Poems MacCarthy, Florence Denis
Poems MacCarthy, Florence Denis Poems MacCarthy, Florence Denis
72 Thou art the cause of what has been done, O son of Daman, Dare's son, Of all that has happened thou art the cause, Whom hither a woman's counsel draws-- Whom hither a wily woman doth send To measure swords with thy earliest friend. FERDIAH. If I forsook the field, O Hound, If I had turned from the battleground-- This battleground without fight with thee, Hard, oh, hard had it gone with me; Bad should my name and fame have been With King Ailill and with Mave the queen. CUCHULLIN. Though Mave of Croghan had given me food, Even from her lips, though all of good That the heart can wish or wealth can give Were offered to me, there does not live A king or queen on the earth for whom I would do thee ill or provoke thy doom. FERDIAH. O Cuchullin, thou victor in fight, Of battle triumphs the foremost knight; To what result the fight may lead, 'Twas Mave alone that prompted the deed; Not thine the fault, not thine the blame, Take thou the victory and the fame. CUCHULLIN. My faithful heart is a clot of blood, A feud thus forced cannot end in good; Oh, woe to him who is here to be slain! Oh, grief to him who his life will gain! For feats of valour no strength have I
73 To fight the fight where my friend must die. "A truce to these invectives," then broke in Ferdiah; "we far other work this day Have yet to do than rail with woman's words. Say, what shall be our arms in this day's fight?" "Till night," Cuchullin said, "the choice is thine, For yester morn the choice was given to me." "Let us," Ferdiah answered, "then resort Unto our heavy, sharp, hard-smiting swords, For we are nearer to the end to-day Of this our fight, by hewing, than we were On yesterday by thrusting of the spears." "So let us do, indeed," Cuchullin said. Then on their arms two long great shields they took, And in their hands their sharp, hard-smiting swords. Each hewed the other with such furious strokes That pieces larger than an infant's head Of four weeks' old were cut from out the thighs And great broad shoulder-blades of each brave chief. And thus they persevered from early morn Till evening's close in hewing with the swords. "Let us desist," at length Ferdiah said. "Let us indeed desist, if the fit time Hath come," Cuchullin said; and so they ceased. From them they cast their arms into the hands Of their two charioteers; and though that morn Their meeting was of two high-spirited men, Their separation, now that night had come, Was of two men dispirited and sad. Their horses were not in one field that night, Their charioteers were warmed not at one fire. That night they rested there, and in the morn Ferdiah early rose and sought alone The Ford of battle, for he knew that day Would end the fight, and that the hour drew nigh When one or both of them should surely fall. Then was it for the first time he put on His battle suit of battle and of fight, Before Cuchullin came unto the Ford.
- Page 21 and 22: 21 Music-shaken, It doth waken, Hal
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- Page 55 and 56: 55 CUCHULLIN. If Conor's royal stre
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- Page 61 and 62: 61 "Glad am I, O Cuchullin, thou ha
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- Page 91 and 92: 91 This, which it is to be presumed
- Page 93 and 94: 93 Like hooded monks before a dazzl
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73<br />
To fight the fight where my friend must die.<br />
"A truce to these invectives," then broke in<br />
Ferdiah; "we far other work this day<br />
Have yet to do than rail with woman's words.<br />
Say, what shall be our arms in this day's fight?"<br />
"Till night," Cuchullin said, "the choice is thine,<br />
For yester morn the choice was given to me."<br />
"Let us," Ferdiah answered, "then resort<br />
Unto our heavy, sharp, hard-smiting swords,<br />
For we are nearer to the end to-day<br />
Of this our fight, by hewing, than we were<br />
On yesterday by thrusting of the spears."<br />
"So let us do, indeed," Cuchullin said.<br />
Then on their arms two long great shields they took,<br />
And in their hands their sharp, hard-smiting swords.<br />
Each hewed the other with such furious strokes<br />
That pieces larger than an infant's head<br />
Of four weeks' old were cut from out the thighs<br />
And great broad shoulder-blades of each brave chief.<br />
And thus they persevered from early morn<br />
Till evening's close in hewing with the swords.<br />
"Let us desist," at length Ferdiah said.<br />
"Let us indeed desist, if the fit time<br />
Hath come," Cuchullin said; and so they ceased.<br />
From them they cast their arms into the hands<br />
Of their two charioteers; and though that morn<br />
Their meeting was of two high-spirited men,<br />
Their separation, now that night had come,<br />
Was of two men dispirited and sad.<br />
Their horses were not in one field that night,<br />
Their charioteers were warmed not at one fire.<br />
That night they rested there, and in the morn<br />
Ferdiah early rose and sought alone<br />
The Ford of battle, for he knew that day<br />
Would end the fight, and that the hour drew nigh<br />
When one or both of them should surely fall.<br />
Then was it for the first time he put on<br />
His battle suit of battle and of fight,<br />
Before Cuchullin came unto the Ford.