From Cath Maige Tuired, “The Battle of Moytura”
Introduction
At the end of the Old Irish saga of Cath Maige Tuired, there are three poems attributed to the Mórrígan; one immediately before the main battle, and the other two afterwards, ending the saga as a whole. These three poems were the main topic of my Masters Thesis in 2005. I have revisited the work I did on these poems, making some amendments to my translations. The main thrust of that thesis remains, however, and here are some of the main points:
The poems are in a form called rosc or roscaid. This is a very archaic, non-metrical, non-rhyming form of poetry which may date back further than our written record of the Irish language. Its most consistent feature is connective alliteration, where the word or words at the end of one line alliterate with the word or words at the beginning of the next line. This forms a kind of conceptual chain, where the image of one line is shifted to produce the image of the following line. Rosc can be notoriously difficult to translate, as there is a scarcity of verbs, a lax attitude to syntax and many archaic and obscure words preserved in the poetic form.
When the poems are taken out of the surrounding prose text, they form a continuous text of their own. It is my belief that the saga was originally contained entirely in this loose verse-form. Poetry tends to preserve older forms of language, which are crystalised by the structure of the poem like insects in amber. As the language of the poems becomes more archaic and obscure, the tellers of the story need to add more and more prose to explain what the poems mean. But they do not abandon the poetic passages, which retain their music and sonorous wholeness.
Both then and now, I am working from the edition of Cath Maige Tuired by Elizabeth Gray, published by the Irish Texts Society in 1982. References to sections and line numbers are to this edition.
Poem A: Section 137, Lines 683 – 693
This poem is in the present tense, and almost reads like a “live commentary” of the battle itself. There is not much more description of the actual battle in the prose text: it is largely concerned with the preparations before and ramifications after the battle. This poem introduces the main action of the battle.
Afraigid rig don cath
Kings arise to [meet] the battle
rucatair gruaide
Cheeks are seized
aisnethir rossa
Faces [honours] are declared
ronnatair feola,
Flesh is decimated,
fennátair enech,
Faces are flayed
ethátair catha -rruba
[incomplete word] ?? of battle are seized
segatar ratha
Ramparts are sought
radatar fleda
Feasts are given
fechatar catha,
Battles are observed
canátair natha,
Poems are recited
noatair druith
Druids are celebrated
dénaitir cuaird
Circuits are made
cuimnitir arca
Bodies are recorded
alat(-) ide
Metals cut
sennat(-) deda
Teeth mark
tennat(-) braigit
Necks break
blathnuigh[i]t(-) [cét] tufer
[A hundred] cuts blossom
cluinethar eghme
Screams are heard
ailitir cuaird
Battallions are broken
cathitir lochtai
Hosts give battle
lúet(-)ethair
Ships are steered
snaat(-) arma
Weapons protect
scothaitir sronai.
Noses are severed
At_ci[ú] cach ro_genair
I see all who are born
ruad_cath derg_bandach
[in the] blood-zealous vigorous battle,
dremnad fiach_lergai fo_eburlai.
raging [on the] raven-battlefield [with] blade-scabbards.
Fri uabar rusmebat
They attempt our defeat
re_nar_már_srotaib sinne
over our own great torrents
fri fur fo_abad líni Fomoire
Against your attack on the full [compliment] of Fomoire
i margnaich incanaigh
In the mossy margins;
copraich aigid fiach
the helpful raven drives
dorar fri_ar_solga garuh
strife to our hardy hosts
dálaig for_m_desigter rodbadh
mustered, we prepare ourselves to destroy
samlaidh derg_bandaib dam
To me, the full-blooded exploits are like
aim_critaighid conn_aechta
shaking to-and-fro of hound-kills
sameth donn_curidh dibur fercurib fristongarar.
goodly decay of muddy war-bands, your violations are renounced.
Poem B: Section 166, Lines 819 – 827
This is the penultimate section of the saga, and the poem used in the podcast (read it here). It has a timeless quality to it, and lays out a vision of eternal peace and prosperity. It is balanced by the last poem (below), which offers a diametrically opposed view.
Sith co nem
Peace to [the] heaven[s],
[NOTE: Síd = peace & Síd = faery – most likely same root]
Nem co doman.
Heaven to [the] world / earth
Doman fo ním,
Earth under sky / heavens
nert hi cach,
Strength in each.
án for_lann,
Cup on a plate
lan do mil,
Full of honey
mid co saith.
Mead to [one’s] satisfaction
Sam hi ngam,
Summer in winter
gai for sciath,
Spear upon a shield
sciath for durnd.
Shield upon a fist
Dunad lonn_garg;
Blade-bristling fort
longa(i)t(-) trom_foíd
Consumption of solid earth
fod di uí
Rights of [the] grandchildren [descendents]
ross for_biur
Forest on a point
benna a_bu
Horns from a cow
airbe im_etha.
Encircling fence {?}
Mess for crannaib,
Mast upon trees
craob do scis
Weary [its] bough
scis do áss
Weary from growth
saith do mac
Wealth for a boy
mac for muin,
Boy on a neck
[NOTE: “Macc for muin” is also a food-portion or ration, deemed appropriate for a free person.]
muinel tairb
Neck of a bull
tarb di arccoin
Bull from[?] a watch-dog
odhb do crann,
Knot for [on] a tree
crann do ten.
Tree for fire
Tene a nn-ail.
Fire from a stone
Ail a n-uír
Stone from earth
uích a mbuaib
[Young?] from cows
boinn a mbru.
Cows from a womb
Brú la_fefaid
[River-]Bank with birdsong
oss_glas iaer errach,
Grey deer before spring
foghamar for_asit etha.
Autumn whence grows corn
Iall do tir,
Flock [of birds, warriors, people] for [the] land
tir co trachd
Land [extending] to the shore
la feabrae.
With sharp edges
Bid_ruad rossaib síraib rith_már,
The great run {time} to the eternal woods / promintory will be fierce
‘Nach scel laut?’
“Have you any story?”
Sith co nemh,
Peace to the heavens
bid_sirnae .s[ith].’
It will be eternal peace.
Poem C: Section 167, lines 831 – 840
This finishes the saga and balances the previous poem. It is in the future tense, and starts with the verb “at-cí” (sees), which marks it as a vision.
Ni accus bith no_mbeo:
I do not see a world of the living:
Baid sam cin blatha,
Summer will be without flowers
beti bai cin blichda,
Cows will be without milk
mna can feli,
Women without modesty [/ generosity / pudenda]
[NOTE: féle is a defining “virtue” of women; a tlás, a fos, a féile (characteristics of a good woman) = “her yielding / compassion, her perseverance / steadfastness, her modesty / generosity” (ZCP viii) See more about “féle” in “The Poems of Sinann“.]
fir gan gail.
Men without valour [semen]
[NOTE: gal is literally “steam”; as “vigour”, it is a defining “virtue” of men, hence my reference to semen as male essence.]
Gabala can righ
Conquests without a king
rinna ulcha ilmoigi
walls of spear-points [on] every plain
beola bron,
Sad mouths
feda cin mes.
Forests without mast
Muir can toradh.
Sea without fruit
Tuir bain(b)thine /// Tuirb ain(b)thine
Tower-wall of white metal /// A multitude of storms
immat moel rátha,
around bare fortresses
fás a forgnam locha
Empty their dark buildings
di_ersitir dinn
High places cannot endure
at_rifiter linn
A lake has attempted
lines sech_ilar flaithie
to flood past a multitude of kingdoms
faoilti fria holc,
Welcome to its evil
ilach imgnath
Howling occupies
gnuse ule.
every face
Incrada docredb-
Great unbelievable torments
gluind ili,
many crimes
imairecc catha,
Battles waged everywhere
toebh fri ech delceta
Trust in spiked horses
imda dala
Many (hostile) meetings
braith mac flaithi
treacherous princelings
forbuid bron
A shroud of sorrows
sen saobretha.
on old high judgements
Brecfásach mbrithiom-
False maxims of judges
braithiomh cech fer.
Every man a betrayer
Foglaid cech mac.
Every son a brigand.
Gignitir cen_mair
[People] will be born without surviving
olc aimser
Evil time
i_mmera mac a athair,
in which the son will derange his father
i_mera ingen …
In which the daughter will derange…
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