Chapter C: Ancient Irish Literature, Number I

The ancient literature of Ireland is as yet but little known to the world, or even to ourselves. Existing for the most part only in its original Celtic form, and in manuscripts accessible only to the Irish scholar resident in our metropolis, but few even of those capable of understanding it have the opportunity to become acquainted with it, and from all others it is necessarily hidden. We therefore propose to ourselves, as a pleasing task, to make our literature more familiar, not only to the Irish scholar, but to our readers generally who do not possess this species of knowledge, by presenting them from time to time with such short poems or prose articles, accompanied with translations, as from their brevity, or the nature of their subjects, will render them suitable to our limited and necessarily varied pages--our selections being made without regard to chronological order as to the ages of their composition, but rather with a view to give a general idea of the several kinds of literature in which our ancestors of various classes found entertainment.

The specimen which we have chosen to commence with is of a homely cast, and was intended as a rebuke to the saucy pride of a woman in humble life, who assumed airs of consequence from being the possessor of three cows. Its author’s name is unknown, but its age may be determined, from its language, as belonging to the early part of the seventeenth century; and that it was formerly very popular in Munster, may be concluded from the fact, that the phrase, Easy, oh, woman of the three cows! [Go réiḋ a bhean na ttrí mbó] has become a saying in that province, on any occasion upon which it is desirable to lower the pretensions of proud or boastful persons.

P.

BEAN NA TTRI MBO.

Go réiḋ a ḃean na ttrí mbó
Ar to ḃólacht ná bí teann
Do ċonairc meisi, gan gó,
Gean is ba dá ṁó a beann.

Ní ṁaireann saiḋḃrios do ġnúiṫ
Do neaċ ná taḃair táir go mór
Chúġut an téag ar gaċ taoḃ
Go réiḋ a ḃean na ttrí mbó.

Slioċt Eóġain ṁóir sa Múṁain
A nimṫeaċt do ní clú dóiḃ
A seólta gur léigeadar síos
Go réiḋ a ḃean na ttrí mbó.

Clann ġaisce ṫiġearna an Chláir
A nimṫeaċt sin ba lá leóin
Sgan súil re na tteaċt go bráṫ,
Go réiḋ a ḃean na ttrí mbó.

Dóṁnall ó Dún-buíḋe na long
O’Súilleaḃáin nár ṫím glór
Féaċ gur ṫuit san Spáin re cloiḋeain
Go réiḋ a ḃean na ttrí mbó.

O’Ruairc is Maguiḋir do ḃí
Tá i n-Eirinn na lán beóil
Féaċ féin gur imṫiġ an dís,
Go réiḋ a ḃean na ttrí mbó.

Síol gCearḃuill do ḃí teann
Te mbeirṫí gaċ geall ingleó
Ní ṁaireann aon díoḃ mo ḋíṫ
Go réiḋ a ḃean na ttrí mbó.

O aon ḃoin aṁáin do ḃreis
Ar ṁnaoi eile is í a dó
Do rinnisi iomorca aréir
Go réiḋ a ḃean na ttrí mbó.

An ceangal.

Gíoḋ ar mfallaing a ainnir as uaiḃreaċ gnúis
Do ḃíos gan dearmad seasṁaċ buan sa tnúiṫ
Tríd an raċmus do ġlacais red ḃuaiḃ ar túis
Da ḃfaġainnsi reilḃ a ceaṫair do ḃuailfinn tú.