Gods and Fighting Men, Lady I. A Gregory [best e books to read TXT] 📗
- Author: Lady I. A Gregory
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"it is not easier I am, but worse and worse every day and every night."
"What is it ails you?" said Eochaid. "And what is it that is coming
against you." "By my word, I cannot tell you that," said Ailell. "I will
bring one here that will know the cause of your sickness," said the
king.
With that he sent Fachtna, his own physician, to Ailell; and when he
came he passed his hand over Ailell's heart, and at that he groaned
again. "This sickness will not be your death," said Fachtna then; "and I
know well what it comes from. It is either from the pains of jealousy,
or from love you have given, and that you have not found a way out of."
But there was shame on Ailell, and he would not confess to the physician
that what he said was right. So Fachtna went away then and left him.
As to King Eochaid, he went away to visit all the provinces of Ireland
that were under his kingship, and he left Etain after him, and it is
what he said: "Good Etain," he said, "take tender care of Ailell so long
as he is living; and if he should die from us, make a sodded grave for
him, and raise a pillar stone over it, and write his name on it in
Ogham." And with that he went away on his journey.
One day, now, Etain went into the house where Ailell was lying in his
sickness, and they talked together, and then she made a little song for
him, and it is what she said:
"What is it ails you, young man, for it is a long time you are wasted
with this sickness, and it is not the hardness of the weather has
stopped your light footstep."
And Ailell answered her in the same way, and he said: "I have good cause
for my hurt; the music of my own harp does not please me; there is no
sort of food is pleasant to me, and so I am wasted away." Then Etain
said: "Tell me what is it ails you, for I am a woman that is wise. Tell
me is there anything that would cure you, the way I may help you to it?"
And Ailell answered her: "O kind, beautiful woman, it is not good to
tell a secret to a woman, but sometimes it may be known through the
eyes." And Etain said: "Though it is bad to tell a secret, yet it ought
to be told now, or how can help be given to you?" And Ailell answered:
"My blessing on you, fair-haired Etain. It is not fit I am to be spoken
with; my wits have been no good help to me; my body is a rebel to me.
All Ireland knows, O king's wife, there is sickness in my head and in my
body." And Etain said: "If there is a woman of the fair-faced women of
Ireland tormenting you this way, she must come to you here if it
pleases you; and it is I myself will woo her for you," she said.
Then Ailell said to her: "Woman, it would be easy for you yourself to
put my sickness from me. And my desire," he said, "is a desire that is
as long as a year; but it is love given to an echo, the spending of
grief on a wave, a lonely fight with a shadow, that is what my love and
my desire have been to me."
And it is then Etain knew what was the sickness that was on him, and it
was a heavy trouble to her.
But she came to him every day to tend him, and to make ready his food,
and to pour water over his hands, and all she could do she did for him,
for it was a grief to her, he to wither away and to be lost for her
sake. And at last one day she said to him: "Rise up, Ailell, son of a
king, man of high deeds, and I will do your healing."
Then he put his arms about her, and she kissed him, and she said: "Come
at the morning of to-morrow at the break of day to the house outside the
dun, and I will give you all your desire."
That night Ailell lay without sleep until the morning was at hand. And
at the very time he should have risen to go to her, it was at that time
his sleep settled down upon him, and he slept on till the full light of
day.
But Etain went to the house outside the dun, and she was not long there
when she saw a man coming towards her having the appearance of Ailell,
sick and tired and worn. But when he came near and she looked closely at
him, she saw it was not Ailell that was in it. Then he went away, and
after she had waited a while, she herself went back into the dun.
And it was then Ailell awoke, and when he knew the morning had passed
by, he would sooner have had death than life, and he fretted greatly.
And Etain came in then, and he told her what had happened him. And she
said: "Come to-morrow to the same place."
But the same thing happened the next day. And when it happened on the
third day, and the same man came to meet Etain, she said to him: "It is
not you at all I come to meet here, and why is it that you come to meet
me? And as to him I came to meet," she said, "indeed it is not for gain
or through lightness I bade him come to me, but to heal him of the
sickness he is lying under for my sake." Then the man said: "It would be
more fitting for you to come to meet me than any other one. For in the
time long ago," he said, "I was your first husband, and your first man."
"What is it you are saying," she said, "and who are you yourself?" "It
is easy to tell that," he said; "I am Midhir of Bri Leith." "And what
parted us if I was your wife?" said Etain. "It was through Fuamach's
sharp jealousy and through the spells of Bresal Etarlaim, the Druid, we
were parted. And will you come away with me now?" he said. But Etain
said: "It is not for a man whose kindred is unknown I will give up the
High King of Ireland." And Midhir said: "Surely it was I myself put that
great desire for you on Ailell, and it was I hindered him from going to
meet you, the way you might keep your good name."
And when she went back to Ailell's house, she found his sickness was
gone from him, and his desire. And she told him all that had happened,
and he said: "It has turned out well for us both: I am well of my
sickness and your good name is not lessened." "We give thanks to our
gods for that," said Etain, "for we are well pleased to have it so."
And just at that time Eochaid came back from his journey, and they told
him the whole story, and he was thankful to his wife for the kindness
she had showed to Ailell.
It was a good while after that, there was a great fair held at Teamhair,
and Etain was out on the green looking at the games and the races. And
she saw a rider coming towards her, but no one could see him but
herself; and when he came near she saw he had the same appearance as
the man that came and spoke with her and her young girls the time they
were out in the sea at Inver Cechmaine. And when he came up to her he
began to sing words to her that no one could hear but herself. And it is
what he said:
"O beautiful woman, will you come with me to the wonderful country that
is mine? It is pleasant to be looking at the people there, beautiful
people without any blemish; their hair is of the colour of the
flag-flower, their fair body is as white as snow, the colour of the
foxglove is on every cheek. The young never grow old there; the fields
and the flowers are as pleasant to be looking at as the blackbird's
eggs; warm, sweet streams of mead and of wine flow through that country;
there is no care and no sorrow on any person; we see others, but we
ourselves are not seen.
"Though the plains of Ireland are beautiful, it is little you would
think of them after our great plain; though the ale of Ireland is heady,
the ale of the great country is still more heady. O beautiful woman, if
you come to my proud people it is the flesh of pigs newly killed I will
give you for food; it is ale and new milk I will give you for drink; it
is feasting you will have with me there; it is a crown of gold you will
have upon your hair, O beautiful woman!
"And will you come there with me, Etain?" he said. But Etain said she
would not leave Eochaid the High King. "Will you come if Eochaid gives
you leave?" Midhir said then. "I will do that," said Etain.
One day, after that time, Eochaid the High King was looking out from his
palace at Teamhair, and he saw a strange man coming across the plain.
Yellow hair he had, and eyes blue and shining like the flame of a
candle, and a purple dress on him, and in his hand a five-pronged spear
and a shield having gold knobs on it.
He came up to the king, and the king bade him welcome. "Who are you
yourself?" he said; "and what are you come for, for you are a stranger
to me?" "If I am a stranger to you, you are no stranger to me, for I
have known you this long time," said the strange man. "What is your
name?" said the king. "It is nothing very great," said he; "I am called
Midhir of Bri Leith." "What is it brings you here?" said Eochaid. "I am
come to play a game of chess with you," said the stranger. "Are you a
good player?" said the king. "A trial will tell you that," said Midhir.
"The chessboard is in the queen's house, and she is in her sleep at this
time," said Eochaid. "That is no matter," said Midhir, "for I have with
me a chess-board as good as your own." And with that he brought out his
chessboard, and it made of silver, and precious stones shining in every
corner of it. And then he brought out the chessmen, and they made of
gold, from a bag that was of shining gold threads.
"Let us play now," said Midhir. "I will not play without a stake," said
the king. "What stake shall We play for?" said Midhir. "We can settle
that after the game is over," said the king.
They played together then, and Midhir was beaten, and it is what the
king asked of him, fifty brown horses to be given to him. And then they
played the second time, and Midhir was beaten again, and this time the
king gave him four hard things to do: to make a road over Moin Lamraide,
and to clear Midhe of stones, and to cover the district of Tethra with
rushes, and the district of Darbrech with trees.
So Midhir brought his people from Bri Leith to do those things, and it
is bard work they had doing them. And Eochaid used to be out watching
them, and he took notice that when the men of the Sidhe yoked their
oxen, it was by the neck and the shoulder they used to yoke them, and
not by the forehead and the head. And it was after Eochaid taught his
people to yoke them that way, he was given the name of Eochaid Airem,
that is, of the Plough.
And when all was done, Midhir came to Eochaid again, looking thin and
wasted enough with the dint of the hard work he had been doing, and he
asked Eochaid to play the third game with him. Eochaid agreed, and it
was settled as before, the stake to be settled by the winner. It was
Midhir won the game that time, and when the king asked him what he
wanted, "It is Etain, your wife, I want," said he. "I will not give her
to you," said the king. "All I will ask then," said Midhir, "is to
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