Part 19 (1/2)

Naught this strife avails thee, Glory fades, and fails thee; c.o.c.k-crow loudly hails thee, High on stake thy head!

Cualgne's[FN#55] Hound, Cuchulain!

Faults thy soul bear rule in: Thee to bitter schooling Frantic grief hath led.

[FN#55] p.r.o.nounced Kell-ny.

”O my friend Ferdia!” said Cuchulain, ”it was not right for thee to have come to the combat and the fight with me, at the instigation and the meddling of Ailill and Maev: none of those who came before thee have gained for themselves victory or success, and they all fell at my hand; neither shalt thou win victory or success from this battle, by me shalt thou fall.” And it was in this manner that he was speaking, and he recited these words, and Ferdia hearkened to him:

Come not near, thou powerful man![FN#56]

O Ferdia mac Daman: Worst of woe on thee is hurled, Though thy fate shall grieve the world.

[FN#56] The metre is that of the Irish.

Come not near, nor right forget In my hand thy fate is set: Those recall, whom late I fought, Hath their fall no wisdom taught?

Thou for gifts wert pa.s.sed in sale, Purple sash, firm coat of mail; Never maid, O Daman's son!

In this war of thine is won.

Findabar, Maev's lovely child, With her form thy sense beguiled: Brightly though her beauty glows, She no love on thee bestows.

Wouldst thou win the prize they bring, Findabar, the child of king?

Many ere now that maid could cheat Here, like thee, their wounds to meet.

Thou hast sworn, and plighted. troth, Ne'er to fight me: keep thine oath: Friends.h.i.+p's tie thee firm should hold, Come not nigh me, champion bold.

Fifty chiefs, who sought that maid, Fought me, fell, in earth are laid; Well I know that tempting bait, All have found, and earned their fate.

Ferbay fell, though bold his boast, Him obeyed a valiant host; Quickly here his rage I stilled; Cast my spear but once, and killed.

Cruel fate Srub Darry slew, Tales of hundred dames he knew; Great his fame in days of yore; Silver none, 'twas gold he wore.

Though that maid, whom Erin's best Hope to gain, my heart would charm; South and north, and east and west I would keep thee safe from harm.

”And, O my friend Ferdia!” said Cuchulain ”this is the cause why it was not thy part to come here to the combat and the fight with me. It is because that when with Scathach, with Uathach, and with Aife we abode, it was the custom with us that together we should go to every battle, and to every field of battle; to every fight and to every skirmish; to every forest and to all wildernesses; to all things dark and difficult.” These were the words of his speech, and it was in that place that he recited these staves:

Tuned our hearts were beating, We, where chiefs were meeting, Brotherly went: when slumbering One was our couch: we sought Fierce fights, and fought.

Oft in woods that are far away Joined we stood in our skilful play; Scathach our feats had taught.

And Ferdia replied to him thus:

O Cuchulain! for beautiful feats renowned, Though together we learned our skill; Though thou tellest of friends.h.i.+p that once we found, From me shall come first thine ill; Ah, recall not the time of our friends.h.i.+p's day: It shall profit thee nothing, O Hound, I say.

”For too long now have we thus waited,” said Ferdia; ”tell me now O Cuchulain! to what weapons shall we resort?” ”Thou hast the choice of the weapons till the night,” said Cuchulain, ”because thou wert the first to reach the Ford.” ”Hast thou any remembrance,” said Ferdia, ”of the weapons for casting, that we were accustomed to practise the use of when we were with Scathach, with Uathach, and with Aife?” ”I do indeed remember them,” said Cuchulain.” ”If thou rememberest them, let us resort to them now,” said Ferdia. Then they resorted to their weapons used for the casting. They took up two s.h.i.+elds for defence, with devices emblazoned upon them, and their eight s.h.i.+elds with sharp edges such that they could hurl, and their eight javelins, and their eight ivory-hilted dirks, and their eight little darts for the fight.

To and fro from one to the other, like bees upon a sunny day, flew the weapons, and there was no cast that they threw that did not hit. Each of them then continued to shoot at the other with their weapons for casting, from the dawn of the morning to the full middle of the day, until all of their weapons had been blunted against the faces and the bosses of their s.h.i.+elds; and although their casting was most excellent, yet so good was the defence that neither of them wounded the other nor drew the other's blood during all that time. ”Cease now from these feats, O Cuchulain!” said Ferdia, ”for it is not by means of these that the struggle between us shall come.” ”Let us cease indeed,” said Cuchulain, ”if the time for ceasing hath arrived.” And they ceased from their casting, and they threw the weapons they had used for it into the hands of their charioteers.