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It was then that Loch Mor son of Mofemis was summoned to the pavilion of Ailill and Medb. "What would ye of me?" asked Loch. "To have fight with Cuchulain," replied Medb. "I will not go on that errand, for I esteem it no honour nor becoming to attack a tender, young, smooth-chinned, beardless boy. And not to belittle him do I say it, but I have a doughty brother, the match of himself," said Loch, "a man to confront him, Long macEmonis, to wit, and he will rejoice to accept an offer from you." |
Is ann sin do goiredh Lóch Mor mac Mofebhais i
b-pubaill Oilella & Medhpa. Cid fa b-fuilter dam-sa lib,
ar Lóch. Do comrac duit fri Coinculainn, ar Medhb. Ni
rac-sa don turas sin, uair ni miedh no maisi liom
moethmaccoemh og gan ulchain gan f |
Thereupon Long was summoned to the tent of Ailill and Medb, and Medb promised him great gifts, even livery for twelve men of cloth of every colour, and a chariot worth four a times seven bondmaids, and Finnabair to wife for him alone, and at all times entertainment in Cruachan, and that wine would be poured out for him. Long went to seek Cuchulain, and Cuchulain slew him. |
Do gairedh Loncc i b-pubaill Oilella agus Medba agus
geallais Medb morcomadha dhó .i. timtacht dá f |
Then Medb called upon her woman-bands to go speak with Cuchulain and to charge him to put a false beard on. The woman-troop went their way to Cuchulain and told him to put a false beard on: "For no brave warrior in the camp thinks it seemly to come fight with thee, and thou beardless," said they. Thereupon Cuchulain bedaubed himself a beard. And he came onto the knoll overlooking the men of Erin and made that beard manifest to them all. |
Raidis Medb fria banchuire teacht do agallaimh Conculainn da rada fris ulca smertha do denam fair. Tangatar in bantract rempa ar amus Conculainn, co n-ebertitar fris ulcha smertha do gabail fair, uair ni fiú la daglaoch isin loncphort techt do comrac frit agus tú gan ulchain. Do cuir ieramh Cúculainn ulcha smertha fair, agus tainic ar in tulaigh ós cionn b-fer n-Erenn. Agus taisbenais in ulcha sin doib uile iccoitoinne. |
Loch son of Mofemis saw it, and what he said was, "Why, that is a beard on Cuchulain!" "It is what I perceive," Medb answered. Medb promised the same great terms to Loch to put a check to Cuchulain. |
Atchonnairc Lóch mac Mofebhais sin agus is edh adubairt: Ulcha sut ar Coinchulainn. As edh on at chiu, ar Medp. Geallais Medb na morcomadha cetna dho Lóch ar coscc Conculainn. |
"I will go forth and attack him," cried Loch. Loch went to attack Cuchulain; so they met on the ford where Long had fallen. "Let us move to the upper ford," said Loch, "for I will not fight on this ford," since he held it defiled, cursed and unclean, the ford whereon his brother had fallen. Thereafter they fought on the upper ford. |
Rachat-sa da ionnsaighe, ar Lóch. Tic Lóch d'ionnsaighe Conculainn, go d-tarla da cele iet ic in áth inar thuit Long. Tair romainn ar in áth n-uactarac, ar Lóch, uair ni comraicfem ar in áth so, ar ba háth heascoman lesiom in t-ath for a d-torcair a bhrathair. Iar sin ro comraicsit forsa n-áth uachtarach. |
Then it was that the Morrigan daughter of Aed Ernmas came from the fairy dwellings to destroy Cuchulain. For she had threatened on the Cattle-raid of Regomaina that she would come to undo Cuchulain what time he would be in sore distress when engaged in battle and combat with a goodly warrior, with Loch, in the course of the Cattle-spoil of Cualnge. Thither then the Morrigan came in the shape of a white, hornless, red-eared heifer, with fifty heifers about her and a chain of silvered bronze between each two of the heifers. The women came with their strange sorcery, and constrained Cuchulain by geasa and by inviolable bonds to check the heifer for them lest she should escape from him without harm. Cuchulain made an unerring cast from his sling-stick at her, so that he shattered one of the Morrigan's eyes. |
Is ann sin tainic in Morrigan ingen Ernmuis a Siodaibh do aidmilliudh Conculainn, ar ro gellastar for Tain bó Regamna, go d-tiocfadh do aidhmilliudh Conculainn, in trath do beith ig comrac fri deglaoc for Tain bo Cualnge. Tainic ieramh in Morrigan ann sin irriocht samhaisci finne óderge co coecait samasc uimpi, agus ronn fiondruine itir gach da samaisc dioph. Do bertsat in banntracht gesa agus airmberta for Coincculainn, da ttísadh úadh gan aidmilliudh furre. Do bert Cuchulainn rot n-urcuir di, gur bris letrosc na Morrigna. |
Then the Morrigan came thither in the shape of a slippery, black eel down the stream. Then she came on the linn and she coiled around the two feet of Cuchulain. While Cuchulain was busied freeing himself, Loch wounded him crosswise through the breast. [Then at this incitation Cuchulain arose, and with his left heel he smote the eel on the head, so that its ribs broke within it and he destroyed one half of its brains after smashing half of its head.] |
Tainic dno in Morrighan ann sin irriocht escuinge slemne duibi las an srut. Tet ieramh forsan lind, gur rus iomnaisg fo chosaibh Conculainn. An fad bói Cuchulainn ag a dichur de, ro ghon Lóch urtarsna é tre compur a cleb. |
The Morrigan next came in the form of a rough, grey-red bitch-wolf [and she bit Cuchulain in the arm and drove the cattle against him westwards, and Cuchulain made a cast of his little javelin at her, strongly, vehemently, so that it shattered one eye in her head.] During this space of time, whether long or short, while Cuchulain was engaged in freeing himself, Loch wounded him through the loins. Thereupon Cuchulain's anger arose within him and he wounded Loch with the Gae Bulga ('the Barbed-spear'), so that it passed through his heart in his breast. |
Tainic ieramh in Morrigan i riocht saidhi gairbi glasruaidhi. Cien goirit boi Cuchulainn ig a díchur dhe, ro ghon Loch é. Iar sin ro erigh fercc Conculainn ris, gur rus gon don gae bulga é, gur ro tregd a croidi ina cliab. |
"Grant me a boon now, O Cuchulain," said Loch. "What boon askest thou?" "'Tis no boon of quarter nor a prayer of cowardice that I make of thee," said Loch. "But fall back a step from me and permit me to rise, that it be on my face to the east I fall and not on my back to the west toward the warriors of Erin, to the end that no man of them shall say, if I fall on my back, it was in retreat or in flight I was before thee, for fallen I have by the Gae Bulga!" "That will I do," answered Cuchulain, "for 'tis a true warrior's prayer that thou makest." And Cuchulain stepped back. Hence cometh the name the ford bears ever since, namely Ath Traged (' Foot-ford ') in Cenn Tire Moir (' Great Headland'). |
Ascid dam i fecht sa a Cuchulaind, bar Lóch. Gia
ascid connaige. Ni ascid anacail no midlachais iarraim-se
fort, bar Loch. Teilg traigid dam, co rop ar m'agid sair
toethus, & na rap dar m-aiss síar co firu hErend,
ar na radea nech díb is rói madma no techid
dam remut-su, dáig torchar din gae bulga. Teilcfet,
bar Cuchulaind, daig is laechda ind ascid connaigi. Ocus
teilgis Cuchulaind traigid ar cul dó, conid de fil in
t-ainm forsind áth ó s |
And deep distress possessed Cuchulain that day more than any other day for his being all alone on the Táin. Thereupon Cuchulain enjoined upon Laeg his charioteer to go to the men of Ulster, that they should come to defend their drove. And weariness of heart and weakness overcame him, and he gave utterance to a lay:-- |
Ocus gebis athrechus mór Coinculaind in lá
sin .i. bith for in táin itir a oenur. Ocus radis
Cuchulaind fria araid fri Laeg techt do innaigid Ulad, ar
con tístaís do chosnam a tana. Ocus ro-gab-sum
merten & athscís forru,ocus dorin |
Rise, O Laeg, arouse the hosts, |
Airg uaim a Láig, laider sluaig, |
This then is the Combat of Loch Mor ('the Great') son of Mofemis against Cuchulain on the Driving of the Kine of Cualnge. |
Conid comrac Lóich Mir meic Mafemis fri Coinculaind sin Tain bó Cualnge. |
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