Matheson Collection > Gleanings from Irish manuscripts

VERSUS HIBERNICI
5. His smile shall on him come through
merriment and delight, the blue-eyed hawk
from Teamhair, his nature excels his
training.
6. When ye shall see that joy upon the prince
who came from Teamhair, tell the matter
of your business to the griffin, vehement,
uncheckable.
7. Tell him that I know well that Ireland's
nobles, alas ! give up their right to the
melodious Irish.
8. It never should be laid aside for the speech
of foreign lands, the merry, tasteful, sweet
tongue, the language the shavelings blessed.
9. If we understood the honeyed tongue of
Féidhlim's plain — and we do not — no
music or discourse were sweeter, full of
truth and knowledge.
10. The flower of every speech that from the
Tower came — it is thus perfected lore
itself — which every writer adopts to garner
the Gael's generosity.
11. In it there is poetry and piety accurate
successions of kings, courtship, the Triads,,
and every difficult composition.
12. Look and you shall not discover, from
Solomon's or Cicero's hand, a piece so fine
as Cormac's Advice to Cairbre.5
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