Matheson Collection > Tromdámh Guaire

trivial causes and on wholly unworthy objects ; and
our story contains a good deal of incidental satire
on this national trait.
Guaire and his brother Marbán are the inter-
locutors in the beautiful old Irish poem published
by Dr. Kuno Meyer in 1901 under the title The
King and the Hermit. In it Marbán gives a charmhig
picture of the delights of life in the forest among
trees and flowers and the wild creatures, quite in
keeping with the genial swineherd of our story. In
other tales Guaire's brother is called Mo Chua, also
described as a hermit.
Our story may be regarded as a humorous extrava-
ganza, largely satirical in intention, but always
good-natured in its satire. Even Senchán and the
filidh, to do them justice, recognize the claims which
the community has upon their art in return for the
support it bestows, and play the game when Marbán
calls upon them to do so ; and there is a touch of
nobility in Senchán's refusal to shirk the task imposed
upon him and accept Guaire's proffer of continued
hospitality.
III. Language.
The orthography, for which no doubt the scribe
rather than the author is responsible, is by no means
consistent. Lenition of consonants is sometimes
indicated. The spelling g, gh for lenited d is common,
e.g. bliagain, bruighin, eiginn, fleagh, guighim = bliadh-
ain, briiidhin. eidhinn, fledh, guidhim ; conversely
dh sometimes replaces gh, e.g. fodhluim, truadh =
foghlaim, triiagh. In accordance with O. Irish ortho-
graphy, c, t sometimes represent the sounds g, d in
medial or final position ; also c =g in the proclitic
cu (cumad =gumad, O. Ir. co-mhad).