Lady Augusta Gregory

by Irish Myths

  shouts and noises, and then the music began again, and heavy

  sleep came on Finn and Daire. And when they awoke from their

  sleep they saw a very large lighted house before them, and a stormy

  blue sea around it. Then they saw a very big grey man coming

  through the waves, and he took hold of Finn and of Daire, and all

  their strength went from them, and he brought them across the

  waves and into the house, and he shut the door of the house with

  iron hooks. "My welcome to you, Finn of the great name," he said

  then in a very harsh voice; "it is long we are waiting here for you."

  They sat down then on the hard side of a bed, and the woman

  of the house came to them, and they knew her to be Ailne, wife of

  Meargach. "It is long I am looking for you, Finn," she said, "to get

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  satisfaction for the treachery you did on Meargach and on my two

  comely young sons, and on Tailc, son of Treon, and all his people.

  And do you remember that, Finn?" she said. "I remember well,"

  said Finn, "that they fell by the swords of the Fianna, not by

  treachery but in fighting. " "It was by treachery they fell," said the

  Grey Man then; "and it is our witness to it, pleasant Ailne to be

  the way she is, and many a strong army under grief on account of

  he. " "What is Ailne to you, man of the rough voice? " said Finn. "I

  am her own brother," said the man.

  With that he put bonds on the three, Finn and Daire and

  Glanluadh, and he put them down into some deep shut place.

  They were very sorrowful then, and they stopped there to the

  end of five days and five nights , without food, without drink,

  without music.

  And Ailne went to see them then, and Finn said to her: "O

  Ailne," he said, "bring to mind the time you came to Cnoc-an-Air,

  and the way the Fianna treated you with generosity; and it is not

  fitting for you," he said, "to keep us now under shame and weakness and in danger of death." "I know well I got kind treatnient from Grania," said Ailne in a sorrowful voice; "but for all that,

  Finn," she said, "if all the Fianna were in that prison along with

  you under hard bonds, it would please me well, and I would not

  pity their case. And what is it set you following after Finn," she

  said then to Glanluaclh, "for that is not a fitting thing for you to

  do, and his own kind wife living yet."

  Then Glanluadh told her the whole story, and how she was

  walking the plain with Lobharan her husband, and he followed

  the hunt, and the mist came about her that she did not know east

  from west, and how she met then with Finn that she never saw

  before that time. "If that is so," said Ailne, "it is not right for you

  to be under punishment without cause. "

  She called then to her brother the Grey Man, and bade him

  take the spells off Glanluadh. And when she was set free it is

  sorry she was to leave Daire in bonds, and Finn. And when she

  had bidden them farewell she went out with Ailne, and there was

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  food brought to her, but a cloud of weakness came on her of a

  sudden, that it was a pity to see the way she was.

  And when Ailne saw that, she brought out an enchanted cup

  of the Sidhe and gave her a drink from it. And no sooner did

  Glanluadh drink from the cup than her strength and her own

  appearance came back to her again; but for all that, she was

  fretting after Finn and Daire in their bonds. "It seems to me,

  Glanluadh, you are fretting after those two men," said Ailne. "I

  am sorry indeed," said Glanluadh, "the like of those men to be

  shut up without food or drink." "If it is pleasing to you to give

  them food you may give it," said Ailne, "for I will not make an

  end of them till I see can I get the rest of the Fianna into bonds

  along with them." The two women brought food and drink then

  to Finn, and to Daire; and Glanluadh gave her blessing to Finn,

  and she cried when she saw the way he was; but as to Ailne, she

  had no pity at all for the King of the Fianna.

  Now as to the Grey Man, he heard them talking of the Fianna,

  and they were saying that Daire had a great name for the sweetness of his music. "I have a mind to hear that sweet music," said he. So he went to the place where they were, and he bade Daire to

  let him hear what sort of music he could make . "My music

  pleased the Fianna well," said Daire; "but I think it likely it would

  not please you." "Play it for me now, till I know if the report I

  heard of you is true," said the Grey Man. "Indeed, I have no mind

  for music," said Daire, "being weak and downhearted the way I

  am, through your spells that put down my courage." "I will take

  my spells off you for so long as you play for me," said the Grey

  Man. "I could never make music seeing Finn in bonds the way he

  is," said Daire; "for it is worse to me, he to be under trouble than

  myself. " "I will take the power of my spells off Finn till you play

  for me," said the Grey Man.

  He weakened the spells then, and gave them food and drink,

  and it pleased him greatly the way Daire played the music, and

  he called to Glanluadh and to Ailne to come and to listen to the

  sweetness of it. And they were well pleased with it, and it is

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  glad Glanluadh was, seeing them not so discouraged as they were.

  Now as to the Fianna, they were searching for Finn and for

  Daire in every place they had ever stopped in. And when they

  came to this place they could hear Daire's sweet music; and at first

  they were glad when they heard it, and then when they knew the

  way he himself and Finn were, they made an attack on Ailne's

  dun to release them.

  But the Grey Man heard their shouts, and he put the full

  power of his spells again on Finn and on Daire. And the Fianna

  heard the music as if stammering, and then they heard a great

  noise like the loud roaring of waves, and when they heard that,

  there was not one of them but fell into a sleep and clouds of

  death, under those sorrowful spells.

  And then the Grey Man and Ailne came out quietly from

  where they were, and they brought the whole of the men of the

  Fianna that were there into the dun. And they put hard bonds on

  them, and put them where Finn and Daire were. And there was

  great grief on Finn and Daire when they saw them, and they were

  all left there together for a while.

  Then Glanluadh said to the Grey Man: "If Daire's music is

  pleasing to you, let him play it to us now. " "If you have a mind for

  music," said the Grey Man, "Daire must play it for us, and for

  Finn and his army as well."

  They went then to where they were, and bade Daire to play. "I

  could never play sweet music," said Daire, "the time the Fianna

  are in any trouble; for when they are in trouble, I myself am in

  trouble, and I could not sound any sweet string," he said, "while

  there is trouble on any man of them. " The Grey Man weakened

  the spells then on them all, and Daire played first the strings of

  sweetness, and of the noise of shoutin
g, and then he sang his own

  grief and the grief of all the Fianna. And at that the Grey Man said

  it would not be long before he would put the whole of the Fianna

  to death; and then Daire played a tune of heavy shouts of lamentation. And then at Finn's bidding he played the music of sweet strings for the Fianna.

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  They were kept, now, a long time in that prison, and they got

  very hard treatment; and sometimes Ailne's brother would come

  in and strike the heads off some of them, for none of them could

  rise up from the seats they were sitting on through his enchantments. But one time he was going to strike the bald head off Conan, and Conan made a great leap from the seat; but if he did,

  he left strips of his skin hanging to it, that his back was left bare.

  And then he came round the Grey Man with his pitiful words:

  "Stop your hand now," he said, "for that is enough for this time;

  and do not send me to my death yet awhile, and heal me of my

  wounds first," he said, "before you make an end of me. " And the

  reason he said that was because he knew Ailne to have an

  enchanted cup in the dun, that had cured Glanluadh.

  And the Grey Man took pity on his case, and he brought him

  out and bade Ailne to bring the cup to him and to cure his

  wounds. "I will not bring it," said Ailne, "for it would be best give

  no time at all to him or to the Fianna, but to make an end of

  them. " "It is not to be saved from death I am asking, bright-faced

  Ailne," said Conan, "but only not to go to my death stripped bare

  the way I am. " When Ailne heard that, she brought a sheepskin

  and she put it on Conan's back, and it fitted and grew to him, and

  covered his wounds. "I will not put you to death, Conan," said

  the Grey Man then, "but you can stop with myself to the end of

  your life." "You will never be without grief and danger and the

  fear of treachery if you keep him with you," said Ailne; "for there

  is treachery in his heart the same as there is in the rest of them."

  "There is no fear of that," said her brother, "for I will make no

  delay until I put the whole of the Fianna to death. " And with that

  he brought Conan to where the enchanted cup was, and he put it

  in his hand. And just at that moment they heard Daire playing

  very sweet sorrowful music, and the Grey Man went to listen to

  it, very quick and proud. And Conan followed him there, and

  after a while the Grey Man asked him what did he do with the

  enchanted cup. "I left it where I found it, full of power," said

  Conan.

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  The Grey Man hurried back then to the place where the treasures of the dun were. But no sooner was he gone than Conan took out the cup that he had hidden, and he gave a drink from it to Finn

  and to Osgar and to the rest of the Fianna. And they that were

  withered and shaking, without strength, without courage, got back

  their own appearance and their strength again on the moment.

  And when the Grey Man came back from looking for the cup,

  and saw what had happened, he took his sword and made a

  stroke at Conan. But Conan called to Osgar to defend him, and

  Osgar attacked the Grey Man, and it was not long till he made

  him acquainted with death.

  And when Ailne saw that, with the grief and the dread that

  came on her, she fell dead then and there.

  Then all the Fianna made a feast with what they found of food

  and of drink, and they were very joyful and meny But when they

  rose up in the morning, there was no trace or tidings of the dun,

  but it was on the bare grass they were lying.

  But as to Conan, the sheepskin never left him; and the wool

  used to grow on it every year, the same as it would on any

  other skin.

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  B O O K N I N E :

  THE WEARING AWAY OF THE FIANNA

  CHAPTER I.

  THE QUARREL WITH THE SONS OF MORNA

  One time when the Fianna were gone here and there hunting,

  Black Garraidh and Caoilte were sitting beside Finn, and they

  were talking of the battle where Finn's father was killed. And Finn

  said then to Garraidh: "Tell me now, since you were there yourself, what way was it you brought my father Cumhal to his death? " "I will tell you that since you ask me," said Garraidh; "it

  was my own hand and the hands of the rest of the sons of Morna

  that made an end of him." "That is cold friendship from my followers the sons of Moma," said Finn. "If it is cold friendship,"

  said Garraidh, "put away the liking you are letting on to have for

  us, and show us the hatred you have for us all the while." "If I

  were to lift my hand against you now, sons of Moma," said Finn,

  "I would be well able for you all without the help of any man." "It

  was by his arts Cumhal got the upper hand of us," said Garraidh;

  "and when he got power over us," he said, "he banished us to

  every far country; a share of us he sent to Alban, and a share of us

  to dark Lochlann, and a share of us to bright Greece, parting us

  from one another; and for sixteen years we were away from Ireland, and it was no small thing to us to be without seeing one another through that time. And the first day we came back to Ireland," he said, "we killed sixteen hundred men, and no lie in it, and not a man of them but would be keened by a hundred. And

  we took their duns after that," he said, "and we went on till we

  were all around one house in Munster of the red walls. But so

  great was the bravery of the man in that house, that was your

  father, that it was easier to find him than to kill him. And we

  killed all that were of his race out on the hill, and then we made a

  quick rush at the house where Cumhal was, and every man of us

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  387

  made a wound on his body with his spear. And I myself was in it,

  and it was I gave him the first wound. And avenge it on me now,

  Finn, if you have a mind to," he said.

  It was not long after that, Finn gave a feast at Almhuin for all

  his chief men, and there came to it two sons of the King of Alban,

  and sons of the kings of the great world. And when they were all

  sitting at the feast, the serving-men rose up and took drinkinghoms worked by skilled men, and having shining stones in them, and they poured out strong drink for the champions; and it is

  then mirth rose up in their young men, and courage in their fighting men, and kindness and gentleness in their women, and knowledge and foreknowledge of their poets.

  And then a crier rose up and shook a rough iron chain to silence

  the clowns and the common lads and idlers, and then he shook a

  chain of old silver to silence the high lords and chief men of the

  Fianna, and the learned men, and they all listened and were silent.

  And Fergus of the True Lips rose up and sang before Finn the

  songs and the good poems of his forefathers; and Finn and Oisin

  and Lugaidh's Son rewarded him with every good thing. And then

  he went on to Goll, son of Moma, and told the fights and the

  destructions and the cattle-drivings and the courtings of his

  fathers; and it is well-pleased and high-minded the sons of Moma

  were, listening to that.

  And Goll said then: "Where is my woman
-messenger?" "I am

  here, King of the Fianna," said she. "Have you brought me my

  hand-tribute from the men of Lochlann?" "I have brought it surely,"

  said she. And with that she rose up and laid on the floor of the hall

  before Goll a load of pure gold, the size of a good pig, and that

  would be a heavy load for a strong man. And Goll loosened the

  covering that was about it, and he gave Fergus a good reward from

  it as he was used to do; for there never was a wise, sharp-worded

  poet, or a sweet harp-player, or any learned man of Ireland or of

  Alban, but Goll would give him gold or silver or some good thing.

  And when Finn saw that, he said: "How long is it, Goll, you

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  have this rent on the men of Lochlann, and my own rent being on

  them always with it, and one of my own men, Ciaran son of Latharne, and ten hundred men of his household, guarding it and guarding my right of hunting?" And Goll saw there was anger on

  Finn, and he said: "It is a long time, Finn, I have that rent on the

  men of Lochlann, from the time your father put war and quarrels

  on me, and the King of Ireland joined with him, and I was made

  to quit Ireland by them. And I went into Britain," he said, "and I

  took the country and killed the king himself and did destruction

  on his people, but Cumhal put me out of it; and from that I went

  to Fionn-lochlann, and the king fell by me, and his household,

  and Cumhal put me out of it; and I went from that to the country

  of the Saxons, and the king and his household fell by me, and

  Cumhal put me out of it. But I came back then to Ireland, and I

  fought a battle against your father, and he fell by me there. And it

  was at that time I put this rent upon the men of Lochlann. And,

  Finn," he said, "it is not a rent of the strong hand you have put on

  them, but it is a tribute for having the protection of the Fianna of

  Ireland, and I do not lessen that. And you need not begrudge that

  tribute to me," he said, "for if I had more than that again, it is to

  you and to the men of Ireland I would give it. "

  There was great anger on Finn then, and he said: "You tell me,

  Goll," he said, "by your own story, that you came from the city of

  Beirbhe to fight against my father, and that you killed him in the

  battle; and it is a bold thing you to tell that to me. " "By your own