He next styles him the son of Maelcaba's daughter, from the brink xxxvIII. of Inbher Crara (an Inbher, or river, with the situation of which I am unacquainted). And next the poet ridicules the hostile equipment of the young man for so daring an undertaking as the pursuit and recovery of his property. The slender handle of his spear; the blade of that spear like a lancet in the weak hand of a surgeon; the handle and blade together, being of no more formidable a character than a blackthorn staff mounted with a single thorn! It is a question whether any of these three specimens ever formed part of any lengthened piece; or whether, from their resemblance in lightness of character and sarcastic point, they were not fugitive stanzas written by way of "nonsense verses", as mere examples of rhyme and metre adapted to the rhythm of the known music of the day. Most of the prosodial illustrations of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries are fugitive quatrains of a witty but fantastic character; and it is not at all improbable but that this was a custom derived from more remote times. This stanza was certainly written by the man who wrote the preceding stanza, or half-stanza of eight lines; it was evidently written at the same time, and on the same subject, but merely, as it were, an example for adaptation to the full or double measure of the tune. The measure, accents, cadences, and measure, rhyme, are precisely the same as in the half-stanza, and will accents, sing to the full length of the air of Seaghan O'Duibhir an and rhyme, Ghleanna; or, in other words, agree with the measure of the as in the lyrical stanza called in ancient times the Ocht-foclach Mor Chorranach, or "great eight-line curving verse". cadences, are the same second. specimen of the B. of I have one example more to give of this species of verse, but Another it is not a mere prosodial specimen, but part of a very ancient verse from a and very long poem of which a fine full copy is still extant. long poem in This poem is preserved in the Book of Lecan, in the Royal Lecan; Irish Academy, and consists of seventy-nine stanzas of sixteen lines each, making 1264 lines in all. The poem is a religious one, devoted to the praise and supplication of God, the happiness of the good, and the doom of the wicked at the day of judgment. The poem is entitled, In Ochtfoclach ui hi-Eimhin, this kind that is, "the eight-line verse of O'h-Eimhin", and, as at present ochtfoclach written out, consists of eight lines to the stanza. But, although bihin, this is its present arrangement, it is evident from various reasons, great into which I need not enter in detail, that the stanza originally consisted of sixteen lines, or two stanzas of the present arrangement, and consequently, that the piece should be classed under the name of the Ocht-foclach Mor Chorranach, or the " eight-line return verse". great called hi-Eimhin, or the verse of O'hEimhin". XXXVIII. prefixed to of this poem necessarily imply his having lived after the The Ui or O' prefixed to the name of the author of this poem The Ui or o' does not of necessity imply that he must have lived after the the name of establishment of permanently fixed family surnames, at the bethe author ginning of the eleventh century; it merely means that he was the does not grandson or descendant of a person named Emin. The prefixes Mac and O' (that is, son and grandson) had been in use in Ireland long before their establishment as distinctive prefixes to permanent distinct and permanently fixed family names, though, until of surnames; about the year 1000, they were never transmissible to posterity; so that the son of this O' h-Eimhin would not have been bound by any law or custom to call himself " O' h-Eimhin”, less he should prefer, for his time, to be named after his greatgrandfather" Emin", rather than from his immediate father or grandfather, whatever their Christian names may have been. Whoever this O' h-Eimhin may have been, I have no doubt that this poem was written not later than the year 900. assumption description of this kind of poem; un This poem, like the preceding full lyrical stanza, consists of sixteen lines, or four distinct quatrains to the stanza. The three first lines consist each of six syllables; the last word of each containing three syllables, and forming an assonance or vowel rhyme, each with the other two. The fourth line of each quatrain, however, contains but four syllables, ending with a monosyllable, and not in assonance with the preceding three lines, but each does with the others throughout the four quatrains. The rhymes or final assonances of the lines in this poem are not, in any instance, as in the preceding stanzas, marked by long or full-sounding vowels; still the accents are decided and natural. These conditions, however, could not be detected in the mere literal translations of the former, any more than in that of the present, which runs as follows: In ochtfoclach hi eimin. Dia mor dom imditen, Dia mor dom imdedail, Dia mor dom foirceadal, Dia mor dom chaisearcad, m' oidi, ocus m' anmchara, Mac muiri ingine, Rig in rigthig, mg nime, Rigbili ós raith. (150) The eight-line verse of O'h-Eimhin. May the great God shelter me, May the great God protect me, May the great God contemplate me, The chief of my counsel, Christ the helmet of battle; My teacher, and my soul's friend, The Son of Mary the virgin, The King of the royal palace, King of Heaven, XXXVIII. written to a from the stanzas The trisyllabic termination of the leading lines of this re- this poem markable poem would seem to indicate that the words were in- different air tended to be sung to an air different from those of the preceding stanzas; but whether this is or is not the reason, it is cer- quoted; tain that it will not sing to music of the metre either of the air of the Buachaill Cael Dubh, or that of Seaghan O'Duibhir an Ghleanna, although it will sing quite smoothly to that of any one of three other well known airs, which differ as much from each other as they differ from the preceding airs. These three will sing to airs are: first, that which is so well known in connexion with any one of the modern songs of Mary Lemore, the Exile of Erinn, and known airs. some others; second, the air now commonly known by the modern name of the Rogaire Dubh, or Black Rogue, sometimes called the Black Joke (but not the Black Joke, as published by Moore); third, a well known ancient air, popular in modern times only as a dance in Munster, and known to pipers under the name of the Humours of Glin. All these airs are, I believe very old, and the two last were not originally quick airs at all. three well Now, I do not say-I cannot say, that any one of these speci- Author does men verses that I have given was actually written to any one these verses (450) [Book of Lecan, fol. 170. b. a.] not say that were written for the airs but only that XXXVIII. of the airs which I have for the moment assigned to them. I mentioned, only say that they will sing smoothly and naturally to these airs; they sing and as my only object is to show that lyric music and melody naturally to were well known and practised in Ireland in ancient times, I feel that, even after my own unscientific way, I have sufficiently established that fact. them. That these stanzas were not written by the writer on Irish Prosody to support a theory is shown by Táin Bo But that the specimens which I have just given from our ancient Irish prosody were not, all at least, mere stanzas compiled by the author of that tract for the illustration of a theory, there still exist means of a most conclusive character to prove. Such evidence we may find, for example, in the tale so often referred to of the Táin Bó Chuailgne which in the form in which poems in the it is preserved in Leabhar na-h-Uidhri, and in the Book of Chuailgne; Leinster, is assigned to a period in or about the year 600. In this tale the verses I am about to refer to occur where Medb, the queen of Connacht, endeavours to rouse against the invincible Cuchulaind the scarcely less redoubtable warrior, Ferdiad, a famous champion from the western borders of Connacht, to whom she offers not only the freedom of his lands for ever, but also the hand of her beautiful daughter in marriage, as well as many other important gifts, if he would sustain her cause against Cuchulaind, his former friend and fellow-student in the military schools of Ireland and Scotland. The conversation between the queen and her champion, and the terms of their comthe dialogue pact, are then given in a poem of ten stanzas, consisting each of Medb and eight lines, except the last, of which but four lines remain. The queen begins the dialogue as follows: e. g. the poem containing between Ferdiad; m. F. D. Rat fia Luaċ mór m-buinne, rat ċuit maige is chaille, Ni gebsa gan áráċ; daig nim Láec gan Lámaċ. Bud tromm form i m-báraċ, bud fortrén in feidm. M. F. [I will give a great reward in rings, O champion of wounds and conquests. Why dost thou not receive that which others I will not accept it without guarantee; For a champion without security I will not be. Terrible will be the battle. Hound indeed is the name of Culand; 'Tis not easy to withstand him; And in this manner the dialogue is carried on to the end, until queen Medb grants all that Ferdiad requires, and until he accepts the post of her champion.(451) XXXVIII. analysis of The reader will have perceived, that as at present arranged musical in the old book, each stanza of this ancient poem consists of eight this poem; lines or two quatrains. The first three lines of each quatrain consist each of six syllables, ending with a word of two syllables, and are in well-marked assonance; whilst the fourth line of each quatrain consists but of five syllables, ending with a word of one syllable, not in assonance with the final words of the leading lines, but fully agreeing with the other. Now, according to the rule derived from the prosodial tract in the Book of Ballymote, this stanza belongs to the species of the Ochtfoclach Mór, or great eight-line verse, and will at once, like the former stanza of the same measure, sing to the first part of the air of "John O'Dwyer of the Glenn"; and if the response of the second speaker be taken into the measure of the music, it will flow smoothly and naturally into a second part, making the full measure of the whole air; in fact, the whole would be a musical recitative, carried on within the rigid limits of a well-defined and clearly ascertained piece of old lyric music; and then the full stanza would come under the name and class of the Ochtfoclach Mór Choranach, or great eight-line return or double verse. There are five poems in this style preserved in the Táin Bó (451) [See Appendix I., p. 413,, where the whole of the episode of the Táin Bó Chuailgne, relating to the combat of Ferdiad and Cuchulaind is given as an example of that great tale.] VOL. II. 26 |