Part 6 (1/2)
The most celebrated of all these tales is what is called the _Tain_ or ”Cattle spoil” of Quelna or Cooley.[53-1] Queen Maive, having some cause of quarrel with an Ulster chief, set out with her army for the north on a plundering expedition, attended by all the great heroes of Connaught.
During the march northwards, the queen, as the story tells us, had nine splendid chariots for herself and her attendant chiefs, her own in the centre, with two abreast in front, two behind, and two on each side, right and left; and--in the words of the old tale--”the reason for this order was, lest the clods from the hoofs of the horses, or the foam-flakes from their mouths, or the dust raised by that mighty host, should strike and tarnish the golden diadem on the head of the queen.”
[53-1] Quelna or Cooley, the ancient name of the hilly peninsula lying between the bays of Carlingford and Dundalk: the name Cooley is still retained.
The invading army entered Quelna, which was then a part of Ulster and belonged to Cuculainn. It happened just then that the men of Ulster were under a spell of feebleness, all but Cuculainn, who had to defend single-handed the several fords and pa.s.ses, in a series of combats against Maive's best champions, in all of which he was victorious. But, in spite of what he could do, Queen Maive carried off nearly all the best cattle of Quelna, and, at their head, a great brown bull which indeed was what she chiefly came for. At length the Ulstermen, having been freed from the spell, attacked and routed the Connaught army. The battles, single combats, and other incidents of this war are related in the Tain, which consists of one main story, with about thirty minor tales grouped round it. Another Red Branch story is the Fate of the Sons of Usna, which has been always a favourite with Irish story-tellers, and with the Irish people in general, and which is now given here, translated in full.
[Ill.u.s.tration: A ”Cromlech,” an ancient Irish tomb: still to be seen in its place in the Phoenix Park, Dublin. This is rather a small one, the covering stone being only about 6-1/2 feet long. Some cromlechs are very large: one at Kilternan near Dublin has a covering stone 23-1/2 feet long, 17 feet broad, and 6-1/2 feet thick: and no one can tell how the people of old lifted it up.]
Deirdre; or, The Fate of the Sons of Usna.[55-1]
XI.
THE FLIGHT TO ALBAN.
Concobar Mac Nessa king of Ulaid[55-2] ruled in Emain. And his chief storyteller, Felimid, made a feast for the king and for the knights of the Red Branch; who all came to partake of it in his house. While they were feasting right joyously, listening to the sweet music of the harps and the mellow voices of the bards, a messenger brought word that Felimid's wife had given birth to a little daughter, an infant of wondrous beauty. And when Caffa, the king's druid and seer, who was of the company, was ware of the birth of the child, he went forth to view the stars and the clouds, if he might thereby glean knowledge of what was in store for that little babe.[55-3] And when he had returned to his place, he sat deep pondering for a time: and then standing up and obtaining silence, he said:--
”This child shall be called Deir-dre[56-1]; and fittingly is she so named: for much of woe will befal Ulaid and Erin in general on her account. There shall be jealousies, and strifes, and wars: evil deeds will be done: many heroes will be exiled: many will fall.”
[55-1] The translation that follows is quite new, and is now published for the first time. On this fine story is founded the poem of ”Deirdre” by Robert Dwyer Joyce, M.D.
[55-2] Ulaid (p.r.o.n. _Ulla_), Ulster.
[55-3] The druids professed to be able to foretell by observing the stars and clouds.
[56-1] ”Deirdre” is said to mean ”alarm.”
When the heroes heard this they were sorely troubled, and some said that the child should be killed. But the king said:--”Not so, ye Knights of the Red Branch, it is not meet to commit a base deed in order to escape evils that may never come to pa.s.s. This little maid shall be reared out of the reach of mischief, and when she is old enough she shall be my wife: thus shall I be the better able to guard against those evils that Caffa forecasts for us.”
And the Ultonians did not dare to gainsay the word of the king.
Then king Concobar caused the child to be placed in a strong fortress on a lonely spot nigh the palace, with no opening in front, but with door and windows looking out at the back on a lovely garden watered by a clear rippling stream: and house and garden were surrounded by a wall that no man could surmount. And those who were put in charge of her were, her tutor, and her nurse, and Concobar's poetess, whose name was Lavarcam: and save these three, none were permitted to see her. And so she grew up in this solitude, year by year, till she was of marriageable age; when she excelled all the maidens of her time for beauty.
One snowy day as she and Lavarcam looked forth from the window, they saw some blood on the snow, where her tutor had killed a calf for dinner; and a raven alighted and began to drink of it. ”I should like,” said Deirdre, ”that he who is to be my husband should have these three colours: his hair as black as the raven: his cheeks red as the blood: his skin like the snow. And I saw such a youth in a dream last night; but I know not where he is, or whether he is living on the ridge of the world.”
”Truly,” said Lavarcam, ”the young hero that answers to thy words is not far from thee; for he is among Concobar's knights: namely, Naisi the son of Usna.”
Now Naisi and his brothers, Ainnli and Ardan, the three Sons of Usna, were the best beloved of all the Red Branch Knights, so gracious and gentle were they in time of peace, so skilful and swift-footed in the chase, so strong and valiant in battle.
And when Deirdre heard Lavarcam's words, she said:--”If it be as thou sayest, that this young knight is near us, I shall not be happy till I see him: and I beseech thee to bring him to speak to me.”
”Alas, child,” replied Lavarcam, ”thou knowest not the peril of what thou askest me to do: for if thy tutor come to know of it, he will surely tell the king; and the king's anger none can bear.”
Deirdre answered not: but she remained for many days sad and silent: and her eyes often filled with tears through memory of her dream: so that Lavarcam was grieved: and she pondered on the thing if it could be done, for she loved Deirdre very much and had compa.s.sion on her. At last she contrived that these two should meet without the tutor's knowledge: and the end of the matter was that they loved each other: and Deirdre said she would never wed the king, but she would wed Naisi.
Knowing well the doom that awaited them when Concobar came to hear of this, Naisi and his young wife and his two brothers, with thrice fifty fighting men, thrice fifty women, thrice fifty attendants, and thrice fifty hounds, fled over sea to Alban. And the king of the western part of Alban received them kindly and took them into military service. Here they remained for a s.p.a.ce, gaining daily in favour: but they kept Deirdre apart, fearing evil if the king should see her.