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

and five

nights without food or drink or sleep. And at the end of that time,

Osgar made an end of Tailc, and struck his head off. And when the Fianna

saw that, they gave a shout of lamentation for those they had lost of

the Fianna, and two shouts of joy for the death of Tailc.

 

And as to the young woman, when she saw all the slaughter that had been

done on account of her, shame reddened her face, and she fell dead there

and then. And to see her die like that, after all she had gone through,

preyed more on the Fianna than any other thing.

 

CHAPTER II. (MEARGACH'S WIFE)

And while the Fianna were gathered yet on the hill where Tailc, son of

Treon, had been put down, they saw a very great champion coming towards

them, having an army behind him. He took no notice of any one more than

another, but he asked in a very rough voice where was Finn, the Head of

the Fianna. And Aodh Beag, that had a quiet heart, asked him who was he,

and what was he come for. "I will tell you nothing at all, child," said

the big man, "for it is short your years are, and I will tell nothing at

all to any one but Finn." So Aodh Beag brought him to where Finn was,

and Finn asked him his name. "Meargach of the Green Spears is my name,"

he said; "and arms were never reddened yet on my body, and no one ever

boasted of driving me backwards. And was it you, Finn," he said, "put

down Tailc, son of Treon?" "It was not by me he fell," said Finn, "but

by Osgar of the strong hand." "Was it not a great shame for you, Finn,"

said Meargach then, "to let the queen-woman that had such a great name

come to her death by the Fianna?" "It was not by myself or by any of the

Fianna she got her death," said Finn; "it was seeing the army lost that

brought her to her death. But if it is satisfaction for her death or the

death of Tailc you want," he said, "You can get it from a man of the

Fianna, or you can go quietly from this place." Then Meargach said he

would fight with any man they would bring against him, to avenge Tailc,

son of Treon.

 

And it was Osgar stood up against him, and they fought a very hard fight

through the length of three days, and at one time the Fianna thought it

was Osgar was worsted, and they gave a great sorrowful shout. But in the

end Osgar put down Meargach and struck his head off, and at that the

seven battalions of the Fianna gave a shout of victory, and the army of

Meargach keened him very sorrowfully. And after that, the two sons of

Meargach, Ciardan the Swift and Liagan the Nimble, came up and asked

who would come against them, hand to hand, that they might get

satisfaction for their father.

 

And it was Goll stood up against Ciardan, and it was not long till he

put him down; and Conan came out against Liagan, and Liagan mocked at

him and said: "It is foolishness your coming is, bald man!" But Conan

made a quick blow and struck his head off before the fight was begun at

all.

 

And Faolan said that was a shameful thing to do, not to stand his ground

and make a fair fight. But Conan said: "If I could make an end of the

whole army by one blow, I would do it, and I would not be ashamed, and

the whole of the Fianna could not shelter them from me."

 

Then the two armies came towards each other, and they were making ready

for the attack. And they saw a beautiful golden-haired woman coming

towards them, and she crying and ever crying, and the battle was given

up on both sides, waiting for her to come; and the army of Meargach knew

it was their queen, Ailne of the Bright Face, and they raised a great

cry of grief; and the Fianna were looking at her, and said no word.

 

And she asked where was her husband, and where were her two sons. "High

Queen," said Finn then, "for all they were so complete and quick and

strong, the three you are asking for fell in fight."

 

And when the queen-woman heard that, she cried out aloud, and she went

to the place where her husband and her two sons were lying, and she

stood over their bodies, and her golden hair hanging, and she keened

them there. And her own people raised a sharp lamentation listening to

her, and the Fianna themselves were under grief.

 

And it is what she said: "O Meargach," she said, "of the sharp green

spears, it is many a fight and many a heavy battle your hard hand fought

in the gathering of the armies or alone.

 

"I never knew any wound to be on your body after them; and it is full

sure I am, it was not strength but treachery got the upper hand of you

now.

 

"It is long your journey was from far off, from your own kind country to

Inisfail, to come to Finn and the Fianna, that put my three to death

through treachery.

 

"My grief! to have lost my husband, my head, by the treachery of the

Fianna; my two sons, my two men that were rough in the fight.

 

"My grief! my food and my drink; my grief! my teaching everywhere; my

grief! my journey from far off, and I to have lost my high heroes.

 

"My grief! my house thrown down; my grief! my shelter and my shield; my

grief! Meargach and Ciardan; my grief! Liagan of the wide chest.

 

"My grief! my protection and my shelter; my grief! my strength and my

power; my grief! there is darkness come from this thing; my grief

to-night you to be in your weakness.

 

"My grief! my gladness and my pleasure; my grief! my desire in every

place; my grief! my courage is gone and my strength; my grief from this

night out for ever.

 

"My grief! my guide and my going; my grief! my desire to the day of my

death; my grief! my store and my sway; my grief! my heroes that were

open-handed.

 

"My grief! my bed and my sleep; my grief! my journey and my coming; my

grief! my teacher and my share; my sorrowful grief! my three men.

 

"My grief! my beauty and my ornaments; my grief! my jewels and my

riches; my grief! my treasures and my goods; my grief! my three Candles

of Valour.

 

"My grief! my friends and my kindred; my grief! my people and my

friends. My grief! my father and my mother; my grief and my trouble! you

to be dead.

 

"My grief my portion and my welcome; my grief! my health at every time;

my grief! my increase and my light; my sore trouble, you to be without

strength.

 

"My grief! your spear and your sword; my grief! your gentleness and your

love; my grief! your country and your home; my grief! you to be parted

from my reach.

 

"My grief! my coasts and my harbours; my grief! my wealth and my

prosperity; my grief! my greatness and my kingdom; my grief and my

crying are until death.

 

"My grief! my luck altogether; my grief for you in time of battle; my

grief! my gathering of armies; my grief! my three proud lions.

 

"My grief! my games and my drinking; my grief! my music and my delight;

my grief! my sunny house and my women; my crying grief, you to be under

defeat.

 

"My grief! my lands and my hunting; my grief! my three sure fighters;

Och! my grief! they are my sorrow, to fall far off by the Fianna.

 

"I knew by the great host of the Sidhe that were fighting over the dun,

giving battle to one another in the valleys of the air, that destruction

would put down my three.

 

"I knew by the noise of the voices of the Sidhe coming into my ears,

that a story of new sorrow was not far from me; it is your death it was

foretelling.

 

"I knew at the beginning of the day when my three good men went from me,

when I saw tears of blood on their cheeks, that they would not come back

to me as winners.

 

"I knew by the voice of the battle-crow over your dun every evening,

since you went from me comely and terrible, that misfortune and grief

were at hand.

 

"It is well I remember, my three strong ones, how often I used to be

telling you that if you would go to Ireland, I would not see the joy of

victory on your faces.

 

"I knew by the voice of the raven every morning since you went from me,

that your fall was sure and certain; that you would never come back to

your own country.

 

"I knew, my three great ones, by your forgetting the thongs of your

hounds, that you would not gain the day or escape from the treachery of

the Fianna.

 

"I knew, Candles of Valour, by the stream near the dun turning to blood

when you set out, that there would be treachery in Finn.

 

"I knew by the eagle coming every evening over the dun, that it would

not be long till I would hear a story of bad news of my three.

 

"I knew by the withering of the tree before the dun, that you would

never come back as conquerors from the treachery of Finn, son of

Cumhal."

 

When Grania, now, heard what the woman was saying, there was anger on

her, and she said: "Do not be speaking against Finn or the Fianna,

Queen, for it was not by any treachery or any deceit your three men were

brought to their end."

 

But Ailne made her no answer and gave no heed to her, but she went on

with her complaint, and she crying and ever crying.

 

"I knew, looking after you the day you went out from the dun, by the

flight of the raven before you, there was no good sign of your coming

back again.

 

"I knew by Ciardan's hounds that were howling mournfully every evening,

that it would not be long till I would have bad news of you.

 

"I knew by my sleep that went from me, by my tears through every lasting

night, that there was no luck before you.

 

"I knew by the sorrowful vision that showed myself in danger, my head

and my hands cut off, that it was yourselves were without sway.

 

"I knew by the voice of Uaithnin, the hound that is dearest to Liagan,

howling early every morning, that death was certain for my three.

 

"I knew when I saw in a vision a lake of blood in the place of the dun,

that my three were put down by the deceit that was always with Finn."

 

"Do not be faulting Finn," said Grania then, "however vexed your heart

may be. And leave off now," she said, "speaking against the Fianna and

against himself; for if your men had stopped in their own country," she

said, "without coming to avenge the son of Treon, there would no harm

have happened them." "I would not put any reproach on the Fianna,

Grania," said Ailne, "if my three men had been put down in fair battle,

but they are not living to bear witness to me," she said; "and it is

likely they were put under Druid spells at the first, or they would

never have given in." "If they were living, Queen," said Grania, "they

would not be running down the Fianna, but they would tell you it was by

bravery and the strong hand they fell." "I do not believe you or the

Fianna when you say that," said Ailne; "for no one that came to meet

them ever got the sway over them by the right