MacNeill — Three Poems in Middle- Irish. 545 



A prince without hostages is a withered rod ; he is not a hero 

 unless he seek sway ; it is not this that helps the countries, the 

 rein of kingship on the finger's end. 



1 9. ~Woe to him who spares his enemy in the time when he falls 



into misfortune ; it is not the vain counsel, it is this that 



the story. 



20. Art came to me to borrow my seven sons ; if Eogan came away 

 on [his] path, I should welcome the death of my six sons. 



21. AVoe to him who goes on loan into battle, into the loosing of 

 souls in action (?) ; I have lived after my strength, after my son 

 and Mac Con.^ 



22. Grrief for Eogan has choked me, my reason has gone into gloomi- 

 ness ; to my own loss I have overthrown, in that not for myself 

 I have stored up long. 



23. Thou shalt have thy inheritance of a sword, the Scots will hear 

 the tidings of his arm ; he will not be good in carefulness, Cas^ 

 will be hardly his name. 



24. My life has slipped away from me, I see it is from my course 

 it will carry me (?) ; everything that comes (?) makes me 

 melancholy (owing to) the lament that my hero-ship laments. 



25. A cry has pierced (?), a groan that is not natural, a dispute 

 with a hero, right (hand) against right, it will lay bare brow 

 take my shield. 



1 Elliptical, the sense being, ' after •what has befallen between my son and 

 Mac Con.' 



2 ' Gentle ' is one of the meanings of Cas in O'R. Or, detin, ' submissiveness, ' 

 deide .1. wmhla, O'Cl. ; then ' Cas, "passionate" (O'Brien), will needs be his name.' 



2 2 



