Gile na gile do ċonnarc-sa air sliġe a n-uaigneas;
Binnios an ḃinnis a friotal nár ċríon-ġruamḋa;
Criosdal an ċriosdail a gorm-rosg rínn-uaine;
Deirge is finne ag fionnaḋ ’na gríos-ġruaḋnaiḃ.
Caise na caise an gaċ ruibe dá buiḋe-ċuaċaiḃ;
Ḃaineas an ċruinne dá ruiṫne le rínn-sguabaiġ;
Iorraḋ ba ġlaine ná glaine air a bruinn buacaiġ;
Do geineaḋ air ġeineaṁain disi ’san tír uaċtraiġ.
Fios fiosaċ dam d’innis, is isi go fíor-uaigneaċ;
Fios filleaḋ don duine don ionad ba ríġ-ḋualgas;
Fios milleaḋ na druinge ċuir eision air rínn-ruagaḋ;
’S fios eile na cuirfead am luiḋṫiḃ le fíor-uaṁain.
Leiṁe na leiṁe dam druidim ’na cruinn-tuairim!
Am ċime ag an ċime do snaiḋmeaḋ go fíor-ċruaiḋ me;
Air ġoirm Ṁic Ṁuire dam ḟurtaċt do ḃíoḋg uaimse;
’S lingeas an ḃruinnġiol ’na luisne go bruiḋin Luaċra.
Riṫim le mire am riṫiḃ go croiḋe-luaimneaċ;
Tré iméallaiḃ ċurraig, tré ṁongaiḃ, tré ṡlím-ruaiḋtiḃ;
Don ḟinne-ḃrog tigim, ní ṫuigim cia an t-sliġe fuaras,
Go h-ionad na n-ionad do cumaḋ le draoiḋeaċt gruagaig.
Brisid fá sgige go sgigeaṁail buiḋean ġruagaċ
Is fuireann do ḃruinnġiolaiḃ siosgaiṫe dlaoi-ċuaċaċ;
A ngeiṁealaiḃ geiṁeal mé cuirid gan puinn suaiṁnis;
’S mo ḃruinnġiol air ḃruinniḃ ag bruinnire ḃruinn-staucaċ.
D’inniseas disi, ’san ḃ-friotal baḋ fíor uaim-si,
Nár ċuiḃe ḋi snaiḋmeaḋ le slibire slím-ḃuaiḋearṫa;
’S an duine baḋ ġile air ċine Scuit trí h-uaire,
Ag feiṫioṁ air isi ḃeiṫ aige mar ċaoin-nuaċar.
Air cloisdin mo ġoṫa ḋi goileann go fíor-uaiḃreaċ;
Riṫeann an ḟliċe go life as a gríos-ġruaḋnaiḃ
Cuireann liom giolla dom ċomairc ón m-bruiḋin uaiṫe;
’S í Gile na Gile do ċonnarc-sa air sliġe a n-uaigneas.
AN CEANGAL
Mo ṫreiġid! mo ṫubairt! mo ṫurrainn! mo ḃrón! mo ḋíṫ!
Mo ṡoillseaċ ṁuirneaċ, ṁioċair-ġeal, ḃeól-tais, ċaoin,
Ag aḋarcaċ fuirionn-duḃ miosgaiseaċ cóirneaċ buiḋe;
’S gan leiġeas ’na goire go ḃ-fillid na leoġain tar tuínn.
The Brightness of Brightness I saw in a lonely path,
Melody of melody, her speech not morose with age,
Crystal of crystal, her blue eye tinged with green,
The white and ruddy struggled in her glowing cheeks.
Plaiting of plaiting in every hair of her yellow locks,
That robbed the earth of its dew by their full sweeping,
An ornament brighter than glass on her swelling breast,
Which was fashioned at her creation in the world above.
A tale of knowledge she told me, all lonely as she was,
News of the return of HIM to the place which is his by kingly descent,
News of the destruction of the bands who expelled him,
And other tidings which, through sheer fear, I will not put in my lays.
Oh, folly of follies for me to go up close to her!
By the captive I was bound fast a captive;
As I implored the Son of Mary to aid me, she bounded from me,
And the maiden fled, blushing, to the fairy mansion of Luachair.
I rush in mad race with a bounding heart,
Through margins of morasses, through meads, through barren moorlands
I reach the fair mansion—the way I came I know not—
That dwelling of dwellings, reared by the sorcery of a wizard.
They burst in laughter, mockingly—a troop of wizards
And a band of maidens, trim, with plaited locks;
In the bondage of fetters they put me without much respite,
While to my maiden clung a clumsy, lubberly clown.
I told her then, in words the sincerest,
How it ill became her to be united to an awkward, sorry churl,
While the fairest thrice over of all the Scotic race
Was waiting to receive her as his beauteous bride.
As she hears my voice she weeps through wounded pride,
The streams run down plenteously from her glowing cheeks,
She sends me with a guide for my safe conduct from the mansion,
She is the Brightness of Brightness I saw upon a lonely path.
THE BINDING
O my sickness, my misfortune, my fall, my sorrow, my loss!
My bright, fond, kind, fair, soft-lipped, gentle maiden,
Held by a horned, malicious, croaking, yellow clown, with a black troop!
While no relief can reach her until the heroes come back across the main.