Colloquy with the Ancients

translated by Standish Hayes O'Grady

In parentheses Publications

Medieval Irish Series

Cambridge, Ontario 1999

CS138 note: the O'Grady and Dooley/Roe translations are not a perfect match, some stories are emphasized differently, some are told at greater or lesser length. Sections were split up with respect to chapter beginnings, if you have any comments please email feedback.

Prologue

When the battle of Comar, the battle of Gowra, and the battle of Ollarba had been fought, and after that the Fianna for the most part were extinguished, the residue of them in small bands and in companies had dispersed throughout all Ireland, until at the point of time which concerns us there remained not any but two good warriors only of the last of the Fianna: Ossian son of Finn, and Caeilte son of Crunnchu son of Ronan (whose lusty vigour and power of spear-throwing were now dwindled down) and so many fighting men as with themselves made twice nine. These twice nine came out of the flowery-soiled bosky borders of Slievefuad [county Armagh] and into the lughbarta bána, at this present called lughmadh [angl. 'Louth'], where at the falling of the evening clouds that night they were melancholy, dispirited.

Caeilte said to Ossian then: "good now, Ossian, before the day's end what path shall we take in quest of entertainment for the night?" Ossian answered: "I know not, seeing that of the ancients of the Fianna and of Finn's people formerly but three survive: I and thyself, Caeilte, with Cámha the she-chief and she-custodian that, from the time when he was a boy until the day in which he died, kept Finn son of Cumall safe." Caeilte said: "we are entitled to this night's lodging and provision from her; for it is not possible to rehearse nor to shew the quantity which Finn, captain of the Fianna, bestowed on her of precious things and of treasures, including the third best thing of price that Finn ever acquired: the Anghalach namely, or drinking-horn which Moriath daughter of the king of Greece gave to Finn, and Finn to Camha.

With Camha therefore they got hospitality for that night; their names she enquired of them and [at their sound] wept vehement showers of tears; then she and they, each of the other, sought to have tidings. Next, they entered into the bed-house disposed for them, and Camha the she-chief prescribed their refection: that the freshest of all kinds of meat and the oldest of all sorts of drink be given them, for she knew in what fashion such as they used to be fed. She knew also how much it was that many a time before the present had constituted a sufficiency for Ossian and for Caeilte. Languidly and feebly she arose and held forth on the Fianna and on Finn mac Cumall; of Ossian's son Oscar too she deliberated, of mac Lugach, of the battle of Gowra with other matters; and by reason of this in the end a great silence settled on them all.

Then Caeilte said: "such matters we hold now to be not more painful than the way in which the twice nine that we are of the remnant of that great and goodly fellowship must perforce part, and diverge from each other." Ossian answered that: "they being gone [lit. 'after them'] in me by my word, and verily, is no more fight nor pith." Valiant as were these warrior-men, here nevertheless with the she-chief—with Camha—they wept in gloom, in sadness, and dejectedly. Their adequate allowance of meat and of drink was given them; they tarried there for three days and three nights, then bade Camha farewell, and Ossian said:

"Camha to-day is sorrowful: she is come to the point where she must swim; Camha without either son or grandson: it is befallen her to be old and blighted."

Forth of the town they came now, and out upon the green; there they took a resolve, which was this: to separate, and this parting of theirs was a sundering of soul and body. Even so they did: for Ossian went to the sídh of ucht Cleitigh, where was his mother: Blái daughter of Derc surnamed dianscothach [i.e. 'of the forcible language']; while Caeilte took his way to inbher Bic loingsigh, which at the present is called mainistir droichid átha [i.e. 'the Monastery of Drogheda'] from Beg loingsech son of Arist that was drowned in it: the king of the Romans' son namely, who came to invade Ireland; but a tidal wave drowned him there in his inbher, i.e. 'inver' or estuary. He went on to linn Féic, i.e. 'Fiac's Pool,' on the bright-streaming Boyne; southwards over the Old Plain of Bregia, and to the rath of Drumderg where Patrick son of Calpurn was.