You were cheerful, charming, going away, but you are cheerless, charmless, returning. What has happened to you, Gelban? But have you seen her, and are Deirdres hue and complexion as before? said Con-nachar.
Well, I have seen Deirdre, and I saw her also truly, and while I was looking at her through the bicker-hole on the door, Naois, son of Uisnech, knocked out my eye with one of the dice in his hand. But of a truth and verity[15], although he put out even my eye, it were my desire still to remain looking at her with the other eye, were it not for the hurry you told me to be in, said Gelban.
That is true, said Connachar. Let three hundred brave heroes go down to the abode of the strangers, and let them bring hither to me Deirdre, and kill the rest.
Connachar ordered three hundred active heroes to go down to the abode of the strangers and to take Deirdre up with them and kill the rest.
The pursuit is coming, said Deirdre.
Yes, but I will myself go out and stop the pursuit, said Naois.
It is not you, but we that will go, said Daring Drop, and Hardy Holly and Fiallan the Fair; it is to us that our father entrusted your defence from harm and danger when he himself left for home. And the gallant youths, full noble, full manly, full handsome, with beauteous brown locks, went forth girt with battle arms fit for fierce fight and clothed with combat dress for fierce contest fit, which was burnished, bright, brilliant, bladed, blazing, on which were many pictures of beasts and birds and creeping things, lions and lithe-limbed tigers, brown eagle and harrying hawk and adder fierce; and the young heroes laid low[16] three-thirds of the company.
Connachar came out in haste and cried with wrath, Who is there on the floor of fight, slaughtering my men?
We, the three sons of Ferchar Mae Ro.
Well, said the king, I will give a free bridge to your grandfather, a free bridge to your father, and a free bridge each to you three brothers, if you come over to my side tonight.
Well, Connachar, we will not accept that offer from you nor thank you for it. Greater by far do we prefer to go home to our father and tell the deeds of heroism we have done, than accept anything on these terms from you. Naois, son of Uisnech, and Allen and Arden are as nearly related to yourself as they are to us, though you are so keen to shed their blood, and you would shed our blood also, Connachar. And the noble, manly, handsome youths with beauteous, brown locks returned inside. We are now, said they, going home to tell our father that you are now safe from the hands of the king. And the youths all fresh and tall and lithe and beautiful, went home to their father to tell that the sons of Uisnech were safe. This happened at the parting of the day and night[17] in the morning twilight time, and Naois said they must go away, leave that house, and return to Alba.
Naois and Deirdre, Allan and Arden started to return to Alba. Word came to the king that the company he was in pursuit of were gone. The king then sent for Duanan Gacha Druid, the best magician he had, and he spoke to him as follows. Much wealth have I expended on you, Duanan Gacha Druid, to give schooling and learning and magic mystery to you, if these people get away from me today without care, without consideration or regard for me, without chance of overtaking them, and without power to stop them.
Well, I will stop them, said the magician, until the company you send in pursuit return. And the magician placed a wood before them through which no man could go, but the sons of Uisnech marched through the wood without halt or hesitation, and Deirdre held on to Naoiss hand.
What is the good of that? That will not do yet, said Connachar, they are off without bending of their feet or stopping of their step, without heed or respect to me, and I am without power to keep up to them or opportunity to turn them back this night.
I will try another plan on them, said the druid; and he placed before them a grey sea instead of a green plain. The three heroes stripped and tied their clothes behind their heads, and Naois placed Deirdre on the top of his shoulder.
They stretched their sides to the stream,
And sea and land were to them the same,
The rough grey ocean was the same
As meadow-land green and plain.
Though that be good, O Duanan, it will not make the heroes return, said Connachar. They are gone without regard for me, and without honour to me, and without power on my part to pursue them or to force them to return this night.
We shall try another method on them, since yon one did not stop them, said the druid. And the druid froze the grey ridged sea into hard rocky knobs, the sharpness of sword being on the one edge and the poison power of adders on the other. Then Arden cried that he was getting tired, and nearly giving over.
Come you, Arden, and sit on my right shoulder, said Naois. Arden came and sat on Naoiss shoulder.
Arden was long in this posture when he died; but though he was dead Naois would not let him go. Allen then cried out that he was getting faint and nigh-well giving up[18]. When Naois heard his prayer, he gave forth the piercing sigh of death, and asked Allen to lay hold of him and he would bring him to land. Allen was not long when the weakness of death came on him and his hold failed. Naois looked around, and when he saw his two well-beloved brothers dead, he cared not whether he lived or died, and he gave forth the bitter sigh of death, and his heart burst.
They are gone, said Duanan Gacha Druid to the king, and I have done what you desired me. The sons of Uisnech are dead and they will trouble you no more; and you have your wife hale and whole to yourself.
Blessings for that upon you and may the good results accrue to me, Duanan. I count it no loss what I spent in the schooling and teaching of you. Now dry up the flood, and let me see if I can behold Deirdre, said Connachar.
And Duanan Gacha Druid dried up the flood from the plain and the three sons of Uisnech were lying together dead, without breath of life, side by side on the green meadow plain and Deirdre bending above showering down her tears.
Then Deirdre said this lament. Fair one, loved one, flower of beauty; beloved upright and strong; beloved noble and modest warrior. Fair one, blue-eyed, beloved of thy wife; lovely to me at the trysting-place came thy clear voice through the woods of Ireland. I cannot eat or smile henceforth. Break not today, my heart: soon enough shall lie within my grave. Strong are the waves of sorrow, but stronger is sorrows self, Connachar.
The people then gathered round the heroes bodies and asked Connachar what was to be done with the bodies. The order that he gave was that they should dig a pit and put the three brothers in it side by side.
Deirdre kept sitting on the brink of the grave, constantly asking the grave-diggers to dig the pit wide and free. When the bodies of the brothers were put in the grave, Deirdre said: Come over hither, Naois, my love, Let Arden close to Allen lie;
If the dead had any sense to feel, Ye would have made a place for Deirdre.
The men did as she told them. She jumped into the grave and lay down by Naois, and she was dead by his side.
The king ordered the body to be raised from out the grave and to be buried on the other side of the loch. It was done as the king bade, and the pit closed. Thereupon a fir shoot grew out of the grave of Deirdre and a fir shoot from the grave of Naois, and the two shoots united in a knot above the loch. The king ordered the shoots to be cut down, and this was done twice, until, at the third time, the wife whom the king had married caused him to stop this work of evil and his vengeance on the remains of the dead.
The king ordered the body to be raised from out the grave and to be buried on the other side of the loch. It was done as the king bade, and the pit closed. Thereupon a fir shoot grew out of the grave of Deirdre and a fir shoot from the grave of Naois, and the two shoots united in a knot above the loch. The king ordered the shoots to be cut down, and this was done twice, until, at the third time, the wife whom the king had married caused him to stop this work of evil and his vengeance on the remains of the dead.
KIng OToole and His Goose
Och, I thought all the world, far and near, had heerd o King OToole well, well, but the darkness of mankind is untellible! Well, sir, you must know, as you didnt hear it afore, that there was a king, called King OToole, who was a fine old king in the old ancient times, long ago; and it was he that owned the churches in the early days. The king, you see, was the right sort; he was the real boy, and loved sport as he loved his life, and hunting in particular; and from the rising o the sun, up he got, and away he went over the mountains after the deer; and fine times they were.
Well, it was all mighty good, as long as the king had his health; but, you see, in course of time the king grew old, by raison[19] he was stiff in his limbs, and when he got stricken in years, his heart failed him, and he was lost entirely for want o diversion, because he couldnt go a-hunting no longer; and, by dad, the poor king was obliged at last to get a goose to divert him. Oh, you may laugh, if you like, but its truth Im telling you; and the way the goose diverted him was this-away: You see, the goose used to swim across the lake, and go diving for trout, and catch fish on a Friday for the king, and flew every other day round about the lake, diverting the poor king. All went on mighty well until, by dad, the goose got stricken in years like her master, and couldnt divert him no longer, and then it was that the poor king was lost entirely. The king was walkin one mornin by the edge of the lake, lamentin his cruel fate[20], and thinking of drowning himself, that could get no diversion in life, when all of a sudden, turning round the corner, who should he meet but a mighty decent young man coming up to him.
God save you, says the king to the young man.
God save you kindly, King OToole, says the young man.
True for you, says the king. I am King OToole, says he, prince and plennypennytinchery of these parts, says he; but how came ye to know that? says he.
Oh, never mind, says St. Kavin.
You see it was St. Kavin, sure enough the saint himself in disguise, and nobody else. Oh, never mind, says he, I know more than that. May I make bold to ask how is your goose, King OToole? says he.
Blur-an-agers, how came ye to know about my goose? says the king.
Oh, no matter; I was given to understand it, says St. Kavin.
After some more talk the king says, What are you?
Im an honest man, says St. Kavin.
Well, honest man, says the king, and how is it you make your money so aisy?
By makin old things as good as new, says St. Ka-vin.
Is it a tinker you are? says the king.
No, says the saint; Im no tinker by trade, King OToole; Ive a better trade than a tinker, says he. What would you say, says he, if I made your old goose as good as new?
My dear, at the word of making his goose as good as new, youd think the poor old kings eyes were ready to jump out of his head. With that the king whistled, and down came the poor goose, just like a hound, waddling up to the poor cripple, her master, and as like him as two peas. The minute the saint clapped his eyes on the goose, Ill do the job for you, says he, King OToole.
By Jaminee? says King OToole. If you do, Ill say youre the cleverest fellow in the seven parishes.
Oh, by dad, says St. Kavin, you must say more nor that my horns not so soft all out, says he, as to repair your old goose for nothing; whatll you gi me if I do the job for you? thats the chat, says St. Kavin.
Ill give you whatever you ask, says the king; isnt that fair?
Divil a fairer, says the saint; Thats the way to do business. Now, says he, this is the bargain Ill make with you, King OToole: will you gi me all the ground the goose flies over, the first offer, after I make her as good as new?
I will, says the king.
You wont go back o your word? says St. Kavin. Honour bright! says King OToole, holding out his fist.
Honour bright! says St. Kavin, back agin, its a bargain. Come here! says he to the poor old goose, come here, you unfortunate ould cripple, and its I thatll make you the sporting bird. With that, my dear, he took up the goose by the two wings Criss o my cross an you, says he, markin her to grace with the blessed sign at the same minute and throwing her up in the air. Whew, says he, jist givin her a blast to help her; and with that, my jewel, she took to her heels[21], flyin like one o the eagles themselves, and cutting as many capers as a swallow before a shower of rain.
Well, my dear, it was a beautiful sight to see the king standing with his mouth open, looking at his poor old goose flying as light as a lark, and better than ever she was: and when she lit at his feet, patted her on the head, and Ma vourneen, says he, but you are the darlint o the world.
And what do you say to me, says St. Kavin, for making her the like?
By Jabers, says the king, I say nothing beats the art o man, barring the bees.
And do you say no more nor that? says St. Kavin.
And that Im beholden to you, says the king.
But will you gie all the ground the goose flew over? says St. Kavin.
I will, says King OToole, and youre welcome to it, says he. Though its the last acre I have to give.
But youll keep your word true? says the saint.
As true as the sun, says the king.
Its well for you, King OToole, that you said that word, says he; for if you didnt say that word, the devil the bit o your goose would ever fly agin.
When the king was as good as his word, St. Kavin was pleased with him, and then it was that he made himself known to the king. And, says he, King OToole, youre a decent man, for I only came here to try you. You dont know me, says he, because Im disguised.
Musha! Then, says the king, Who are you?
Im St. Kavin, said the saint, blessing himself.
Oh, queen of heaven! says the king, making the sign of the cross between his eyes, and falling down on his knees before the saint. Is it the great St. Kavin, says he, that Ive been discoursing all this time without knowing it, says he, all as one as if he was a lump of a gossoon? and so youre a saint? says the king.
I am, says St. Kavin.
By Jabers, I thought I was only talking to a dacent boy, says the king.
Well, you know the difference now, says the saint. Im St. Kavin, says he, the greatest of all the saints.
And so the king had his goose as good as new, to divert him as long as he lived and the saint supported him after he came into his property, as I told you, until the day of his death and that was soon after; for the poor goose thought he was catching a trout one Friday; but, my jewel, it was a mistake he made and instead of a trout, it was a thieving horse-eel; and instead of the goose killing a trout for the kings supper by dad, the eel killed the kings goose and small blame to him[22]; but he didnt ate her, because he darnt ate what St. Kavin had laid his blessed hands on.