Matheson Collection > Measgra dánta

NOTES 197
Rí Éireann iarla an fhxiinn-se,
niamhdha léibheann a loingse,
ó Chréidhe craobh na hinnse,
raon trillse séimhe soillse.
Mac Toirdhealbhaigh ó tharraidh
ag coimhleanmhain a chinidh,
gabh, a Dhé, ag ua Duach Ghalaigh,
ní thabhair sé a fhuath d'fhilidh.
MS. readings in the above are : — 3 chreidhe DW. 4 troilhi DW. 5 »
tharaigh D ; ó tháruigh W. 6 caomhleanmhuin W. 7 a dhia, DW. 8
dfile D ; dfile W.
46
Columcille's farewell to Ireland.
Source. The present poem has been pieced together from various
verses quoted in Maghnus Ó DomhnaiU's life of the saint (ed, O'Kelleher
and Schoepperle, pp. 188-200, 290-294). I have to thank Fr. O'Kelleher
for kind permission to make use of his text.
Seven of the 19 qq. occur also in a series of verses beginning Oibind
beith ar Beind Edair (to be distinguished from no. 41, which it resembles
only in the first line), similarly ascribed to Columcille, and published
by Reeves in his edition of Adamnan's Life of St. Columba, pp. 285 sq.
In Reeves's version there are 24 qq. ; but a version in Rawl. B 512
contains only 4 qq. (Stokes, Tripartite Life, i, p. xxxix), including at
least two of those in our present poem.
MS. Readings. 10 cuanna comldn. 20 am deaghaidhsd. 25
delughadh. 37 Fágtha] Fagbuidh. dearcnach] dairgech. 51 ni tegaid.
52 ceoluch. 54 taigeoruch. 63-64 are based on the version of this q.
quoted in the introduction to Amra Choluimb-chille (RC. xx, 38).
67 run atraidhim. 73 is based on Reeves.
The metres, as might be expected, are various, but nearly all of them
are of the simple kind, involving few metrical requirements. We have
simple Debhi (sometimes with the fixst line shortened to three syllables),
strict Debhi (only in the final quatrain), Rannaiocht Bheag, Rannaiocht
Mhór, a species of Rannaiocht in which the end-words of a, b and d
rime (11. 5-8, 49-52), the same with a shortened to three syllables (11.
41-44, 69-72), Ae Freshghe, and Snéadhbhairdne. Loose rimes arc