Matheson Collection > Deirdire; and, The lay of the children of Uisne

LAY OF CHILDREN OF UISNE 125
' But Dearduil of kindliest mien,
Thy speech has become weak,
The noise of the waves and of the wind
Is making change upon thine utterance.'
Much grieved was my heart for my father,'
And I bent to the ground to save him,
But the ruddiness of his cheek changed,
.His colour and his feeling forsook him.'
The ship of Clan Uisne went ashore
Below the great town of Conachar.
Conachar came out with forces —
Twenty proud-headed heroes —
And he demanded in words of wrath —
' Who are the people upon this ship ? '
' Children astray are we here.
Three who came over the waves.
On the truce and safeguarding of the King,
Is the faithful afiection of our kinship.'
' Though the reciter gave this verse as part of the
story it seems probable that it belongs to another poem.