Here is a version of Emer's Jealousy, red branch of the mythology Irish.
Emer's Jealousy
[1.] An assembly was held in Ulster each year; it was three days before Samain, three days after and on Samain's day itself. At that time, the Ulates were in the plain of Murthemné every year for the assembly of Samain, and there was nothing in the world that they did then except play, market, shining and beautiful things, meals and feasts; also the feasts of Samain are celebrated throughout Ireland.
[2.] This time, therefore, the assembly of the Ulates took place in the plain of Murthemne, and they had gathered to demonstrate each of their battles and their bravery, for, the main object of their assembly, was the story of their battles; now they put in their pockets the ends of the tongues of all the men whom they had killed, and, to increase the number of their victories, they also put there the tongues of quadrupeds; all gave in public the proofs of their fights, but each in turn. And this is how it was: they had their swords on their thighs when they competed like this, and the swords turned on them when they were lying, it was inevitable; for by their swords the demons spoke against them; therefore the swords were for the sincere warrior a guarantee of truthfulness.
[3.] The Ulates all came to the assembly except two, Conall the Triumphant and Fergus son of Roeg. "Let the assembly take place," said the Ulates. - "In truth no," replied Cùchulainn, "not before Conall and Fergus came. Fergus, indeed, was his foster father, Conall the Triumphant his foster brother. Sencha then said: "Now let's play chess, sing poems and let the jugglers get to work." What was done. Then, as the Ulates were thus busy, here is a flock of birds descended on the lake, near them. There was not a finer flock of birds in Ireland.
[4.] The desire came to women to have these birds playing on the lake. They were arguing, each one wanted to be given the birds. Ethné Aitencâithrech, wife of Conchobar, said: "I wish to put on each of my two shoulders a bird of this troop. "-" All of us, "said the others," we want it too. "-" If they are taken for someone, it is for me that they will be taken first, "said Ethné Ingubé, wife of Cùchulainn. " What to do? The women asked. - "It is not difficult," replied Leborcham, daughter of Oa and Adarc, "I will go on your part to make your request to Cùchulainn. "
[5.] Then she went to Cùchulainn and said to him: "It would be agreeable to the women if you gave them these birds." He took his sword to strike it. "Ulster prostitutes can't think of anything better to do than give me bird hunting today!" "-" You are certainly wrong, "said Leborcham," to be angry with them: you are the cause of the third infirmity which overwhelms the women of Ulster, and which makes them one-eyed. There were three ailments to which the women of Ulster were prone: being counterfeit, stuttering, and one-eyed. Indeed, all the women who loved Conall the Triumphant were counterfeit; all those who loved Cuscrad the stammerer of Mâcha, son of Conchobar, spoke stammering; and in the same way all the women who loved Cùchulainn ceased to see with one eye, in order to resemble him and out of love for him. Cùchulainn had a particular tic: when he was unhappy, he buried one of his eyes, so deep in his head, that a crane could not have reached it, and he brought out the other, which seemed as big as a boiler to cook an ox.
[6.] "Harness us the chariot, Loeg," said Cùchulainn. So Loeg harnesses the chariot, Cùchulainn climbs into it and strikes the birds with such a blow with his sword that their legs and wings remain in the water. Together they took them all, carried them away and divided them among the women; there was not a woman who did not have two birds, with the exception of the one Ethne Ingubé. Cùchulainn then came to his wife. "You're unhappy," he told her. - "No," Ethne replied, "since it was because of me that they were distributed to them. Besides, you couldn't refuse me, ”she added; "There is not one of these women who does not love you and who is not partly yours, but, for me, there is no one who has part of myself: I am yours alone. "-" Do not be unhappy then, "resumed Cuchulainn. "If there are birds in the plain of Murthemné or that of Bond, the two most beautiful will be for you." "
[7.] Shortly after, two birds were seen on the lake, and between these birds there was a chain of red gold; they sang soft music. Sleep seized the troop of warriors. Cùchulainn got up and walked towards the birds. "If" you would listen to me, "Loeg and Ethne said," you wouldn't go to them, for there is a power hidden behind these birds. There will come to me, ”Ethne added, other birds without these. "-" Is it possible that you are insulting me like this! Said Cùchulainn. “Take a stone for the slingshot, Loeg. So Loeg took a stone and put it in the slingshot. Cùchulainn throws a stone at the birds. But he misses his shot. "Woe to me," he cried. He takes another stone. He throws it at them, but he oversteps the mark. "I'm unhappy," he said; “Since I took up arms, I had not missed my shot until this day. He throws his javelin at them; the javelin passed through the wing of one of the birds, both vanished under the water.
[8.] After that, Cùchulainn went away; he leaned his back against a rock; his mind was saddened, and sleep took hold of him; then he saw two women come to him; one had a green cloak around her, the other a purple cloak five times folded up. The woman in the green coat comes over, smiles at him and gives him a whip. The other comes up to him, smiles at him and beats him in the same way. They were thus occupied for a long time in striking him each in turn, as soon as he was dead. Then they walked away.
[9.] All the Ulates noticed that he had something and said he had to be awakened. “No,” Fergus said, “don't stir it; he sees a dream. Finally, Cùchulainn awoke from his sleep. "What has been done to you?" Asked the Ulates. He couldn't answer them. "Take me," he said, "to my sickbed, that is to say to Tete Brecc." Let it be neither Dùn Imrith nor Dùn Delca. "
[10.] "Will you be taken to Emer, in Dùn Delca?" Loeg said. “No,” he said, “take me to Tete Brecc. So they carried him there, and he was, until the end of the year, in that place without speaking to anyone.
So one day before Samain, at the end of the year, there were Ulates in his house, namely: Fergus between him and the wall, Conall the triumphant between him and the post, Lugaid with the red belts between him and the pillow, Ethné Ingubé at his feet. They were then thus placed, when a man came towards them, in the house, and sat down in front of the frontage of the room where Cuchulainn was. "What brought you here?" The triumphant Conall asked. - "Here," he replied. “If the man here was healthy he would protect all Ulates; he is sick and weak, his protection is much greater still. I am not afraid, since I have come to talk to him. "-" Welcome, don't be afraid, "said the Ulates.
[11.] Then the stranger stood up and sang the following verses to them:
Cùchulainn! of your illness
Would not be long the duration.
They would heal you, if they were here
The daughters of Aed Abrat.
Here is what says, in Mag-Cruach,
Lebanon, which is to the right of Labraid the Rapid
“Love owns Fand;
She wants to marry Cùchulainn.
Precious would be the day really
Where Cùchulainn would come in my land;
[Let him come!] He will have silver and gold;
He will have a lot of wine to drink.
May they love me enough for this,
Cùchulainn. son of Sualdam!
I saw him in his sleep,
Certainly without his army. "
It is to Mag-Murthemné that you will go,
Samain's night, without damage to you.
From me will come Lebanon,
To cure your illness, O Cùchulainn!
O Cùchulainn! of your illness
Would not be long the duration.
They would heal you if they were here
The daughters of Aed Abrat. "
[12.] "Who are you? Asked the Ulates. - "I am Oengus, son of Aed Abrat," he replied. Then he left them, and they did not know how he had entered or where he had come from. Then Cùchulainn rose to his seat and spoke. "This is what is about," said the Ulates; “Tell me what happened to you. "-" I had, "he replied," a vision on Samain's day, last year. He told them everything, as he had seen in a dream. "What to do with this, King Conchobar? Asked Cùchulainn. - " What to do? Resumed Conchobar; "Raise your law and go to the rock where the women appeared to you." "
[13.] Cùchulainn then left, he came to the rock, and he saw the woman in the green cloak come to him. "That's good, Cùchulainn," she said. - "But, of course, it is not so good for me. Why did you come to see me last year? Asked Cùchulainn. - "It is not to hurt you that we have come," she said, "but it is to ask for your friendship. I'm coming today to talk to you, "the woman added," on behalf of Fand, daughter of Aed Abrat. Manannan, son of the Ocean, abandoned her and she gave you her love. Lebanon is my name. I have a commission for you from my husband, Labraid, the swift sword-wielder. He will give you Fand, if you ever fight with him against the frenzied Senach, Eochaid Iul and Eogan Inbir. "-" It would not be successful for me, "said Cùchulainn," to fight men. - "Your pain will not last long," replied Lebanon; you will heal, and you will recover the strength that you lack. You must do this for Labraid, for he is a hero who is the best warrior in the world. "-" Where does he live? Asked Cùchulainn. - "He's at Mag-Mell," she said. - "I would rather go somewhere else," Cùchulainn replied. "Let Loeg go with you to find out where you came from." - "Let him come then," said Liban.
[14.] They left then, to arrive at the place where Fand was. Lebanon then approached Loeg and took him by the shoulder. "You will not go away alive today, O Loeg," she said, "if you do not have the protection of a woman." - "It's not what we were most used to doing up to this point," Loeg replied, "to resort to the protection of a woman. "-" It is unfortunate, very unhappy that Cùchulainn is not here under your features, "replied Lebanon. - "I would also prefer if he were in my place," replied Loeg.
[15.] They then left and went to the side of the island; there they saw the small bronze boat on the lake in front of them. They then got on the boat and arrived on the island. They walked towards the door of the house and saw a man coming towards them. Then Lebanon sang a quatrain:
"Where is Labraid, the swift sword-wielder,
The leader of victorious troops?
The victory is on his solid chariot;
He dyes the tips of the javelins red. "
The man then answered him by singing four lines:
"Labraid, the swift sword-wielder,
Is not slow, he will be powerful.
We assemble for the fight, we prepare for the carnage
Who will fill the plain of Fidga. "
[16.] Then they came home; they saw three times fifty rooms in the house and three times fifty women in these rooms. The women all welcomed Loeg. This is what they all said to him: “Welcome to you,” Loeg. because of who you came with, »who sent you and yourself. "-" What are you going to do now, Loeg? " Lebanon said. "Will you" go talk to Fand right away? »-« I will go once »that I will know where it is. " - " It's easy; she "is in a separate room. So they went to talk to Fand; she welcomed them in the same way kills others.
[17.] Fand was therefore the daughter of Aed Abrat. Aed Abrat means "apple," literally "fire of the eye. Fand, then, is the name of the tear that crosses the apple of the eye. It was because of her purity that this woman was so named; it was also because of her beauty; for there was not a woman in the world who was comparable to him. As they were there, they heard the rolling of Labraid's chariot coming towards the island. “Labraid is not happy today,” says Liban. "Let's go talk to him. They went out; Liban welcomed Labraid and sang him a poem:
"Hello, Labraid, swift sword-wielder!"
Heir to a troop - small and armed with spears!
He chops shields, - He scatters javelins,
He wounds bodies, - he kills free men;
He looks for carnage, - he is very handsome there,
He annihilates the armies; - he scatters treasures.
O you who attack the warriors, hi, Labraid!
Hello, Labraid, swift sword-wielder!
Heir to a troop - small and armed with spears! "
[18.] Labraid did not answer yet, and Lebanon continued, singing:
Hello, Labraid, swift wielder of the battle sword;
Quick to give, - liberal towards all, - eager for battles;
To the wounded side, - to the beautiful speech, - to the strong right,
To loving domination, - to the daring right, - to vengeful power.
He pushes back the warriors. - Hi, Labraid!
Hello, Labraid, swift wielder of the battle sword! "
Labraid did not reply further; then, Lebanon sang a poem to him again:
Hello, Labraid, swift sword-wielder!
The bravest of warriors, - more proud than the seas!
he destroys the forces, - he engages in combat;
He tries the warriors, - he lifts up the weak;
He lowers the forts. - Hi, Labraid!
Hello, Labraid, swift sword-wielder! "
[19.] "I don't like your speech, woman," replied Labraid; and then sang:
“There is neither pride nor arrogance with me, O woman!
And a deceitful charmer does not intoxicate my judgment.
We are going to a fight of dubious, important and very hard outcome,
Where the red swords will play in the right hands.
Against the numerous and unanimous troops of Eochaid Iul.
I have no presumption; - there is neither pride nor arrogance with me, o woman! "
[20.] "Rejoice therefore," said Lebanon to him; “Loeg, Cùchulainn's coachman, is here; he has a commission to give you on behalf of Cùchulainn, who will bring you an army. Labraid welcomed Loeg, saying, "Hello to you, Loeg, on account of the woman you arrived with and the one who sent you." Go home, O Loeg, "continued Labraid," and Lebanon will go with you. "
So Loeg left for Emain and told his story to Cùchulainn and all the others. Cùchulainn rose from his seat and passed his hand over his face. He spoke clearly to Loeg, and his mind gathered strength as he listened to his valet's tale.
[21.] There was, at this time, an assembly of four of the five great provinces of Ireland. We wanted to know if we could find someone to choose to give him the supreme kingship of Ireland. It was regretted that on Tara, hill of supremacy and lordship of Ireland, there was no king's jurisdiction. We regretted that the people were without the authority of a king to repress the faults of their citizens at home. For there was no supreme king over the Irish during the space of seven years, from the death of the supreme king Conairé at Bruden da Derga, until this great assembly of four of the five great provinces of Ireland, at Tara of the kings, in the house of Erc, son of Coirpré the hero of warriors.
[22.] These are the names of the kings who were present at this assembly: Medb and Ailill, queen and king of Connaught; Cùroi, king of Desmond; Tigernach Tétbannach, son of Luchté, king of Thomond; Find, son of Ross, King of Leinster. They did not call Conchobar, King of Ulster, to their council, because they were in league against the people of Ulster. In this assembly they celebrated the feast of the bull, to know through it to whom to give the kingship.
[23.] This is how the festival of the bull was celebrated. We were killing a white bull; a man ate flesh and took broth from this bull in sufficient quantity to satisfy himself. Well sated, he fell asleep. Four druids sang about him a word of truth, and he saw in a dream the way of being of the one who was to be raised to royalty, his features, his costume, what he was doing at the moment. When the man awoke from his sleep, he told the kings what he had seen in a dream. He had seen a young, noble, vigorous warrior, with two red belts around him; this warrior was part of a group of six people gathered near the bed of a sick person, in Emain-Macha, capital of Ulster.
[24.] The kings, assembled at Tara, sent deputies to Emain. At this moment, the great lords of Ulster were assembled around Conchobar, their king, in Emain, and Cùchulainn, ill, was in bed. The deputies went to explain their mission to Conchobar and to the nobles of his kingdom. “We have,” Conchobar told them, “a young man of distinguished nobility, whose description meets the indications you give; it is Lugaid with the red belts, son of the three Finds of Emain. He was brought up by Cùchulainn, and he is near the pillow of his foster father, whom he takes care of; in fact, Cùchulainn is ill. "
So Cùchulainn got up and spoke for the teaching of his pupil. This is what he said to her:
Teaching of Cùchulainn.
[25.] “Do not be quick and vulgarly savage stirrers. Do not be fiery, without dignity, haughty. Don't be fearful, violent, quick, reckless. Do not be one of the drunkards who are feared and who destroy. Beware of being compared to a chip that spoils the beer in the house of the five provincial kings. Do not make long stays on the border of foreigners. Do not associate with obscure and powerless men. Do not allow the limitation period to expire against an injustice. May the memories be consulted, to know to which heir should return the earth! May the jurisconsults be conscientious and fair in the presence! May there be judges to render justice to the land! May the branches of genealogies be extended when children are born! May the living be called to inheritance, and may, under the faith of the oath, life be restored to the dwellings of the dead! May the heirs become rich according to their just rights! May the holders foreign to the families go away, giving way to the noble force of the legitimate successors! "
[26.] “Do not answer with pride. Don't speak loudly. Avoid buffoonery. Don't make fun of anyone. Do not deceive the elderly. Have no prejudices against anyone. Don't ask for anything difficult. Do not return any unanswered solicitor. You will not grant, you will not refuse, you will not lend anything without good reasons. Humbly receive the teachings of the wise. Remember the doctrine of the aged. Follow the laws laid down by the ancestors. Don't have a cold heart for your friends. Be vigorous against your enemies. Avoid disputes against your honor in your many meetings. Don't be a stubborn storyteller. Don't oppress anyone. Do not collect anything that is not useful. Let the rebuke correct those who do iniquity. May your justice not be corrupted by the passions of men. Do not take the good of others for fear of repenting. Do not be quarrelsome so as not to be hated. Do not be lazy lest you be weak. Be careful not to be too restless, to lose consideration. Do you agree to follow this advice, oh my son? "
[27.] Lugaid replied:
“These precepts are good to practice without exception.
Everyone will see it.
None of them will be overlooked.
They will be executed, if it is possible. "
Then Lugaid left with the messengers for Tara. He was proclaimed king. He slept that night in Tara, and then each went home.
[28.] We will now continue the story of Cùchulainn's adventures.
"Go, Loeg," said Cùchulainn, "go find Emer, tell him side came to see me and they treated me badly; tell her that I'm better and that she come find me. Loeg, to give courage to Cùchulainn, sang the following lines to him:
Greatly useless is a warrior the bed
Where he sleeps ill;
His evil is the work of fairies,
Women who inhabit the plains of fire of the wretched chief.
They defeated you,
They have reduced you to captivity;
They got you off the right track.
The power of women has made you unable to do anything.
Wake up from the sleep where people beat you
Who are not soldiers.
The time has come to take your place with all your might,
Among the heroes that their tank leads into battle.
You must sit in the seat of the war chariot.
Then the opportunities will present themselves to you
Where, covering you with wounds,
You will do great deeds.
When Labraid has shown his strength,
When the ray of his glory shines,
You will have to get up
And you will be tall.
Greatly useless is a warrior the bed
Where he sleeps ill;
His evil is the work of fairies,
Women who inhabit the plains of fire of the wretched chief.
[29.] Then Loeg went to where Emer was and told him in what condition Cùchulainn was: "Loeg," she said, "it is evil for you, who frequent the land of the fairies, from n 'by not having brought back the remedy that would do you the honor of curing your master. It is shameful for the Ulates not to find a way to restore this great man to health. If Conchobar had a wound, if Fergus [Roeg's son] had fallen into a lethargic sleep, if a blow had torn the flesh of Conall the triumphant, Cùchulainn would come to their aid. And she sang the following poem:
Loeg, son of Riangabair! alas!
In vain you have several times visited the residence of side :
You are long in bringing it back here
The healing of Dechtiré's son.
Woe to the generous Ulates!
Neither the foster father nor the foster brother of Cùchulainn
Do not do the world any research
To find us a way to cure their heroic friend.
If Fergus, foster father of Cùchulainn, was in lethargy,
And if, to cure him, one needed the science of a druid.
Dechtiré's son would not rest,
As long as he hadn't found a master of evil druid.
If it was Cùchulainn's foster brother, Conall the triumphant,
Who had serious injuries,
Cùchulainn would travel the whole world,
Until he found a doctor to cure him.
If Loégairé the winner
Had been defeated in too daring a fight,
Cùchulainn would seek all over Ireland in the green meadows
The healing of Connad Mac Iliach's son.
If it was Celtchar with betrayals
Who would have fallen into a long lethargic sleep,
We would see night and day traveling,
In the land of side, Cùchulainn.
If it was the heroic Furbaidé
Who was bedridden far away,
Cùchulainn would travel the whole world
To find a way to save him.
They died the inhabitants of the palace of side elderberry;
Their great exploits have come to an end.
Their dog is no longer ahead of the dogs of men,
Since sleep took hold of this domain of side.
Alas! the disease seizes me,
Because of Cùchulainn, dog of the blacksmith of Conchobar!
The evil that I feel in the heart extends to my whole body.
When will I bring you a doctor who will heal you!
Alas! death is in my heart!
A disease stops the warrior who crossed the plain in a chariot,
And now he's not going
To the Assemblies of Murthemné!
Why doesn't he come out of Emain?
It is because of the side who left him.
My voice weakens and dies;
I am too unhappy!
Months, season, year have passed,
And at home, sleep has not resumed its regular course,
There was no one near him. A sweet word
Did not make himself heard to him, O Loeg, son of Riangabair!
Loeg, son of Riangabair! alas!
In vain you have several times visited the residence of side ;
You are long in bringing it back here
The healing of Dechtiré's son.
[30.] Emer left for Emain, to go and see Cùchulainn. She sat down in the room where he was, and she spoke to him: “It's for you,” she said to him, “a shame to keep the bed for the love of a woman; the cause of your illness is that you have been in bed too long. And, after talking with him, she sang a poem:
Arise, hero of the Ulates,
Wake up healthy and cheerful;
Look at the King of Ulster, see how tall he is!
You have slept long enough.
Look at his shining shoulders,
His drinking horns full of beer.
Here are his chariots advancing in the valley;
Watch their race on the bellicose chessboard.
Here are his mighty warriors,
Here are his young and gentle wives;
Here are his kings in battle,
Here are its majestic queens.
See how the bright winter begins,
How each hour brings its wonders.
See, it is for you that are made
Its cold, its duration, its dull atmosphere.
It is wrong to sleep too heavy;
It is the weakening that follows defeat.
Too long sleep is enough milk,
He is the lieutenant of death; of death he has all the power.
Wake up. Sleep is the peace of a drunken man;
Throw it away with vigorous energy.
I've talked a lot, but it's a sweet love that inspires me.
Arise, hero of the Ulates!
Arise, hero of the Ulates.
Wake up healthy and cheerful.
Look at the King of Ulster, see how tall he is!
You have slept long enough.
[31.] When she had sung, Cùchulainn got up and ran his hand over his face. His weakness and heaviness had ceased. So he got up and began to walk. He went to the rock where his previous visions had taken place. Lebanon appeared to him again, spoke to him and invited him to come to the side. "Where is Labraid?" Asked Cùchulainn. - "I'll explain it to you," replied Liban. And she sang:
Labraid lives on the shores of a pure sea,
That frequent troops of women.
You will arrive without fatigue in this country,
If first Labraid is warned.
His bold hand repels danger;
A hundred times I have seen it, and that is why I say it.
In a splendid shade of purple
Are the cheeks of Labraid.
He shakes his head like a wolf in battle
Before the thin swords that the blood reddens.
He breaks the weapons of helpless enemies;
He breaks the shields that house the warriors.
His skin is all eyes in the fight;
His pursuit is merciless.
He is the first of all soldiers,
Alone he killed more than a thousand.
Labraid, the bravest of warriors, marvel of history,
Reached the land of Eochaid Iul, his enemy.
Her hair looked like golden rods,
His breath smelled like wine.
Labraid, the most wonderful of heroes, takes up the fight;
It is hard on the enemy who dwells in distant lands.
Boat and horse races
In front of the island where Labraid is.
There is a warrior who has done a multitude of feats beyond the seas:
This is Labraid, the swift sword-wielder.
Cùchulainn, defeated by him, was for a long time without being able to fight,
Because Labraid is the leader of side who put Ulster's hero to sleep.
His horses have red gold brakes on their collars.
These brakes are not his only jewels.
There is a pillar of silver and glass,
In the house that Labraid lives.
Labraid lives on the shores of a pure sea
That frequent troops of women.
You will arrive without fatigue in this country
If first Labraid is warned.
[32.] “I will not go to this country at the invitation of a woman,” said Cuchulainn. — “Let Loeg go,” replied Lebanon; “he will see everything. » — “Let him go,” replied Cùchulainn. Loeg set off with Lebanon. They passed through Mag-Luada, through Bile-Buada, through Oenach-Emna, and arrived at Oenach-Fidga: it was there that they found Aed Abrat with his daughters. Fand welcomed Loeg: “Why,” she asked, “isn’t Cuchulainn coming?” » — “It displeased him,” said Loeg, to accept the invitation of a woman. » And addressing Labraid: “He doesn't even know if you've heard of him. » — “It is I who invite him,” replied Labraid; “let him hasten to come and find me, because today is book the battle. »
[33.] Loeg returned to the place where Cùchulainn was. Lebanon accompanied him. "How did your trip go, Loeg?" Asked Cùchulainn. Loeg replied, "You have to go, because the fight will take place today." And after speaking thus, he sang a poem:
I went in the blink of an eye
In a wonderful country that I already knew.
I have reached the heap of stones with the twenty battalions,
I found long-haired Labraid there.
I found it on the heap of stones,
Sitting; thousands of weapons all around.
On her head, beautiful blond hair
Attached to a golden apple.
Despite the time that had passed since my last visit, he recognized me
To my crimson coat folded up five times.
He said to me: "Will you come with me,
In the house where Failbé le Beau is? "
There are two kings in the house:
Failbé the beautiful and Labraid.
Three times fifty warriors surround each of them;
Despite their number, all live in the same house.
On the right, fifty beds,
And in these beds so many warriors.
On the left, fifty beds,
And in each bed a warrior.
The beds have round pillars,
Beautiful, well-gilded columns.
They are lit by a candle,
The candlestick is made of a precious and shiny stone.
At the western gate,
On the side where the sun sets,
There is a troop of gray horses with spotted manes.
And another herd of horses with dark red coats.
At the eastern gate there is
Three trees of purple glass,
From the top of which a flock of birds resounds a softly prolonged song,
To the ears of the young people who live in the royal fortress.
At the castle gate, there is a tree;
From its boughs escapes a beautiful and harmonious music.
It is a silver tree that the sun lights up;
It shines as bright as gold.
There are three times fifty trees there.
Sometimes their leaves touch, sometimes they do not touch.
Each tree feeds three hundred people,
Of abundant acorn and without bark.
There is a spring in the noble palace of side.
There are also three times fifty variegated coats,
With a shining gold brooch
To tie up each of the variegated coats.
There is a vat of rejoicing mead,
To share between the inhabitants of the house.
It never runs out; custom is established
May it be full forever.
There is a woman in the noble palace;
She doesn't look like the women of Ireland.
When she goes out, you can see her blonde hair;
She is beautiful, she has a lot of talents.
The words she addresses to everyone
Have a wonderful charm.
It hurts every man to the heart,
By the love it inspires.
The noble woman says:
"Who is this valet we don't know?"
Come here for a bit, if it's you
Who are the servant of the warrior of Murthemné. "
I went to his call slowly, very slowly.
I feared for my honor.
She said to me: "Does he come here,
The only son of the excellent Dechtiré? "
It is a pity that you did not go there, O Cùchulainn!
Everyone asks you.
You yourself must see how it is made
The big house that I saw.
If all of Ireland was mine,
With supreme royalty over its fair inhabitants,
I would give it up, - the temptation would be irresistible -
I would go to live in the country where I went.
I went in the blink of an eye
In a country that I already knew.
I have reached the heap of stone with the twenty battalions;
I found long-haired Labraid there.
[34.] "You bring me good news," said Cùchulainn. - "Yes," Loeg continued, "we must leave and go to that country. Everything there is good. And so Loeg continued to relate the beautiful things he had seen in the house of the side there he sang:
I saw a shining and noble land,
Where no lie or injustice is told,
There is a king who commands a magnificent army:
This is Labraid, the swift sword-wielder.
When I crossed Mag-Luada,
The sacred tree of victory appeared to me.
I sat in Mag-Denna,
Nearly two double-headed snakes.
Lebanon told me:
In the place where I have been
It would be a very sweet wonder for me,
If, in your guise, Cùchulainn had come here.
They are pretty women; by their victories, they do not bring misfortune to the vanquished,
The daughters of Aed Abrat.
The beauty of Fand deserves a loud fame;
She has never been equaled by either queen or king.
I will repeat what I was told:
She is a daughter of Adam without sin.
The beauty of Fand in my time
Has no equal.
I saw glorious warriors
With sharp weapons,
Brightly colored clothes;
They were not commoners' clothes.
I saw the joyful women at the feast;
I saw the troop of young girls;
I saw beautiful boys
Walk around the tree on the hill.
I saw the musicians in the house
Playing for Fand.
If I hadn't hastened to get out of it,
I would have received a wound - which is not cruel.
I saw the hill where this house stood.
Ethne Ingubé is a beautiful woman;
But the woman I'm talking about here
Would make entire armies lose their minds.
I saw a shining and noble land,
Where no lie or injustice is told.
There is a king who commands a magnificent army:
He's Labraid the swift sword-wielder.
[35.] Cùchulainn left with Lebanon for this mysterious country. He took with him sod char and his coachman. He arrived with Lebanon on the island. Labraid welcomed him; the women did the same together. Fand separately welcomed Cùchulainn. " What are we going to do? Asked the hero. - "The answer is easy," replied Labraid; “What we will do is go find the enemy. Then they went out, approached the enemy army and cast their eyes on it: it was innumerable, this army. "Go away," Cùchulainn said to Labraid. Labraid left and Cùchulainn remained alone in front of the enemy. The two magical crows announced his presence. The warriors uttered a cry: "It is probably," they said, "the grimacing hero of Ireland who is coming; this is what the crows tell us. "
[36.] The armed troops arrived in compact masses; there was not an empty place left in the country. Eochaid Iul went to wash his hands at the spring; it was good morning. Cùchulainn saw his shoulder in the open cloak and threw a javelin which crossed his body and which, at the same time, killed thirty-three men. Then he attacked the frenzied Senach, and, after a great fight, he killed him. Labraid then returned, and, in front of him, Cùchulainn continued the massacre. Labraid begged him to stop the carnage. “It is to be feared,” said Loeg, “that the warrior will turn his fury against us, for he has not yet been satisfied with the fight. You have to prepare three vats of fresh water to extinguish its ardor. When it is in the first tub, the water becomes so hot that it boils; when it passes in a second, the heat of the water is so great that no one could stand it; but for the third tank, the water temperature is bearable. "
[37.] When the women saw Cùchulainn again, Fand sang:
The majestic hero who rides in a chariot on the road,
Although still without a beard, although young.
Is beautiful, thus traversing the country in its rapid course,
In the evening, after the assembly of Fidga.
The sail of the ship which brought him did not resonate with the music of side ;
It is the color of blood.
The song that whispers silently above his chariot
Is the one below him singing the wheels.
The horses harnessed to his vigorous chariot
Long made my curiosity wait.
Nowhere have such horses been found;
They are faster than the spring wind.
Cùchulainn juggles with thirty golden apples,
That we see pass and pass again in front of his face.
Nowhere have we found a king equal to him,
Either by gentleness or by force.
There is on each of her two cheeks
Dimples red as blood,
Green dimples, blue dimples,
Soft purple dimples.
His eye shoots seven rays of light;
We lie when we say he's blind.
His noble eye is adorned
With a black eyelash like a beetle.
He has the worthy warrior on his head. -
It has been told all over Ireland; -
He has hair of three different colors,
This young man without a beard.
His sword, which cuts and turns red with blood,
Has a handful of money.
His shield is adorned with bumps of yellow gold
And a white brass border.
He walks through the warriors in the carnage;
He walks the battlefield in the midst of danger.
Among your brave warriors there is not one
Who can be compared to Cùchulainn.
It was Cùchulainn who came here,
It is the young warrior of Murthemné;
And those who after a long time obtained his arrival
They are the daughters of Aed Abrat.
A long red rain of blood,
Falling next to the trees is a sign of his presence.
Superb, proud, haughty, he makes moans,
And woe to him against whom the hero is angry!
The majestic hero who rides in a chariot on the road,
Although still without a beard, although young,
Is beautiful thus traversing the country in his rapid course.
In the evening, after the assembly of Fidga.
[38.] After Fand, it was Lebanon that welcomed Cùchulainn. She sang:
Hail to you, Cùchulainn, royal boar with happy success!
Grand prince of the plain of Murthemné!
You have a great mind, you are the honor of the warriors who triumph in the battles.
Hero's heart, strong as a slingshot deftly
launched, red as blood in your anger,
Always ready to fight the enemies of the brave Ulates.
Your beautiful complexion has the color of the eyes of young women. Hi !
Hail to you, Cùchulainn, royal boar with happy success,
Grand prince of the plain of Murthemné!
"What have you been doing here since your arrival, O Cùchulainn?" Lebanon asked. Cùchulainn replied:
Thrown was my javelin
In the fortress of Eogan Inbir.
I don't know if I won the famous treasure
Which was to be the price of victory.
Did I succeed or not in the fight?
In any case, I have not yet obtained the reward to which I am entitled.
I threw my javelin, the fog prevented me from seeing if I had reached the goal;
But if a man's been hit, he's not alive today.
A beautiful army, very red, with many horses,
Came to attack me; the attack was from the flank.
These were the people of Manannan, son of the Ocean;
Eogan Inbir had asked for their help.
I steered my chariot around them as best I could,
And when I found the favorable point,
Alone against three hundred,
I killed them all.
I heard the moans of Eochaid Iul;
But when it is words of love that [want] to speak on the lips,
Really, yes really, battles don't have to be
The subject of the words alternately launched.
Thrown was my javelin
In the fortress of Eogan Inbir:
I don't know if I won the famous treasure
Which was to be the price of victory.
[39.] Cùchulainn married Fand and stayed with him for a month. At the end of the month, he bade her farewell. She said to him: “You can meet me wherever you want; I will go. They agreed to meet in Ireland, in Ibar-Cind-Trachta. This was told to Emer. Emer had daggers made to kill Fand. She came, accompanied by fifty women, to the place where Cùchulainn and Fand had met. Cùchulainn and Loeg were playing chess, and paid no attention to the women who approached them. But Fand saw the women; she said to Loeg, “Look, Loeg, what I see. " - " What is that? Loeg asked. He looked up. Then Fand sang:
[40.] Look, Loeg. Behind you
There are beautiful women of noble intelligence listening to you,
With blue, pointed daggers in the right hand;
Gold covers their beautifully shaped breasts.
We will see what the brave warriors who go into battle in tanks will do.
It's clear that Emer, Forgall's daughter, has changed her way.
Cùchulainn, addressing Fand, sang:
Don't be afraid, nothing will happen to you at all.
You will come in the mighty chariot,
By the sunny seat,
In front of myself.
I will know how to melt you
Against a multitude of women
In the four corners of Ulster.
In vain Forgall's daughter threatens.
In front of her fifty friends,
To do an act of violence.
Certainly, against me she will not dare.
[41.] Cùchulainn continued, addressing Emer:
I step back in front of you
As one recoils in front of his friends.
When i knock
With the hard javelin, my hand is not trembling;
My dagger is hardly thin,
Neither my weak anger or its narrow effects.
My strength is great
To be forced into retirement by the force of a woman.
“Answer me,” Emer said. "Why have you dishonored me before all the women of Ulster, before all the women of Ireland, and before all the men of honor?" I came here hiding from you, and I have great strength for me. Indeed, however great the quarrels that my pride made you, of course, you would seek in vain against me a cause of divorce, whatever efforts you make. "
[42.] “One question, Emer,” said Cùchulainn. “What reason do you have for not giving me some time with Fand? She is pure, chaste, white, skillful, equal to a king; she has a multitude of attractions, this woman whom the waves have brought from regions situated beyond immense seas. She is beautiful and of noble birth; she knows how to embroider and skillfully does the work of the hands; she is intelligent, she has a mature and firm mind, she has many horses and cows. There is nothing under heaven that she would not do for her husband, no commitment that she would not keep, whatever she promised. As for you, Emer, you will not find a conqueror with bellicose scars equal to me. "
[43.] “Certainly,” Emer continued, “she is no better than I am the woman to whom you are attached. But we find everything that is red beautiful, everything that is new white, everything that is strange beautiful. Everything that is accustomed seems bitter, those absent are wrong, what we know bores, and we leave it to go and learn everything we do not know. my friend, "she continued," there was a time when I was in dignity near you, and I would still be if I pleased you. His pain saddened Cùchulainn. “At my word,” he said, “I still like you and I will like you as long as you live. "
[44.] "So I will be forsaken," said Fand. - "It's better if it's me," Emer replied. - "No," resumed Fand, "it will be I who will be abandoned: this danger has threatened me for a long time. She was overcome with pain and discouragement. She felt a great shame to be repudiated and to return home so much. Her great love for Cùchulainn became a torment for her, and, to express her sorrow, she sang this poem:
I am going to leave;
This is the best I can do, but it is by force.
Although my happiness demands,
I would rather stay.
It would be nicer for me to stay here,
Under your gentle husband authority,
Strange as I may seem to you
Than to go back to Aed Abrat's room, my father.
Emer! Cùchulainn belongs to you;
He left me, o happy woman!
It's impossible for me to own it,
And I can't help but regret it.
Many men have asked for my love.
Both at home and in the desert.
I rejected their prayers.
Because I am an honest woman.
What a pity to love a man
Who doesn't pay attention to me!
Better go away
Than not to find a love equal to mine.
Fifty women came here,
Emer with noble blond hair!
To attack Fand, - it was not right, -
And to kill her miserably.
I have three times fifty
Very beautiful and unmarried women.
They belong to me and live in a fortress together.
They wouldn't abandon me.
I am going to leave;
This is the best I can do, but it is by force.
Although my honor demands,
I would rather stay.
[45.] However Manannan came to know what was happening: he learned that Fand, daughter of Aed Abrat, engaged in an unequal struggle with the women of Ulster, was abandoned by Cùchulainn. He came from the East to seek Fand; he came near her and no one saw him, except Fand alone. Seized with great jealousy and deep sadness, Fand, seeing Manannan, sang a poem:
Look at the son of the warriors of the Ocean;
He comes from the plains of Eogan Inbir.
It's Manannan. Her beauty surpasses the whole world.
There was a time when he was very dear to me!
Today I uttered a noble cry;
My heart proudly stopped loving the hero of Ulster.
There is a way where love leads us;
Knowing him is no use.
The day the Son of the Ocean and I found ourselves together
In a room in the fortress of Aber,
We immediately believed
That nothing could ever separate us.
When the majestic Manannan took me away,
I was a wife equal to him.
He did not, taking me, supported
A haphazard loss game of marriage chess.
When the majestic Manannan took me away,
I was a wife equal to him.
A gold bracelet that I have
Was the gift he paid for my modest blush.
I had on the heather, outside the house,
Fifty women of many colors.
I gave him fifty men;
The fifty women were flawless.
It's not banter: four times fifty
Were the inhabitants of our only home,
Twice fifty happy and healthy men,
Twice fifty beautiful and healthy women.
I see coming here crossing the ocean,
Invisible to the fools around me,
The Hairy Rider of the Sea.
It does not need the ships of the side.
He arrived near us.
Alone, you, oh side, you see,
Thanks to the superiority of your intelligence, the smallest object,
Still he would be far from you.
My misfortune was inevitable,
Because women hardly have common sense.
The hero of Ulster that I loved so much,
Delivered me to the injustice of my enemies.
God to you, beautiful Cùchulainn!
It is very easy to leave you;
Since I do not reach the goal of my desire,
Dignity commands my retirement.
The moment of departure has come for me.
There is a person here against
We were very wrong,
Loeg, son of Riangabair!
I will go find my true husband,
So that he doesn't do anything contrary to my will.
So that you don't say that I'm running away in hiding,
Please watch!
Look at the son of the warriors of the Ocean;
It comes from the plains of Eogan Inbir:
It's Manannan. Her beauty surpasses the whole world.
There was a time when he was very dear to me!
[46.] Having thus limed, Fand got up and approached Manannan. Manannan welcomed him and said: “Well! woman, are you expecting Cùchulainn now, or will you come with me? "-" At my word, "she replied," there is one of you whom I would prefer to tie myself to as a husband; but it is with you that I will go. I will not wait for Cùchulainn, because he has abandoned me; besides, there is not at your side a queen worthy of you; there is one near Cùchulainn. "
[47.] But Cùchulainn, seeing Fand move away from him and follow Manannan, spoke to Loeg: “What is that? - "It's easy to see," Loeg replied; "Fand leaves with Manannan, son of the Ocean, and the cause is that you do not like her." Then Cùchulainn made three jumps in the air and three jumps to the right of the place called Luachair. Then he remained a long time without eating or drinking, traversing the mountains; he slept there every night on his way to Mid-Luachair.
[48.] Emer went to see King Conchobar in Emain and told him how Cuchulainn was. Conchobar sent poets, scholars and druids from Ulster, with a mission to go and take Cùchulainn and bring him to Emain. Cùchulainn wanted to kill them. But they sang magic words before him, then they took him by the feet and by the hands, and common sense returned to him. So he asked for food and drink. The Druids gave him the drink of oblivion. As soon as he drank it he forgot about Fand and everything that side had made him do it. The druids also gave the drink of oblivion to Emer; in this way they relieved her of the jealousy which had put her in a state similar to that of her husband. Manannan waved his cloak between Cùchulainn and Fand, to prevent any encounter between them forever.
[49.] The appearance of these side had almost killed Cùchulainn. For the power of demons was great before Christianity; it was so big that demons, in bodily form, fought against men, and made them appear mysterious beauties by persuading them that with them they would live eternally. These are the appearances that the ignorant called side and race of side.
EN 
FR 
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