THE BA TTLE OF VENTRY. 35 



imoro an comhrac ac dul tar a cheili ann sin, uair do bas ac clodh Oisin ann 7 630 

 do bhean osnam eccomlainn as 7 ba druim re saegul tra 7 fa bhuain cheiUi do 

 cabhair leisan fein Oisin do beith isin eigin sin 7 tucadh gair acainteach os aird uime. 



' Is cubhais dhamh, a iir dhana,' ar Finn re Fearghus ' gurab truagh duid an 

 greasacht thucais ar mo mac docum ann allmuraig. Uair dob' usa lium-sa bas 

 d' fagail dam fen 7 d' fianaibh Eirenn uili 'na a faicsin isin eigin a fuil 7 635 

 eirigh d'adhmolad mo mic dam cumadh moide leis a menma he 7 gumadh 

 calmaidi a comthuarcain.' Teid Fearghus gusa an maigh ina ra bhadar na 

 curaidh isin comlann. ' A anam, a Oisin,' ar Fearghus ' is adhnair leisan fein isli 

 h' inaid-si isin comlann sin 7 is imdha taistealla^r^ sibhail 7 echlach urrlair o 

 ingeanaibh righ 7 roflatha Eirenn ag feitheam do comlann.' Gabhais meid 640 

 menman Oisin 'mun greasacht sin tuc Fearghus air 7 ro eirigh a aigneadh 7 do 

 medaigh a menma re a mholad 7 tuc sinedh ar a cholainn co toillfedh mac mis 

 edir gach da asna do 7 do chualadar an fian uili coimgheisedh a chnam ag drud o 

 cheili co tuc urchur don craisigh crodeirg chatha bai for a inchaibh co tarrla an 

 craiseach a m-brollach na luirighi co n-deachaid fod ferrlamha da crann cruaidh 645 

 cheathardruimneach ar slicht a glaisiarainn trena druim siar seachtair [fo. ^b. 2.] 

 co fuair bas de 7 tainic fein co fianaibh Eirenn da eisi. 



lar sin imoro do togbadh gair adhbhulmor ag sluagaibh an domain 'ga 

 chainedh 7 gair eili ac fianaibh Eirenn 'ga commaidem. Ni ar tlas na ar time 



was going against one of them there, for Oisin was being overthrown, and he sentforth a 

 sigh of unequal combat ; and it was back towards life, and bereavement of intention of 

 help to the fiann, that Oisin was in that strait. And a woeful cry was raised aloud for him. 



' I pledge my word, O man of poetry,' said Finn to Fergus, * that the urging thou 

 hast given to my son against the foreigner was sorry. For I would rather that I myself 

 and all the fianns of Erinn should find death, than that I should behold him in the strait 

 in which he is. And rise thou to praise my son for me, so that his courage may be 

 the higher, and his fighting the more valiant.' 



Fergus went to the place where the heroes were fighting. ' O soul, O Oisin,' said 

 Fergus, ' the fiann are greatly ashamed of the lowness of thy place in this combat, and 

 there is many a foot-messenger and horseman .... from daughters of kings and 

 princes of Erinn watching thy fighting.' A high spirit came over Oisin at that incite- 

 ment which Fergus gave him, and his courage rose, and his spirit grew high at his 

 praising, and he gave a stretching to his body, so that a child of one month would find 

 room between every two ribs of his, and all the fiann heard the creaking of his bones 

 being pressed from each other, and he made a cast with his red-socketed battle-spear 

 that he had, so that the spear went into the breast of the hauberk, and the length of a 

 man's hand of the hard four-edged shaft followed the blue iron through his back out 

 behind, so that he found death of it. And he himself came back to the fianns of Erinn. 



Then an enormous great cry was raised by the hosts of the world wailing him, and 



F 2 



