This is the story of Connle Ruad's expedition, from the historical cycle Irish.
Connle Ruad's Expedition
Why do we say Unique Art? This is not difficult to explain.
One day, Connle Ruad, son of Conn Cechathach, was next to his father on the heights of Usnech. Suddenly he saw a beautifully dressed woman approaching him. Connle spoke to her: Where do you come from, woman? he said. — I come, replied the woman, from the lands of the living, from the country where we know neither death, nor sin, nor scandal.
Our prolonged feasts need no preparation; never does a quarrel disturb our beautiful meetings. We live in the great Sid; also they call us the people of Side. “Who are you talking to,” Conn said to his son? » Because no one saw the woman, except Connle alone. The woman replied:
He talks with a young, pretty woman of noble birth,
Who need fear neither death nor old age.
I like Connle Ruad. I invite him to come to Mag Mell
where reigns a king Boadach the immortal;
no complaint, no misfortune in his country since he took power.
Come with me, Connle Ruad, colorful neck, shining like light!
A golden crown must be placed on the head,
as an eternal emblem of your royal dignity.
If you want to, your body will never wither
her youth, her beauty until the favorable judgment.
Conn spoke to his druid, whose name was Koran. They had all heard what the woman was saying, but they couldn't see her.
I implore you Quran with famous songs,
to vast science,
a rigorous order is given to me,
he is stronger than my will
and stronger than my power.
I have never fought such a fight
since I took power.
Stronger than all the weapons,
an invisible form torments me
and sing around my son to take him away from me by witchcraft,
the King of Ireland, and the magical charms of a woman carry him away.
Then the druid sang against the woman's voice, so that she would not be heard, and also so that Connle would no longer see her.
But when the woman left, chased away by the druid's magic song, she gave Connle an apple. He went until the end of the month without eating or drinking. No food pleased him except his apple. The apple did not diminish; every time he ate it, it remained intact. Then Connle became worried: he thought of the woman he had seen. The day the month ended, he was with his father at Mag-Archomman, when he saw before him the same woman who said to him:
Connle, you who are seated
to a high place among passing mortals,
you who await the dreaded death,
immortal beings invite you to come to them;
you are a hero to the people of Tethra,
he wants to see you every day
in the assemblies of your ancestors
in the midst of those you have known
and who are dear to you.
When Conn heard the woman's voice, he said to his people: “Call the Druid, let him come to me, behold, today the voice of this woman is still heard. » The woman replied:
Conn Cetchathach,
the art of the druid no longer has power,
in a short time he will reach the Great Shore.
The righteous will come soon
with many illustrious companions,
and his law will destroy the druids' spells,
those mouth-inspired sins
of the black and deceptive demon.
Conn was surprised that Connle said nothing to anyone except: "The woman has come." » — Did you understand, he said to him, what the woman said, Connle? The law replied: What she asks is easy for me to carry out; one thing is holding me back: I love my family. This woman causes me a lot of torment.
Then the woman answered and spoke thus:
You love me, what does it matter if your loved ones miss you!
In a glass boat, we will be able to reach the Sid of Boadach.
It is a foreign land where it is not difficult to go.
I see the bright sun going down; although our country is far away, we will get there before dark.
It is the land of pleasure for anyone who travels through it.
Our race is made up only of women and young girls.
At this response from the woman, Connle left his family and jumped into the glass boat. His father and his friends saw him move away little by little. They looked as long as their eyes could see him. Connle and the woman disappeared over the expanse of the sea and, since then, they have never been seen again, we do not know where they went.
As Conn and his people stood together thoughtfully, they saw Art, Conn's son, approaching them. “Art is an only child today,” said Conn, “it is likely that he no longer has a brother.” — “You said well,” replied Coran. “This name, Art Oenfer will always be his and will not leave it in the future, from today. »
