The Voyage 1 of Bran son of Febal, and his Expedition 2 here below1. ’TWAS fifty quatrains the woman from unknown lands sang on the floor of the house to Bran son of Febal, when the royal house was full of kings, who knew not whence the woman had come, since the ramparts were closed. 2. This is the beginning of the story. One day, in the neighbourhood of his stronghold, Bran went about alone, when he heard music behind him. As often as he looked back, ’twas still behind him the music was. At last he fell asleep at the music, such was its sweetness. When he awoke from his sleep, he saw close by him a branch 3 of
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Imram Brain maic Febail, ocus a Echtra andso sís1. CÓICA rand rogab in ben a tírib ingnath for láur in tige do Bran mac Febail, arrobói a rígthech lán de rígaib, annadfetatar can dolluid in ben, órobatar ind liss dúntai. 2. Is ed tossach in sceóil. Imluid Bran laa n-and a óinur i comocus dia dún, cocúala, a ceól far íarna chúl. A n-donécad tar a éissi, ba íarna chúl beus nobíth a ceól. Contuil asendath frissa ceól ar a bindi. A n-dofúsig asa chotlud, conacca in cróib n-arggait fua bláth find ina farruth, na bu hasse etarscarath a bláthe frissin cróib ísin. Dobert íarum Bran in cróib ina láim dia
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silver with white blossoms, nor was it easy to distinguish its bloom from that branch. Then Bran took the branch in his hand to his royal house. When the hosts were in the royal house, they saw a woman in strange raiment on the floor of the house. ’Twas then she sang the fifty 1 quatrains to Bran, while the host heard her, and all beheld the woman. And she said: 3. 'A branch of the apple-tree 2 from Emain 3 4. 'There is a distant isle, 5. 'A delight of the eyes, a glorious range,
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rígthig. Órobatar inna sochuidi isind rígthig conaccatar in mnái i n-étuch ingnuth for láur in tige. Is and cachain in cóicait rand so do Braun arranchúale in slóg, ocus adchondarcatar uili in mnái. Onus asbert: 3. 'Cróib dind abaill a hEmain 4. 'Fil inis i n-eterchéin 5. 'Is lí súla, sreth íar m-búaid,
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6. 'Feet of white bronze under it 7. 'An ancient tree there is with blossoms, 8. 'Splendours of every colour glisten 9. 'Unknown is wailing or treachery 5 10. 'Without grief, without sorrow, without death,
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6. 'Cossa findrune fóe, 7. 'Fil and bile co m-bláthaib 8. 'Taitnet líga cech datho 9. 'Ní gnáth écóiniud na mrath 10. 'Cen brón, cen duba, cen bás,
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11. 'A beauty of a wondrous land, 12. 'Then if Aircthech 1 is seen, 13. 'Wealth, treasures of every hue, 14. 'Golden chariots in Mag Réin, 6 15. 'Yellow golden steeds are on the sward there,
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11. 'Cáine tíre adamri, 12. 'Má adcetha Aircthech íar tain 13. 'Móini, dússi cach datho 14. 'Carpait órdi hi Maig Réin, 15. 'Graig óir budi and fri srath
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16. At sunrise there will come 17. 'A host will come across the clear sea, 18. 'It sings a strain unto the host 19. 'Many-shaped Emne 3 by the sea, 20. 'If he has heard the voice of the music,
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16. 'Dofeith la turcbáil n-gréne 17. 'Dofeith in slúag tar muir glan, 18. 'Canid airbitiud dont ṡlóg 19. 'Emne ildelbach fri rían, 20. 'Má ruchúala lúad in chiúil,
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21. 'There will come happiness with health 22. 'It is a day of lasting weather 23. 'The host race along Mag Mon, 2 24. 'Listening to music at night, 25. 'There are thrice fifty distant isles
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21. 'Dofeith sóire la sláini 22. 'Is lá suthaine síne 23. 'Graibnid in slóg íar Maig Mon, 24. 'Étsecht fri céul i n-adig, 25. 'Fil trí cóictea inse cían
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26. 'A great birth 1 will come after ages, 27. 'A rule without beginning, without end, 3 28. '’Tis He that made the heavens, 29. 'Not to all of you is my speech, 30. 'Do not fall on a bed of sloth,
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26. 'Ticfa már-gein íar m-bethaib 27. 'Flaith cen tossach cen forcenn 28. 'Is hé dorigni nime, 29. 'Ni dúib uili mo labre, 30. 'Ná tuit fri lige lesce,
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31. Thereupon the woman went from them, while they knew not whither she went. 1 And she took her branch with her. The branch sprang from Bran's hand into the hand of the woman, nor was there strength in Bran's hand to hold the branch. 32. Then on the morrow Bran went upon the sea. The number of his men was three companies of nine. One of his foster-brothers and mates 2 was set over each of the three companies of nine. When he had been at sea two days and two nights, he saw a man in a chariot coming towards him over the sea. That man also sang thirty 3 other quatrains to him, and made himself known to him, 4 and said that he was Manannan the son of Ler, and said that it was upon him to go to Ireland after long ages, and that a son would be born to him, even Mongan son of Fiachna--that was the name which would be upon him. So he sang these thirty quatrains to him: 33. 'Bran deems it a marvellous beauty
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31. Luid in ben úadib íarom annadfetatar cia luid, ocus birt a cróib lee. Leblaing in chróib di láím Brain co m-bói for láim inna mná, ocus ní bói nert i láim Brain do gabáil inna cróibe. 32. Luid Bran íarom arabárach for muir. Trí nonbuir a lín. Óinḟer forsnaib tríb nonburaib dia chomaltaib ocus comáisib. Ó robói dá lá ocus dí aidchi forsin muir, conacci a dochum in fer isin charput íarsin muir. Canaid in fer hísin dano trichait rand n-aile dóu, ocus sloindsi dóu ocus asbert ba hé Manannán mac Lir, ocus asbert bói aire tuídecht i n-Érinn íar n-aimseraib cíanaib, ocus nogigned mac úad .i. Mongán mac Fíachnai, ised foridmbíad. Cachain íarom in trichait rand sa dóu:-- 33. 'Caine amre lasin m-Bran
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34. 'What is a clear sea 15. 'Bran sees 36. 'Sea-horses glisten in summer 37. 'The sheen of the main, on which thou art, 38. 'Speckled salmon leap from the womb
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34. 'A n-as muir glan 35. 'Atchí Bran 36. 'Taitnet gabra lir i sam 17. 'Lí na fairgge foratái, 38. 'Lingit ich bricc ass de brú
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39. 'Though (but) one chariot-rider is seen 40. 'The size of the plain, the number of the host, 41. 'A beautiful game, most delightful, 42. 'Along the top of a wood has swum 43. 'A wood with blossom and fruit,
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39. 'Cé atchetha óinchairptech 40. 'Met in maige, lín int ṡlúaig, 41. 'Cluche n-óimin n-inmeldag 42. 'Is íar m-barr ḟedo rosná 43. 'Fid co m-bláth ocus torud,
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44. 'We are from the beginning of creation 45. 'An evil day when the Serpent went 46. 'By greed and lust he 6 has slain us, 47. 'It is a law of pride in this world 48. 'A noble salvation 9 will come
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44. 'Fil dún ó thossuch dúle 45. 'Olc líth dolluid ind nathir 46. 'Ronort a cróis ocus saint, 47. 'Is recht úabuir i m-bith ché 48. 'Ticfa tessarcon úasal
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49. 'This shape, he on whom thou lookest, 50. 'For it is Moninnan, the son of Ler, 51. 'Monann, the descendant of Ler, will be 52. 'He will delight 7 the company of every fairy-knoll, 53. 'He will be in the shape of every beast,
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49. 'In delb hé nofethi-su 50. 'Sech is Moninnán mac Lir 51. 'Conlee Monann maccu Lirn 52. 'Móithfe sognáiss cach síde, 53. 'Biaid i fethol cech míl
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54. 'He will be a stag with horns of silver 55. 'He will be throughout long ages 1 56. 'It 4 will be about kings with a champion 57. 'High shall I place him with princes,
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54 'Bíd dam co m-bendaib arggait 55. 'Bíaid tré bithu síri 56. 'Bíd imm rígu la fénnid 57. 'Art arungén la flaithi, |
58. 'He will be--his time will be short-- 1 59. 'He will ask a drink from Loch Ló, 4 60 . 'Steadily then Iet Bran row, 61. Thereupon Bran went from him. And he saw an island. He rows round about it, and a large host was gaping and laughing. They were all looking at Bran and his people, but would not stay to converse with them. They continued to give forth gusts 9 of laughter at them. Bran sent one of his people on the island. He ranged himself with the others, and was gaping at them like the other men of the island. He 10 kept rowing round
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58. 'Bíed, bes n-gairit a ree, 59. 'Timgéra dig al-Loch Lâu 60. 'Fossad airsin imraad Bran, 61. Luidi Bran úad íarum co n-acci in n-insi. Immeraad immecúairt, ocus slóg már oc ginig ocus gáirechtaíg. Doecitís uili Bran ocus a muintir, ocus ní antís fria n-accaldaim. Adaigtís treftecha gáire impu. Fóidis Bran fer dia muintir isin n-insi. Ṙeris lia céliu ocus adaiged ginig fóu amal dóini inna hinse
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about the island. Whenever his man came past Bran, his comrades would address him. But he would not converse with them, but would only look at them 1 and gape at them. The name of this island is the Island of Joy. Thereupon they left him there. 62. It was not long thereafter when they reached the Land of Women. They saw the leader of the women at the port. Said the chief of the women: 'Come hither on land; O Bran son of Febal! Welcome is thy advent!' Bran did not venture to go on shore. The woman throws a ball of thread to Bran straight over his face. Bran put his hand on the ball, which clave to his palm. The thread of the ball was in the woman's hand, and she pulled the coracle towards the port. Thereupon they went into a large house, in which was a bed for every couple, 2 even thrice nine beds. The food that was put on every dish vanished not from them. It seemed a year to them that they were there,--it chanced 3 to be many years. No savour was wanting to them. 4
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olchene. Immeraad in n-inis immecúairt. Intan dothéged a ḟer muintire sech Bran, adgiaitís a chocéli. Nísnaiccilled san immorru, acht dusnéced nammá ocus adaiged ginig fóu. Is ed ainm inna hinse so Inis Subai. Funacabsat and íarum. 62. Ní bu chían íarsin coráncatar tír inna m-ban, co n-accatar braine inna m-ban isin phurt. Ashert tóisech inna m-ban: 'Tair ille isa tír, a Brain made Febail! Is fochen do thichtu.' Ní lamir Bran techt isa tir. Dochuirethar in ben certli do Braun tar a gnúis cach n-dírech. Focheird Bran a láim for in certli. Lil in chertle dia dernainn. Bói snáthe inna certle hil-láim inna mná, consreng in curach dochum puirt. Lotir íarum hi tegdais máir. Arránic imde ceche lánamne and .i. trí nói n-imdæ. In praind dobreth for cech méis nír’irchran dóib. Ba blédin donarfás dóib buith and. Ecmaing bátir ilblédni. Nístesbi nach mlass.
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63. Home-sickness seized one of them, even Nechtan the son of Collbran. 1 His kindred kept praying Bran that he should go to Ireland with him. The woman said to them their going would make them rue. However, they went, and the woman said that none of them should touch the land, and that they should visit and take with them the man whom they had left in the Island of Joy. 64. Then they went until they arrived at a gathering at Srub Brain. 2 The men asked of them who it was came over the sea. Said Bran: 'I am Bran the son of Febal,' saith he. However, the other saith: 'We do not know such a one. though the Voyage of Bran is in our ancient stories.' 65. The man 3 leaps from them out of the coracle. As soon as he touched the earth of Ireland, forthwith he was a heap of ashes, as though he had been in the earth for many hundred years. ’Twas then that Bran sang this quatrain:
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63. Gabais éulchaire fer n-díib .i. Nechtán mac Collbrain. Aitched a chenél fri Bran aratíasad leis dochom n-Érenn. Asbert in ben robad aithrech ind ḟáboll. Dolotar cammæ, ocus asbert in ben arnátuinsed nech díib a tír ocus arataidlitís leú in fer fodnácaibset i n-Inis Subai tar éssi a chéli. 64. Dollotar íarum condatornachtatar in dáil i Sruib Brain. Iarmifóchtatar side dóib cía dolluide a muir. Asbert in fer: 'Messe,' ar sé, 'Bran mac Febail.' 'Ní beram aichni inní sin,' ol a chéle didiu. 'Atá hi senchasaib linni chene Imram Brain.' 65. Dochurethar úadib in fer assin churuch. Amal conránic side fri talmain inna Hérenn, bá lúaithred fochétóir amal bíd i talmain nobeth triasna hilchéta blíedne. Is and cachain Bran in rand so:
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'For Collbran's son great was the folly 66. Thereupon, to the people of the gathering Bran told all his wanderings from the beginning until that time. And he wrote these quatrains in Ogam, and then bade them farewell. And from that hour his wanderings are not known.
THE END
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'Do macc Chollbrain ba mór báiss 66. Adfét íarsin Bran a imthechta ulí ó thossuch cotici sin do lucht ind airechtais, ocus scríbais inna rundu so tré ogum. Ocus celebrais dóib íarsin, ocus ní fessa a imthechta ónd úair sin. FINIT
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2:1 Imram, lit. 'rowing about,' denotes a voyage voluntarily undertaken, as distinguished from longes, 'a voyage of exile.'
2:2 Echtre, f. (a derivative of echtar = Lat. extra), lit. 'outing,' specially denotes expeditions and sojourns in Fairy-land, as in Echtra Bresail Bricc maic Briuin (LL. p. 170 b, 25), who stayed fifty years under Loch Láeg; Echtra Cormaic i Tír Tairngiri, Ir. Texte iii. p. 202; Echtra Nerai (Rev. Celt. x. p. 212), Echtra Nectain maic Alfroinn (LL. p. 189 b, 59) = Nechtán mac Collbrain, infra § 63, etc.
2:3 That it was the branch that produced the music, when shaken, appears from a similar incident in Echtra Cormaic, Ir. Texte iii. p. 212.
4:1 All the MSS. contain only twenty-eight quatrains.
4:2 aball, f., which glosses Lat. malus in Sg. 61 b, has come to denote any fruit-tree, as in fic-abull mór arsata, 'a large ancient fig-tree,' LBr. 158 a, 55. CL Stokes, Rev. Celt. x. p. 71, n. 3.
4:3 i.e. nomen regionis (gloss).
4:4 A kenning for 'crested sea-waves.' Cf. groig maic Lir, 'the Son of Ler's horses,' Rev. Celt. p. 104. Zimmer misrenders: 'um welche die rosse des meeres spielend auftauchen.'
4:5 Lit. 'white-sided wave-swelling.'
4:6 Zimmer, following the corrupt reading of R (cethror instead of cetheoir), renders: 'dem wohnsitz auf fussen von vier mann'!
4:7 i.e. nomen regionis (gloss), 'White-Silver Plain.'
6:1 i.e. here below (gloss).
6:2 gairim is often used of the notes of birds, e.g.: int én gaires isint ṡail, 'the bird that sings in the willow,' Ir. Texte iii. p. 19.
6:3 trátha, the canonical hours, an allusion to church music. Zimmer, wrongly, 'zu den zeiten.'
6:4 i.e. nomen regionis (gloss), 'Silver-Cloud Plain.'
6:5 Zimmer, wrongly, 'vor den gerichten.'
6:6 Lit. 'with harshness.' Zimmer, 'fur die kehle'?
6:7 Cf. i lobrai ocus i n-ingás, Sergl. Conc. 10.
6:8 i.e. nomen regionis (gloss).
8:1 i.e. regio (gloss), 'Bountiful Land.'
8:2 dracoin = Lai. dracontiae.
8:3 'Mane' and 'hair' are frequent kennings in Irish poetry for the crest and spray of a wave, e.g.: in n-ed maras mong for muir, 'while a 'ested wave remains on the sea,' Ir. Texte iii. p. 16. Cf. also the adj. tibrech, 'hairy' (from tibre .i. finda na grúaide flacbas in altan dia hése, Harl. 5280, fo. 41 a) in úas tuind tibrig, LL. 17 b, 2 = fri tuinn tibhrigh, wrongly explained by O'Clery, s.v. tibhrigh.
8:4 i.e. insola (gloss), i.e. nomen regionis (gloss), 'Gentle Land.'
8:5 Cf. Sg. 122 b, where céitegrinne fíno glosses 'nectar.'
8:6 'Plain of the Sea.'
8:7 i.e. regio (gloss), 'Plain of Sports.'
10:1 Lit. 'against which the sea beats.'
10:2 Lit. 'it increases music.'
10:3 Here and in § 60 the nominative Emne is used instead of Emain (§§ 3, 10).
10:4 Ir. brec, 'variegated,' probably referring to their dress. Cf. cóíca ingen ildathach, Sergl. Conc. 45.
10:5 i.e. nomen regionis (gloss), 'Very Gentle Land.'
12:1 Or, perhaps, if we read la suthaini síne, 'It is through lasting weather (lit. lastingness of weather) that silver drops on the lands.'
12:2 i.e. mare, 'Plain of Sports.'
12:3 i.e. nomen regions, 'Many-coloured Land.'
12:4 This quatrain reappears in a somewhat modified form in a poem (Laud 615, p. 18) addressed to Colum Cille by Mongan, who had come from the Land of Promise (Tír Tairngiri) to meet the saint at Carraic Eolairg on Lough Foyle. See Appendix, p. 88.
14:1 i.e. Christ (gloss).
14:2 Lit. 'upon its ridge-poles or roof-trees,' alluding probably to the lowly birth of Christ.
14:3 Cf. ar attú cen tosach cen forcenn gl. qui ante creaturæ exordia idem esse non desinas, Ml. 110 d, is.
14:4 Cf. Stokes, Goid. p. 182: beith fo étoil mac Maire, 'to he under the unwill of Mary's Son.'
14:5 An allusion to baptism.
16:1 Zimmer renders 'ob sin gegangen.' But cía here means 'whither' (=Doric πεῖ, Strachan). Cf. noconḟess cía deochatar, LL. 290 a, 27. ni fetatar cia deochaid nó can donluid, Sergl. Conc. 12, etc. In the sense of 'whether,' cía occurs only in the phrase cía . . . cenco, 'whether . . . or not,' e.g.: fó leiss cía nothiasta ass, fó leiss cenco tiasta, LL. 109a, 30; cía fogabad cenco fagbad, rabeindse ar a chind, LL. 51 b, 17.
16:2 Lit. 'men of the same age.'
16:3 The MSS. again contain only twenty-eight quatrains.
16:4 Ir. slonnud means to make known one's name, or patronymic, as in Rawl. B. 502, fo. 73 a, 2: Buchet a ainm, mac hui Inblæ a slonnud, or one's native place, as in LU. 15 b, 5: ro íarfaig Finnan a slonniud de. Asbert friu: de Ultaib dam-sa.
18:1 Or Mag Mell may here be a place-name. Cf. § 39. It is the most frequent designation of the Irish elysium.
18:2 This seems to be the meaning of the verb tibrim, another example of which occurs in Rev. Celt. xi. p. 130: ni ḟuil tráich nach tiprai tonn, which I ought to have rendered 'there is no strand that a wave does not beat'
18:3 'Plain of Sports,' glossed by 'mare' above, § 23.
18:4 This I take to be the meaning of écomras, the negative of comras, 'smooth,' which occurs in cornaib sruachaib comrasaib (LL. 276 a, 6), 'with hooped smooth horns.' Stokes conjectures -ras to be cognate with W. rhathu, 'to file.'
18:5 i.e. The salmon which Bran sees are calves and are lambs (gloss).
20:1 'Pleasant, or Happy Plain.' See note on § 34.
20:2 i.e. There were many hosts near him, and Bran did not see them (gloss).
20:3 This rendering rests on the very doubtful connection of drepa with Lat. drappus, from which it might be a loan. Should we compare the obscure line drengaitir (sic legendem?) dreppa daena, Goid. p. 176?
20:4 A mere guess at the meaning of imrborbach.
20:5 Lit. 'a wood under mast (acorns) in which is beauty.'
22:1 I take foirbthe to be the neuter form of the passive participle of forbenim used as a substantive.
22:2 i.e. of the grave.
22:3 I take mbeth to be the 3rd sing. injunctive of biu, with the relative n prefixed.
22:4 i.e. to Adam in Paradise.
22:5 This rendering of saibse (saibsi) ceni is not much better than a guess. Perhaps sáibse is a noun derived from sáib, 'false.'
22:6 viz. Adam.
22:7 Cf. LU. 17 b; 26: do bithaitreb péne ocus rége cen nach crích etir = LL. 281 a, 38: do bithaittreb péne ocus régc cen nach n-díl etir.
22:8 i.e. worshipping idols (gloss).
22:9 i.e. Christ (gloss).
24:1 i.e. to Ireland.
24:2 i.e. to the wife of Fiachna, king of the Ulster Dalriada, whose royal seat was Rathmore, in Moylinny (Linemag), co. Antrim.
24:3 i.e. 'the Conception of Mongan' (gloss).
24:4 i.e. Mangan son of Fiachna (gloss).
24:5 Lit. 'will lie a vigorous lying.'
24:6 'Fair Lady,' the name of Fiachne's wife. Gilla Modutn, in his poem Senchas Ban (LL. 140 a, 37), written in 1147 A.D., makes her the daughter of Demmán Dublacha's son.
24:7 This is a guess at the meaning of moithfe. I take it to stand for móithfe, from móithaim, mod. maothaim, 'I soften.'
24:8 i froiss may mean 'in a shower'; but fross is also used metaphorically in the sense of 'attack, onset.' Cf.
26:1 i.e. post mortem (gloss).
26:2 i.e. famous, without end (anforcnedach? cf. LU. 26 b, 27), i.e. in futuro corpore (gloss).
26:3 Cf nosilis rói, LU. 66 b, 26.
26:4 The translation of this quatrain is very uncertain, as the Irish text is hopelessly corrupt in several places.
26:5 As to this meaning of airchend see Windisch, Bea. d. sächs. Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften, 19.7. 1890.
26:6 i.e. proprinm iloch (gloss). Here iloch is obscure to me. One expects a word for 'island.' Islay is also referred to in Boirche's poem on the death of Mongan (Four Masters, A.D. 620). According to Cinaed ua Hartacaín (+975), Mongan was killed by a host from Cantire (la féin Cindtíre, LL. 31 b, 42).
26:7 This refers to Mongan's death at the hands of Artur mac Bicoir.
28:1 i.e. in corpora (gloss).
28:2 i.e. this is the 'Death of Mongan,' a stone from a sling was thrown at him (gloss); i.e. a stone at the fight in Mongan's stronghold (gloss).
28:3 i.e. a stronghold (gloss). Senlabor has not been identified.
28:4 Not identified.
28:5 i.e. the angels.
28:6 i.e. in a chariot
28:7 Cf. note on § 19.
28:8 The Irish dath, 'colour,' is often used in the sense of 'kind, sort.'
28:9 treftech, a derivative from trefet, 'blowing.' Cf. trefet i. séitedh, ut est: for trefet a tóna H. 3, 18, p. 51, and see O’Dav. p. 122, s.v. treifet. In Laws i. p. 126, 5 (cf. p. 144, 1) it means 'bellows.'
28:10 viz. Bran.
30:1 Zimmer, adopting the corrupt reading of R (na mná instead of nammá) renders: 'sondern blickte die frauen an.' No women have been mentioned.
30:2 Zimmer renders 'ehepaar.' But there is no reason for being so particular.
30:3 For this use of écmaing = 'it really was,' cf. Ir. Texte iii. p. 17:
'Methought it was a hosting of men,
Gaels in numbers after fierce prowess;
But it was the king of great Meath,
Going to the company of a noble gathering.'
30:4 i.e. every man found in his food and drink the taste that he especially desired, a common incident in Irish story-telling.
32:1 He was the hero of a tale, the title of which figures in the list of sagas in LL. p. 170 b as Echtra Nectain maic Alfroinn. This tale is not now known to exist; it probably contained the incidents here narrated.
32:2 O’Curry, MS. Mat. p. 477, note 15, says that there are two places of this name--one in the west of Kerry, the other, now called Staoove or Shruve Brin, at the entrance to Lough Foyle, a little to the south of Inishowen Head. As the ancient Irish imagined Mag Mell to be in the south or south-west of Ireland (see Stokes, Rev. Celt. xv. p. 438), it seems natural that Bran coming from there should arrive at a place in Kerry. Otherwise, from Bran's connection with Lough Foyle, so called from his father Febal, the latter place might seem to be meant. See its dindsenches in Rev. Celt xv. p. 450, where Srub Brain is said to mean 'Raven's Stream.' Stokes thinks that this Srub Brain is the place in Donegal; but, considering that numbers 50 to 53 of the Rennes Dindsenchas all refer to places in Kerry, I believe the West Kerry place is meant.
32:3 viz. Nechtan mac Collbrain.
34:1 i.e. holy water.