Gods and Fighting Men, Lady I. A Gregory [best e books to read TXT] 📗

rowan berry, on the left side of Oisin, son of Finn?" "That is

Diarmuid, grandson of Duibhne," said the Druid, "that is the best lover

of women in the whole world." "That is a good company," said Grania.

 

And after the feast had gone on a while, their own feast was made for

the dogs outside. And the dogs began to fight with one another, and the

noise was heard in the hall, and the chief men of the Fianna went to

drive them away from one another.

 

Now Diarmuid was used to keep his cap always over the love-spot the

woman had left on his forehead, for no woman could see that spot but she

would give him her love. And it chanced, while he was driving the dogs

apart, the cap fell from him, and Grania was looking cut at him as it

fell, and great love for him came on her there and then. And she called

her serving-maid to her, and bade her bring the great golden cup that

held drink for nine times nine men from the sunny house. And when the

serving-maid brought the cup, she filled it with wine that had

enchantment in it, and she said: "Give the cup first to Finn, and bid

him take a drink from it, and tell him it is I myself sent it to him."

So the serving-maid did that, and Finn took the cup and drank out of it,

and no sooner did he drink than he fell into a deep sleep. And then the

cup was given to the king, and the queen, and the sons of kings, and the

whole company, but only Oisin and Osgar and Caoilte and Diarmuid, and

Diorraing the Druid. And all that drank of it fell into the same heavy

sleep.

 

And when they were all in their sleep, Grania rose up softly from the

seat where she was, and she turned her face to Diarmuid, and she said:

"Will you take my love, Diarmuid, son of Duibhne, and will you bring me

away out of this house to-night?"

 

"I will not," said Diarmuid; "I will not meddle with the woman that is

promised to Finn." "If that is so," said Grania, "I put you under Druid

bonds, to bring me out of this house to-night before the awaking of Finn

and of the King of Ireland from their sleep."

 

"It is under bad bonds you are putting me, Grania," said Diarmuid. "And

why is it," he said, "that you put them on me more than on the great men

and sons of kings that are in the Middle Court to-night? for there is

not one of them all but is as well worthy of a woman's love as myself."

"By my hand, Diarmuid, it is not without cause I laid those bonds on

you," said Grania; "for I was at the door a while ago when you were

parting the dogs," she said, "and my eyes fell on you, and I gave you

the love there and then that I never gave to any other, and never will

give for ever."

 

"It is a wonder you to give that love to me, and not to Finn," said

Diarmuid, "for there is not in Ireland a man is a better lover of a

woman than himself. And do you know this, Grania," he said, "the night

Finn is in Teamhair it is he himself is the keeper of its gates. And as

that is so, we cannot leave the town." "There is a side door of escape

at my sunny house," said Grania, "and we will go out by it." "It is a

thing I will never do," said Diarmuid, "to go out by any side door of

escape at all." "That may be so," said Grania, "but I heard it said that

every fighting man has leave to pass over the walls of any dun and of

any strong place at all by the shafts of his spears. And I will go out

through the door," she said, "and let you follow me like that."

 

With that she went out, and Diarmuid spoke to his people, and it is what

he said, "O Oisin, son of Finn, what must I do with these bonds that

are laid on me?" "You are not guilty if the bonds were laid on you,"

said Oisin; "and I tell you to follow Grania, and to keep yourself well

out of the hands of Finn." "Osgar, son of Oisin," he said then, "what

must I do with these bonds that are put on me?" "I tell you to follow

Grania," said Osgar, "for it is a pitiful man that would break his

bonds." "What advice do you give me, Caoilte?" said Diarmuid. "It is

what I say," said Caoilte, "that I myself have a fitting wife; and that

it would be better to me than all the riches of the world Grania to have

given me that love." "What advice do you give me, Diorraing?" "I tell

you to follow Grania," said Diorraing, "although you will get your death

by it, and that is bad to me." "Is that the advice you all give me?"

said Diarmuid. "It is," said Oisin, and all the rest with him. With that

Diarmuid stood up and stretched out his hand for his weapons, and he

said farewell to Oisin and the others, and every tear he shed was of the

size of a mountain berry. He went out then to the wall of the dun, and

he put the shafts of his two spears under him, and he rose with a light

leap and he came down on the grassy earth outside, and Grania met him

there. Then Diarmuid said: "It is a bad journey you are come on, Grania.

For it would be better for you to have Finn, son of Cumhal, as a lover

than myself, for I do not know any part or any western corner of Ireland

that will hide you. And if I do bring you with me," he said, "it is not

as a wife I will bring you, but I will keep my faith to Finn. And turn

back now to the town," he said, "and Finn will never get news of what

you are after doing." "It is certain I will not turn back," said Grania,

"and I will never part with you till death parts us." "If that is so,

let us go on, Grania," said Diarmuid.

 

They went on then, and they were not gone far out from the town when

Grania said: "I am getting tired, indeed." "It is a good time to be

tired," said Diarmuid, "and go now back again to your own house. For I

swear by the word of a true champion," he said, "I will never carry

yourself or any other woman to the end of life and time." "That is not

what you have to do," said Grania, "for my father's horses are in a

grass field by themselves, and chariots with them; and turn back now,

and bring two horses of them, and I will wait in this place till you

come to me again."

 

Diarmuid went back then for the horses, and we have no knowledge of

their journey till they reached to the ford on the Sionnan, that is

called now Ath-luain.

 

And Diarmuid said then to Grania: "It is easier to Finn to follow our

track, the horses being with us." "If that is so," said Grania: "leave

the horses here, and I will go on foot from this out."

 

Diarmuid went down to the river then, and he brought a horse with him

over the ford, and left the other horse the far side of the river. And

he himself and Grania went a good way with the stream westward, and they

went to land at the side of the province of Connacht. And wherever they

went, Diarmuid left unbroken bread after him, as a sign to Finn he had

kept his faith with him.

 

And from that they went on to Doire-da-Bhoth, the Wood of the Two Huts.

And Diarmuid cut down the wood round about them, and he made a fence

having seven doors of woven twigs, and he set out a bed of soft rushes

and of the tops of the birch-tree for Grania in the very middle of the

wood.

 

CHAPTER II. (THE PURSUIT)

 

And as to Finn, son of Cumhal, I will tell out his story now.

 

All that were in Teamhair rose up early in the morning of the morrow,

and they found Diarmuid and Grania were wanting from them, and there

came a scorching jealousy and a weakness on Finn. He sent out his

trackers then on the plain, and bade them to follow Diarmuid and Grania.

And they followed the track as far as the ford on the Sionnan, and Finn

and the Fianna followed after them, but they were not able to carry the

track across the ford. And Finn gave them his word that unless they

would find the track again without delay, he would hang them on each

side of the ford.

 

Then the sons of Neamhuin went up against the stream, and they found a

horse on each side of it, and then they went on with the stream

westward, and they found the track going along the side of the Province

of Connacht, and Finn and the Fianna of Ireland followed it on. And Finn

said: "I know well where we will find Diarmuid and Grania now; it is in

Doire-da-Bhoth they are." Oisin and Osgar and Caoilte and Diorraing were

listening when Finn said those words. And Osgar spoke to the others, and

it is what he said: "There is danger they might be there, and it would

be right for us to give them some warning; and look now, Osgar, where is

Bran the hound, for Finn himself is no dearer to him than Diarmuid, and

bid him go now with a warning to him."

 

So Osgar told Bran, and Bran understood him well, and she went to the

rear of the whole troop the way Finn would not see her, and she followed

on the track of Diarmuid and Grania till she came to Doire-da-Bhoth, and

she put her head into Diarmuid's bosom, and he in his sleep.

 

Diarmuid started up out of his sleep then, and he awoke Grania, and said

to her: "Here is Bran, Finn's hound, and she is come with a warning to

tell us Finn himself is coming." "Let us take that warning, then," said

Grania, "and make your escape." "I will not take it," said Diarmuid,

"for if I cannot escape Finn, I would as soon he took me now as at any

other time." When Grania heard that, great fear came on her.

 

Bran went away from them then, and when Oisin saw her coming back, he

said: "I am in dread Bran found no chance to get to Diarmuid, and we

should send him some other warning. And look where is Fearghoin," he

said, "Caoilte's serving-man." Now it was the way with Fearghoin, every

shout he would give would be heard in the three nearest hundreds to him.

So they made him give out three shouts the way Diarmuid would hear him.

And Diarmuid heard him, and he said to Grania: "I hear Caoilte's

serving-man, and it is with Caoilte he is, and it is along with Finn

Caoilte is, and those shouts were sent as a warning to me." "Take that

warning," said Grania. "I will not take it," said Diarmuid, "for Finn

and the Fianna will come up with us before we leave the wood." And fear

and great dread came on Grania when she heard him say that.

 

As for Finn, he did not leave off following the track till he came to

Doire-da-Bhoth, and he sent the sons of Neamhuin to search through the

wood, and they saw Diarmuid, and the woman along with him. They came

back then where Finn was,