That Illustrate Aright

THE LEGENDS OF ANCIENT IRELAND.

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PROLOGUE.

Senchan, the king of bards, when centuries six Had flowered and faded since the Birth Divine, Summoned in synod all the island bards, Demanding; ‘Is there who can yet recite That first of Erin’s songs, “The Tain”?’ Not one Could sing it, save in fragments. Then arose Marbhan, and spake; ‘Send prayer to Erin’s Saints That, bowed o’er Fergus’ grave, they lift their hands For Erin at her need.’ Five Saints obeyed And o’er that venerable spot three days Fasting made prayer while knelt the bards around. Then on the third day as the sun uprose Behold! a purple mist engirt that grave; And from it, fair as rainbow backed by cloud, Shone out a kingly Phantom robed in green, With red-brown locks, close clustered, drenched in dew, And golden crown, and golden-hilted sword;-- His hand was on it. They who saw that Shape Well knew him, Fergus Roy, the Exile-King. Gracious as in the old days, that king rehearsed The Tale so long desired, though many an age, And that grey empire of departed Souls, Had quelled at last the strong ones of that strain, Record half jest, half earnest. Marbhan spoke Once more; ‘Lest Erin lose again this Tale Through fraud of demons or all-wasting time, Amid yon Saints elect some scribe, their best, And pray that scribe to write it.’ Straight, with help It may be, of the bards, Saint Kiaran wrote The Heroic Song on parchment fine, the skin Of one he loved, his ‘little heifer grey’ That gave the book its name. Six centuries passed; Then in Saint Kiaran’s House at Clonmacnoise That book was found, and on it; ‘Reader, here Are histories old with later fables blent, Fancies full fair with idle Pagan vaunts: Now therefore, since old things have in them worth And teach by what they hold and what they lack Whoso shall read this book, and know to choose ’Twixt Good and Ill, my blessing on him rest!’

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FRAGMENT I.