Page:The Gael Vol XXII January to December 1903.djvu/318

was, almost without a doubt, the cause of their forming an alliance with the Danes, and fighting on their side at the battle of Clontarf, for they probably thought that if Brian Boramha became too powerful he would reimpose the tribute.

The story of the Leinster Tribute in the Book of Leinster, or Book of Glendaloch, as it is sometimes called, is regarded by Mr. Whitley Stokes as one of the greatest historical romances in literature, and he has said as much in his translation of it in the "Revue Celtique." There is also a version of the Tribute in the Book of Lecan, a manuscript compiled in the latter part of the fourteenth century, or nearly three hundred years after the Book of Leinster.

A transcription of the following poem may be seen in "Silva Gaedlica," but the transscription in it differs considerably from the text in the Book of Leinster from which it was taken:

THE LEINSTER TRIBUTE.	TRANSLATION.
Tuaṫal Teċtmar, teċta in talman tictís co Tuaṫal dia ṫaig;	Tuathal Teachmhar, envoys of the land used to come to his house.
Deiċ cét do ċaṫaib ro ċuibsig, cóic aċaid Uisnig ro air.	Ten hundreds of battles he admitted (to have fought); he ploughed the fields of Uisneach.
Is é Tuaṫal tall a cinnd de ná cóicedaib cen ċleiṫ;	It was Tuathal who cut the heads (1) off the provinces without concealment
Is ę do ringne ḟlesc láma tinne dána tána eiċ.	It was he who made hand-rods of steel (2) with skill for a slender steed.
Dá ingin ac Tuaṫal Teċtmar, cumma cen co ructáis lib;	Two daughters had Tuathan Teachmhar, no matter that they were not born with you;
Siniu a meicc nata méra, giliu nát néla do nim.	Their pupils were older than their fingers (3); fairer (were they) than the clouds of heaven;
Fiṫir is Dárine dondgel; inniasat dúib immar biar;	Fithir and brown-white Darine. I will tell you how it will be (4).
Dá ingin ac Tuaṫal Teċtmar, ba h-olc duaċad debṫa in ḋias	Two daughters had Tuathal Teachtmhar; bad were the disputes (5) of the two.
Fiṫir fúair toċmarc i Teamraig, tennáil tigi Rossa Ruaid;—	Fithir was wooed in Tara; (there was a) gathering of the house of Ross Ruadh.
Eoċu mac Eċaċ a h-Ailind, ba treḃṫaċ a ainim duál	Eocha, son of Echach, from Allen (her wooer) powerful was his rightful name.
Álaind in ben, ben meic Eċaċ, ingen Tuṫail taulċa glaiss	Beautiful was the woman, the wife of the son of Echach, daughter of Tuathal of the green-hill;
Cu ru briss a céile a connáil far rub slébe Collain cais.	Her husband broke his friendship (with her) for the pleasure of the mountain of Collancash (6).
Gebid sium remi cu Tempaig taebgel, trusten nir ba ṫúr;	He proceeded to white-sided Tara, a journey that was not a grief (to him);
Anáidsi ṫess ar Mag Mugna; budin na mess cumra a cúl.	She stayed south on Magh Mugna—the most fragrant of the fruit (7) (Fithir) was left behind.
O ro riaċt in fer s. in Tempaig, tilaċ i toimled mid Medb,	When that man reached Tara, the mount in which Maeve's mead was consumed.
Innisid a mnái do moċ éc; ro bói for droċ ṡet, co derḃ.	He says his wife (Fithir) had died young; he was on a bad journey indeed.
Ros frecais fír ḟlaiṫ fer funid, atrubairt i ráiṫ móir,	The true chief of the men of the west (Tuathal) answered him very quickly,
“Rotfia Dárinc ni daoibir, cu lámira d’ ḟalgib óir.”	"Thou Shalt have Darine, who is not poor, with hand-ornaments of rings of gold."
Tug leis a mnái co Mastin, maéṫnaediu Ṫemra Daṫi;	He took with him his wife to Maistin—the tender child of Dathi's (8) Tara.
Fuair si déic a siair i slánti; do ċriaid ḟir na báirce hí.	She found her sister afterwards in health; she was of the true mould of the strong (9).
Ropolc lé sárgud a seṫar, imma céile ní ro ċeil;	Grevious to her was the injury of her sister; she did not conceal what her husband was.
Atbail noedenán de náire,—cóegeran oc Slane sein.	The child died of shame; that was a crying complaint at Slane (?)
Mar atbaṫ Dárina dondgel dn décsin ar Fiṫir find,	When brown-white Darine died on looking at fair Fithir,
Is dia cumaind is marb Fiṫir, uch! ro po riṫir in raind.	Of her grief died Fithir; alas! hard was the separation.
Nos tic in sruiṫ sain ria Samain, sruṫ mná Neċtain cussin neim,	That stream (10) came before November; the stream of the wife of Nechtan with venom;
Ro bóe longṗert accu in Almain cu taite samraid iarsain.	Then encamped in Allen until the beginning of the summer after that;
Sirset in cóiced im Charman; ó Charmun co Commur-cass,	They searched the province round Carman, from Carman to Cummer-cas;
Ní hénairt immar do ringned; ruc héraic a ingen ass.	There was no force like that which was displayed; he (Tuathal) brought a fine for his daughters out of it
Adbel in neraic ra hárim, innises fer brec naċ beo:—	Vast was the fine to recount, as a speckled man not alive tells:
Tri coicait cét bó caċ bliadain,—ba garit lán liamna leo;	Fifteen thousand (11) cows every year—a short time was full leaping left with them (12),
Tri cuicait cét slabrad nargait álaind ro ṫatnítís tall;	Fifteen thousand chains of beautiful silver that used to please long ago;
Is abdall ocus ni saibgo,—slabrad caċ oen bó and;	It is wonderful but no foolish lie, there was a chain with every cow in it;
Tri coicait cét mucc no méttais im mór ċailtib imbít luin;	Fifteen thousand pigs that used to be fattened in great woods where there was food;
Tri coicait cét moltrad mongaċ,—nucun olc in ċongnab ċruid;	Fifteen thousand woolly wethers—no bad possession of property;
Tri coicait cét lendbratt liffi lígda, hettáir dar a lár;	Fifteen thousand linen cloaks of the beautiful Liffy (14), with ornaments across their centres;