the same reason -he had not ventured to pay homage to Lu and -the Fairy Host, for the Fomorians would have -taken this as an insult to Balor of the Evil -Eye, and some great evil would have ensued.</p> - -<p>Lu smiled scornfully.</p> - -<p>“And at the worst, O Nuadh of the Silver -Hand, there is a disastrous end and death. -What then? Is not death the sure end of all -men, and is not disaster the lot of many a hero -as well as of many a slave?”</p> - -<p>“That is so, Ildanna.”</p> - -<p>“Then why evade that shadow, and all because -of fear of these dark pirates out of the -north. Is not honour better than safety, -and is not shame a worse death than to be -slain?”</p> - -<p>“Even so, Ildanna. Nevertheless, I wish -to avoid vain bloodshed. There can be but -one end. Why should I ruin my people?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">123</a></span></p> - -<p>“Ruin is not a sure thing, O King: but if it -were, better ruin than dishonour.”</p> - -<p>“Dost thou speak as a lord of high birth, or -as one of the common people?”</p> - -<p>“I speak as the son of Kian the Noble.”</p> - -<p>“Even so; but for each noble in my kingdom -there are a thousand Dedannans of -no rank. I am their king. I speak for -them.”</p> - -<p>For a time thereafter Lu sat brooding. -His silence was worse than his scornful words. -Nuadh the King saw what was in his mind, -and dreaded that he would go forth in his -wrath. Thrice he half rose as though to lay -hands upon Lu to restrain him, and thrice -he sat back uncertain what to do.</p> - -<p>Then suddenly Lu rose, and in the eyes -of all men drew slowly from its sheath his great -white sword. At sight of the “Answerer,” -there was a shiver among the Dedannans, so -great was the terrible fame of this sword, but -still more because the drawing of it there and -then by Lu of the Long Hand meant that -the flame was in his blood.</p> - -<p>“Beware!” cried the king.</p> - -<p>But Lu laughed a grim laugh. Then, lifting -the “Answerer” on high, and knitting his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">124</a></span> -brows into a heavy frown, he sprang in among -the Fomorians.</p> - -<p>It was like the leap of lightning among wild -cattle, that. Hither and thither the “Answerer” -flashed, and at each blow a Fomorian head -whirled to the ground; yea, as a sharp prow -will divide the wave-crest from the wave, so -the great sword severed the head from the -shoulders of each Fomorian, shoring through -helmet or thick fell of hair as through water.</p> - -<p>It was not till a whirlwind of swords -flashed and circled around Lu that those -about him woke from their stupor. Then -with a loud shout the sons of Manannan and -others of the Fairy Host leaped forward and -joined in the fray.</p> - -<p>The Fomorians fought with fury, being -wrought to madness by the thought that they -were as chaff before these newcomers, in the -face of the whole Dedannan nation—for so -great was their scorn of the people they held -in bondage that death at their hands seemed -doubly accursed.</p> - -<p>But before Lu of the Long Hand and his -Fairy Host there was no withstaying. By -tens and scores the Fomorians fell, as swaying -grain before the reaper. Everywhere, flashing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">125</a></span> -like a meteor, the white gleam of the Answerer -rose and fell, the pulse of death.</p> - -<p>At last only nine of the Fomorian pirates -survived, and these clustered upon a low rising, -and fought desperately to the end. Suddenly -the tides of battle ceased, and this was because -of the voice of Lu Ildanna.</p> - -<p>He looked scornfully at the remnant of the -proud Fomorians. These were now sullenly -at bay, foreseeing death only, and not unwillingly -now that the despised Dedannans -had brought them to so sore a pass.</p> - -<p>“Let these dogs go!” exclaimed Lu.</p> - -<p>At the bitter words, the emissaries of King -Balor of Lochlin gripped their swords anew, -and ground their teeth in impotent rage. -More they could not do, for even in their -brief breathing space they saw that they were -beset by a hedge of spears.</p> - -<p>“Let these dogs go!” Lu said again. -Then, addressing them, he added:</p> - -<p>“Look ye, ye carrion wolves, we spare your -lives only that ye may fare back to your dens -in the north, and tell that unkingly king, Balor -of the Evil Eye, that which we have done unto -your company. And say this also, that if he -come hither, we shall do unto him and his, that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">126</a></span> -which we have done unto these dead men who -were once your fellows.” With that the nine -Fomorians departed, scowling fiercely and -below their breath muttering imprecations and -menaces.</p> - -<p>That night the beacons of joy flared out -across valley and plain, from the hill of Tara, -and great were the rejoicings throughout the -land. Only Nuadh of the Silver Hand dreamed -uneasily for that and many other nights; knowing -well that Balor of the Evil Eye would not -let pass the slight which had been put upon -him. And after all, it was but a handful of -the Fomorian host which had been slain on -the Plains of Tara. Nevertheless, the king -hoped that he might be spared the wrath -of Balor, for none of the Dedannans whom -he ruled had taken part in the fray, but only -those who were of the company of Lu of the -Long Hand.</p> - -<p>Bitter, indeed, was the wrath of Balor, when -he heard what had been done to his Fomorian -emissaries.</p> - -<p>“The Dedannans shall soon be but a -memory,” he exclaimed; “their kings and -nobles shall utterly perish, and of all their -race none shall survive save those who shall<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">127</a></span> -be slaves for ever to my people. Their very -land, that green Eri they are so fain of, shall -be no more than an unregarded province of -Lochlin.”</p> - -<p>Thereafter, Balor sent word throughout all -Lochlin, from the Cape of the Midnight Sun -to the Narrow Seas,<a name="FNanchor_9" id="FNanchor_9" href="#Footnote_9" class="fnanchor">9</a> and bade all the peoples -who owned him king to assemble speedily for -war; and in every haven he bade the sea-galleys -to be got ready.</p> - -<p>This took many weeks, and thereafter was -the slow waiting for the coming of spring. -But at last all was ready, and then Bras, the -son of Balor, led forth the mightiest host which -had ever sailed from the shores of Lochlin.</p> - -<p>This vast concourse of galleys sailed northward -before favouring winds, and then westward -along the storm-swept coasts of Alba, and -at last southward again by the Hebrid Isles. -Thence, with fresh provisions and replenished -water-barrels, they sailed towards and round -the northern headlands of Eri, and like a great -flock of sea-vultures settled upon the coasts of -Connaught.</p> - -<p>With laughter and fierce disdain the Fomorians<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">128</a></span> -spread far and wide, and at once began to -despoil the country, and lay waste the tilled -lands. In the ears of all rang the arrogant -parting words of Balor of the Evil Eye: “And -when at the last ye have cut off for me the head -of that man Lu, called the Ildanna, then put a -mighty cable around this troublesome Isle of -Erin, and tow it back with your ships, and lay -it alongside the north coasts of our Lochlin.”</p> - -<p>But meanwhile all the realms of the Tuatha-De-Danann -were smitten with fear. None -dared await the dreaded Fomorians, and -everywhere were flying hordes of men and -women and children, chariots, horses, and -cattle.</p> - -<p>The king of Connaught in that day was -Bove Derg, son of the Dagda, he who afterwards -became the last Dedannan king. -Straightway he sent word to Lu Ildanna, -begging him to raise a host and succour the -men of Connaught, as otherwise not a man -would be left to stay the advance of the -Fomorians.</p> - -<p>Lu of the Long Hand was sorrowful that -by his action he had brought this curse upon -the lands of Erin, yet he knew that it was -better than the old shame. By the Sun and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">129</a></span> -Moon and Wind he swore that he would do all -he could to raise a host, and himself give battle -to Bras and his Fomorians.</p> - -<p>With all speed he hasted to Dunree, and was -glad indeed when he saw the Hill of Tara rise -from the plain. For of a surety he held that -Nuadh of the Silver Hand would join with the -princes of Erin and fight the invader.</p> - -<p>That surety was in vain. Nuadh refused to -go into battle.</p> - -<p>“When Bras leads his Fomorians towards -the Hill of Tara,” he said, “that will be time -for me to raise the banner against him.”</p> - -<p>“Listen, Nuadh of the Silver Hand, art thou -not High King?” exclaimed Lu.</p> - -<p>“Even so, Ildanna.”</p> - -<p>“And is not thy first duty to lead the princes -of Erin against the invader? If we are all as -one, we can laugh at Balor of the Evil Eye -and all the host he sends against us. If we are -divided we shall surely fall.”</p> - -<p>But for all the pleadings of Lu Ildanna, -Nuadh refused to take the field. He had one -answer to all pleas.</p> - -<p>“Bras and his Fomorian host do no more -than lay waste the lands of Connaught. Let -then the king of Connaught see to his own.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">130</a></span> -I have sent friendly messages to Balor, and in -order to keep the peace have offered alliance -and even to pay tribute again. But till war is -declared against me I will do nothing.”</p> - -<p>Furious against Nuadh of the Silver Hand, -Lu Ildanna rode away.</p> - -<p>“Dust upon thy home,” he muttered, “were -it not for the ruin upon all Erin. Nevertheless, -I have but one thing to do.”</p> - -<p>Lu had not ridden far, when his heart rejoiced -because of three strong warriors he saw -approaching.</p> - -<p>These were his father, Kian, and the two -brothers of his father, Ald and Art. In that -day the seven fairest champions in the northlands -of Erin were Lu himself, Kian and his -two brothers, and Brian, Ur, and Urba, the -sons of Turenn. Each of these was a host in -himself, both because of his own valour and for -the great influence that each had upon the -clansmen of the north.</p> - -<p>In a brief while Lu told all, and begged -the aid of these three chiefs for Bove Derg, -and not for Bove Derg only, but for the honour -and safety of Erin.</p> - -<p>Kian and Ald and Art were wroth with the -high king.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">131</a></span></p> - -<p>“The first duty of a king is kinglihood,” said -Kian.</p> - -<p>“And without deathless courage a king is -dead,” said Ald.</p> - -<p>“And without sleepless eyes a king is a -sluggard,” said Art.</p> - -<p>“A king should be to all men what each -man would fain be to himself,” said Lu. -“My father Kian says well: the first duty of -a king is kinglihood. But since Nuadh of the -Silver Hand is fain to rest at ease in his dun, -under the safe shadow of Tara, so let him rest. -We are men, and must act.”</p> - -<p>Therewith all took counsel, and while Lu -rode westward, to raise all whom he could to -succour the men of Connaught, Ald and Art -rode southward.</p> - -<p>“I shall go north,” said Kian.</p> - -<p>“Why so?” asked Lu, knowing that it -would be best for his father to go eastward.</p> - -<p>“The wind bloweth that way,” answered -Kian lightly. But truly enough none knew -that in that answer and in that riding northward, -was the beginning of the long and -dreadful tragedy of which, for generations -thereafter, the bards sang as The Fate of the -Sons of Turenn.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">132</a></span></p> - -<div class="tb">* <span class="in2">* </span><span class="in2">* </span><span class="in2">* </span><span class="in2">*</span></div> - -<p>At this point Peterkin rose from where he -kneeled beside Eilidh, and went over to Ian -Mor and took his hand and looked long at -him.</p> - -<p>“These words I have heard you say again -and again, Ian—<i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Ma tha sin an Dan</i>, if it be -Destiny—what do they mean?”</p> - -<p>“I cannot tell you, Peterkin; for to me they -mean everything.”</p> - -<p>“But must Kian come to sorrow because he -followed the way of the wind?”</p> - -<p>“I cannot tell you, Peterkin. But of this -you may be sure, that no man needs to do -this or that thing because of the way of the -wind or anything else. Only, behind all -doings of men there is a wind that blows. -That is the wind of Destiny. That is what I -meant when I said that Kian, choosing lightly -to go the way of the wind, and by his own -choice, yet went the way of Fate.”</p> - -<p>“And is Fate a man?”</p> - -<p>“No.”</p> - -<p>“Have you ever seen it?”</p> - -<p>“No.”</p> - -<p>“Has any one ever seen it?”</p> - -<p>“No.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">133</a></span></p> - -<p>Peterkin laughed below his breath.</p> - -<p>“Ivor Maclean the boatman, told me that -‘an Dan’ was only a shadow before and -behind, and that none need trouble about a -shadow.”</p> - -<p>“And what do <em>you</em> think, Peterkin?”</p> - -<p>“I think that ‘an Dan’ is only a shadow -before and behind; and I laugh to see my -shadow, but I do not fear it. It is only a -shadow.”</p> - -<p>“Peterkin is right, Ian,” said Eilidh, in a -low voice. “And do you remember what was -said long ago about wisdom coming out of the -mouths of little children?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Ian answered slowly and gravely, -“Peterkin is right.”</p> - -<p>But Peterkin only laughed merrily, as suddenly -he sprang up.</p> - -<p>“See,” he exclaimed, “my shadow has leapt -from beside me, till now it is fading along the -wall. When I laughed it leapt away.”</p> - -<div class="tb">* <span class="in2">* </span><span class="in2">* </span><span class="in2">* </span><span class="in2">*</span></div> - -<p>Well, resumed Ian Mor, Kian was not many -miles forth upon the great pastures to the -north of Tara, when he saw three lordly men -riding towards him.</p> - -<p>They were still a great way off, but Kian<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">134</a></span> -the Noble was noted far and wide for his -keen sight, and he knew who the mailed and -shining ones were. They were Dedannans, -but they were of a clan at bitter feud with his -own; and his heart quailed as he saw that in -that lonely place he would have to meet face -to face with Brian, Ur, and Urba, the sons -of Turenn. Far better would it have been -for him to ride forward fearlessly, and call -upon the sons of Turenn to put all enmity -aside in the face of the bitter danger to Erin -because of Bras and his Fomorians. But a -man born under a dark star must soon or late -ride into the shadow of that star.</p> - -<p>So when Kian had realized that the foes of -him and his house were fast approaching, he -cast about for some way to delude the sons of -Turenn. Already they had seen the stranger, -though they had not recognised him.</p> - -<p>In common with all the lords of the Dedannans, -Kian carried with him a magic wand. -With this he could at any time transform -himself into some living creature. And so it -happened that, while he was still pondering, -he caught sight of a vast herd of swine feeding -upon the thistle-pastures to the left; and -no sooner had he done so than he took his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">135</a></span> -wand and changed himself into a boar. His -horse, too, he changed; and then both, grazing -often, joined the great herd, and were soon -at one with it.</p> - -<p>Kian laughed to himself at how he had -outwitted the sons of Turenn, but oversoon -did he laugh. After all he was sorrowful; for -it was not seemly for a man to change himself -into a pig, lest death or some disaster came -upon him in that guise: for, according as a -man’s doom came to him, so would he have to -bear it.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the three sons of Turenn rode -across the plain. Fair to see were they, -these three comely lords: Brian, the eldest -and strongest; Ur, the tallest and fairest; and -Urba the swift. They had seen Kian riding -slowly towards them, but had not thought -more than that he was an emissary from -Dunree, where Nuadh of the Silver Hand was. -When, however, they missed him suddenly, -Brian frowned and drew rein.</p> - -<p>“Tell me, my brothers,” he exclaimed, -“where is he whom a brief while ago we saw -riding toward us?”</p> - -<p>“He is no longer to be seen,” Urba answered. -“Yet there is no hiding-place that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">136</a></span> -we wot of. If he were lying on the grass, we -should descry him and his horse from where -we now are.”</p> - -<p>“They are not on the grass,” said Ur; “for -I could see a slim greyhound were it lying -there.”</p> - -<p>Brian pondered awhile. Then he spoke -again.</p> - -<p>“As ye know well, war is all about us now, -and it befits us to be wary. It is clear that -the man we saw was no friend to us, or why -has he hidden himself? But I think I know -his secret: with a magic wand he has turned -himself into a pig, and is now among that -great herd of swine that we see yonder.”</p> - -<p>“Then he has escaped us, Brian?”</p> - -<p>“Not so, Ur. I too have my magic wand -with me; with it I shall now turn my two -brothers into swift hounds. Ye shall then -speed in among these swine and see if ye can -root out this man, who is surely an enemy.”</p> - -<p>And with that Brian took his wand, and -changed his brothers into hounds; and they -raced away with the speed of the wind, while -he rode swiftly towards a belt of forest which -skirted the plain to the rear of the herd.</p> - -<p>When the baying of the hounds was heard,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">137</a></span> -a panic seized upon the swine. Like a great -swaying mass of seaweed in the trough of the -waves, the herd swung to and fro; ever becoming -more and more densely packed, and -squealing and grunting in terror and bewilderment -as the two gaunt hounds sprang against -their heaving masses or dashed to and fro in -their midst.</p> - -<p>At the east they were so driven in upon -themselves, that they became as one solid -mass, close-wedged. Among these dense hundreds -it seemed impossible for Ur and Urba -to find the enchanted man; but while they -were still running to and fro in their eager -quest, Brian saw a pig leap from the rear of -the herd and run swiftly towards the belt of -forest.</p> - -<p>Brian put his horse upon the wind, as the -saying is; and it was a race then between the -mounted man and the enchanted boar: but -just as the first undergrowth was nigh Brian -came up with the fleeing animal, and drove his -hunting-spear in betwixt its shoulders.</p> - -<p>With a terrible scream the flying boar rolled -over; then, with a wild human crying and -speech, begged for pity.</p> - -<p>“Oh, son of Turenn,” it cried, “have pity<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">138</a></span> -upon me! Sure it is an evil deed to slay me -thus, well knowing who I am!”</p> - -<p>“I know that thy voice is the voice of a -man,” answered Brian, “but I know not who -thou art. I am Brian, eldest of the sons of -Turenn. Tell me thy name.”</p> - -<p>“He who implores thy mercy, O Brian of -the Oak Shaft, is Kian, the father of thy -comrade in years and arms, Lu of the Long -Hand.”</p> - -<p>By this time Ur and Urba were beside -the victor and the victim, and now resumed -their human shape. When they heard the -pleadings of Kian they interceded for him, -notwithstanding the deadly feud between the -clans of Turenn and Kian. But Brian would -not listen to their counsel, not even when -Ur pleaded that great evil might come out -of the slaying of Kian, nor when Urba urged -that this was not the day and the hour for -such a deed, when Erin needed every man to -fight against the Fomorians. And, of a truth, -that has ever been the sad way of the Gael, -who will think of the private wrong first, -than of the general weal, and so will fall as a -single tree will fall where a forest would be -steadfast.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">139</a></span></p> - -<p>When Kian saw that his fate was come upon -him, and heard Brian swear by a sacred oath -that he would not spare him though he returned -thrice to life, or seven times changed -his form, he made one last supplication.</p> - -<p>“At the least, as ye are honourable men, -save me this dishonour. Let me not die as a -pig, but as a man. I have dropped my magic -wand; therefore, O Brian, I pray of thee to -take thine, and with it restore me to mine own -form.”</p> - -<p>“That shall be done,” said the chief, adding -scornfully, “for sure it is an easier thing for -me to kill a man than a pig.”</p> - -<p>But no sooner was Kian a man again than -he laughed mockingly.</p> - -<p>“Why do you laugh thus?” asked Ur.</p> - -<p>“I laugh because I have outwitted ye at the -last, ye sons of Turenn. What is death to me -who have a dust of grey hairs over my once -black locks, or is death indeed a thing at any -time to fear overmuch? Ill as it would befit -me to die as a pig, still more ill would it be -because of that which follows death.”</p> - -<p>“Speak,” said Ur, though in his heart both -he and his brothers knew what Kian was about -to say.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">140</a></span></p> - -<p>“I have outwitted ye, as I have said; for if -as a pig I had been slain by Brian of the -Oak Shaft, then ye would have had no other -eric to pay for me than the eric of a pig, but -now ye shall have to pay the eric of a man, and -upon that the eric of a father of grown sons, -and upon that the fatherhood eric of each son, -and upon that the eric of a great lord, and upon -that the eric of the broken honour of my son -Lu of the Long Hand. And I tell ye this, -that never has there been, nor ever will be, so -great an eric as that which ye shall have to pay -for this deed of thine, so that in the years to -come men shall speak of the eric of the sons -of Turenn as the most difficult and the worst -that was ever paid in Erin.”</p> - -<p>“That may be,” said Brian sullenly, “but we -shall slay thee here, in this waste place, and -none shall know when death came to thee, or -where thou liest, and for all that thy son Lu -is Lu the Ildanna, he shall seek in vain to -know where the worms make merry upon -thee.”</p> - -<p>“In the shadow of death I see clearly, and I -see that death will not put his silence upon -me till Lu has learned the evil deed that has -been done.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">141</a></span></p> - -<p>“Spare him,” urged Urba, “for of a surety -he is already sore wounded, and he did no -more than seek to escape us. It would be well, -Brian, not to have this man’s blood upon us.”</p> - -<p>“Spare him,” pleaded Ur, “for innocent -blood is an ill thing to spill. This man did not -come upon us with lifted spear or sword, but, -seeing that we were three and he one only, -sought to escape. It is not a knightly deed to -take the life of a stricken man, and of one who -asks for mercy.”</p> - -<p>“We will slay him,” said Brian sullenly.</p> - -<p>“Remember this,” pleaded Ur, “that if we -slay him, Urba and I must pay the penalty -along with thee, and that it is a hard thing -upon us who would fain spare this man.”</p> - -<p>Brian laughed.</p> - -<p>“If ye and Urba fear the eric, ye may go -hence at once. I will do my own slaying. -But ye forget that the sons of Turenn are -under <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">geas</i> to have no quarrel that is not the -quarrel of each, and to fight no fight wherein -each doth not front it in the same hour and -place.”</p> - -<p>“We do not forget,” answered Ur and -Urba; and each added: “Do as thou wilt, -Brian, our elder brother.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">142</a></span></p> - -<p>So Brian turned to where Kian lay upon the -stony thistle-strewn grass.</p> - -<p>“Hast thou aught more to say?”</p> - -<p>“This only, that no eric ever paid shall be -counted as near unto that which ye shall have -to pay, and that the weapons wherewith ye -slay me shall cry out to Lu my son, and tell -him what ye three have done unto me.”</p> - -<p>Again Brian laughed.</p> - -<p>“Thou who fled before us as a pig shalt die -as a trapped beast. We shall not give thee -the honour of death by the clean sword or the -deft spear.”</p> - -<p>With that he stooped and raised on high a -huge angular slab of stone, grey below, and -mossed and lichened above, and, swaying with -the weight, hurled it down upon the head of -Kian. Then Ur and Urba lifted other great -stones, and did likewise, because of their bond. -And this was how death came to Kian the -Noble.</p> - -<p>When the old chief lay still and white at last, -the three sons of Turenn made haste to hide -his body from sight; so they dug a great hole -in the sandy grass, and buried the slain -man.</p> - -<p>There was a strange trembling in the earth<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">143</a></span> -that day, a trembling felt throughout Erin from -sea to sea, and men marvelled and feared.</p> - -<p>But none so much marvelled as Brian and -Ur and Urba, for when they had buried the -bruised body of Kian they saw with horror that -the shaking earth threw it back again. Nevertheless, -once more they buried it, and deeper, -and put heavy stones upon the trodden sods. -Then, to their still greater horror and amaze, -the earth again trembled and again threw back -the murdered dead.</p> - -<p>At that Ur and Urba wished to ride away -at once from the accursed place, but Brian -would not.</p> - -<p>“Fate is made by men, as well as that Fate -rules men,” he said. “I shall not rest content -till the earth holds at last the body of Kian, son -of Kian the White.”</p> - -<p>Yet it was not until the seventh time that -the earth trembled no more, and held within it, -beneath a cairn of boulders, the slain body of -Kian the Noble.</p> - -<p>Thereafter the three sons of Turenn rode -swiftly away, and that night were among the -host which had been assembled by Lu of the -Long Hand.</p> - -<p>On the morrow, on the vast plains of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">144</a></span> -Moytura, the great and terrible Battle of the -Kites was fought. It was so called because -after a day of dreadful slaughter the kites and -hawks assembled in multitudes, and were -satiated with the feast of the dead. In that -battle the fiercest strife was on the part of four -heroes: Lu the Ildanna, and the three sons -of Turenn. For hours the swaying and whirling -of spears, the rush of javelins, the flashing -of swords, the trampling of horses and crash of -war-chariots, made the plain of Moytura a place -of savage din and fury. For long it seemed as -though the great might and numbers of the -Fomorians would give the day to Bras, son -of Balor of the Evil Eye; but so great was -the prowess of the Dedannan host, that -the Fomorians were mowed down as ripe -grain.</p> - -<p>In the wane of the afternoon, Bras and Lu -met at last. The tides of war ceased, for all -men wished to see the battle-meeting of these -two champions.</p> - -<p>But already Bras had seen that the day had -gone against the glory of Lochlin, and he knew -that an hour hence his great army would be -utterly routed, and that all who did not -straightway escape to the shores of Connaught<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">145</a></span> -and gain the Fomorian galleys would be -tracked and cut down like flying wolves.</p> - -<p>So he lowered his great spear, and threw his -shield upon the ground, and thereafter asked -Lu to stay the tides of battle, and agreed that -the day should be accounted as a final victory -to the men of Erin. And the son of the king -of Lochlin further agreed, that if Lu and the -leaders of the Dedannans would do this, he -would give a solemn bond to withdraw all the -Fomorians from Erin, to cancel for ever the -bond put upon the Tuatha-De-Danann by -Balor of the Evil Eye, and never to return -again in enmity, neither he nor any Fomorian -of the north nor southlander of lower Lochlin.</p> - -<p>And thus it was that the great battle of -Moytura, the Battle of the Kites, came to an -end. A year thereafter the grass was not yet -green, and the plain was covered with the -white bones of the innumerous dead.</p> - -<p>When all was over, and Bras and his defeated -army were hasting towards the distant -Connaught shores, Lu threw from him his -blood-stained armour and the weapons he was -almost too weary to bear. All day he had -fought, as only the mightiest heroes fight, and -many strong and valorous men had marvelled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">146</a></span> -at his dauntless courage and at the prowess -that failed not for one moment.</p> - -<p>Glad was Lu of the Long Hand to see -Ald and Art, but when he asked how his -father had fared in the battle, and heard -that he had not been there, and had been -seen of no man that day, he knew that -Kian the Noble was no longer alive.</p> - -<p>“For,” he said, “if my father were alive -he would have been with me this day, or, if -peradventure that were not possible, would -have sent me a sign. Howsoever this may -be, something within me tells that my father -is no longer among the living. And now, -ye who hear me, listen, for by the Sun and -the Moon and the Wind I swear that I shall -not slake this bitter thirst of mine, nor rest -this over-weary head, until I have found -how and where and when an evil fate came -upon my father, whom I loved as I have -loved and love none other.”</p> - -<p>That night Lu Ildanna, with a hundred -chosen men, rode swiftly to Tara, but there -found no word of Kian.</p> - -<p>On the morrow he set forth at dawn, alone; -for in a dream it had come to him that his -father lay moaning beneath the thistle-strewn<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">147</a></span> -grass on the stony plain of Moy Murhenna. -And there, in truth, Lu came upon the -end of his quest; for as he rode slowly and -sadly across the plain, whereon he could not -discern a living being save a vast herd of -swine, he heard, as one may hear in a shell, -a plaintive sighing.</p> - -<p>“What is that sighing?” he cried. “Is it -the death-sigh of thee, Kian my father?”</p> - -<p>There was no answer save the strange -sighing, that was not of the wind or any -moving thing, but seemed now to come from -above, now from around, now from beneath. -But at the third asking, a voice answered, -thin and feeble:</p> - -<p>“It is the death-sighing of me, Kian thy -father, O Lu my son.”</p> - -<p>“And who put death upon thee, thou who -liest there in the darkness of the shadow of -death?”</p> - -<p>“The three sons of Turenn slew me here -in this waste place. And because that they -slew me in no fair strife, and because that -they finished their slaying by crushing me -with great stones till there was not left of -me one bone alive, I cry to thee, O Lu my -son, whom men now call Lu the Ildanna, because<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">148</a></span> -of thy craft and wisdom, to see that -a greater eric be exacted for me than has -ever yet been exacted in Erin for any slain -man. And in the end see that thou sparest -not, for otherwise there shall be a greater -bloodshed still; and ill it befits us, who are -noble, that we should bring a tide of blood -over Erin, for no worthier cause than the -wiping out of that which lies between the clan -of Kian and the clan of Turenn.”</p> - -<p>“As thou sayest, O Kian my father, so -shall it be, and even unto the end. And -this I swear by the Sun and by the Moon and -by the Wind.”</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, Lu showed no grief till he -saw his father’s bruised body before him, -and then he bewailed bitterly that he had -not been nigh when the sons of Turenn drove -Kian the Noble to his fate; and bitterly he -lamented that one of the noble Dedannan -race should be slain by Dedannans; and -bitterly he swore that an eric should be -exacted such as never before had been -heard of in Erin, and that in the end, even -were it fulfilled, he should not spare, because -of what Kian had foreseen.</p> - -<p>At noon Lu returned from Tara, whither<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">149</a></span> -he had gone after he had viewed the speechless -dead body of his father, with ten chosen -men whom he had bound to silence.</p> - -<p>So once more Kian the Noble was placed -in his grave, but now standing, as befits a -hero. And above the grave they raised a -cairn, and midway in this cairn was a great -slab of smooth stone, whereon Lu Ildanna -graved in Ogam the name and ancestry and -great fame of Kian, son of Kian, son of Kian -the Thunder-Smith.</p> - -<p>But when that night Lu entered Tara -again, the whole of the king’s town was lit -with torches, and resounded with joyous -shouts and cries because of the great victory -of the Dedannans over the Fomorians; nor -was any name so often named as that of Lu -Lamfada, Lu the Long-Handed.</p> - -<p>When Lu entered the palace of the king, -he was received with a mighty shout of welcome, -and Nuadh of the Silver Hand himself -came to greet him, with fair loving words of -praise and gratitude. Right glad was the -king to see Lu come to him thus, for he -had feared that the Ildanna bore him a bitter -grudge because of his having refused his -aid to drive forth Bras and his Fomorians.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">150</a></span> -Therefore it was that he paid honour to -Lu Ildanna above all other men, and led -him to a seat at his right hand, placing him -above the whole assemblage of princes and -great lords.</p> - -<p>But Lu neither smiled nor made any sign -of pleasure. His eyes wandered round the -concourse of the Dedannan chivalry. Suddenly -his gaze became intent and fixed, for -upon three golden-studded seats of honour he -beheld the three sons of Turenn.</p> - -<p>The high king of Erin was about to -speak to his chiefs on the great matter of -rejoicing and counsel which had brought them -all together, when Lu arose. All stared in -amaze, for only some unforeseen emergency -could justify a noble speaking before the high -king had said what he had to say.</p> - -<p>“O King of Erin,” said Lu slowly, and -in a low voice, yet so clear and cold and -vibrant that it was heard of every man in -that vast concourse: “O King of Erin, -order the chain of silence to be brought hither, -and let its soft, delicate music be shaken from -it, for I have that to say that must be heard -of all men, and not in their ears only but in -their hearts and in their minds.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">151</a></span></p> - -<p>Therewith the Chain of Silence was brought, -and was shaken slowly and delicately by the -young druid whose charge it was. The sweet -low sound rose into the air like fragrance, -and passed through all the halls in Tara, and -filled the ears of every man, and the mind -of each, and the soul of each. There was not -a sound in all that place, not a whisper, not -a sigh.</p> - -<p>In that great silence Lu moved forward till -he stood beside the king and faced the whole -assemblage.</p> - -<p>“Chiefs and warriors of the Tuatha-De-Danann, -I have that to ask ye to which I -need an answer this day. Tell me this: -What would ye do unto one who wittingly, -and not in battle but shamefully, slew your -father, and he innocent, even such a man, -say, as Kian the Noble?”</p> - -<p>There was no whisper of answer. All sat -there amazed, marvelling at the strange question. -But at last Nuadh the King spoke.</p> - -<p>“What meaning lives in thy words, -Ildanna? For we know that thy father -Kian is not slain, for he was not in the -Great Battle.”</p> - -<p>“Nevertheless he is slain, and here in this<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">152</a></span> -royal place my eyes behold them who slew -him.”</p> - -<p>When Lu of the Long Hand had spoken -these words, every man looked from neighbour -to neighbour in amaze. But all waited -for the king to speak.</p> - -<p>“What sayest thou, Nuadh of the Silver -Hand, Ardree of Erin?”</p> - -<p>“I have this to say, that if a man wittingly, -and without the just cause of war, slew -my father, and he innocent, I would not -be content with exacting death, but would -rather lop him limb from limb daily till he -died.”</p> - -<p>“And what say ye, chiefs and nobles of the -Dedannan race?”</p> - -<p>“We say as the Ardree says,” cried one and -all, save the three who sat on golden-knobbed -seats near the high king, though these too -bowed their heads in acquiescence.</p> - -<p>“And what say ye, ye sons of Turenn?”</p> - -<p>At this all turned and looked upon Brian -and Ur and Urba, who sat pale and stern. -Brian answered for himself and his brothers.</p> - -<p>“We say as the high king says.”</p> - -<p>“Nuadh of the Silver Hand, Ardree of -Erin, and all ye chieftains and chiefs and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">153</a></span> -nobles of the Dedannan race, I call ye to -witness that this man who has spoken slew -my father, and that he and his brothers are -jointly guilty of that foul deed.”</p> - -<p>For more than the furthest singing of an -arrow, there was silence. Neither the king -nor any man spoke, but all looked to the -sons of Turenn to say Yea or Nay. But Brian -and Ur and Urba sat in a frozen stillness, -and moved neither their hands nor their lips, -and stared only with unwavering eyes upon -the white accusing face of the son of the murdered -Kian.</p> - -<p>Then Lu spoke again.</p> - -<p>“Behold the men who slew my father. -And now, O king, I say not whether there -were good cause for this slaying: all men know -that there was a feud between the clans of -Kian and Turenn. Nor do I wish to bring -evil into this house and town of thine. Because -one man is dead, there is no need that -others must die who have nought to do with -his death. I have come in peace: I would -go in peace. But this only I say: I go not -hence till I have won from the sons of Turenn -the vow of my eric.”</p> - -<p>“That is right and wise,” answered the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">154</a></span> -king, “and for myself I would be well content -if, being guilty, I could evade death by paying -any eric whatsoever.”</p> - -<p>At this Brian rose.</p> - -<p>“Lu, son of Kian, has spoken inadvisedly, -O king. He has accused us of a crime, he -knowing nothing of when or how that deed -was done, and in what circumstances, and how -made inevitable. Nor, again, have we ever -admitted that we are guilty of this deed of -murder.”</p> - -<p>“It is enough. Kian, father of Lu Ildanna, -came to his death through ye three sons -of Turenn. Whatsoever eric Lu may exact, -that eric ye shall have to pay. Otherwise -the lives that ye hold so dear, being your -own, will no longer have the shelter of this -royal place; and as no man’s hand can be -raised to aid thee, ye shall be at the mercy -of Lu of the Long Hand, and of whomsoever -he may bring against thee.”</p> - -<p>For a brief while Brian talked low with his -brothers; then he turned and addressed Nuadh -the king and Lu Lamfada.</p> - -<p>“We are for peace, not strife. We say not -we are guilty, but we will pay the eric that -Lu, son of Kian, may demand, save only<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">155</a></span> -that it be not against the life of Turenn our -father.”</p> - -<p>“That is well said,” exclaimed Nuadh of the -Silver Hand.</p> - -<p>“I accept the troth,” said Lu, “and now -call upon all here to witness that the sons of -Turenn have made a solemn pledge.”</p> - -<p>There were few there who did not wonder -what the eric would be, for all knew that Lu -was a stern man, and would not rest till he had -done his utmost to make the sons of Turenn -expiate their deed.</p> - -<p>Great was their amazement, therefore, -when Lu gave forth the eric that he demanded.</p> - -<p>“The eric I demand is this,” he said: “that -ye bring me three apples, a certain skin, a -spear, two horses and a chariot, seven swine, -a hound, and a roasting spit. And further, -that ye shout three shouts upon a hill. Yet, if -ye will,” Lu added scornfully, “I shall remit -a portion of this eric if ye find it too heavy -for ye.”</p> - -<p>“It is neither heavy nor great,” answered -Brian, “if there be no hidden evil behind. -For by the Sun and Wind I swear that I -would not count too heavy an eric, three<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">156</a></span> -hundreds of thousands of apples, or thrice a -hundred skins, or many score horses and -chariots, spears and hounds, or a shouting a -hundred times upon a hundred hills.”</p> - -<p>“Nevertheless, I do not account it small,” -answered Lu gravely. “But give me now -security that ye shall fulfil this eric to the uttermost.”</p> - -<p>“We give ourselves as security.”</p> - -<p>“Not so,” exclaimed Lu scornfully. “I will -not have the security of thyselves.”</p> - -<p>“Then I call upon Bove Derg, son of the -Dagda, and upon Nuadh of the Silver Hand, -Ardree of Erin, and upon the score I shall -name of the foremost chiefs of the Dedannan -race, to be our pledge and warranty.”</p> - -<p>And after Brian had named the score, all -they, and Nuadh the king, and Bove Derg, the -son of the Dagda, gave the pledge, so that -thenceforth the sons of Turenn were under -solemn <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">geas</i> to fulfil the eric, or die in the effort -to fulfil that eric, or otherwise bring dishonour -upon all these noble and great lords, each of -whom moreover would be bound to seek the -lives of Brian and Ur and Urba.</p> - -<p>“And now tell us if that is all, O Lu -Ildanna, for much I misdoubt me if thou hast<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">157</a></span> -no evil thought for us behind thy fair-seeming -words.”</p> - -<p>Thereat all leaned forward and listened -eagerly, for each man knew that Lu was not -vainly called the Ildanna, for there was no one -in all Erin who had so much knowledge, or -whose craft was so greatly to be feared. -When he had uttered the eric that he demanded, -all were at first amazed. Then some -had thought that he was under <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">geas</i> never to -exact a great eric, but always the smallest that -he might make; but most were troubled, for -behind these slight exactions they knew that -he had arrowy intentions.</p> - -<p>“Yes, ye sons of Turenn,” Lu Lamfada -began slowly, “I shall tell ye now what my -eric is. I do not think ye shall find it over -easy.”</p> - -<p>Brian and Ur and Urba rose, but all the -host otherwise remained seated. The three -sons of Turenn leaned upon their spears, and -tall and goodly warriors they seemed, and -worthy of their great fame as three of the -seven chief champions of Erin.</p> - -<p>“First, then, there is this. The skin I -demand of ye is one that belongs to the king -of Greece in the far eastern lands. It is the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">158</a></span> -skin of healing. No man need die of wounds -who has that skin; and cold water, too, it will -make into wine. I do not think ye will come -easily by that skin.</p> - -<p>“Second, there is this. The spear I demand -of ye is the spear called Aradvar, the dreadful -spear of Pisarr, Prince of Persia, whose point -is for ever kept cooling in a cauldron of water, -so terrible is its fiery thirst, and that thirst for -blood. I do not think ye will find the spear -of Pisarr easy to obtain.</p> - -<p>“Third, there is this. The chariot and two -horses that I demand of ye belong to Dobar, -the king of Sicily. They heed neither the -rough ways of the land nor the rough ways of -the sea, but travel equally and at the will of -him who drives. I do not think ye will find -it easy to obtain that chariot and its two -horses.</p> - -<p>“Further, there is this. Far to the south -there is a great lord, Asol of the Golden -Pillars. It is he who owns the seven swine I -ask of ye. Ye may slay the seven and yet all -will remain. They know not death, though ye -may slay them and feed upon them. There is -no death upon them. I do not think ye will -find it easy to obtain these swine.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">159</a></span></p> - -<p>“Fifth, there is this. In a further land still, -that is called Irrua, there is a great and terrible -hound named Falinnish. So fierce is he that -whatever beast comes within sight of him falls -in helpless fear. I do not think ye will find -that hound very easy to obtain, or bring with -ye from far-off Irrua.</p> - -<p>“Sixth, there is this. In the remote seas is -an isle called Fiancarya. It is there that the -sea-women dwell. In caverns beneath the -waves they roast their food. It is their roasting -spit I ask of ye. I do not think ye will -find it easy to obtain that thing.</p> - -<p>“Seventh, there is this. The three apples -I ask of ye are of gold, and are in an ancient -garden in Isberna. That ancient close is well -guarded, O Sons of Turenn, so that ye may -not find it easy even to see the wind-waved -summits of the trees. I do not think ye will -bring back these apples.<a name="FNanchor_10" id="FNanchor_10" href="#Footnote_10" class="fnanchor">10</a></p> - -<p>“And lastly, there is this. In the remotest -north of remote Lochlin there is a hill called -Mekween. It is so called from a man of that -name who lives there. He is a great and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">160</a></span> -powerful man, and none others equal him save -only his two sons. So terrible are they that no -man dare venture into that wild place where -they live, save in amity. It was with them -that my father learned his great craft with the -sword; and so great will their wrath be that -ye have slain him, that even were I to forgive -ye, they would not. Moreover, Mekween and -his sons are under <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">geas</i> not to allow a shout to -be shouted upon that hill. I do not think ye -will find it easy to pass the sons of Mekween, -nor to shout three shouts upon that hill.”</p> - -<p>With that, Lu the Ildanna bowed before the -king, and sat upon his golden chair again.</p> - -<p>All men looked with sorrow upon the sons -of Turenn. Any of the seven <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">geasan</i> of -this eric that Lu put upon them was more -than enough for any hero: how then would -they survive till the last, or, having survived, -how would they bring back with them these -things, and how escape the wrath of Mekween -and his sons?</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, the sons of Turenn were now -under bond, and they had no choice but to do -what they could to fulfil their eric.</p> - -<p>With sad hearts they left the great beauty -and wonder of Tara, and with sadder hearts<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">161</a></span> -still reached their own land. Here with sorrow -they bade farewell to Turenn their father and -to dark-eyed Enya their sister, whom they -loved so passing well, and to all their kindred -and folk. Thereafter they set forth on their -long and ever more and more perilous quest.</p> - -<p>It would have been easy for the sons of -Turenn to have passed over into Alba, and -sought service with the king of that country; -or to have gone among the Kymri in the inland -highlands beyond the isle where Manannan -had his home: or southward to Lyonesse -or into Armorica. But honour is a better -thing than ease, and it would ill have befit -heroes such as Brian and Ur and Urba to -have evaded their solemn troth. A bitter -wrong they had done, because of the hereditary -feud betwixt the clans of Turenn and -Kian: but now there was one thing only to -do, and that to fulfil the eric put upon them -by Lu, son of Kian. Moreover, Nuadh the -Ardree and Bove Derg, son of the Dagda, -and a score of the noblest lords in Erin -were their warranty that they would do this -thing.</p> - -<p>So, one day of the days, they set forth from -Erin: and sad indeed were they when across<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">162</a></span> -the foam they took their last look at Dun -Turenn and at the dear familiar hill of Ben -Edar.</p> - -<div class="tb">* <span class="in2">* </span><span class="in2">* </span><span class="in2">* </span><span class="in2">*</span></div> - -<p>For that night Peterkin heard no more -of the story of the Fate of the Sons of -Turenn; but all the next evening, and the -next again, he sat entranced by the strange -moving tale of how Brian and Ur and Urba -one by one fulfilled the hard and perilous -conditions of their eric, and this until the sixth -was done.</p> - -<p>But here, now, this tale cannot be told in -full. To tell it aright would need a volume -not less than this is.</p> - -<p>It must suffice that after innumerable hardships, -after fierce cold and fiercer heat, after -hunger and thirst and daily perils by land -or sea, and strange and frightful encounters, -and hazardous fights with monsters and wild -men and kings and princes, the sons of Turenn -found themselves sailing towards the remote -north of Lochlin, having accomplished the six -seeming impossible conditions.</p> - -<p>That nigh-impossible task, indeed, had been -made possible by the magic boat of Manannan, -called the Sweeper of the Waves, which they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">163</a></span> -had won from Lu by unlooked-for wile. -For before they had left Tara they had -played a game of chess with Lu Ildanna, -well knowing that Lu was under <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">geas</i> never -to refuse to play at chess when asked by -any Dedannan, or to pay the hazard that -was decided upon, whatsoever it might be. -There was no player in all Erin to surpass -Ur, though few knew this, for he was little -given to talk, and still less of his own doings.</p> - -<p>First Urba had offered to play with Lu, -and the hazard of that play was to be the -life of Lu Ildanna. “I will play that hazard,” -he said, “if thou wilt pay the like penalty -if thou dost lose.” But when Urba refused, -he could play no more, because he had -declined the counter-hazard.</p> - -<p>Then Brian had offered to play, and the -hazard of that play was to be Daurya, the -beautiful daughter of a great lord, whom -Lu loved. “I will play that hazard,” he -said, “if, in return, thou wilt pledge me -Enya of the Dark Eyes, thy sister.” But -when Brian refused this hazard, he too could -play no more with Lu until Lu asked -him.</p> - -<p>Then Ur played, and the hazard of that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">164</a></span> -play was the “Sweeper of the Waves,” Manannan’s -magic boat. “I will play that hazard,” -Lu said, “if in return thou wilt sail in -it, and affront Manannan to his face.” To -that Ur agreed, and they played, and Ur -won.</p> - -<p>This magic boat would sail swiftly and safely -in any sea whether calm or tempest-wrought, -and at a word would make for any coast -or haven; more like a great bird it was, or -some creature of the air and sea.</p> - -<p>“White shall be thy foamy track,” cried -Lu as they sailed away; “but red everywhere -shall be the wake behind ye.”</p> - -<p>And so it was. For death and the bitterness -of the sword were ever in their way -and in their wake. Nevertheless, they unceasingly -rejoiced in their possession of the -Sweeper of the Waves, and when their eric-quest -took them into far eastern lands beyond -the reach of great rivers, they hid their precious -vessel, or bade it lie till it heard their summoning -voice.</p> - -<p>And so at the last it happened that the -sons of Turenn won the three golden apples -out of the guarded close in Isberna; and by -craft and daring carried away from Sicily the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">165</a></span> -famous chariot and two steeds which had no -peer in all the world; and from Asol of the -Golden Pillars, who gave them in ransom for -his life, they took the seven deathless swine; -and from its cauldron in the heart of a -hostile city they snatched the terrible spear -of Pisarr; and the far-famed skin of healing -they brought away from the palace of Toosh, -king of Greece, whose head they left idly -rolling upon his marble floor; and in far -Irrua they put captivity upon the terrible -hound Falinnish; and in the wild seas of -Fiancarya they dared the sea-women in their -caverns under the waves, and took from them -the roasting spit that Lu had demanded.</p> - -<p>All this they did, and much else in the -doing of these wonders. And now nothing -remained but to shout three shouts upon the -hill of Mekween; and to this end they sailed -blithely and swiftly towards the far north of -Lochlin.</p> - -<p>But meanwhile, in far-away Erin, Lu -Ildanna became aware, by his subtle magic -and knowledge, that the sons of Turenn had -one by one accomplished all but the last of -the bitter tasks of the eric he had set upon -them. He had not deemed this fulfilment<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">166</a></span> -possible, but while greatly he marvelled that -courage and endurance could so bring impossible -things to pass, he dreaded lest the -sons of Turenn should prevail in the last task -also. For if they came back to Erin with -all that great eric fulfilled, then would there -be a blood-shedding terrible indeed.</p> - -<p>Moreover, Lu Ildanna, who saw far ahead -of the things of the moment, was even now -preparing for that second great battle upon -the Plain of Moytura which he knew would -come again; and a battle mightier and more -desperate than the last, or than ever was -seen in Erin before. Great warrior as he -was, and lordly as was the war-host of the -Dedannans, he feared this final battle unless -he had at least half of the eric he had set -upon the sons of Turenn—and, above all, the -Spear of Pisarr, the Skin of Healing, and the -War-chariot of the Sicilian king. Therefore -he longed for the return of his foes, the sons -of Turenn; yet feared that they should come -back having accomplished all.</p> - -<p>So on a day of the days he made a deep -and potent spell, and sent this spell forth -to work its noiseless and invisible way across -land and sea and under the flaming sun and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">167</a></span> -the white glister of the stars, till it should -find the Sweeper of the Waves.</p> - -<p>So forth that subtle spell went, and when -it reached at last the Sweeper of the Waves -it crawled stealthily into the great boat, and -wound itself about the weary bodies of Brian -and Ur and Urba, and moved into their -brains, filled as they were with dreams of Erin -and of home.</p> - -<p>The spell was the spell of oblivion, but they -knew it not.</p> - -<p>And so it chanced that they could no longer -understand why it was they sailed northward, -nor had they any memory of the last obligation -of the eric, and thought neither of Mekween -and his sons, nor of the doom put upon -them by Lu, nor of the vanity of all their -long quest and brave endurance if they returned -with the eric unfulfilled in the least -part.</p> - -<p>It was with joy that they set their prow -for green Erin; and with joy that they saw -again its green grassy hills above its white -shores; and with joy that they recognised -Ben Edar and Dun Turenn; and with joy -that they kissed once more Turenn their father -and Enya of the Dark Eyes, their sister, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">168</a></span> -knew themselves back at last from all their -weary wandering and endless peril and -strife.</p> - -<p>Great was the marvelling at what they -brought back, and the oldest druids admitted -that never in the history of Erin had so great -a wonder been done.</p> - -<p>Alas! theirs was but a brief joy.</p> - -<p>Lu Ildanna said nothing till he had put -away all the treasures of that eric. Then he -said gravely:</p> - -<p>“All is accomplished save one thing. Have -ye shouted three shouts upon the hill of Mekween?”</p> - -<p>And as he spoke he broke the spell, so -that suddenly Brian and Ur and Urba remembered, -and with shame and grief had to -say that this last thing they had not done.</p> - -<p>In vain did Turenn supplicate for his sons, -in vain even was the pleading of the king. -Lu had but one answer. “All else is as -nought if they have not done this thing—to -shout three shouts upon the hill of Mekween.”</p> - -<p>So once more the sore-tried heroes set forth, -but with dim presentiments of woe; for now -they had neither the Skin of Healing nor<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">169</a></span> -the Sweeper of the Waves, for these had been -taken away by Lu, and he would not give -them again.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, they reached their goal. A -great and terrible fight was theirs with Mekween -and his sons Conn and Corc and Ae—the -most terrible fight, the old bards say, which -was ever fought between six men—for at the -beginning the sons of Turenn slew Mekween.</p> - -<p>At dusk on that disastrous day six gashed -and mutilated men lay in the swoon of death. -Out of that swoon, three men never waked, -and these were Conn and Corc and Ae: and -two had not strength to move even when -they waked, and these were Ur and Urba; -and Brian alone staggered to his feet, and -stared through a mist of blood.</p> - -<p>When at last the eldest of the sons of -Turenn looked upon his brothers, and saw -their glassy eyes staring idly at the sunrise, he -feared that they too were dead. Then he saw -that the pulse of life still flickered. Weak as -he was, he took first Ur upon his shoulders, -and bore him up the rocky slope to the ridge -of the hill of Mekween; and then returned -and bore Urba thither also.</p> - -<p>Then it was that three thin, faint shouts<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">170</a></span> -went forth upon the hill, so thin and faint that -the browsing stags on the uplands did not lift -their heads.</p> - -<p>Thus was it that the Great Eric was fulfilled.</p> - -<p>But, alas! the piteous tale of their return. -None could tell aright that woe-stricken, death-weary -voyage of three dying men, upborne by -one hope only—that they might free their -name and clan from the eric put upon them, -and lay their accusing deaths at the feet of -Lu Ildanna.</p> - -<p>Yet hardly might they do even this. For as -they drew nigh the coasts of Erin once more, -Ur and Urba spoke to Brian and supplicated -him to raise their heads, so that, before they -died, they might see again the green hills of -their beloved Banba, and high Ben Edar, and -their home Dun Turenn.</p> - -<p>But to this Brian made answer:</p> - -<p>“Dear brothers, too great is my weakness, -for I am now even as ye are. Lo! through my -gaping wounds one of these birds that skim -above us might fly, and be not snared within -me.”</p> - -<p>After that, they spake no word till the galley -grided against the sands of Erin.</p> - -<p>Soon all in Dun Turenn and in all the lands<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">171</a></span> -of Edar knew that Brian, Ur, and Urba -were come again; but sorrowful were they -indeed to see, instead of the three proud heroes, -only three wasted men like unto shadows. -Neither Ur nor Urba could speak, but Brian’s -voice could rise to a thin whisper.</p> - -<p>With halting breath he bade his father -hasten to Tara, and tell Lu Lamfada that -now all the eric was paid at last; and then beseech -him, by his honour and fair name, and -for the glory of the old Dedannan faith, and -by the invocation of the Sun and Moon and -Wind, to lend to the three perishing sons of -Turenn, the Skin of Healing, so that their -lives might not flicker out as the flame of spent -torches.</p> - -<p>But, alas! Lu would not yield to that prayer, -not even when the grey hairs of Turenn were -at his feet. Then once more Brian besought -his father; and now it was that he bade his -father put him upon a litter, and bear him -gently, because of his open wounds, and lay -him at the feet of Lu.</p> - -<p>And when he was there, Brian said this -thing:</p> - -<p>“Behold, O Lu Ildanna, son of Kian, we -have fulfilled the heaviest eric ever exacted of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">172</a></span> -any man since the world was made. And now -we ask this one thing alone: one hour only of -the Healing Skin that we ourselves brought -unto thee. Yet not for myself I ask this, if -thou desirest my life, since it was I who slew -thy father, but for my brothers Ur and Urba. -And if not for them—though they are guiltless -of this ill, and are with me in this dire plight -because they would not forsake me, but made -my fortune their fortune—then for the sake of -the old hero Turenn, who was comrade in -arms with thy father Kian when both were -youths. And by the Sun, and by the Moon, -and by the Wind, and by thine honour, I -cry to thee to be merciful, and to do this -thing.”</p> - -<p>But Lu smiled a bitter, evil smile. Half -that smile was from the cruel revengefulness in -his breast, and half because he feared that if -Brian and Ur and Urba lived, there would -be an end of the Dedannan race, for the -fierce internecine wars which would be in -Erin.</p> - -<p>“I would not give thee the Skin, Brian, -though all thy race, nay, not though every man -and woman in the eastlands were to perish -with thee. Go hence, and in the shadow of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">173</a></span> -death remember the eric unto death of Lu the -Long-Handed.”</p> - -<p>So Brian went forth upon his litter, with -the death-sweat already upon him.</p> - -<p>That night a long and bitter lamentation -went up from Dun Turenn, and the Beacons of -Death flared upon Ben Edar. For, at the -setting of the sun, Brian and Ur and Urba -breathed out their souls into the light, and -these moved swift to Flathinnis, the holy island -where are gathered all the souls of heroes.</p> - -<p>Yet on their way to join the innumerous -deathless dead, they halted once, for they heard -a thin voice crying upon the wind. It was -the voice of Turenn their father.</p> - -<p>In one great grave before the mighty dun, -the four were buried, erect, and sword in hand. -And on a slab midway in the vast cairn of -stones that was erected thereon, was writ in -branching Ogam the names and glory of -Turenn and his three sons. For three days -the people wept. Then, as the wont was, -Enya of the Dark Eyes decreed the funeral -games.</p> - -<p>And so these heroes died, and with them -went the third part of the perishing glory of -the Tuatha-De-Danann.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">174</a></span></p> - -<p>For in the end, that which is to be, is. There -is no gainsaying the slow, sure word of Fate. -And, too, there is this thing to be said. -The wind in the grass outlasts the branching -Ogam graven in granite, and the granite cenotaph -itself, and the powdered dust of that -granite.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/i_182d.png" width="105" height="114" alt="Swan" /> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">175</a></span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="newpage center in0 large">Darthool and the<br /> -Sons of Usna</p> - -<hr class="hidepub" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">176</a></span></p> - -<div class="poem-container"> - <div class="poem"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent8">“the story this</div> - <div class="verse">Of her, the morning star of loveliness,</div> - <div class="verse">Unhappy Helen of a western land.”</div> - </div> - </div> - <div class="signature"> - <p class="sigright1 pr4 p0"><i>“Deirdrê.” Trs. by Dr. Douglas Hyde.</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="hidepub" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/i_186m.jpg" width="320" height="500" alt="A great raven, glossy black, and burnished in the sun rays." /> - <div class="caption"> - <p class="center in0 smaller"><a name="Illustration_A_great_raven" id="Illustration_A_great_raven"></a>A great raven, glossy black, and burnished in the sun rays.</p> - <p class="xsmall left"><i>To face p. 177.</i>]</p> - </div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">177</a></span></p> - -<hr class="hidepub" /> - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<h2 class="newpage nobreakin"><a name="Darthool_and_the" id="Darthool_and_the"></a>Darthool and the<br /> -Sons of Usna</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap3"><span class="smcap1">The</span> story I will tell you now, Peterkin, is -more beautiful, though not so old.</p> - -<p class="p074">In all the regions of the Gael throughout -Scotland, and in every isle, from Arran and -Islay in the south, to Iona in the west, and -Tiree in mid-sea, and the Outer Hebrides, -there is no story of the old far-off days so well -known as that of Darthool.</p> - -<p>She it is who in Ireland is called Deirthrê or -Deirdrê; and in Ireland to this day there is not -a cowherd who has not heard of Deirdrê.</p> - -<p>Her beauty filled the old world of the Gael -with a sweet, wonderful, and abiding rumour. -The name of Deirdrê has been as a lamp to a -thousand poets. In a land of heroes and brave -and beautiful women, how shall one name survive?<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">178</a></span> -Yet to this day and for ever, men will -remember Deirdrê, the torch of men’s thoughts, -and Grainne whom Diarmid loved and died -for, and Maev who ruled mightily, and Fand -whose white feet trod faery dew, and many -another. For beauty is the most excellent -sweet thing in all the world, and though of it a -few perish, and a myriad die from knowing -nothing of it, beneath it the nations of men -move forward as their one imperishable star. -Therefore he who adds to the beauty of the -world is of the sons of God. He who destroys -or debases beauty is of the darkness, and shall -have darkness for his reward.</p> - -<p>The day will come, Peterkin, when you will -find a rare and haunting music in these names. -They will bring you a lost music, a lost world, -and imperishable beauty. You will dwell with -them, till you love Deirdrê as did the sons of -Usna, and would die for her, or live to see her -starry eyes; till you look longingly upon the -Grainne of your dreams, and cry as Diarmid -did, when he asked her, as death menaced -them, if even yet she would go back, and she -answered that she would not: “Then go forward, -O Grainne!”</p> - -<p>Many poets and shennachies have related<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">179</a></span> -this tale. I have heard it given now this way, -and now that; sometimes with new names and -scenes, sometimes with other beginnings and -endings; but at heart it is ever the same. Nor -does it matter whether the father of Deirdrê be -Felim, the warrior bard of the Ultonians, or -Malcolm the Harper, or any other, or whether -the fair and sweet beauty of the world be called -Deirdrê or Darthool. But as here in our own -land she is called Darthool, that I will call her.</p> - -<p>I will tell the story as it is told in the old -chronicles, and to this day, and if I add aught -to it, that shall only be what I myself heard -when I was young, and had from the lips of -an old woman, Barabal Mac-Aodh, who was -my nurse. She came out of Tiree or Coll, I -forget which.</p> - -<div class="tb">* <span class="in2">* </span><span class="in2">* </span><span class="in2">* </span><span class="in2">*</span></div> - -<p>Well, in the ancient dim days when Emania -was the capital of the Ultonians, the fair and -wonderful capital of the kingdom of Ulster, -and before Maev, the queen of the south, had -buried the chivalry of the north in dust and -blood, there came into the realm of Concobar -the Ultonian king, whom some call Conor and -some Connachar, three of the noblest and -fairest of the youths of the world. These are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">180</a></span> -they who then bore, and in all the years since -have borne, the name of the Sons of Usna, who -was himself, some say, a feudal king, in Alba.<a name="FNanchor_11" id="FNanchor_11" href="#Footnote_11" class="fnanchor">11</a></p> - -<p>It is because of these three heroes that this -story I am relating is often called the story -of the Sons of Usna. But first, I have that to -tell you which precedes the time when Nathos,<a name="FNanchor_12" id="FNanchor_12" href="#Footnote_12" class="fnanchor">12</a> -and Ailne, and Ardan, stood in the house of -Concobar the high king.</p> - -<p>This Concobar was a great prince. He was -known as Concobar MacNessa, for though he -was the son of Fatna the Wise, son of Ross -the Red, son of Rory, Nessa his mother was a -famous queen, and had indeed by her beauty -and her wiles brought Concobar to the overlordship -of Uladh<a name="FNanchor_13" id="FNanchor_13" href="#Footnote_13" class="fnanchor">13</a> when he was yet a youth.</p> - -<p>In many of the tales of the old far-off days, -you will hear the rumour of the splendour and -wonder of the city of Emania. In Concobar’s -time it was called Emain Macha, for it had -been built by a great and beautiful queen—Macha -Mongruay, Macha of the Ruddy Hair. -A thousand times have poets chanted of Emain -Macha, and in the ancient days the bards<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">181</a></span> -loved to sing also of Macha herself. Here is -an old far-off lay:</p> - -<div class="poem-container"> - <div class="poem"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse quote">“O ’tis a good house, and a palace fair, the dun of Macha,</div> - <div class="verse">And happy with a great household is Macha there;</div> - <div class="verse">Druids she had, and bards, minstrels, harpers, knights,</div> - <div class="verse">Hosts of servants she had, and wonders beautiful and rare,</div> - <div class="verse">But nought so wonderful and sweet as her face, queenly fair,</div> - <div class="verse indent12">O Macha of the Ruddy Hair!</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">The colour of her great dun is the shining whiteness of lime,</div> - <div class="verse">And within it are floors strewn with green rushes and couches white,</div> - <div class="verse">Soft wondrous silks and blue gold-claspt mantles and furs</div> - <div class="verse">Are there, and jewelled golden cups for revelry by night:</div> - <div class="verse">Thy grianan of gold and glass is filled with sunshine-light,</div> - <div class="verse indent12">O Macha, queen by day, queen by night!</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Beyond the green portals, and the brown and red thatch of wings</div> - <div class="verse">Striped orderly, the wings of innumerous stricken birds,</div> - <div class="verse">A wide shining floor reaches from wall to wall, wondrously carven</div> - <div class="verse">Out of a sheet of silver, whereon are graven swords</div> - <div class="verse">Intricately ablaze; mistress of many hoards</div> - <div class="verse indent12">Art thou, Macha of few words!</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Fair indeed is thy couch, but fairer still is thy throne,</div> - <div class="verse">A chair it is, all of a blaze of wonderful yellow gold:</div> - <div class="verse">There thou sittest, and watchest the women going to and fro,</div> - <div class="verse">Each in garments fair and with long locks twisted fold in fold:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">182</a></span></div> - <div class="verse">With the joy that is in thy house men would not grow old,</div> - <div class="verse indent12">O Macha, proud, austere, cold.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Of a surety there is much joy to be had of thee and thine,</div> - <div class="verse">There in the song-sweet sunlit bowers in that place:</div> - <div class="verse">Wounded men might sink in sleep and be well content</div> - <div class="verse">So to sleep, and to dream perchance, and know no other grace</div> - <div class="verse">Than to wake and look betimes on thy proud queenly face,</div> - <div class="verse indent12">O Macha of the Proud Face!</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">And if there be any here who wish to know more of this wonder,</div> - <div class="verse">Go, you will find all as I have shown, as I have said:</div> - <div class="verse">From beneath its portico thatched with wings of birds blue and yellow</div> - <div class="verse">Reaches a green lawn, where a fount is fed</div> - <div class="verse">From crystal and gems: of crystal and gold each bed</div> - <div class="verse indent12">In the house of Macha of the Ruddy Head.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">In that great house where Macha the queen has her pleasaunce</div> - <div class="verse">There is everything in the whole world that a man might desire.</div> - <div class="verse">God is my witness that if I say little it is for this,</div> - <div class="verse">That I am grown faint with wonder, and can no more admire,</div> - <div class="verse">But say this only, that I live and die in the fire</div> - <div class="verse indent12">Of thine eyes, O Macha, my desire,</div> - <div class="verse indent12">With thine eyes of fire!”<a name="FNanchor_14" id="FNanchor_14" href="#Footnote_14" class="fnanchor">14</a><br /><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">183</a></span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>It was in this wonderful forefront of Ulster -that Concobar reigned. The fame of Emain -Macha was throughout Gaeldom; and there -was no man or woman who, as the days went -by, did not hear of the greatness of Concobar.</p> - -<p>On a day of the days, the king went with -his chief lords on a visit to the dun of Felim, -a warrior and harper whom he loved. There -was to be great feasting, and all men were -glad. Felim himself rejoiced, though he would -fain have had the king come to him a few days -later, for his wife was heavy with child, and -looked for her hour that very day or the next.</p> - -<p>In the midmost of the feast, Concobar saw -that Cathba, an aged Druid who had accompanied -him, was staring into the other world -that is about us.</p> - -<p>“Speak, Cathba,” he said. “There is no -man in all Erin who has wisdom like unto -thine. What is it that thou seest, with the -inner sight that I perceive well is now upon -thee?”</p> - -<p>“Old as I am with the heavy burden of -years and sorrow, O Concobar, did I not beg -that I might come with thee to this festival at -the dun of Felim? And that was not because -I wearied to hear strange harping and singing,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">184</a></span> -good and fine and better than our own as this -harping is here, in the house of Felim; for I -am old and weary, and care more to listen to -the wind in the grass, or to the sighing upon -the hill, than to any music of war or love.”</p> - -<p>“Then what was it that was in thy mind, -Cathba?”</p> - -<p>“This, O king. I saw a shadow arise whenever -I thought of our Ultonian realm, and I -felt within me the burden of a new prophecy. -Nevertheless, I was moved by naught till I -entered the dun of Felim, and now I know.”</p> - -<p>“Speak,” said the king; while all there -listened with awe as well as eagerness, for -Cathba was the wisest of the Druids, and knew -many mysteries, and what he had foretold had -ever come to pass. Slowly, the white-haired -Druid looked around the faces of all seated -there. Then he looked at the king. Then he -looked at Felim.</p> - -<p>“To thee, O Felim, shall be born this night -a sting, a sword, a battering-ram, and a flame.”</p> - -<p>Felim the Harper stared with intent gaze, -but said nothing. Of what avail to say aught -against the decrees of the gods?</p> - -<p>“This night shall that which I have said be -born unto thee, O Felim. The sting will sting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">185</a></span> -to madness him who is king of the Ultonians; -the sword will sever from Uladh the chief of -her glories, the proud Red Branch for which -Concobar and all his chivalry shall perish; the -ram shall batter down the proud splendour of -Emain Macha; the flame shall pass from dun -to dun, from forest to forest, from hill to hill, -from the isles of Ara on the west to the shores -of the sea-stream of the Moyle on the north, -and to those of the sea of Manannan in the east.”</p> - -<p>Still Felim answered nothing. Then the -king spoke:</p> - -<p>“Thy words come in dust, like wind-whirled -autumn leaves. We have not thy further sight, -Cathba, and understand thee not.”</p> - -<p>Then once more Cathba spake out of the -dream that was upon him:</p> - -<p>“Two stars I see shining in a web of dusk; -and, in the shadow of that dusk, a low tower of -ivory and white pearls I see, and a strange crimson -fruit; and through all and over all I hear the -low, sweet vibration of the strings of a harp, a -harp such as the Dedannan folk play upon in -the moonshine in lonely places, but sweeter -still, sweeter and more wonderful.”</p> - -<p>“Is this thy second vision one and the same -with thy first, O Cathba?” asked the king.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">186</a></span></p> - -<p>“Even so. For the shining stars are her -eyes, and the web of dusk is the flower-fragrant -maze of her hair, that low tower of -ivory is her fair, white, wonderful neck, and her -white teeth are these pearls, and that strange -crimson fruit is no other than her smiling -mouth—a little smiling mouth with life and -death upon it because of its laughter and grave -stillness. As for that harp-playing, it is her -voice I hear—a voice more soft and sweet and -tender than the love-music of Angus Ogue -himself. O shining eyes, O strange crimson -fruit that is a little smiling mouth, O sweet -voice that is more excellent to hear than the -wild music of the Hidden People of the hills—it -is of ye, of ye that I speak, and of thee, -O tender, delicate fawn, in all thy loveliness.”</p> - -<p>None spake, but all stared at the Druid. -For dream was upon them at these words, and -each man imagined his desire, and was wrought -by it, and was rapt in strange longing.</p> - -<p>It was Concobar who broke the silence.</p> - -<p>“Of whomsoever thou speakest, Cathba, she -is surely of the divine folk. That exceeding -loveliness is for the joy or the sorrow of the -world.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">187</a></span></p> - -<p>Only Felim the Harper was troubled, for -now he knew well that the ancient Druid -spoke of the unborn child with whom even -then his wife was in travail. But no sooner -had Concobar ceased than Cathba rose, with -his great dark eyes aflame beneath his white -eye-brows. His voice was loud and terrible.</p> - -<p>“Behold, I see this thing; behold the vision -of Cathba the Druid, who is old and nigh unto -death. And what is before mine eyes is a -sea, a sea of flowing crimson, a sea of blood. -Foaming it rises, and wells forth, and overflows, -and drowns great straths and valleys, and -laves the flanks of high hills, and from the -summits of mountains pours down upon the -lands of the Gael in a thundering flood, blood-red -to the blood-red sea.”</p> - -<p>But now the spell of silence was broken. -All leaped to their feet, and many put their -hands upon their swords. There was not one -who did not fear the prophesying of Cathba -the wise Druid. That deluge of blood, was it -not a terror, a great ruin to avert?</p> - -<p>“If this child that the wife of Felim the -Harper is to bear this night be a blood-bringer -so terrible,” they cried, “let us slay her at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">188</a></span> -birth. For surely it is better to kill a child -than to destroy a nation.”</p> - -<p>So spake they out of their ignorance that -they thought wisdom. For they did not know -that there is no thought, no power, no spell, no -craft, wherewith to turn aside the feet of Destiny. -What has to be, will be, and no man -living can say or do aught that is of avail -against the inevitable tides of Fate.</p> - -<p>For the first time since Cathba had prophesied, -Felim uttered word.</p> - -<p>“Listen, my kinsmen and fellow-knights of -the Red Branch. A sore pity is it for my wife -Elva to bear a daughter that shall be a sting -to sting the king to madness, and a sword to -sever the Red Branch from Uladh, our fair -heritage, and a ram to break down the walls -of Emania, and a flame to consume the land -from shore to shore. And as for that sea of -blood, let it not be upon my head. For I, the -father of the child of Elva, that Cathba says is -to be a woman-child and of a beauty wonderful -to see, say unto ye: That which ye would fain -do, do. If it seems good unto ye, O Concobar, -and ye of the Red Branch, let this child -perish, so that the doom foretold by Cathba -may be averted.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">189</a></span></p> - -<p>At that all were glad save Concobar. Two -men was he, this king: a man who recked -little of aught save his desire, and a man who -had wisdom. Out of his wisdom he knew that -Felim and the Red Branch lords spoke madness, -for if it was ordained that the child of -Elva should bring doom, that doom would -surely come. Out of his longing he loved the -beauty of which Cathba had spoken, and desired -it against the years to come, and for the -solace of his years when he had loved much -and at the last was fain only of that which was -the crown of life. So he spoke to those before -him, and prevailed with them. Not vainly was -he called Concobar of the Honeymouth.</p> - -<p>“I will speak first to thee, Felim, son of -Dall, my bard. It is not good to put death -upon the fruit of one’s loins. Thine own child -should not see death through thee. But even -were it so, it is not meet for me or for any one -to bring the shame and pain of death to the -house of a friend. Therefore, do not speak of -putting silence and darkness upon the child of -Elva.”</p> - -<p>Having spoken thus, the king turned to the -lords of the Red Branch. As the wont was, -at the royal festivals there were five and three<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">190</a></span> -score over three hundred of the Red Branch -there and then.<a name="FNanchor_15" id="FNanchor_15" href="#Footnote_15" class="fnanchor">15</a></p> - -<p>“And to ye, Ultonians, I say this thing also. -Do not bring blood into the hospitable home -of Felim; that would be a stain upon him, -upon ye yourselves, and upon me the king. -But this is my counsel. Let the child live. -There is no good in idle blood, and if ye stain -yourselves with it, there shall be greater loss -and sorrow to follow. Ye are all grown men, -and not boys who do not know our laws. Ye -know the Law of the Eric. Well, I will free ye -of all doom, for upon my head be it. To myself -I will take this fair child, and upon me, and -not upon the Ultonians, nor upon the Red -Branch, nor upon any other whomsoever save -Concobar MacNessa, the high king, be the -penalty, if penalty there be.”</p> - -<p>At that a son of a king arose.</p> - -<p>“That is well, O Concobar. But what of -Cathba’s prophecy? We do not wish to see<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">191</a></span> -the sting that shall sting thee to madness, and -if the child live shall we not see that sting?”</p> - -<p>“Of that I have thought, that I have foreseen, -Congal, son of Rossa of the Lakes. For -I shall send the child into a lonely place, and -there in a solitary rath shall she dwell and -grow in years, and no man shall look upon her -save I myself, and that only in the fulness of -time. She shall be solitary and apart as the -Crane of Innisbea, that has dwelt upon its isle -since the world was made, and is seen of none.”</p> - -<p>“Tell us once more, Concobar MacNessa; -dost thou take this child, and the doom of this -child unto thee, and to thee alone?”</p> - -<p>“I have sworn. She shall grow in years, -and be wife to me when the time is come. -And if sorrow come with her, that sorrow shall -be my sorrow. Not upon Uladh be it, but -upon me. I have spoken.”</p> - -<p>“And as for thee, Felim?”</p> - -<p>“It would be better to slay the child than to -drown the land in blood.”</p> - -<p>“And as for thee, Cathba?”</p> - -<p>“There is but one law: that which has to -come, cometh.” But while they were thus -debating, the loud chanting voices of women -were heard, and soon a messenger came, crying<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">192</a></span> -loudly that a child had been born to Elva, -wife of Felim, and that it was a woman-child, and -exceeding comely, and strong, and white as milk.</p> - -<p>Once more Cathba the Druid spoke.</p> - -<p>“She shall be called Darthool,<a name="FNanchor_16" id="FNanchor_16" href="#Footnote_16" class="fnanchor">16</a> this woman -whose beauty shall be a flame, and whose eyes -shall be as stars.”</p> - -<p>And so it was. The child was spared, and -that night Elva slept in peace, and for many -nights.</p> - -<p>When the days of the feasting were over, -Concobar left the dun of Felim, and returned -with all his company to Emania. With him -he took the little child Darthool, and Elva -came with him for a month and a day.</p> - -<p>The month and the day soon passed, and -then Elva went back to her own place. It was -the will of the high king and of Felim, her -husband; nevertheless, she sorrowed to part -with her little child, who, even as a breast-babe, -had eyes of so great a beauty that it was -a joy to look into them.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">193</a></span></p> - -<p>Before the year was over—for, according to -what Cathba the wise Druid said, the child -must either be slain or hidden away before the -first year of her life were past—Concobar sent -Darthool with the nursing woman to whom he -entrusted her, to a small <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">lios</i>, or fort, deep -in the heart of the royal forest. A ban -was upon that forest that none might hunt or -even stray there without the king’s will; and -now that ban was made absolute, and it was -known that death would be the portion of any -man who went under these branches. None -was to enter that woodland save Concobar, or -whosoever might be of his chosen company, -or whom the king might thither lead.</p> - -<p>Concobar himself saw that food and milk was -sent in plenty to the lios, and once in every -seven days he went thither himself. As year -after year passed the secret of the hiding-place -of Darthool went out of men’s minds, and none -knew of the lios save the king, and the sister -of the nursing woman, who was his own foster-child -and under <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">geas</i> or bond to him. This -woman was named Lavarcam (<i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Leabharcham</i>), -and was fair to see, and whom Concobar held -to be discreet and trustworthy beyond any -other of his own people. She was of the royal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">194</a></span> -household, and of the women trained as chroniclers -and relaters.<a name="FNanchor_17" id="FNanchor_17" href="#Footnote_17" class="fnanchor">17</a></p> - -<p>The little starry-eyed babe grew to a child, -and from a child to a fawn of a girl, fair to see, -and from a young girl to a maid, of a beauty so -great that Concobar knew when she came to -full womanhood she would be indeed as Cathba -the Druid had prophesied.</p> - -<p>Darthool saw no one but her nurse, and -the tutor whom the king had sent to teach -her all that could be taught, and not only in -learning, but in courtesy and nobility; and -Lavarcam, who alone went to and fro. From -the time that Darthool passed out of her first -girlhood the king saw little of her, but twice -in each year—at the Festival of the Sun in -the time of the greening, and at the Festival -of end Summer at the fall of the leaf; and this -because of a warning that had been given -him by Cathba the ancient Druid.</p> - -<p>How can the beauty of so fair and sweet a -woman be revealed? Her loveliness was even -as Cathba had foretold. It was a surpassing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">195</a></span> -loveliness, and the three women who saw her -often marvelled at it, and wondered no more -that Darthool should be kept apart, for of a -surety she would be a torch to put flame into -the hearts of men, and to set great duns and -raths and towered capitals and warring nations -ablaze. The poets have sung of her, and no -man has sung but out of his deep desire. Her -great sad eyes, so full of dream, were blue as -are the hill-tarns at noon, and often dusky as -they when passing clouds put purple into their -depths; and like a golden web her hair was, -sprayed out with shining light, wonderful, -glorious; and her rowan-red lips were indeed -that strange crimson fruit which Cathba had -foreseen—rowan-red against the cream-white -softness of her skin. Cream-white her body -was, and her neck like a tower of ivory; slim -and graceful was she as a fawn, and fleet of foot -as the wild roes on the hills, and when she -moved in the sunlight or the shadow she was -so beautiful that tears came at times to the eyes -of the women in that lonely place. Yet even -more wonderful was her voice—low and sweet -and with music in it, like the whisper of the -wind among the reeds, or the ripple of green -leaves, or the murmuring of a brook.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">196</a></span></p> - -<p>But now and from this time forth Concobar -did not see her. For a year and a day after -she attained womanhood, Cathba had warned -the king it would mean death to him if he saw -her. Nevertheless, he often heard of Darthool -from Lavarcam, who in her going to and fro -had ever one thing to say—that never had -there been any woman so beautiful.</p> - -<p>The rumour of this great loveliness spread -from lip to lip. Yet no man ventured to -seek out the hidden place where Darthool -dwelled, for to all it was known that Concobar -kept her there against the time when he would -make her his queen, and all feared the long -arm and the heavy hand of Concobar Mac -Nessa. None might even question the king.</p> - -<p>It was in this year that the shadows of the -feet of Fate came into that place.</p> - -<p>One day when Lavarcam told the king that -Darthool grew fairer and fairer, so that even -the wild creatures of the forest rejoiced in her, -he all but yielded to his desire. Nevertheless, -fearing the prophetic voice, he refrained, but -cried: “When the snow time has passed, and -the first greening is over, and the wild rose -runs like a flame throughout the land, then will -I go to Darthool.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">197</a></span></p> - -<p>But before the greening was lost in the tides -of summer, and before the wild rose had begun -to run like a windy flame throughout the land, -Concobar had learned that Destiny waits on no -man.</p> - -<p>One dawn the first snows came over the hills -of the north and fell upon the forest. At the -rising of the sun they ceased, but every branch -was a white plume, and every glade was -smooth and white as was the breast of Darthool -herself. There was no wind in the deep -blue sky, but the air was sharp and sweet -because of the frost. For joy Darthool -clapped her hands, as she stood upon the wall -of the lios.</p> - -<p>Then, glancing downward, she beheld the -woman who was her attendant standing beside -a calf that had been slain for the provisioning -of those within the fort. The red blood -streamed over the snow, and was as the crimson -cloak of an Ultonian chief there, till the red -grew mottled as it sank through the frozen -whiteness.</p> - -<p>Darthool’s eyes ever saddened at the sight -of blood, but after a brief while she knew that -there was no harm in that shedding, and that -no omen of further bloodspilling lay therein.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">198</a></span> -While she was still looking thereon, a great -raven, glossy black and burnished in the sun -rays, came gliding swift across the snow, and -alit by the slain calf, and drank of the warm -bright blood.</p> - -<p>Of a sudden Darthool laughed low. It was -a sweet shy laugh, and Lavarcam, who had -come to her side, asked her why there was -such sweet low laughter upon her. Mayhap -she knew; mayhap she guessed that Darthool -dreamed dreams of love, because her womanhood -was now come, and because of the old -heroic tales she took so great a pleasure in, and -because of the vision that every woman has in -her heart.</p> - -<p>“I was thinking, Lavarcam,” she said.</p> - -<p>“And what was that thought, Darthool?”</p> - -<p>“It was this: that if there be anywhere a -youth whose skin is white as that whiteness -there, and whose locks are as dark and glossy -as the plumage of that raven, and in whose -cheek is a crimson as red as that blood that is -upon the snow, then of a surety him could I -love, and that gladly.”</p> - -<p>For a moment Lavarcam said nought; then -the power of Destiny moved her.</p> - -<p>“There is one man who is more beautiful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">199</a></span> -than all others I have ever seen. He is young, -and his hair is dark and glossy as that raven’s -wing, and in his cheek the ruddy flame is as -that crimson blood, and his skin is as white as -any sunlit whiteness, or as thine own breast, -Darthool.”</p> - -<p>“And what will be the name of that man, -Lavarcam, and whence is he and where, and -what is his decree?”</p> - -<p>“He is called Nathos, and is the son of -Usna, who is a great lord in Alba. But he is -now in Emania, among the company of the -king; and with him are his brothers, both fair -to see, and princes among men because of their -beauty and valour, yet neither so surpassing all -men as Nathos. They are called Ailne and -Ardan.”<a name="FNanchor_18" id="FNanchor_18" href="#Footnote_18" class="fnanchor">18</a></p> - -<p>That was a fatal saying of Lavarcam, for it -sank into the mind of Darthool as moonlight -into dark water.</p> - -<p>Day by day thereafter she thought of nothing -but of meeting this proud son of beauty;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">200</a></span> -night by night she dreamed of Nathos and of -his love.</p> - -<p>At the last, Lavarcam was filled with fear, -for she saw that her words had awakened the -flaming lion that lies hid in the heart. And -truly it was not long till Darthool spoke to -her of her longing and deep desire, and how -that without Nathos she did not care to -live.</p> - -<p>For a time Lavarcam smiled; but when she -saw that the king’s beautiful ward was ever -growing more and more wrought, her heart -smote her.</p> - -<p>One day, as she was returning from Emain -Macha, she met a swineherd, clad roughly in -the fell of a deer, and with him were two men, -rude, dishevelled hillmen, bondagers to the -Ultonians.</p> - -<p>These, notwithstanding the law of Concobar, -she took with her into the forest, and bade -them await at a well that was there, until they -heard the cry of a jay and the bark of a hill-fox, -when they were to move slowly on their -way, but to speak to no one whom they might -meet, and above all to be silent after they left -the shadow of the wood.</p> - -<p>Having done this, she entered the lios, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">201</a></span> -asked Darthool to come forth with her into the -woods.</p> - -<p>When they drew near to the well, Lavarcam -moved aside to look for some rare herb, as she -said. Soon the cry of the jay and the bark of -the hill-fox were in the air.</p> - -<p>“That is a strange thing,” Darthool said to -her, when she was by her side again; “for that -cry of the jay was the cry it gives in April, at -the nesting time, and the bark of that hill-fox -was the bark it gives in the season of the rut, -many months agone.”</p> - -<p>“Hush,” said Lavarcam, “and look.”</p> - -<p>They stood still, as they saw the swineherd -and the two hillmen rise from near the well, -and move slowly across the glade.</p> - -<p>“Who are these, Lavarcam?” asked Darthool, -with wonder in her eyes.</p> - -<p>“These are men, daughter of Felim.”</p> - -<p>“They are younger than those I have seen -from the outskirts of the forest, but they are -wild in dress and mien, and are not of high -degree, and my eyes have no pleasure in looking -upon them.”</p> - -<p>“Nevertheless,” answered Lavarcam, “these -are the three sons of Usna—Nathos and Ailne -and Ardan.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">202</a></span></p> - -<p>For a brief while Darthool looked upon -them. Then she spoke.</p> - -<p>“The truth flew past thy lips, Lavarcam. -Yonder man whom ye name Nathos has -neither raven hair nor white skin, nor the -comely red in his face; and the two others are -like the slaves I saw that day I beheld the -foster-brothers of Concobar driving back from -battle, in a chariot dragged by wild rough men -in bondage. I remember the day, for it was -then that thou bade me know that death was the -portion of any man who sought me. That, too, -I fear was no true word. Howsoever, as to -these men, they may go. And yet—— wait.”</p> - -<p>And with that Darthool moved swiftly forward, -and, coming upon the three men by a -by-path through the fern, confronted them.</p> - -<p>They stood amazed at her exceeding great -beauty. Nothing like it was in the whole -world; so, little wonder that these boors stood -as though the face of death was bare to them; -for beauty is strange and terrible to most -men, and they are prone to stand in dread -of it.</p> - -<p>None spake. Darthool looked at each, a -slow smile of mocking in her lips, a blue flame -of scorn in her eyes.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">203</a></span></p> - -<p>“Are ye the sons of Usna?”</p> - -<p>They made no answer, but stared unwaveringly -upon her, as do the dull cattle in the -fields.</p> - -<p>“What brave courtesy!” she cried, mocking -with her sweet voice, “how swift in courtesy! -Tell me, Nathos, son of Usna, is it the wont of -thy people in Alba to stand by agape when a -woman speaks? Who is Usna, or what? If -he is a king, is he overlord of swineherds? If -it is a place, is it the rough bogs of the hills -where sword-clad men do not go, but only a -poor folk clad rudely in skins?”</p> - -<p>Still they answered nothing.</p> - -<p>“Were ye whipt into silence when ye were -young, ye that stand there wordless as dogs? -If indeed ye be the sons of Usna, then truly -Concobar MacNessa must be in sore want of -men at Emain Macha!”</p> - -<p>At that the swineherd could no longer hold -to his bond.</p> - -<p>“By thy great exceeding beauty I know that -thou art no other than Darthool, whom the -king hides in this place. But do not mock us, -who would rather worship thee. We are no -nobles, but a swineherd, and two hillmen who -are bondagers to Cairbre of the Three Duns.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">204</a></span></p> - -<p>At that Darthool laughed gently.</p> - -<p>“That I knew full well, swineherd, for all -that I dwell here apart and see none of my -kind, save Maev my nurse and Aeifa my tutor -and Lavarcam the friend of the king. Those -I have seen otherwise have been beheld a great -way off, from where I laid hid in the woods. -But now, wilt thou do one thing for me?”</p> - -<p>“I will give thee my life.”</p> - -<p>Darthool smiled into the man’s eyes, and -what was only the swineherd died, and a strong -heroic soul arose in him.</p> - -<p>“I would fain see Nathos, the eldest of the -sons of Usna.”</p> - -<p>“That is against the law of Concobar: and -long is the arm and heavy the hand of Concobar -MacNessa the high king. But what -is death to me, since thou willest me to do this -thing for thee, Darthool of the beautiful eyes? -Nay, I swear this thing: that rather would I -die by torture, and please thee, than live out -my life and refuse thee of what thou art fain. -For thy beauty is upon me like the light of the -moon at the full on the dark moorland. I am -thine.”</p> - -<p>Darthool looked at the man. Suddenly she -stooped and kissed him on the wind-furrowed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">205</a></span> -brow. Great fortune was his, and he was well -repaid for his death by blunt spear-shafts, when -Concobar knew all. For what is death, when -a man has reached beyond the limit of his -desire?</p> - -<p>“Then go this night to Nathos, and tell him -that I, Darthool, dream of him by day and by -night, and that if he is in anywise fain of me, -let him come to me to-morrow, an hour before -the setting of the sun, at this well.”</p> - -<p>With that she turned and walked slowly -back to where Lavarcam awaited her. As they -moved homeward through the wood, Lavarcam -saw that the dream in the eyes of Darthool had -deepened. It was in vain then, or later, that -she sought to know what the fair, beautiful girl -had said to the swineherd. She feared, however, -that Darthool no longer trusted her -because of the lie that she had told, and that -mayhap the girl had plotted somewhat with -the swineherd.</p> - -<p>All the morrow Lavarcam watched Darthool -closely, but she seemed rapt in vision, and -cared neither to chase the fawns, nor to fish, -nor even to wander idly through the woods. -No speech would she have with any one, and -said only that she wished to lie under the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">206</a></span> -boughs of the great oak in front of the lios, and -sleep.</p> - -<p>“How can that be, when there is snow upon -the ground?” Lavarcam asked.</p> - -<p>“Is there snow upon the ground?” answered -Darthool dreamily. “Then I will lie upon my -deerskins, and Aeifa can play to me and sing -me songs till dusk.”</p> - -<p>Hearing that, Lavarcam was glad, for now -she could leave the lios with a mind at rest.</p> - -<p>So, in the wane of the day, she passed -through the forest and came out upon the great -plain in front of Emain Macha, and went to -seek the king to take counsel with him.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, Lavarcam was sore wrought -by Darthool, and would fain have given her -her heart’s desire. Piteous indeed had her -plaints been. With tears and reproaches and -sweet beseechings nigh intolerable, Darthool -had begged her to bring Nathos to her, if for -once only, so that she might at least see him, -and know what her heart’s desire was like. -Moreover, was it not a bitter thing for her to -be kept there in that lonely place, and neither -to see nor converse with her own kind, and to -be kept away from all the joys of youth, and to -pass from spring to summer, and from summer<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">207</a></span> -to autumn, and from autumn to winter, yea and -from year to year, and be exiled there, to hear -no young voices, no young laughter? When -she pleaded thus, Lavarcam was sorrowful -indeed, for she had the heart of a woman, and -knew the beauty and the wonder and the -mystery of love.</p> - -<p>Thinking of these things, her heart smote her -as she fared towards Emain Macha, and at the -last she decided to say no word to the king as -to what she feared Darthool may have told the -swineherd. Furthermore, she muttered, what -was death to her who had known all that life -had to give her? At the worst, Concobar -could put death upon her. Had she not lived -and known love, and now was weary?</p> - -<p>When she drew nigh to Emain Macha she -saw three ravens and three hoodie-crows and -three kites arise from some carrion hidden in -the long grass that waved there.</p> - -<p>When she came upon it, she saw that it was -the body of the swineherd, loose with the -gaping wounds of blunt spear-shafts. In thus-wise -she knew that Concobar had in some way -heard of what the man had done.</p> - -<p>Yet she had no fear from that. The swineherd -was still now. Neither king nor raven,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">208</a></span> -neither man nor hoodie-crow, neither spear-shaft -nor kite could now hurt him. It was -better to be alive than to be dead, but it was -well to be dead.</p> - -<p>So Lavarcam turned, and went over to the -camp in Emain Macha where the sons of -Usna were. There she saw Nathos, and -told him privily that Darthool longed to see -him, and that the forest was open to the -stealthy flight of the owl as well as to the -soaring hawk.</p> - -<p>Nathos was indeed fair to see, and looking -upon him Lavarcam knew in her heart that -Darthool would love him, and he her. He -listened, and she saw his eyes deepen, and -a flush come and go upon his face. For -sure there was a beating swift of his pulse in -that hour.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, he could not come straightway, -for Concobar knew that the swineherd had -spoken to him of Darthool, and it was for this, -and having seen and spoken with the girl, that -the king had put the man to death—though for -that, added Nathos, little did the swineherd -care, for he died laughing and mocking, and, -when he lay still, there was a smile upon his -face.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">209</a></span></p> - -<p>“And that was because Darthool had looked -into his eyes, Nathos, son of Usna.”</p> - -<p>“Truly, he died well. I know a prince -among men who also would die gladly if Darthool -would look into his eyes with love.”</p> - -<p>“Then come soon and hunt the deer in the -solitudes to the north of the forest: and there, -amid the woods, or in some glen, or on the -hill-slopes, surely thou shalt meet with Darthool—and -yet none know of it.”</p> - -<p>So Lavarcam and Nathos made a bond -between them, and parted.</p> - -<p>Thereafter days passed. On the morrow -of the seventh day Darthool was wandering -among the glades and thickets of the uplands -far away from the lios, rejoicing in her new -freedom and hoping that one day her eyes -might look upon Nathos. She was dreaming -her dream, when she started at a strange sound, -the like of which she had never heard.</p> - -<p>That far-off baying of hounds she knew, for -oftentimes of old Concobar had ridden to the -forest with his deerhounds: but that strange, -wild, blazoning sound—— Was it the -voice of the flying creature the hounds pursued?</p> - -<p>Then the thought came to her that it was -the hunting horn she had often heard of in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">210</a></span> -songs and war-ballads which Lavarcam and -Aeifa were wont to sing to her.</p> - -<p>But after that blast the horn no more tore -the silence of the deep woods, and the hounds -were still: for Nathos had left the chase of the -deer and was now moving listless through the -green glooms of the forest. Night and day -since Lavarcam and the swineherd had told him -of Darthool he had dreamed of the beautiful -daughter of Felim the Harper. Remembering -the last chant of Cathba the Druid, he recalled -how Darthool had been named the Beauty of -the World, and because he was himself a poet -and a dreamer the vision had become part of -his life, so that neither by night nor by day was -there any hour wherein he did not see in his -mind the tall, white-robed figure of Darthool, -and the beauty of her eyes, and her face as the -sweet wild face of a dream.</p> - -<p>And so dreaming he stood at the edge of a -glade, his swift eyes watching a fawn dispart a -thicket that was close by. Yet it was no fawn -as he thought: but rather was it as though a -sudden flood of sunshine burst forth in that -place. For a woman came from the thicket more -beautiful than any dream he had ever dreamed. -She was clad in a saffron robe over white that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">211</a></span> -was like the shining of the sun on foam of the -sea, and this was claspt with great bands of -yellow gold, and over her shoulders was the -golden rippling flood of her hair, the sprays of -which lightened into delicate fire, and made a -mist before him, in the which he could see -her eyes like two blue pools wherein purple -shadows dreamed.</p> - -<p>So exceeding great was her beauty that -Nathos did not think of her as Darthool or as -any mortal woman, but rather as a daughter -of the elder gods, or of that bright divine race -of the Tuatha-De-Danann, whose beauty surpassed -that of human beings as the beauty of -the primrose bank that of the brown sod. He -looked upon her amazed, and in a silent worship. -If she were indeed of the Dedannan -folk, she might disappear at any moment as a -shadow goes, that now is here asleep upon the -grass and in the twinkling of an eye is among -the things of oblivion.</p> - -<p>At last speech rose to his lips.</p> - -<p>“O fair and wonderful one, whom I see well -art of the old sacred race of the Tuatha-De-Danann, -may I have word with thee? It may -well be that thou art no other than the wife of -Midir himself, she who lives in a fair shining<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">212</a></span> -grianan in the hollow of a hill, and lives upon -the beauty and fragrance of flowers.” Darthool -looked at him, and her heart beat. He -was in truth fair to see: fairer even than him -whom she had imaged in her dreams, or him of -whom Lavarcam had spoken.</p> - -<p>“Speak. What wouldst thou?”</p> - -<p>“I am faring idly through this lonely land, -and I know not where I am. Yonder, in the -valley behind the oak-glade, is a high-walled -rath. Is it a place of the Shee, and so forbidden? -or who dwells there, and shall a spear -or welcome greet me if I enter?”</p> - -<p>“Indeed, thou mayst enter there, and a -welcome awaits thee, O Nathos, son of Usna.”</p> - -<p>“Thou knowest my name, O fair one; then, -indeed, thou art of the old wondrous race, who -know swifter than our thought, and whose -sight is further and deeper than our sight.”</p> - -<p>“I am no queen, Nathos, nor am I of the -Tuatha-De-Danann, but am a woman as other -women are. If I am beautiful in thine eyes, of -that I am right glad, for thou art fairer to me -than any man I have seen or dreamed of, and -my pulse leaps when thine eyes look into mine. -I am Darthool, the daughter of Felim the -Harper; yet am I no better than a slave, for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">213</a></span> -here am I bound to stay, and see no one save -Lavarcam and my two women, and here I shall -die for loneliness and longing.”</p> - -<p>Nathos heard her sweet low voice with delight, -and it was with joy at his heart he knew -she was no strange Dedannan but a woman -of his own race, and that she was Darthool. -Love rose suddenly within him like a flame: -a red flame was it that was in his heart, and a -white flame in his mind, and out of these two -flames is wrought the love of love and the -passion of passion and the dream of dreams.</p> - -<p>“Art thou, indeed, Darthool?” he whispered; -“art thou that Darthool of whom I have -dreamed? Strange is the strangeness of this -meeting, O white daughter of Felim. For so -great is thy beauty that I was fain to believe I -saw before me one of the queens of the Tuatha-De-Danann. -But is this thing true, that against -thine own will Concobar the high king keeps -thee here like a trapped bird among these -woods?”</p> - -<p>“True it is, and more: for it is not even -by Concobar’s will that I roam the woodlands. -He was fain that I should never leave -the rath save with Lavarcam, and that I should -spend most of my days within the stone walls<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">214</a></span> -of the dreary lios where he has doomed me to -dwell.”</p> - -<p>“Darthool, my heart is filled with a rising -tide. That tide is love. Thou hast not seen -the sea: but there, when the tide flows, there is -nothing, there is no one, in all the world, which -can say it nay. So is my love for thee, that -now rises; and, once thine, will be thine evermore. -Yet I would not put this upon thee; -and if thy words and looks come out of thy -frank, sweet courtesy and open maidenly heart, -and mean no more than that thou carest for me -as a brother, it is thy brother I will be, Darthool, -to serve thee and succour thee and love -thee evermore, and in that way only.”</p> - -<p>For a brief while she looked at him. Then -the noon-blue of her eyes deepened, and a flush -drifted through her face and waned into the -deeper red of her parted lips.</p> - -<p>“Nathos,” she said in a low voice, which -trembled as a reed in the wind, “I, too, love. -It is thee I love. If it be wrong for me, a -maiden, to speak thus, forgive me, for I have -grown wilding here, and am more akin to -the fawns of the forest than to women kind -of mine own age or estate. But I love thee, -Nathos: as of old, in the far-off Dedannan<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">215</a></span> -days, Dectura the queen loved the Green -Harper, and went forth with him and was seen -no more of her own people.”</p> - -<p>“If thou indeed wilt have it so, Darthool, -be thou my Dectura, and let me be thy Green -Harper. For beyond the reach of life or death -is the greatness of the love I feel for thee, even -now in this first hour of our meeting.”</p> - -<p>“Thy words are in my heart, Nathos; and -because that this is so, I now put <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">geas</i> upon -thee. Let thy sword be as my sword, and be -thou to me as brother and friend and the -holder of my leal love; and to this end, lo! I -throw this yellow thistle against thy cheek, to -raise a mark of shame there if thou dost not -fulfil the bond, and there to be seen of all men -as a sign and witness of thy disgrace; yea, -even thus I put <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">geas</i> upon thee, to succour me -in my ill fate, to take me unto thyself, to give -thyself unto me, and to let us go forth together -heedless of Fate.”</p> - -<p>Nathos looked at her with proud eyes.</p> - -<p>“Of a surety, Darthool, there is no hero of -the Red Branch who hath a courage greater -than thine, even though it may be that thou -speakest the more freely from knowing little of -what may befall.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">216</a></span></p> - -<p>“What can befall save death, and dost thou -fear death, son of Usna?”</p> - -<p>Nathos smiled out of grave eyes.</p> - -<p>“If I feared death, Darthool, I would not -now be speaking with thee here. It is swift -silence upon any who in this forbidden land -speaks with the daughter of Felim the Harper. -Concobar MacNessa has the ears of a hare -and the eyes of a hawk and the swoop of -an eagle. Dost thou remember the swineherd -to whom thou gavest word privily? Well, -that night he lay in the grass tended only by -the raven and the wolf, for he was done to -death with blunt spear-shafts.”</p> - -<p>“For that I have deep grief,” said Darthool, -with tears drifting like a rainy mist athwart the -blue of her eyes.</p> - -<p>“Nevertheless, he died with a smile, Darthool. -Thou hadst looked into his eyes and -kissed him. Even so, and for less now, would -I too die.”</p> - -<p>“That thou shalt not do, Nathos;” and even -as she spoke Darthool moved forward and put -her honeysweet lips against the mouth of -Nathos, and made his blood leap, and a flame -come into his eyes, and a trembling come into -his limbs.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">217</a></span></p> - -<p>Then, as though with that kiss she had become -as a wild rose, she stood swaying lightly, -her fair face delicately aflame. Nathos put his -arms about her, and kissed her on the brow -and on the lips.</p> - -<p>“That kiss on the brow is for service,” he -said, “because from this hour thou art my -queen; and that kiss on the lips is for love, for -from this hour I shall love no woman save thee -thyself, but shall be thine and thine only in life -or death.”</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, though Nathos accepted the -<i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">geas</i> put upon him by Darthool, he was -troubled at the thought of the anger of -Concobar the high king. It would be a -swift and bitter death for him, and for Darthool -too it might be death or worse.</p> - -<p>The thought in his mind swam into his eyes, -and Darthool saw it. She shrank from him, -and stood hesitating and as though about to -flee at his first word of doubt. When he -looked at her again his last fear went.</p> - -<p>“Fair wonderful one, thou art as a fawn -there in the fern where thou standest; Darthool, -do not doubt the truth of my words. I -am thine to love and to serve, and am under -<i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">geas</i> to thee. But my thought was this: if<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">218</a></span> -we two go hence and are waylaid, it will be -death, and if we go hence and are not waylaid -forthwith, it will still be death; for long is the -arm, and heavy the hand, and tireless the quest -of Concobar MacNessa. And this, too: that -if we cross the Moyle and go to Alba, it may -still be death; yea, though for a year or for a -brood of years we elude the undying wrath and -vengeance of the king.”</p> - -<p>“He will forget when once the bird is flown. -Neither the bird nor the wind leaves any track, -so let our flight be as that of the bird and our -way be as that of the wind.”</p> - -<p>“The king forgetteth not. If so be that we -might escape him many years, he will yet have -his will of us in the end; and this though thou -wert old, Darthool, and wert no longer his -desire, and though I were outlawed and broken -and no more in his sight than a wolf of the -hills, good to slay if come upon, but not worthy -of chase.”</p> - -<p>“Concobar is not a king in Alba?”</p> - -<p>“No.”</p> - -<p>“Then let us go to thine own land. He -can do no more than send emissaries after -us, and with these thou canst deal swiftly, -Nathos.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">219</a></span></p> - -<p>At that, Nathos lightly laughed.</p> - -<p>“Truly, I am seeing Concobar as a man sees -his own shadow in the water. He is a great -king in Uladh, but he is no more in Alba than -any hero of the Red Branch. Come, Darthool; -across the Moyle are the pine-green shores of -Alba. It is a fair, beautiful land. The sea-lochs -reach far among pine-clad hills, and green -pastures are on the slopes of the great mountains -and around the shadowy, inland waters. -The forests are full of deer and wild birds, the -rivers and lochs of fish, the pastures of cattle -and sheep and swift brown mares. Thou shalt -have milk to drink, and the red flesh of the -salmon, and the brown flesh of the deer, and -the white flesh of the badger. Thou shalt lack -for nothing, who art my queen; and thou shalt -have love till the sun grows a lordlier fire and -the stars leap in their slow dance from dusk to -dawn.”</p> - -<p>“I will come,” Darthool whispered, with -glad eyes.</p> - -<p>“Only thou must not delay. Thy coming -must be now. Thou must not even enter the -rath again. Otherwise it is never the waters -of the Moyle that we shall see, but only the -red flame in the eyes of Concobar.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">220</a></span></p> - -<p>Even while Nathos spoke his eyes grew -hard, and his hands slipped to the javelin he -had by his side. While Darthool watched -him in amaze, he swung the iron-pointed shaft -at a place where a bent bracken hung listless -in the air.</p> - -<p>“Is it a wolf?” cried Darthool, in sudden -affright.</p> - -<p>“It is worse than a wolf,” answered Nathos; -“for if thou wilt go to that place thou wilt -see either a slain man, or the form of a man, in -the grass beneath the bracken.”</p> - -<p>Swiftly Darthool ran to the spot wherein the -javelin had swung singing. There was no -one there, but, where the javelin still quivered -slightly, she saw the still warm shape of a -crouching man, and discerned, by the bending -of the bracken, what course he must have -twisted away.</p> - -<p>Nathos followed and stood beside her. As -he stooped to pluck the javelin from the ground, -he descried a wooden-hilted knife.</p> - -<p>“It is as I thought,” he said gravely. -“Concobar has set a spy upon me. No Ultonian -carries a knife such as this. It belongs -to the hillmen of the north-west, of whom a -few years agone we made slaves. Mayhap<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">221</a></span> -one of these men who were with the swineherd -has been told to follow me secretly wheresoever -I go.”</p> - -<p>Darthool turned and looked at Nathos with -eyes filled with a new fear, because of her love -of him.</p> - -<p>He took her hand in his.</p> - -<p>“There is yet time, Darthool. Wilt thou -go back to the rath, and stay there till Concobar -wills thee to be his wife?”</p> - -<p>“I cannot go back.”</p> - -<p>“Then come, O Darthool.”</p> - -<p>And with that the twain turned and moved -swiftly northward through the forest, by the -way Nathos had already passed.</p> - -<p>“By dawn we may reach the dun where my -two brothers now are, and for that day and -that night we may rest in safety,” whispered -Nathos, as Darthool turned and looked for the -last time upon the place where she had lived -all these years.</p> - -<p>“But thereafter, O love that I have won, -the wind must be in our hair and the dead -leaves be upon the soles of our feet, for there -can be no resting for us till we are away from -this land: no, and not for us only, but also -for Ailne and Ardan. Concobar will not rest<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">222</a></span> -content with bitter wrath, and, if he cannot -track the stag, will slay the fawns.”</p> - -<p>Soon thereafter they drew near the place -where Nathos had left his hounds and his -huntsmen. Bidding Darthool hide among the -bracken and undergrowth, he went forward -alone and told the men to go back to the dun -of the sons of Usna, but not till the third day, -and by circuitous ways. Thus he hoped that -he might the longer elude Concobar, whose -emissaries would follow the track of his -hounds.</p> - -<p>Thereafter Nathos and Darthool fared -swiftly hand in hand through the sombre ways -of the forest. While it was still light they -emerged upon a great moor, which they -crossed, and then ascended the gorges of the -hills. There the night fell, as though a wind-drifted -darkness suddenly suspended and then -swiftly enshrouded everything. They dreaded -to rest, and yet so deep was the darkness that -they could fare no farther.</p> - -<p>But while they were still whispering the one -to the other, Darthool descried a soft, silver -shining, like a dewy gossamer. It was the -little group of seven stars that we call the -Pleiades.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">223</a></span></p> - -<p>“See,” she whispered, “An Grioglachan! -When they shine, others will soon be seen.” -And so it was.</p> - -<p>All through the night the fugitives hastened -onward by the light of the stars, ever keeping -close to each other, for the mountain solitudes -were full of dreadful noises, and in the black -tarns among the peaty moss they could hear -the moaning of the kelpie, or on the shores of -the hill-lochs the shrill neighing of the water-horses, -terrible creatures of the darkness.</p> - -<p>For the last hour of the dark they rested a -brief while, lying close hid among the bracken, -in a sheltered place on a rocky mountain slope. -Darthool heeded little now the weariness and -fears of that perilous faring by night, for she -was with Nathos; and Nathos now was glad, -and no longer cared whether death was sure -or not. He fell asleep there under the morning -stars, among the winter-brown bracken, -with Darthool’s head upon his breast; and his -last thought was, that if the swineherd had died -smiling because Darthool’s eyes had looked -into his, how well might he too die content -if his hour came suddenly upon him.</p> - -<p>The dawn wavered among the hills, but still -they slept.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">224</a></span></p> - -<p>A wolf tracking a wounded doe howled, -and the howling wailed from corrie to corrie. -Darthool stirred, but slept again. An eagle -screamed as it rose and wheeled against the -broadening light, but its wild voice was -drowned in silence. Then came the first sun-rays -rippling, dancing, leaping, from amid the -crested heights and peaks to the eastward, -and Nathos awoke.</p> - -<p>For some moments he lay breathless with -wonder. Darthool, in all her radiant beauty, -was by his side, her golden hair ablaze in the -sunlight, and her fair face like a flower amid -the bracken. It was too great a wonder. -Then he knew that Concobar’s hounds might -any hour now be upon them, and so he put -his dream away from him, and stooped and -kissed Darthool upon the lips. With a cry -she woke, and put her arms about him. Hard -it was for him to add to her weariness; but -she rose at once, and seemed, indeed, in his -eyes, as fresh as any fawn of the hill-side. -She went to a little tarn close by and drank of -the cool, sweet water.</p> - -<p>As she drank Nathos looked at her, and -again wondered if she were not one of the -divine race of old, the mysterious Tuatha-De-Danann,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">225</a></span> -whom, ages before, the Milesians had -driven to the hills and remote places. So fair -was she that his heart ached. Then a swift -pulse of joy leaped within him, and he was -glad with a great gladness.</p> - -<p>Thereafter they sped swiftly onward, and -now Nathos exulted, for he recognised the -peaks and the trend of the valleys. Within -an hour from the rising of the sun he saw the -grey walls of the dun of the sons of Usna.</p> - -<p>His long cry—that of the heron thrice repeated—brought -Ailne and Ardan forth. Darthool -looked at them wondering, for they, too, -were taller and nobler than other men, and -only less beautiful in her eyes than Nathos -himself.</p> - -<p>But if she wondered, much more did they -marvel at what they saw. Never had they -beheld any woman so beautiful, and their first -thought was that of Nathos, that Darthool -was of the fair divine race who were now so -seldom seen of men.</p> - -<p>But when Nathos had told them all, and -that she who was now his bride was no other -than that Darthool whom Concobar the high -king had set aside to become his queen, they -were filled with sorrow. Well they knew that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">226</a></span> -Concobar MacNessa would not lightly relinquish -the fair maid whom he had so long -secreted in the forest-lios, and that blood would -flow because of this thing.</p> - -<p>“Moreover,” said Ailne, “hast thou forgotten -the prophecy? There is the saying of -Cathba the Druid, of which we have all heard: -that from the daughter of Felim the Harper -would come sorrow to the king, and severance -of the Red Branch from the lost kingdom of -Uladh, and rivers of blood.”</p> - -<p>“That may be, Ailne, my brother,” Nathos -answered; “but I ask none to go with me -into this doom, if that doom indeed must be, -though mayhap the dark hour of it is passed. -For Darthool and I shall now fare forward, -with some of our following, and with horses -and food, and haply we may reach the coast -and find our great galley in the Creek of the -Willows, where we secreted it, and so gain the -shores of Alba before Concobar can overtake -us.”</p> - -<p>But while Ailne pondered, Ardan spoke.</p> - -<p>“That shall not be, Nathos. Listen! By -the Sun and the Wind I swear that where -thou goest I will go, and that I will never -desert thee nor Darthool, who is now our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">227</a></span> -sister. If the doom must come, let it come. -What is death, that it should put a paleness -into the face of love? Are we not close-kin, -children of one mother, and is not Darthool -thy wife now and our sister, and are we not -henceforth as one? Speak, Ailne, is it not -so?”</p> - -<p>“It is so. Ardan has spoken for me. But -I say nothing, for I feel upon us the shadow -of that doom of which, as we have heard, -Cathba the Druid spoke.”</p> - -<p>But here Darthool moved forward.</p> - -<p>“Listen, Nathos, and ye, Ailne and Ardan, -my brothers: it is not for me to bring sorrow -upon the king and upon the Red Branch and -upon Uladh, and still less upon ye, my brothers, -and upon thee, Nathos. Therefore, let me now -go back to the lios, and tell Lavarcam, who -will tell the king, that I have no will to stray, -and that I will abide in that place till I die, or -till Concobar dare put his face against Fate -and take me thence.”</p> - -<p>At that Nathos smiled only. There was no -word to say; in his eyes was all his answer to -Darthool.</p> - -<p>But Ardan answered for himself and Ailne:</p> - -<p>“Though the stars fall, beautiful daughter<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">228</a></span> -of Felim, who art now Darthool, our sister, we -shall not leave thee, nor suffer thee to go from -us save by thine own free will, and that in -no fear for what may befall us. Nathos and -Ailne and Ardan are the three sons of Usna, -upon whom long ago <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">geas</i> was set, that each -would abide by each until death.”</p> - -<p>Thereupon all kissed each other, and took -the deep vow of fealty. The sons of Usna -knew well that it would be a madness to withstand -Concobar in their dun, strong as it was; -for in time he would take the place, as dogs -hunt out the badger from its lair, and at the -best would still starve them into surrender or -death.</p> - -<p>So with all speed they summoned those of -their following who were under the sword-bond, -and put together food and raiment, and -then mounted and rode swiftly away.</p> - -<p>As they passed the highest ridge to the -eastward that night they looked back. A red -light flared in a valley far to the west. It was -their dun, a torch amid the darkness. A single -column of flame rose above it, and wavered to -and fro. And by that sign they knew that -the long arm and the heavy hand of Concobar -MacNessa had already reached out towards<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">229</a></span> -them. Three times fifty men went with them, -and so swift was their flight and so sure their -way that before long they came to the coast-lands. -There, in the Creek of the Willows, -the long black galley was found; and swiftly -all embarked.</p> - -<p>It was with glad eyes that Darthool and -the sons of Usna saw the dancing waves of -the sea, and felt its free breath break upon -them. From three great tiers, fifty score men -to each, the vassals thrust out their long oars, -and with their blades threshed the waters into -a yeast of foam. In the dazzle of the sea -Darthool rejoiced, and made the hearts of all -there to swell because of an exceeding sweet -song she sang.</p> - -<p>Nathos and Ailne and Ardan sat beside -her, and could scarce take from her face their -dreaming eyes.</p> - -<p>Towards noon the wind shifted, and slid out -of the north towards the west. Then the -great sail was hoisted, and bellied out to the -steady breeze, and the oars were shipped. -The black galley now flew along the waters -like a cormorant. Darthool laughed with joy -at this new beautiful world of the sea, and -never tired of trailing her hands in the swift<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">230</a></span> -lapsing wave, or in the send of the following -billow.</p> - -<p>In the afternoon they came close to the -shores of Alba, and made northward, past -many isles and through narrow straits and -fjords. In one and all Darthool took pleasure, -and was glad indeed that the land of Nathos -was so beautiful.</p> - -<p>At sundown they reached the eastern shores -of the great island of Mull, and there the wind -failed them, so the galley was put into a bay -that is now the bay of Aros.</p> - -<p>There the sons of Usna debated long as -to what course to follow. Nathos and Ailne -thought it best to move inland, and to gain -the protection of the high king of Alba; but -Darthool feared this because of a dream she -had thrice dreamed, wherein she saw a strange -king and a strange folk laughing over the slain -body of Nathos, while she stood by crowned -but a captive. As for Ardan, he said only -that the sons of Usna should go to where -their father’s dun had been, before the last king -of Alba had destroyed it.</p> - -<p>That night a galley came to them from the -long island of Lismore. In it were a score of -men, commanded by a lord of Appin, named<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">231</a></span> -Fergus of the Three Duns. With him was a -stranger, clad in a rich robe of fur, so claspt -across the throat with gold that the hood he -wore fell about and covered his face. While -Fergus spake with the sons of Usna, and -told them how they had been seen by men of -his in a swift war-galley, off the south coast -of Mull, and urged them also to go inland to -meet the king, the stranger looked steadfastly -upon Darthool.</p> - -<p>When at last he had to speak to the brothers -he addressed them courteously, but in a Gaelic -strange to their ears. He bade them come -with him to his high-walled dun, a brief way -inland: to come alone, as his guests, and to -bring Darthool with them.</p> - -<p>“It is not well to go to a man’s dun, and -not be knowing that man’s name,” said Nathos -courteously.</p> - -<p>The stranger hesitated, and looked at -Fergus.</p> - -<p>“They call me Angus Mudartach,” he said. -But at that Darthool asked him to let her look -upon his face.</p> - -<p>“For it is not meet,” she added, “that we -should go to a man’s dun and not have seen -his face.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">232</a></span></p> - -<p>Angus of Moidart drew back his hood.</p> - -<p>Darthool’s lips grew pale. Then she -smiled.</p> - -<p>“Let us rest here for to-night, Angus -Mudartach,” she said, “and, if thou wilt come -again on the morrow after to-morrow, thou -canst take us with thee to thy great dun. But -meanwhile we have travelled far and swiftly, -and would fain rest: and, as thou seest, the -skies are clear, and we want for nothing.”</p> - -<p>Once more Angus pleaded to the sons of -Usna.</p> - -<p>“Ye are brave men, and can laugh at weariness -or danger. But if the island be swept -by a great storm to-night, or if the followers of -Concobar, king of the northlands of Erin, -come upon ye, or if other misadventure befall, -shall ye wantonly expose this fair young -princess? Nay, rather, let her come with -me, and she shall not only be safe in my great -rath of Dunchraig, but there my wife and -her maidens shall make much of her, and give -her white robes and golden torques and garments -of delicate furs. This maid whom ye -call Darthool is too young to be thrown thus -idly before the feet of the evil powers who are -for ever clamouring for death.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">233</a></span></p> - -<p>But, at a sign from Darthool, Nathos refused; -saying, with gracious words and courteous -mien, that it would rejoice them all to visit -Angus Mudartach later, but not then.</p> - -<p>So Angus of Moidart turned, frowning, and -went back to his galley with Fergus of the -Three Duns. And as he went he asked -mutteringly how many men the sons of Usna -had with them. When he learned that there -were thrice fifty, and that Fergus had but a -score and ten men with him, he said no more.</p> - -<p>When the strangers had gone, Nathos -turned to Darthool and asked why she had -not shown more graciousness to one who was -surely a great lord among the Alban Gaels, -and why she would not go with him.</p> - -<p>“Because, Nathos, that man who called -himself Angus Mudartach is no other than the -King of Alba. He it is whom I saw in my -dreams, laughing over your slain body, and -beside whom I stood crowned and yet a captive. -And by that token I warn ye of this -thing: that the Alban king desireth me, and -would fain slay ye all, or deliver ye into the -hands of Concobar MacNessa.”</p> - -<p>Nathos stood brooding, but Ardan stepped -forward.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">234</a></span></p> - -<p>“Darthool is right. And wise she was, too, -to bid this Angus of Moidart come on the -morrow after to-morrow. Nevertheless, I -know well by hearsay of his vassal, Fergus -of the Three Duns, and that the man is called -Fergus the Wily. He will not wait, but at -dawn will be about us, with thrice fifty and -thrice fifty again.”</p> - -<p>“Ardan has spoken well,” added Nathos. -“There is but one thing to be done. Weary -we are, but we must go hence at once.”</p> - -<p>And so it was. The dusk was heavy upon -sea and land that night, and a sea-mist came -up and obscured the skies, so that not a star -was visible.</p> - -<p>Soundlessly they launched the great galley -again, and once more set sail. The night-wind -was from the south-east, whereat they -rejoiced, for thus there was no need of the -oars, and so no betraying thresh would be -heard.</p> - -<p>When they were well north of Lismore they -put out the long oars and swung the galley -northwards. It was with relief that the sons -of Usna passed the Appin lands, and before -dawn rowed into a great sea-loch.</p> - -<p>There, however, they learned that the King<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">235</a></span> -of Alba, he who had called himself Angus -Mudartach, was in the westlands only for a -brief while, and would have to haste to Dunedin -straightway, as runners had come with -tidings of a great rising. He had no rath of -Dunchraig, and no dun there; and so in truth -the sons of Usna knew that the king had -lied to them, and that Darthool was right. As -for Fergus of the Three Duns, he was no -longer a great lord, but had been despoiled, -and at the most could summon two score and -ten men.</p> - -<p>So the sons of Usna greatly rejoiced, for -now they could go to their own land in safety, -which lay beyond the region held by Fergus -of the Duns.</p> - -<p>For seven days they stayed by the shores -of that sea-loch, under the shadow of mighty -mountains. Ardan, with a scanty following, -went through the hill-passes, and returned -saying that the King of Alba had gone to his -own country and that all the great lords of -the region had departed with him, including -Fergus.</p> - -<p>So on the eighth day the galley sailed a -short way southward once more, and entered -into the Bay of Selma. There, on a rocky<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">236</a></span> -eminence, were the walls of their great dun, -which Usna their father had built among the -ruins of the chief stronghold of the Cruithne, -the ancient people of Alba.<a name="FNanchor_19" id="FNanchor_19" href="#Footnote_19" class="fnanchor">19</a></p> - -<p>It was with joy that the sons of Usna saw -once more the house of their childhood, and -with still greater joy that they found the people -of the neighbouring glens and straths still loyal -to them. Their father Usna had ever been -at war with the King of Alba, and after many -battles (the bards sang of the beauty of Usna’s -wife as the torch that lit those wars) he had -conquered all this region. But at his death, -by treachery the king had overcome the -stronghold and destroyed it.</p> - -<p>But now again the sons of Usna had their -home in their own eyrie. They knew not how -long they might abide there in peace, for either -the King of Alba, or Fergus of the Duns as -his leader of men, would come again when -once peace in the eastlands was secured.</p> - -<p>There Nathos wished to dwell alone with -Darthool and a few followers, but Ailne and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">237</a></span> -Ardan once more refused to leave him then -or ever. But glad were the thrice fifty vassals -to return to their own land, and without regret -the sons of Usna saw them set sail for Erin. -They were men who cared little for aught -save strife, and when not wielding sword or -spear were haughty and bitter with all other -men save those of the Red Branch, and so -were only a danger and a weariness in that -place.</p> - -<p>Throughout that winter they lived there in -peace, hunting and fishing. So great was the -love of each for Darthool that every day was -full of peace and content wherein they saw -her. Nathos moved in a dream, and knew -the extreme of joy. At night, before the fire, -Darthool sang to them old-world airs of a -sweet plaintive music, so sweet and plaintive -that men said she must be no other than -Fionula, she of the children of Lir who were -turned into wild swans, and lived a thousand -years in the old, old days.</p> - -<p>But when spring came again—a spring so -fair and sweet that it was as though May had -come hand in hand with February—a rumour -reached them that the King of Alba, though -he could not penetrate the highlands of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">238</a></span> -west, intended, with the help of Fergus of the -Duns and other chieftains, to proceed once -more against the Dun of Usna. Moreover, -he had sworn to raze it to the ground, and to -slay Nathos, and to take Darthool to be his -wife.</p> - -<p>Nathos laughed at this, for he knew well -that the King of Alba would never take him -alive, nor yet Darthool. But after long colloquy -with Ailne and Ardan, all decided to set -forth and pass northward to the land whence -their mother had come, a land of endless mountains -and narrow lochs, beautiful beyond any -other, grander than any Darthool had seen, -and remote beyond the reach of any Alban -king.</p> - -<p>So thither they set forth, and took with them -in their great galley two score and ten men -of their own clan. After long sailing up -narrow lochs, the sons of Usna reached the -mountain land whence their mother had come. -Her father was dead, but the great dun he -had built upon the summit of one of the hills -overlooking the Black Loch had been left unharmed, -and was tenanted only by wandering -shepherds. Here Nathos and Darthool made -their home, and in that beautiful land and in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">239</a></span> -the glory of spring, knew the full joy and -richness of life.<a name="FNanchor_20" id="FNanchor_20" href="#Footnote_20" class="fnanchor">20</a></p> - -<p>For a brief while all the people of the -mountain lands round about gave in their adherence -to Nathos, so that he became as a -king in that region. So great was the fear in -which the three sons of Usna were held, and -so strong were they in their mountain home, -that none dared to approach them with the -flaming brand.</p> - -<p>Thus three years passed, and in all the wide -reaches of the world there was no man so -happy as Nathos and no woman so happy as -Darthool; and after these there were none so -happy as Ailne and Ardan, who were well -content to live so that they might be near the -beautiful wife of Nathos, their sister, Darthool, -fairest of all women in the world.</p> - -<p>The King of Alba, whom they had feared, -was now dead, and the king who reigned in -his place was well disposed towards the sons -of Usna and sought their alliance. So this -was done, and the name and fame of the three<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">240</a></span> -brothers spread throughout the land; while -from the wild west to the populous east the -poets sang of the beauty of Darthool.</p> - -<p>In the summer months they abode at the -high fort of Darthool, for so they named it, -on the heights above the Black Loch, or Loch -Ness as we now call it; and from the first -frosts till the cuckoo’s song had ceased they -lived at Dunuisneachan, their father’s ancient -stronghold by the shores of Loch Etive. -Thence often they wandered far afoot, or sailed -southward and eastward among the sea-lochs -and narrow kyles. They hunted in Glenorchy -and fished under the mountain-shadows on -Loch Awe; or followed the deer through the -woods of Glenlaidhe. When it was pleasant to -be upon the waters, they sailed down the long -fjord of Loch Fyne, and rested awhile at the -Haven of the Foray, and watched the coming -and going of the rainbows on the rocky headlands -which guard that place; then they would -cross to the Cowal, and enter the narrow Kyles -of Bute, where on the little isle we call the -Burnt Island they built a vitrified fort. Thence -they followed past the Hills of Ruel to Glendaruay -(Glendaruel), and so to the head of -Loch Striven and up Glenmassan, and thence<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">241</a></span> -down by the sweet inland waters of Loch -Eck, and waterward again by the bay we now -call the Holy Loch. Thence up the long, -narrow fjord of Loch Long they sailed, till -among the mountains they crossed the short -pass to Loch Lomond, and perhaps met the -soldiery of the King of Alba at the inland -lakes, or came upon the great fort of Dumbarton -on the Clyde; or they may have crossed -the hill to the Gareloch, and so returned westward -once more by the blue frith of Clyde, -past the precipitous isle of Arran, and so up -Loch Fyne again; or seaward by the Mull of -Cantire, and thence northward past the isles -to their own place, and could once more watch -the salmon leaping through the Falls of Lora -or chase the deer on the hills of Etive.</p> - -<p>But during all this time Concobar, the high -king of the Ultonians, nursed his bitter -thoughts. He had heard of the great fame -and happiness of the sons of Usna, and more -than ever he yearned after Darthool, his wrath -at his loss being the greater because that all -the old prophecies about the beautiful daughter -of Felim were unfulfilled.</p> - -<p>One day the high king made a great festival -in Emain Macha, and never in Erin was seen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">242</a></span> -one more royal and magnificent. The princes -and nobles from all the regions in the sway -of Concobar were there, and all the musicians, -singers, and poets in Uladh.</p> - -<p>In the midst of the festival Concobar asked -those present at his board if now, in the height -of the glory of the Red Branch, they wanted -for anything; but they answered as with one -voice that they were content.</p> - -<p>“And that is what I am not,” he answered.</p> - -<p>“And wherefore, O king and lord?”</p> - -<p>“Because that the three greatest of ye are -absent from us. I speak of the three Torches -of the Valour of the Gael: Nathos and Ailne -and Ardan, the sons of Usna, the son of -Congal Claringnech. For now I the king say -this: that it is not fitting these three heroes, -the pride of our chivalry, should be in exile, -and this only because of a woman. By the -Sun and Wind, there is no woman alive who is -worthy to be the cause of this. Far better -were it that the sons of Usna were once more -in our midst. Even now they hold half the -lands of Alba under the shadow of their sword. -Truly they are heroes, and if dark days come -upon us, as the soothsayers foretell, then indeed -we shall be in sore need of them.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">243</a></span></p> - -<p>All there were rejoiced at that. There was -not one who had not lamented the fierce -anger of Concobar, and who was not fain to -have the sons of Usna again among the -chivalry of the Red Branch. Only fear had -not allowed them to speak, for the high king -had slain a man who had said that Nathos was -too great a lord to be exiled.</p> - -<p>“And since ye are so glad at this thing,” -Concobar added, “and would fain have these -heroes among us, to be the chief pride, glory -and defence of Uladh against all other -kingdoms and provinces of Erin, I say to ye: -Go and bring hence again from Alba the three -sons of Usna.”</p> - -<p>“That is well,” their spokesman answered; -“but who is to prevail with Nathos and -his brothers? We are willing to go, but -we cannot bring Nathos against his will. -Moreover, is he not under <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">geas</i> not to put foot -again in Erin?”</p> - -<p>“Not so. I know that Nathos is under -<i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">geas</i> not to return to Erin unless it be in the -company of Fergus, the son of Lossa the -Red, or Conall Cernach, or Cuchulain. And -look you, each of these is now here, so that -I shall well know who most loves me.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">244</a></span></p> - -<p>So, when the feast was over, Concobar first -drew Conall Cernach aside.</p> - -<p>“Tell me, O warrior lord,” he said, “what -wouldst thou say or do if I should send thee -for the sons of Usna, and that at my secret -command they should be slain privily—a -thing, nevertheless, Conall, which I do not -purpose to do.”</p> - -<p>“That could not be done, O king and lord, -without a bitter and wrongful bloodshedding, -for I could not do otherwise than put death -upon each and all of the Ultonians who might -be with me on that day.”</p> - -<p>“That may be so, Conall Cernach. So now, -go.”</p> - -<p>Thereafter the king sent for Cuchulain. -The young champion came to him fearlessly, -for the whole heart of the warrior prince was -noble and courageous.</p> - -<p>Concobar asked him the same question as he -had asked Conall Cernach.</p> - -<p>“What would I do, O lord and king?” -answered Cuchulain with proud disdain. “This -thing I would do, and my troth to it: that if -thou through me brought about the death -of the sons of Usna, thou mightst flee eastward<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">245</a></span> -to Innia Iarrtharaigh<a name="FNanchor_21" id="FNanchor_21" href="#Footnote_21" class="fnanchor">21</a> itself, and yet -not be safe from perishing by my hand because -of thy deed.”</p> - -<p>Concobar smiled grimly.</p> - -<p>“I knew well, Cuchulain, that ye bore me -no love,” he said; and bade the hero begone.</p> - -<p>Thereafter the king sent for Fergus, the -son of Rossa, and to him he put the same -question as to Conall Cernach and to Cuchulain.</p> - -<p>“This much I say,” said Fergus, “that -never would I raise hand or weapon against -thee: nevertheless, there is not one Ultonian -who might fare forth on that errand who -would not get the shortness of life and sorrow -of death from me.”</p> - -<p>“It is thou, Fergus, son of Rossa, who dost -truly love thy king. It is to thee I entrust -this thing, who shalt be greater in Erin than -any son of Usna. Go forth on the morrow, -and remember thy name of old—Fergus -Honeymouth. Of a surety Nathos, with -Darthool, and Ailne and Ardan, shall come -from Alba with thee. When thou art again<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">246</a></span> -in Erin, go at once to the house of Borrach, -the son of Cainte; and when thou art there -stay, because of one of thy <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">geasa</i> never to -refuse a feast, and beforehand I shall warn -Borrach of this thing. Then send forward -at once, and without covenant, and without -protection, to Emain Macha, the three sons of -Usna.”</p> - -<p>So on the morrow Fergus went forth, taking -none with him save his two sons, Illann the -Fair, and Buine of the Red Locks, and a -man Cullen to steer the sea-barge wherewith -he would set sail.</p> - -<p>It was a fair voyage, and soon the black -barge of Fergus sailed past the isles and -headlands of Alba, and came to Loch Etive -and the Bay of Selma, where the great fort -of Dun Usneachain lay black against the ivy-clad -heights beyond.</p> - -<p>This was in the first heats of summer, and -Nathos and Darthool, with Ailne and Ardan, -had left the fort and were among the rocky -declivities of the woodland near the sea. -There they had three hunting booths: one -for Nathos and Darthool, one for Ailne and -Ardan, and one wherein to have their eating -and drinking. In front of one of these booths<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">247</a></span> -Nathos and Darthool sat, on that day of the -days, playing on the <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Cemrcaem</i> (the chessboard), -the very <a id="chessboard" href="#chess_board"></a>chessboard which had belonged -to Concobar, but which the king had -left in the dun of Ailne and Ardan when hunting -near by, on the day before that on which -they fled with Nathos. It was all of ivory, -and the chessmen were of wrought gold and in -the likeness of strange kings and priests and -fantastic animals wrought in immemorial years -in the Orient.</p> - -<p>And while they were playing a great shout -was heard, coming upon them from a branch-hid -hollow of the sea.</p> - -<p>“That is the voice of a man of Erin,” said -Nathos, holding in the air a golden knight.</p> - -<p>“Not so,” answered Darthool; “it is the -voice of a Gael of Alba.” Yet well she knew -that Nathos had guessed aright, and that even -now were the footsteps of fate drawing close. -For none can prevail against destiny.</p> - -<p>Once more a loud cry was heard, and a voice -called upon Nathos and the sons of Usna.</p> - -<p>“Of a surety, that is the voice of a man -of Erin,” said Nathos eagerly, for his heart -was fain to see an Ultonian again, and to -hear of the Red Branch and of the fate of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">248</a></span> -Uladh, and as to whether Concobar reigned -still.</p> - -<p>“Indeed, it is not so,” answered Darthool, -and turning the great glory and beauty of -her eyes upon Nathos she bade him play on. -Then a third cry, nearer and clearer, was -heard; and now all knew that it was the voice -of a man of Erin.</p> - -<p>“And if there be no cloud upon me,” said -Nathos, “that is the voice of no other than -Fergus, the son of Rossa the Red, whom I -knew well of old, and for whom my heart is -fain. Ardan, do ye go down at once to the -haven, and bid Fergus welcome, and all who -may be with him. It is a good day this for -us, when once more we may hear the voices -of the Red Branch.”</p> - -<p>While Ardan went to the haven, Darthool -told Nathos she had known from the first -that the newcomer was a man out of Erin, and -moreover, that he came from Concobar, and -that his coming boded no good.</p> - -<p>“And how will you be knowing the one and -the other, Darthool?”</p> - -<p>“From a dream that I had: to wit, that -three birds flew hither from Emain Macha, -and brought with them three sips of rare<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">249</a></span> -honey, and then that they left us with that -honey but took away instead three sips of our -blood.”</p> - -<p>“Tell me, my queen, what is the reading -you put upon that dream?”</p> - -<p>“That Fergus comes to us with the honey-words -of peace, but that behind them lies the -shedding of blood, and that blood ours.”</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Ardan welcomed Fergus, and -brought him and his companions to where -Nathos sat playing with Darthool upon the -ivory and gold chessboard of Concobar the -king. As the fair-smiling Ultonian drew -near, he smiled a grimmer smile behind his -beard, to see Nathos there with the two -chiefest treasures of the king’s heart—the -woman he wished to make his queen, and the -chessboard that had come to him from some -great king’s palace in the dim remote Indies -of which the poets sang.</p> - -<p>Great was the rejoicing, and Nathos and his -brothers and Darthool embraced Fergus and -his sons, and eagerly questioned them for -tidings.</p> - -<p>“The best tidings I have,” Fergus answered, -“is that I have come to ye with messages -of loving peace from Concobar, whose heart<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">250</a></span> -is smitten by your long absence, and who -would fain see in Erin again the three noblest -lords in his or any other realm. Moreover, -he has sent me to you with covenants and -guarantees of loving good faith. He has -pledged his kingly word, and I, too, have -pledged mine, and ye know well, ye sons -of Usna, that Fergus MacRossa Rua is not -a man of light word. So come back to -Erin with me, Nathos and Ailne and Ardan, -and I pray of thee, come thou too, Darthool, -wife of Nathos. Great shall be the welcome -given to ye all, and sure it is a good thing -to end a feud, and to put an unwaking sleep -upon the sword and the spear.”</p> - -<p>“That is a good word,” said Nathos, who -was well pleased; but a sob was in the heart -of Darthool, and her lips quivered as she -spoke.</p> - -<p>“Surely,” she said, “Concobar MacNessa -forgets. The sons of Usna are no tributaries. -Nathos is overlord now of a country greater -in extent than all the province of Uladh over -which Concobar is king. It ill befits a king -of an isle to go as a forgiven guest to the lord -of a rock.”</p> - -<p>“That is true,” said Fergus quickly, “Darthool<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">251</a></span> -has justice for what she says. But there -is truth in what I say also, and it is a truth -which the sons of Usna know, and will act by, -that a man longs to see the land which is -his own land or the land of his adoption. And -were not Nathos and Ailne and Ardan among -us as children and as boys and as youths, -and are they not heroes of the Red Branch? -Surely, it is a good thing for a man to see his -own land each day, and to rejoice therein?”</p> - -<p>“We have two lands,” interrupted Ardan, -“we who are of both Alba and Erin. Nevertheless, -it would ill befit us not to look upon -ourselves of the Red Branch first and foremost. -So if Nathos is ready to go with thee, -so also are Ailne and I myself.”</p> - -<p>“I am ready,” said Nathos, though he kept -his eyes away from those of Darthool.</p> - -<p>“And ye know that my guaranty is sure?” -added Fergus.</p> - -<p>“It is sure,” said Nathos.</p> - -<p>That night all were full of joyous pleasure, -save only Darthool, who in her heart knew -that the shadowy feet of Fate were all about -them, and that she at least and perhaps none -other there would ever again see Alba.</p> - -<p>On the morrow all set sail. As they left<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">252</a></span> -the beautiful shores, than which for sure there -are none more beautiful in all the realms -of the Gael, Darthool took her harp and sat -back among the deerskins in the stern of the -galley and sang:</p> - -<div class="poem-container"> - <div class="poem"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse quote">“<i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Ionmhuin tir, an tir ud shoir—</i></div> - <div class="verse"><i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Alba go na h’-iongantaibh;</i></div> - <div class="verse"><i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Nocha ttiocfainn aiste ale,</i></div> - <div class="verse"><i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Muna ttagainn le Naoise</i>,”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class="in0">and for eight other verses in the old ancient -Gaelic that has lived in her lament till this -day:<a name="FNanchor_22" id="FNanchor_22" href="#Footnote_22" class="fnanchor">22</a></p> - -<div class="poem-container"> - <div class="poem"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Dear is this land to me, dear is this land:</div> - <div class="verse">O Alba of the lochs!</div> - <div class="verse">Sure I would not be sailing sad from thy foam-white sand</div> - <div class="verse">Were I not sailing with Nathos for the Irish strand.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">253</a><br /></span></div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Dear is the Forest Fort and high Dunfin,</div> - <div class="verse">And Dun Sween, and Innis Drayno—</div> - <div class="verse">Often with Nathos have I striven to win</div> - <div class="verse">To the wooded heights of these—and now we go</div> - <div class="verse">Far hence, and to me it is a parting of woe.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">O woods of Coona, I can hear the singing</div> - <div class="verse">Of the west wind among the branches green</div> - <div class="verse">And the leaping and laughing of cool waters springing,</div> - <div class="verse">And my heart aches for all that has been,</div> - <div class="verse">For all that has been, my Home, all that has been!</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Fain would I be once more in the woods of Glen Cain,</div> - <div class="verse">Fain would I sleep on the fern in that place:</div> - <div class="verse">Of the fish, venison, and white badger’s flesh I am fain</div> - <div class="verse">That plentifully we had there, or wherever our trail</div> - <div class="verse">Carried us, yea, I am fain of that place.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Glenmassan! O Glenmassan!</div> - <div class="verse">High the sorrel there, and the sweet fragrant grasses:</div> - <div class="verse">It would be well if I were listening now to where</div> - <div class="verse">In Glenmassan the sun shines and the cool west wind passes,</div> - <div class="verse">Glenmassan of the grasses!</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Loch Etive, O fair Loch Etive, that was my first home,</div> - <div class="verse">I think of thee now when on the grey-green sea—</div> - <div class="verse">And beneath the mist in my eyes and the flying foam</div> - <div class="verse">I look back wearily,</div> - <div class="verse">I look back wearily to thee!</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Glen Orchy, O Glen Orchy, fair sweet glen,</div> - <div class="verse">Was ever I more happy than in thy shade?</div> - <div class="verse">Was not Nathos there the happiest of men?<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">254</a><br /></span></div> - <div class="verse">O may thy beauty never fade,</div> - <div class="verse">Most fair and sweet and beautiful glade.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Glen of the Roes, Glen of the Roes,</div> - <div class="verse">In thee I have dreamed to the full my happy dream:</div> - <div class="verse">O that where the shallow bickering Ruel flows,</div> - <div class="verse">I might hear again, o’er its flashing gleam,</div> - <div class="verse">The cuckoos calling by the murmuring stream.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Ah, well I remember the Isle of the Thorn</div> - <div class="verse">In dark and beautiful Loch Awe afar:</div> - <div class="verse">Ah, from these I am now like a flower uptorn,</div> - <div class="verse">Who shall soon be more lost than a falling star,</div> - <div class="verse">And am now as a blown flame in the front of war!</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>Nathos was sad when he heard this lament -from the mouth of Darthool, and Ailne and -Ardan looked at each other and whispered -that it was the beginning of the end. Nevertheless, -they did not fear to confront the days -to come, for whatsoever the decrees of Fate -may be a brave man does not draw back, but -goes forward upon the way set before him. -But Nathos was in a dream, and so heeded -little, content too to chide Darthool because -that she laid so much stress on vain imaginings.</p> - -<p>The voyage was a swift and good one, and -even Darthool’s heart beat the quicker when<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">255</a></span> -once more she stood on the soil of Erin, her -own land. In three days thereafter they came -within sight of the Dun of Borrach, and Fergus -MacRossa was glad, for soon he would -be able to see Concobar the king, and tell him -how great was his success.</p> - -<p>It is a strange thing that a man such as -Fergus Honeymouth could be so blind. Yet -had he ever believed in the kinglihood of Concobar, -and it was not till he reached the house -of the son of Cainte that he knew in truth -how the high king meant to play him false, -and mayhap to deal treacherously with the -sons of Usna. For after Borrach had greeted -them all with affection and heartsome pleasure, -he told them that word had come from Concobar -that they were to press forward without -delay, so great was the king’s longing to see -them again, and so deep was his love for three -of the noblest of the knights of the Red -Branch. “But upon thee, Fergus MacRossa, -I have a feast made ready, a festival of weeks, -and thou knowest it is <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">geas</i> upon thee not -to refuse any feast made for thee: and so -as thou wouldst avoid putting shame upon me -and deep disgrace upon thyself, thou must -abide here with me.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">256</a></span></p> - -<p>At that, Fergus flushed a deep red,<a name="FNanchor_23" id="FNanchor_23" href="#Footnote_23" class="fnanchor">23</a> and -was filled with anger. Yet could he not refuse, -for his <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">geas</i> was sacred: and no man of -that age dared break that bond.</p> - -<p>So he turned to those with him, and asked -what was now to be done.</p> - -<p>“Let this be done,” said Darthool: “either -forsake the sons of Usna, or keep to thy feast-bond.”</p> - -<p>“My feast-bond I must keep, Darthool, yet -will I not forsake the sons of Usna. My -guaranty is known for sure: but over and -above that I will send with them, and with -thee, my two sons, Illann the Fair and Buine -the Fiery, as further warranty.”</p> - -<p>But at these words Nathos turned away -with a scornful smile.</p> - -<p>“It is not at thee or thy feast-bond I smile, -O Fergus,” he said, “but at thy protection, -good though thy sons be. For, by the Sun -and Wind, I have never yet had need of any -man to protect me, and go now, as ever before,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">257</a></span> -confident in my own valour and might: and -this I say not boastingly, but openly, so that -Concobar and all Uladh may know it.”</p> - -<p>Thereafter Darthool and the sons of Usna -left the house of Borrach, and fared southward, -with Illann the Fair and Buine in their company. -As for Fergus, he cursed his bond, but nevertheless -assured himself, for, as he said over -and over, if the whole five provinces of Erin -were assembled on one spot, they would not -be able to break the solemn pledge of his -guaranty.</p> - -<p>But on the way Darthool urged advice upon -Nathos and his brothers.</p> - -<p>“Let us go,” she said, “to the isle of -Cullen, between Erin and Alba, and there -await the day when Fergus will fulfil his -bond. In that way he shall still keep the -obligation of his <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">geas</i>, and yet we shall escape -the evil that I know well awaiteth us.”</p> - -<p>“That we cannot do,” answered the sons -of Usna, “for we are in honour bound now -to the king. Moreover, we have the guaranty -of Fergus MacRossa.”</p> - -<p>“It was an ill day when we came here -trusting to that word,” Darthool replied: but -said no more then.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">258</a></span></p> - -<p>At dusk they reached the White Cairn on -Sliav-Fuad, and it was not till after they had -left the watch-tower behind them that Nathos -saw that Darthool was no longer of their -company. So he retraced his way, and came -upon her sleeping a deep sleep, though she -awoke suddenly as he drew near.</p> - -<p>“Is sleep so heavy upon thee, fair queen?” -he asked, when he saw her startled eyes and -pale face.</p> - -<p>“I was weary, Nathos. Yet it is not -weariness that has done this, but a dream. -I dreamed a terrifying and dreadful thing. -I saw thee and Ailne and Ardan and Illann -the Fair, but on not one of these was the -head remaining, but only on Buine the -Fiery.”</p> - -<p>“And what will be the meaning of that, -Darthool?”</p> - -<p>“That Buine will leave ye ere death -comes, and that a bloody death will be -upon each. Nathos, I pray of thee that thou -wilt go straightway to Dun Delgan, where -the great and noble lord Cuchulain is, and -abide with him for a while. There we shall -be safe. Listen, I pray thee: I see thine -own shadow creeping up thee, and a dark<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">259</a></span> -cloud overhead, and a cloud of clotted blood -it is by the same token.”</p> - -<p>“Fair woman, there is some guile upon thy -delicate thin lips. Why shouldst thou see -evil everywhere? Be assured that neither I -nor Ailne nor Ardan will turn aside from -our quest of Concobar the king.”</p> - -<p>Darthool sighed, and remembered some -old wisdom she had heard from Lavarcam: -that if misfortune will not come to a man -swiftly, he will seek it and take it by the -great boar-fangs and compel it to come against -him.</p> - -<p>But on the morrow, as they came within -sight of Emain Macha, once more she gave -counsel.</p> - -<p>“Ye know well, Nathos and Ailne and -Ardan, that in Emain Macha are three fair -great houses of the king: that in one he -himself is, with the nobles of Uladh who are -his own following, and that in another are -the wayfarers of the Red Branch, and that -in a third are the women. Now I warn ye -of this thing: that if Concobar welcome us -into his own house and among the nobles of -Uladh, all will be well: but that if he send -us to the house of the Red Branch, that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">260</a></span> -will mean a disastrous end to thee and to -me.”</p> - -<p>They said nothing to that, and when they -came late into Emain Macha they knocked -at the gates of Concobar’s house.</p> - -<p>The messengers told the king that the sons -of Usna, and Darthool, and the two sons of -Fergus MacRossa, were without: whereupon -he asked of those about him in what state -of provision and comfort was the house of the -Red Branch, and on hearing that there was -abundance of food and drink and comfort, he -bade the messengers return and conduct the -newcomers to that place.</p> - -<p>When that message was given, Darthool -again gave counsel: but Illann the Fair was -wroth thereat, and the others yielded. As for -Nathos, he said only:</p> - -<p>“Great is thy love, Darthool, queen of women: -but great also is thy fearfulness.”</p> - -<p>At that Darthool smiled gravely, but said -no more. Only in her heart she remembered -what Lavarcam, in bitter irony, had told her -once, that when a man foresaw evil and fore-fended -it he was wise and strong in his courage, -but that if a woman did the same she was -timorous and whim-borne.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">261</a></span></p> - -<p>In the house of the Red Branch the strangers -were rendered all honour. Generous and -pleasant foods and bitter cheering drinks were -supplied to them, so that the whole company -was joyful and merry, save the sons of Usna, -and Darthool, who were weary with their -journeying.<a name="FNanchor_24" id="FNanchor_24" href="#Footnote_24" class="fnanchor">24</a></p> - -<p>Thus after they had eaten and drunken, -Nathos and Darthool lay down upon high -couches of white and dappled fawn-skins, and -played upon the gold and ivory chessboard.</p> - -<p>It was at this time that a secret messenger -came from Concobar to tell him if Darthool -were as beautiful as when she fled from Erin. -This messenger was no other than Lavarcam. -The woman embraced Darthool tenderly, and -kissed the hands and brow of Nathos. Then, -looking upon them through her tears, she -said:</p> - -<p>“Of a surety it is not well for ye twain to -be playing thus upon the second dearest thing -in all the world to Concobar, Darthool being<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">262</a></span> -the dearest, and ye having taken both from -him, Nathos, and now ye twain being in his -house and in his power. And this I tell you -now, that I am sent hither by Concobar to see -if Darthool has her form and beauty as it was -of old. Thy beauty then was a flame before -his eyes, Darthool, and now it will be as a -torch at his heart.”</p> - -<p>Suddenly Darthool thrust the chessboard -from her.</p> - -<p>“I have the sight upon me,” she said in a -strange voice with a sob in it.</p> - -<p>“And what is that sight, my queen?” asked -Nathos.</p> - -<p>“I see three torches quenched this night. -And these three torches are the three Torches -of Valour among the Gael, and their names -are the names of the sons of Usna. And more -bitter still is this sorrow, because that the Red -Branch shall ultimately perish through it, and -Uladh itself be overthrown, and blood fall this -way and that as the whirled rains of winter.”</p> - -<p>Then taking the small harp by her side, she -struck the strings and sang:</p> - -<div class="poem-container"> - <div class="poem"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">A bitter, bitter deed shall be done in Emain to-night,</div> - <div class="verse">And for ages men will speak of the fratricidal fight;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">263</a></span></div> - <div class="verse indent2">And because of the evil done, and the troth unsaid,</div> - <div class="verse">Emain of dust and ashes shall cover Emain the White.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Of a surety a bitter thing it is thus to be led</div> - <div class="verse">Into the Red Branch house, there to be rested and fed,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And then to be feasted with blood and drunken with flame,</div> - <div class="verse">And left on the threshold of peace silent and cold and dead.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">The three best, fairest, and noblest of any name,</div> - <div class="verse">Are they all to be slain because of a woman’s fame?</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Alas! it were better far there were dust upon my head,</div> - <div class="verse">And that I, and I only, bore the heavy crown of shame.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>At that Nathos was silent awhile. He knew -now that Darthool was right. He looked at -his brothers: Ailne frowned against the floor, -Ardan stared at the door, with a proud and -perilous smile. He looked at Illann the Fair -and at Buine the Fiery: Buine drank heavily -from a horn of ale, with sidelong eyes, Illann -muttered between his set teeth.</p> - -<p>“This only I will say, Darthool,” Nathos -uttered at last, “that it were better to die for -thee, because of thy deathless beauty, than to -live for aught else. As for what else may -betide, what has to be will be.”</p> - -<p>“I will go now,” said Lavarcam, “for Concobar<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">264</a></span> -awaits me. But, sons of Usna and sons -of Fergus, see ye that the doors and windows -be closed, and if Concobar come against ye -treacherously may ye win victory, and that with -life to ye all.”</p> - -<p>With that Lavarcam left. Swiftly she -sought Concobar, and told the king that it was -for joy she knew now that the three heroes, -the sons of Usna, had come back to Erin to -dwell in fellowship with the Ardree and the -Red Branch, but that it was for sorrow she had -to tell that Darthool the Beautiful was no longer -fair and comely in form and face, but had lost -her exceeding loveliness, and was now no more -than any other woman.</p> - -<p>At first Concobar laughed at that; then as -his jealousy waned he thought with sorrow of -the loss of so great beauty; and then again his -spirit was perturbed. So he sent yet another -messenger on the same errand.</p> - -<p>This was a man named Treandhorn. Before -Concobar sent him to the house of the Red -Branch he said:</p> - -<p>“Treandhorn, who was it that slew thy father -and thy brother?”</p> - -<p>“Thou knowest, O King, that it was Nathos, -son of Usna, who slew them.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">265</a></span></p> - -<p>Concobar smiled. “Now,” he said, “go and -do my behest.”</p> - -<p>When Treandhorn reached the house, he -found all the doors and windows closed and -barred. Then fear seized him, for he knew -that the sons of Usna were on guard, and -would have wrath upon them.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, still more did he fear to go -back to Concobar with nought to tell him.</p> - -<p>So the man, descrying a narrow window at -one side, climbed to it from an unyoked chariot -that was near, and looked in. He saw Nathos -and Darthool talking each to each in low -voices, where they lay upon the white and -dappled fawn-skins, with the gold and ivory -chessboard between them. He smiled grimly, -when he saw how great and noble and kingly -Nathos seemed, and how more wonderful and -beautiful than ever were the wonder and beauty -of the eyes and face and form of Darthool.</p> - -<p>It was the last time he smiled. At that -moment Nathos glanced upward. Swift as -thought he lifted a spiked and barbed chessman -and hurled it at the man’s eye. Treandhorn -fell backward, but rose at once and fled, -with his right eye torn and blind for evermore.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">266</a></span></p> - -<p>When he came to the king and told his tale, -and how Nathos was like a king indeed, and -Darthool more beautiful by far than she had -been of old, Concobar sprang to his feet. A -red light came into his eyes, and he threw back -his head and laughed; and at that laughing -every man there knew that his madness was -come upon him, and that the blood-thirst was -already sweating upon many swords.</p> - -<p>“Ultonians,” he cried, “will ye do the will -of your king?”</p> - -<p>“That will we!” they answered with a great -shout.</p> - -<p>“Then come ye, and all your followers and -vassals, and surround the house of the Red -Branch, and set it in a forest of red flames, -and if any run from out thereof put them to -the sword.” As all ran swiftly from the king’s -fort, a high terrible voice was heard. It was -that of the dying Cathba the ancient Druid, -and what he cried thrice was: “The Red -Branch perisheth! Uladh passeth! Uladh -passeth!”</p> - -<p>But none heard him or paid heed, save only -Lavarcam, who in that bitter crying knew well -that the end was come.</p> - -<p>In a brief while thrice three hundred men<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">267</a></span> -surrounded the fort of the Red Branch, and -set red flames about it; and thrice three -hundred more made haste to join them.</p> - -<p>There was a mighty onset at the first led by -Buine the Fiery, who slew many, and quenched -the fires, and threw the Ultonians into confusion.</p> - -<p>“Who is the hero who has done this?” cried -Concobar.</p> - -<p>“It is I, Buine Borbruay, the son of Fergus -MacRossa.”</p> - -<p>“I will give thee great bribes, Buine, if -thou wilt forsake these robbers of my wife that -was to be.”</p> - -<p>“What are thy bribes?”</p> - -<p>“I will give thee a cantred of land at thine -own choice, and I will make thee my chosen -comrade, and thou shalt be as next to the -king.”</p> - -<p>Then Buine the Faithless laughed and said: -“Better the honours of a king than the thanks -of dead men,” and with that, for all the pledged -guaranty of Fergus and the troth of his own -word, he went over unto Concobar.</p> - -<p>But when Illann the Fair heard of this he -was wroth. He saw the bitter smile on the -lips of Darthool, and he swore that he would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">268</a></span> -not desert those upon whom lay the protection -of his father’s guaranty.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Ardan lay, dreaming with a proud -smile against the fire; and, upon the deerskins -near the couch of Darthool, Ailne and Nathos -played at chess, for little did they care to -heed the treacherous valour of the Ultonians. -They knew, too, that their hour was come; and -being kingly, gave no thought to that little -thing.</p> - -<p>But Illann called the troops together and -fared forth, and made so deadly an onslaught -that he slew three hundred of Concobar’s men. -Then he quenched the fires, and went back to -the fort and to where Ailne and Ardan were -playing together.</p> - -<p>“Is that rain that is making a noise without?” -said Ailne to Nathos.</p> - -<p>“No; it is a humming of gnats,” answered -Nathos. “Let us play on.”</p> - -<p>“My fate is heavy upon me, Nathos and -Ailne,” said Illann the Fair. “I have done -well by thee, but I feel the heavy hand of -fate is against me, and who can withstand -fate?”</p> - -<p>“No one,” Nathos answered later, when he -had thought upon his play. At that Illann the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">269</a></span> -Fair drank a drink,<a name="FNanchor_25" id="FNanchor_25" href="#Footnote_25" class="fnanchor">25</a> and went out again. The -fires had been quenched, and there was a deep -darkness. So he bade each man take a torch, -and then all set furiously again upon the Ultonians.</p> - -<p>It was then that Concobar bethought him of -his son Fiacha the Fair, who was born on the -same night as Illann the Fair. There was life -to the life, or death to the death, in that.</p> - -<p>So he called Fiacha, and bade him strive -with Illann, and gave him the three famous -weapons of the royalty of Uladh—the moaning -Orchaoin, and the terrible Corrthach, and the -Notched-Bow.</p> - -<p>But for all his enchanted weapons Fiacha -did not prevail, and after a great and wonderful -fight, which was girt about by a strange sighing, -the sighing being the breath of the pulses of the -watching host, Illann drove him to the ground -where he crouched behind the shelter of his -shield. Easily then he might have slain him -but for this:—</p> - -<p>The moaning Orchaoin made so great and -terrible a voice that it was heard afar off. -The Three Ceaseless Waves of Erin heard it,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">270</a></span> -and roared responsive, so that all the coasts -shook with their thunder: the Wave of Toth -(<i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Tuaithe</i>), the Wave of Clidna (<i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Cliodhna</i>), and -the Wave of Rudhraya (<i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Rudhraighe</i>). There -was a great dun on these coasts, named Dun -Tobairce, and there Conall Cernach the son of -Amergin lived: and when he heard the roaring -of the Three Waves of Erin, he knew that -Concobar was in dire distress.</p> - -<p>And that moaning of Orchaoin brought -Conall Cernach on his magic steed that could -fly through the night. He had with him his -great sword “Blue Blade,” and when he came -to the place of the strife he moved swiftly up -behind Illann the Fair, and plunged “Blue -Blade” into the back, and through the heart, -and out at the breast of the hero.</p> - -<p>But when Conall Cernach heard from Illann’s -own lips what he had done, he was filled with -wrath and grief.</p> - -<p>“Thy faithless summons shall avail nought,” -he cried into the torchlit darkness where Concobar -was; and with that he took his sword, -and severed from its body the head of Fiacha -the son of Concobar, and tossed it towards the -king. Then, turning his back upon the host, -he departed as he had come.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">271</a></span></p> - -<p>With the death of Illann the Fair, the Ultonians -once more took heart. They surrounded -the Red Branch fort, and again set red flames -leaping against it.</p> - -<p>Then Ardan came forth: laughing lightly, -and with a proud joy.</p> - -<p>The Ultonians saw then what it was to -perish as mown grass. And when he had slain -five times fifty, his arms grew weary.</p> - -<p>“How many did Illann the Fair slay in that -onslaught of his?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Thrice five score,” he was told.</p> - -<p>So Ardan slew two score and ten more, and -then another score, for it did not befit so great -a hero to slay less than an Ultonian champion, -noble as Illann the Fair was.</p> - -<p>When he was tired, he went into the fort, -and told Ailne that there was still fresh carrion -enough for a wild-hawk to glut its thirst with.</p> - -<p>So Ailne rose from the chessboard and -drank a drink, and went out, and did among -the Ultonians even as Ardan had done, although -he slew a score more, for he was older -than Ardan, and so it did not befit him to put -the stiffness and the silence upon fewer men.</p> - -<p>Two-thirds of the night were now gone, yet -Concobar did not withstay his wrath. For<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">272</a></span> -now the whole host of the Ultonians was -gathered together, and he thought to have -victory at the last.</p> - -<p>But at their great shouting and the higher -leaping of the flames Nathos rose. He kissed -Darthool, then he drank a drink, and went out -against the Ultonians.</p> - -<p>In that hour thrice three hundred men grew -cold and stiff.</p> - -<p>Then he slew five score more.</p> - -<p>“Go to Concobar,” he said to a man, “and -tell him that he has lost a thousand men over -and above the hundreds slain by Illann the -Fair and Ailne and Ardan. And now let him -come to me himself.”</p> - -<p>But when Concobar heard that, he sent a -messenger to Lavarcam to ask if Cathba the -Druid were yet dead; and when he heard that -he was not, he bade that the old man should -be brought to him on a litter.</p> - -<p>When Cathba was brought, he asked if the -king meant death to the sons.</p> - -<p>“I swear I mean no death,” said Concobar; -“but only honourably to subdue them and to -obtain Darthool. And so I pray of thee to -put an enchantment upon them, otherwise they -will slay every Ultonian in the land.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">273</a></span></p> - -<p>So Cathba raised himself, and put an enchantment -between the sons of Usna and the -host of the Ultonians. That enchantment -was a hedge of spears, taller than the tallest -spear-reach, and more thickset than thorns on -a bramble-bush.</p> - -<p>But Nathos and Ailne and Ardan put their -shields about Darthool, and came forth from -the blazing house, and cleft a way through -the hedge of spears, and, laughing loud, garnered -a red harvest among the swaying corn -of the Ultonian host.</p> - -<p>Then there was a strange roaring heard, and -a vast and terrible flood came pouring from the -hills. The Ultonians fled to the high ground, -but Darthool and the sons of Usna were cut -off by the rushing waters.</p> - -<p>Soon the flood rose to their waists, but then -it ceased rising.</p> - -<p>“The wind will soon blow,” whispered Darthool, -“and then the flood will rise, and we -shall be drowned.”</p> - -<p>Nathos answered nothing, but raised her in -his arms, and kissed her thrice upon the lips. -Then he put her upon his left shoulder, -where she sat with her white arms round his -neck.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">274</a></span></p> - -<p>There was a smile in the blue eyes of -Nathos.</p> - -<p>The flood now subsided, but the sons of -Usna could not move, for their feet were in -a morass. On a dry spit of land close to -them a man walked. This man was Maine of -the Red Hand, a man of Lochlin,<a name="FNanchor_26" id="FNanchor_26" href="#Footnote_26" class="fnanchor">26</a> in the train -of Concobar.</p> - -<p>Concobar had bidden some hero go forth -and slay the sons of Usna. But none would -stir. A deep shame burned in all. But -Maine’s father and two brothers had been slain -by Nathos, and he said he would do likewise -unto the sons of Usna.</p> - -<p>When he drew near, Ardan spoke.</p> - -<p>“Slay me first,” he said, “for I am the -youngest of the sons of Usna: and it may be -that with my death the tides of fortune may -flow again.”</p> - -<p>“That cannot be,” said Nathos. “Here is -the sword which Manannan, the son of Lir, -gave me, and that cannot leave any remains -of blow or stroke. Let this man Maine take -it, and strike at us at one and the same time, -so that not one of us may have the shame and -sorrow of seeing the other beheaded.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">275</a></span></p> - -<p>And so it was. But while the man reached -for the sword, Darthool sprang from the -shoulder of Nathos, and strove to kill Maine of -the Red Hand. With a blow he reeled her -aside, and then whirled the great sword of -Manannan on high.</p> - -<p>There was a flash in the air, and then the -heads of the three fairest and noblest heroes -of Alba fell. There was a long and terrible -silence, till suddenly the whole host of Uladh -broke into lamentation. Only Concobar stood -leaning on his sword, and stared at the stillness -that was now fallen upon the House of -Usna.</p> - -<p>But already afar off Darthool had descried -the champion Cuchulain, and she fled towards -him.</p> - -<p>“Thou shalt be safe with me, beautiful one,” -he said. “Tell me what thou wantest me to -do.”</p> - -<p>“I do not wish to live, but I wish to live yet -a brief hour, and not to be taken in shameful -life before the eyes of Concobar.” So -the twain returned to where the dead lay. -Darthool fell upon her knees, and spread out -the glory of her hair, and put her lips to the -blood-wet lips of Nathos.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">276</a></span></p> - -<p>Then she rose, and looking upon the silent -Ultonians, chanted this chant:</p> - -<div class="poem-container"> - <div class="poem"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Is it honour that ye love, brave and chivalrous Ultonians?</div> - <div class="verse">Or is the word of a base king better than noble truth?</div> - <div class="verse">Of a surety ye must be glad, who have basely slain honour</div> - <div class="verse">In slaying the three noblest and best of your brotherhood.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Ardan the Proud, where now lies his yellow hair?</div> - <div class="verse">Ailne the Comely, where now stare his sightless eyes?</div> - <div class="verse">Nathos, the king of men, where now is his might, his glory?</div> - <div class="verse">Where are the sons of Usna whom ye swore to honour?</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">Let now my beauty that set all this warring aflame,</div> - <div class="verse">Let now my beauty be quenched as a torch that is spent—</div> - <div class="verse">For here shall I quench it, here, where my loved one lies,</div> - <div class="verse">A torch shall it be for him still through the darkness of death.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p>And with that Darthool stooped, and lifted -the head of Nathos, and cleaned it of blood -and foam, and the sweats of death, and kissed -the eyes and the lips, and put her love upon -the dear face, and her sorrow upon it, and her -grief upon it, and put it to her white breast, -and to her lips again, and gave it again her -grief and her love.</p> - -<p>Then at the bidding of Cuchulain three -graves were digged. In each grave a son of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">277</a></span> -Usna was placed, and as each stood there his -head was placed upon his shoulders.</p> - -<p>But the grave of Nathos was made wider. -Darthool stood therein and held his hands in -hers, and put her lips often to his lips, and -often whispered to him.</p> - -<p>One other death there was in that hour, and -in that place.</p> - -<p>Cathba the Druid died there: and again he -cried: “The Red Branch perisheth! Uladh -passeth! Uladh passeth!”</p> - -<p>And so it was. On the morrow Emain -Macha fell before a great host, and was thenceforth -a place of ruin and wind-eddied dust. -The Red Branch became as scattered leaves, -and were no more. And Uladh was given -over to blood and rapine, and Concobar died -in a madness of grief, and throughout Erin -for many years the tides of death rose and -fell.</p> - -<p>But the sons of Usna slept, and the world -dreams still of the beauty of Darthool.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">279</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">281</a></span></p> - -<h2 class="newpage"><a name="Notes" id="Notes"></a>Notes</h2> - -<p class="secthead">I</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">In</span> my renderings of the three famous ancient Gaelic -tales, collectively known as “The Three Sorrows of -Story-Telling” (<i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Tri Thruaighe na Scéalaigheachta</i>), -I have followed Professor Eugene O’Curry (<cite>In Atlantis</cite>, -<cite>Manners and Customs</cite>, and <cite>MS. Materials</cite>); Dr. -Douglas Hyde (<cite>The Three Sorrows of Story-Telling</cite>, -translated into English verse); Dr. Joyce (<cite>Old Celtic -Romances</cite>); Dr. Cameron (<cite>Reliquiæ Celticæ</cite>); Alexander -Carmichael (<cite>Trs. Gael. Socy. of Inverness</cite>); Dr. -Angus Smith (<cite>Loch Etive and the Sons of Uisnach</cite>).</p> - -<p>These tales have often been retold in prose and -verse; and particular intention should be made of -the metrical versions of Dr. Douglas Hyde, Dr. -Robert Joyce (<cite>Deirdre</cite>), and, I believe, of Dr. John -Todhunter.</p> - -<p>In “The Children of Lir” I have closely followed -the version of the original, as translated by Dr. P. W. -Joyce (<cite>Old Celtic Romances</cite>), and in “The Sons of -Usna” the literal prose rendering by Dr. Cameron -and the metrical translation of Dr. Douglas Hyde. -These two stories are told more completely than that -of “The Sons of Turenn,” which in the original extends -to great length, as there the narrative of the -world-wide quest of the Sons of Turenn is given with -great detail.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">282</a></span></p> - -<p>Naturally in these retold ancient tales I have often -followed the Scoto-Gaelic variants, both because of -familiarity and by preference, and this particularly in -the tale of “Darthool and the Sons of Usna.”</p> - -<p>Much the most ancient of the “Three Sorrows” is -the tale of the Sons of Turenn. Professor O’Curry’s -version in <cite>Atlantis</cite> is the basis of all other modern -renderings. The period of this tale belongs to -mythological times. “The Children of Lir” may be -taken as a connecting link between the mythological -and prehistoric and Christian periods. The tale of -“Deirdre,” or “Darthool,” is by far the best known -in Gaelic Scotland, and is still the favourite ancient -tale throughout all Gaeldom.</p> - -<p>The reader who wishes further information should -consult in particular Professor Eugene O’Curry; Dr. -Cameron, in <cite>Reliquiæ Celticæ</cite>; Dr. Joyce, in <cite>Old -Celtic Romances</cite>; and Dr. Douglas Hyde, in his -delightful and deservedly popular little volume.</p> - -<p class="secthead">II</p> - -<p>The quatrains and other metrical pieces interpolated -here, and those in the text of the first and third -of these tales, are generally free renderings of the -originals. Occasionally they are almost literal. But, -both in the matter of selection and rejection, I have -taken certain slight advisable liberties with the original -versions. It may be as well to add, although already -explained in the footnote at page 122, that the “Song -to Macha” is here adapted from another poem known -as “Crede’s Lament” (<cite>vide Silva Godelica</cite>, Professor -Sullivan’s translation, etc.).<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">283</a></span></p> - -<p class="secthead">III</p> - -<p>“Darthool and the Sons of Usna.” Readers familiar -only with the Irish versions of this beautiful old tale -should also consult the important variants given by -Dr. Cameron and Mr. Alexander Carmichael. Dr. -Angus Smith also gives a good digest, and readers -interested in the Scottish wayfarings of Darthool and -Nathos will find the details given there more or less -specifically.</p> - -<p class="secthead">IV</p> - -<p>In the story of “The Sons of Turenn” it is possible -that some injustice has been done to the character of -Lugh, the foremost personage in it, best known in all -the Gaelic chronicles as Lu-Lamfada—Lugh of the -Long Hand. In this version he is represented uniformly -as sternly cruel; but it must be borne in mind -that his inveterate hostility to the Sons of Turenn -was not due to insatiable revenge alone, but to his -belief (as prophesied by his father) that any clemency -in the fulfilment of the great eric demanded would -result in terrible disaster to Erin itself. Throughout -this ancient tale, indeed, we recognise Lu-Lamfada -as an impersonation of Destiny or Nemesis. It may -at the same time be added that in the story of “Darthool” -Fergus is shown more obviously culpable than -the old chronicles indicate, where he appears rather -as a too innocent and trustful tool of King Concobar.</p> - -<p class="secthead">V</p> - -<p>A few notes as to the less familiar of the Gaelic -names introduced in the foregoing pages may aptly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">284</a></span> -be given here, and the more conveniently in alphabetical -order.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Aé.</span> Pronounced as rhyming to day: equivalent -to Hugh.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Ailne.</span> The older forms are <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Ailna</i> and <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Ainlé</i>. -The latter (pronounced Anlă) is probably the right -name. It is said to signify beauty.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Alba.</span> The Gaelic for Scotland. The genitive of -this word is Alban, whence the familiar English word -for Scotland, Albyn.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Banba.</span> This was one of the three ancient names -of Ireland—Banba, Fola, and Eiré—the names of -three famous queens of antiquity. It is from the last -that Ireland derives its best known Gaelic name.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Bove Derg</span> (<i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Bodbh Dearg</i>). This semi-mythical -king was one of the old Dedannan race, and stands, -as it were, midway between the elder gods and the -historic heroes. His name in Ireland is commonly -pronounced Bove-d’Yarrag; and in Scotland as Bove -Derg.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Conor</span> (<i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Connachar</i>). The oldest form of this -famous Gaelic name, so common in Ireland, is Concubair, -or Concobar. Dr. Hyde says that Concubair -is properly pronounced Cunnhoor, but doubtless -Concobar is closer to the ancient usage.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Cuchulain.</span> The oldest form of the name of this -great Gaelic hero is Cuchulaind. The name is pronounced -Coo-hoolin, whether spelled according to -any of the Irish-Gaelic variants or as to the Scottish -Cuthullin—but sometimes, as in Skye, Coolin. It is -not the real name of the hero in question. The word -signifies the hound of Culainn, and innumerable references -to Cuchulain are found throughout early Irish<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">285</a></span> -literature simply as The Hound. He was a native -prince of Ulster, and lord of the district of Muirthemne, -lying between and including the present -towns of Dundalk and Drogheda, now called the -County of Louth, where his chief residence was -named Dun Delga (Dundalk). This celebrated hero, -the champion of the knights of the great order of -Gaelic chivalry, known as the Red Branch, was the -son of Soalte, or Sualtam, and of Decteré, sister of -the celebrated Irish king, Concobar mac Nessa (a -contemporary of Christ). His name was Setanta, -but he was commonly known as Cu-Culainn, the -Hound of Culaan, who was his instructor and war-smith -to King Concobar. The most famous of the -Knights of the Red Branch at this time were the -heroes known as Fergus mac Róigh, Conall Cearnach, -Fergus mac Leité, Curoi mac Dairé, and Cuchulain -mac Soalte.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dagda</span>, or <span class="smcap">The Dagda</span>. This is a purely mythical -personage, and is one of the ancient Gaelic divinities, -among whom he occupies a place somewhat akin to -that of Jupiter in the Latin Pantheon.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dedannan.</span> Pronounced Day-Donnan. This is -the colloquial form of the Tuatha-De-Danann; that -is, the elder semi-divine inhabitants of Ireland, mostly -mythical, and in some cases euhemerised. They -became the Hidden People, or People of the Hills, -of ancient Gaelic legend, and later the Fairies of -popular tradition, though now the drift of poetic -thought is towards a restoration of the Tuatha-De-Danann -to their old spiritual significance and empery. -The term signifies the Divine Progeny of Ana, a -mysterious and perhaps supreme ancient goddess.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">286</a></span> -The Dedannans were also called The Deena-Shee -(Daoine-Sidhe), or Fairy Folk; the Aes-She, or -People of the Hills; the Marcra-Shee, or Fairy -Cavalcade; and the Sloo-She (Sluagh-Sidhe), or -Fairy Host.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dun.</span> This word is properly pronounced Doon, -though in Gaelic Scotland generally Dun. It signifies -a fortress or great fortified dwelling or encampment, -and should not be confused with Rath, which -is more what we would call the homestead, hamlet, -village, or township, according to circumstances; or, -with Lis, or Lios, a smaller fort probably corresponding -to what we call a keep.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Eilidh.</span> The name Eilidh is pronounced Eily -(<i>Isle-ih</i>), and is said to be the Gaelic equivalent of -Helen.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Emania.</span> This is simply the Latinized form of -<i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Emhain</i>, or <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Emain</i>, the capital of North Ireland in -the ancient days. The name is variously pronounced -as Emain, Avvin, and Yew-an or Yow-an.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Eric.</span> Originally eiric, pronounced ay-ric. Signifies -literally a fine or blood-money, and is perhaps -best rendered in English by the word ransom.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Felim.</span> This name is more familiar as Phelim. -The modern Gaelic is Phelimy, and the older, Pedlimid.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Geasa.</span> Pronounced Gassa. It is the plural of -<i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">geis</i> (often written <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">geas</i>), and signifies oath-bound -injunctions or undertakings. In the old days for a -man to be under <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">geasa</i> meant that he was solemnly -bound to do such and such a thing, or, as it might be, -to refrain; and the bond once taken could not be -broken without loss of honour.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">287</a></span></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Ildanna.</span> The old Irish word is best represented -by Il-danach, that is, the Master of Craft, or Master -of the Many Arts, and is a name which is specifically -given to Lugh Lamfada, Lugh the Long-Handed.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Illann.</span> This frequent name of Illann, or Illan, is -identical with Ullin, so familiar in Scotland through -the famous poem of “Lord Ullin’s Daughter.”</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Lir.</span> Pronounced sometimes Lirr, but generally -Lear.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Lochlann.</span> A general name for the whole of -Scandinavia, including, of course, Denmark, and not, -as sometimes stated, of Norway only.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Lugh.</span> This name is pronounced Lu, or Loo, and -I have so given it in the text.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Manannan.</span> Pronounced Mon-on-awn. He is -the Neptune of Gaelic mythology, but holds a more -mysterious and more potent position in the Gaelic -Pantheon than his classical congener.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Maev.</span> The name of this most famous queen of -antiquity is variously spelt. The original is Meadb, -or Medbh, and is properly pronounced Mave (rhyming -with wave).</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Murhemne.</span> The original of this is Magh Muirteimne, -pronounced Moy-mwir-hev-na. It is the -plain from the Boyne to near Carlingford.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Moyle.</span> This is the commonest pronunciation of -the old Gaelic Maol, though the word is best known -in Scotland as Mull (from the Mull of Cantyre). It -is applied to the sea between Cantyre and Ulster.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Mekween.</span> The original of this difficult name is -Miodcaoin. I do not know what it means.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Nathos.</span> Originally Naisi; later Naoise; and -commonly pronounced Neeshă.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">288</a></span></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Nuadh.</span> Pronounced Noo-ă.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Ogam</span>, or <span class="smcap">Ogham</span>. The ancient Cryptic method -of writing, like the Northern Runes, chiefly graven on -funeral stones or monuments. The word is sometimes -pronounced <i>Oo-am</i>, or <i>oom</i>, but Ogam is probably -right according to ancient usage.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Shee Finnaha.</span> The old Gaelic is Fhionncaid, -and is properly pronounced Sheeh-Innăchee.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Tailkenn</span>, or <span class="smcap">Tailcinn</span>. This name for St. -Patrick signifies Adze-Head (probably from his -monkish tonsure).</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Turenn.</span> The old form is Tuireann, and is pronounced -Tirran or Toorenn.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Ulad</span>, or <span class="smcap">Uladh</span>. The old name of Ulster, of -which Ultonia is the Latinized form. Ulad is properly -pronounced Ulla.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Ur.</span> This name is pronounced <i>oo-ar</i> (Gaelic, Uar). -The name in its old form is Iuchar, as that of his -brother is Iucharba, which I have given as Urba. It -is probable, however, that Ur is the modern equivalent -of Iucharba, and Yukar, or Yooch-ar (which I have -given as Urba), of the third of the Sons of Turenn. -There is great confusion and diversity in these old -names.</p> - -<hr class="hidepub" /> - -<p class="xxsmall center in0 p0 vspace10">Butler & Tanner, The Selwood Printing Works, Frome, and London.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">289</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<div class="adbox"> -<p class="larger p2 in0 vspace8 bm1 wide4">By FIONA MACLEOD</p> - -<p class="xxxlarge center in0 bm0 vspace8 p0 wide4">Green Fire</p> - -<p class="small center in0 vspace10 wide4"><i>Crown 8vo. 6s.</i></p> - -<p class="pa small">“A brilliant romance of Celtic life, partly in an old chateau in -Brittany, partly in an island in the Hebrides.”—<cite>St. James’ -Gazette.</cite></p> - -<p class="pa small">“Besides William Morris, now gone, there are few in whose -hands the pure threads have been so skilfully and delicately -woven as they have in Fiona Macleod’s.”—<cite>Pall Mall Gazette.</cite></p> - -<p class="pa small">“The fuller revelation that was looked for from Miss Macleod’s -earlier works has been amply fulfilled in this volume.”—<cite>Western -Mail.</cite></p> - -<p class="pa small">“The descriptive passages vibrate with colour and sound, at -once delicate and vivid.”—<cite>Daily News.</cite></p> - -<p class="pa small">“Fiona Macleod carries us away at once from the modern -realism into the realms of romance and mysticism. 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NESBIT.</p> - -<p class="small center in0 wide4 vspace8"><i>Crown 8vo, cloth gilt.</i></p> -</div> - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<div class="footnotes"> -<h2 class="foot newpage">FOOTNOTES:</h2> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn1"> -<a id="Footnote_1" href="#FNanchor_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> In Gaelic, the name of Lir’s daughter is <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Fionnghuala</i>, -and is variously given in English as Fionula, Fionnuola, -Finoola, and Finola.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn1"><a id="Footnote_2" href="#FNanchor_2" class="fnanchor">2</a> Now Loch Derravaragh, in West Meath.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn1"><a id="Footnote_3" href="#FNanchor_3" class="fnanchor">3</a> That is, between the north-east of Ireland (the Giant’s -Causeway) and the south-west of the Scottish Highlands -(the Mull of Cantire).</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn1"><a id="Footnote_4" href="#FNanchor_4" class="fnanchor">4</a> The Tailcen: a name given by the early Irish to St. -Patrick.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn1"><a id="Footnote_5" href="#FNanchor_5" class="fnanchor">5</a> Coineag, Gaelic for “rabbit.” The common English -equivalent, Bunny, is a Gaelic derivative, from <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Bun</i>, a -stump or tail.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn1"><a id="Footnote_6" href="#FNanchor_6" class="fnanchor">6</a> St. Patrick. (Druidic name.)</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn1"><a id="Footnote_7" href="#FNanchor_7" class="fnanchor">7</a> With the advent of St. Kemoc, the story comes within -historical times. Lairgnen and Finghin were kings of -Connaught and Munster, who flourished in the seventh -century <span class="smcap smaller">A.D.</span></p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn1"><a id="Footnote_8" href="#FNanchor_8" class="fnanchor">8</a> It was the wont among the early Celtic peoples to bury -their dead erect, particularly in the case of kings, and great -warriors, and sons and daughters of kings.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn1"><a id="Footnote_9" href="#FNanchor_9" class="fnanchor">9</a> <i>i.e.</i>, from the north of Norway to the coasts of Denmark.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_10" href="#FNanchor_10" class="fnanchor">10</a> Probably Isberna is Hispania (Spain), and the apples -the golden apples of the Hesperides.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_11" href="#FNanchor_11" class="fnanchor">11</a> <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Alba.</i> That is, Gaelic Scotland, and in particular -Argyll.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_12" href="#FNanchor_12" class="fnanchor">12</a> <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Naois</i> in the old Irish Gaelic.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_13" href="#FNanchor_13" class="fnanchor">13</a> Ulster.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_14" href="#FNanchor_14" class="fnanchor">14</a> This song, adapted to Macha, is founded upon a portion -of the poem by Coel O’Neamhain, in honour of a beautiful -queen named Crede, as translated by Professor Sullivan -and others.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_15" href="#FNanchor_15" class="fnanchor">15</a> Given as in the Gaelic: <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">ciugear agus tri fichead agus tri -chead</i>. Large numbers are in Gaelic invariably built up -thus (instead of, for example, as here, four hundred and -sixty). In an old Irish-Gaelic version the particular number -here is given as “five and three score above six hundred -and one thousand” (<i>i.e.</i>, 1,760).</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_16" href="#FNanchor_16" class="fnanchor">16</a> In old Irish Gaelic, <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Derdriu</i>, then <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Deirdrê</i>, sometimes -<i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Darethra</i>. In Scotland, <i>Dearduil</i> (pronounced Dart’weel, -Darth-uil, or “Darthool,” whence Macpherson’s -“Darthula,” who rather loosely says the name is <i>Dart’huile</i>, -a woman of beautiful eyes). The oldest name is said to -signify alarm.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_17" href="#FNanchor_17" class="fnanchor">17</a> The Gaelic original is <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Beanchaointeach (Banchainte) -Conchubhar fein</i>, etc., and means literally Concobar’s -Conversation-woman, which perhaps might be rendered as -“gossip.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_18" href="#FNanchor_18" class="fnanchor">18</a> I have adopted here, as more euphonious, the name -given to the eldest of the sons of Usna (Uisneach) by Macpherson -in “Darthula.” The old spelling is <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Naoise</i>. -<i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Ainnle</i> (Ailne, Ailthos) means “beautiful,” and <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Ardan</i>, -“pride.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_19" href="#FNanchor_19" class="fnanchor">19</a> The Cruithne, or Picts, had their chief stronghold at -Beregonium, overlooking the Bay of Selma, not far from -the mouth of Loch Etive, below the Falls of Lora, in West -Argyll.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_20" href="#FNanchor_20" class="fnanchor">20</a> To this day, the Highlander of Western Argyll and of -Inverness-shire is familiar with the Fort of the Sons of -Usna, above one of the lochs which constitute what is -now known as the Caledonian Canal.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_21" href="#FNanchor_21" class="fnanchor">21</a> Western India.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_22" href="#FNanchor_22" class="fnanchor">22</a> This is a free paraphrase of the original as given by -Dr. Cameron in the <cite>Reliquiæ Celticæ</cite>. The original consists -of nine short quatrains. In the second, the names -mentioned are Dun Fiodha, Dun Fionn, Innis Droighin, -and Dun Suibhne. In the following quatrains the old and -modern names are practically identical. The modern -Glendaruel was formerly Glendaruay (Gleann da Ruadh), -the Glen of the Two Roes, or Glennaruay (Gleann na -Ruadh), the Glen of the Roes. Innis Droighin is again -alluded to in the last verse. It is now called Innis Draighneach, -meaning the Island of Thorns, and is situate in Loch -Awe.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_23" href="#FNanchor_23" class="fnanchor">23</a> Literally “O d’chuala Feargus sin, do rinneadh rothnuall -corcra dhe O bhonn go bathas.” (When Fergus heard -this, he became a crimson mass from the foot-sole to the -face.)</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_24" href="#FNanchor_24" class="fnanchor">24</a> This sentence is literal after the old Gaelic as translated -by Dr. Cameron. Apropos of the mention of the chessboard -in the next sentence (as once before), it may be -added that the ancient Celtic kings and lords had a passion -for chess.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_25" href="#FNanchor_25" class="fnanchor">25</a> <i lang="gd" xml:lang="gd">Agus d’ibh deoch, agus tainigh amach aris</i>, etc., “and -he drank a drink,” etc.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<p class="fn2"><a name="Footnote_26" id="Footnote_26" href="#FNanchor_26" class="fnanchor">26</a> Scandinavia.</p></div> - -</div> - -<div class="transnote"> -<p class="center in0 larger">TRANSCRIBER NOTES:</p> - -<p>There are a number of blank pages in the original text of this book. -To conserve space, especially for handheld devices, blank pages have -been left out of this ebook.</p> - -<p>This book contains Scoto-Gaelic variants. To retain the intended -flavor of the book, spelling and punctuation in dialect text have -not been altered.</p> - -<p>Spelling of non-dialect wording in the text was made consistent when a -predominant preference was found in this book; if no predominant -preference was found, or if there is only one occurrence of the word, -spelling was not changed, unless noted below.</p> - -<p>Single, oddly spelled words that could not be confirmed as typographical -errors were left unchanged. On page 159, “slao” was -considered to be a typographical error and changed to “slay”, which -fits the context.</p> - -<p>Original punctuation has been retained.</p> - -<p>Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved with -the following exception: Page <a href="#chessboard" id="chess_board">247</a> — chess-board was changed to -chessboard. All seven other occurrences of the word chessboard that -were not end-of-line hyphens did not have a hyphen.</p> - -<p>The name “Ae” is used twice and “Aé” used once within the text. The -name “Taillken” was used once in the text and “Taillkenn” used twice. -No change was made in either because it could not be confirmed that they -were typographical errors.</p> -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Laughter of Peterkin, by Fiona Macleod - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LAUGHTER OF PETERKIN *** - -***** This file should be named 50292-h.htm or 50292-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/2/9/50292/ - -Produced by Shirley McAleer, Shaun Pinder and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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